Citing an 'insurmountable' lack of snow, Montana ski area closes for the season
In Environment
Citing an ‘insurmountable’ lack of snow, Montana ski area closes for the season
Teton Pass Ski Area near Choteau was able to operate just four days this season.
by Amanda Eggert
02.08.2024
A small, locally owned ski area west of the Rocky Mountain Front community of Choteau announced Thursday that it’s closing for the remainder of the 2023-2024 season, citing dismal snowfall, warm temperatures and the financial repercussions of holding out for more wintery weather.
In a six-page letter posted to the Teton Pass Ski Area Instagram account, area owner Charles Hlavac said the ski area has been running in the red to cover early season payroll, insurance premiums, property tax and start-up costs such as food, fuel and explosives for avalanche mitigation. Continuing to do so, the letter continued, could jeopardize the ski area’s ability to operate in the future.
“The financial hole we have dug is large, and we don’t think we could operate our way out of it even if the snow showed up,” Hlavac wrote. “The correct decision from a truly non-emotional business perspective is to ‘cut off the limb to save the life,’ or in other words end this season now, so we can ensure more seasons in the future.” … Hlavac wrote that the decision was not made lightly but the one he felt compelled to make when considering variables under his control.
“If the issue was simply a matter of needing to put in the time and the hard work, my crew and I would gladly do any amount of difficult work,” he wrote. “We hope that we have proven over time that we are not afraid of the incredibly hard work that goes into operating a uniquely challenging business in a sometimes-hostile environment. We don’t see ourselves as quitters, and we recognize that this decision might be viewed that way by some now, or in the future. This decision will linger, but we have weighed the alternatives.”
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