“Season’s pass sales for early birds exceeded targets,” said Karen Bonell, Resort Director of Marketing. “That’s always a good sign.” It’s also a sign of faith for the Resort, which last year honoured all season’s passes from the previous year, when the Resort was only open for a handful of days.
Resort staff began working on the 2006-07 winter season the minute Mount Washington closed last April. One hundred and forty parking spots were added to the Sunrise Quad parking lots, and the ticket booth was moved to the edge of the parking lot for quicker access to the slopes for those who don’t need to rent equipment. “That was something that was really needed,” Bonell said.
A lot of on-hill grooming and additional glading was done, especially on the front and back sides of the Boomerang. “Brush cutting crews were out there all summer that’s what we call ‘summer grooming’ to prepare for winter,” Bonell explained, “so we don’t need so much snow on the trails to get people out on them.”
An array of new features has also been added to the advanced level Terrain Park for snowboarders. The Resort has added the Brick Rail Jam to its winter repertoire, with the first rail competition taking place Jan. 27.
The Alpine Lodge got a bit of a facelift too, with a new coat of paint and new carpeting. “We spent about $600,000 just on maintenance,” she said. The Resort had a lot of maintenance to catch up on after putting it aside last year. Altitudes was renovated and Mountain Tek was expanded into a full retail store. “Mountain Tek is probably the biggest change we’ve had,” said Don Sharpe, Resort Director, Business Services. “You can now walk in and walk out. You can follow through, you can sit down and try on gear. “There’s a much more comfortable feel.”