Searchmont's absurdly awesome ski season

Searchmont's 2017-2018 ski season has officially ended. But there's so much late-season snow the hills are still skiable

Visitors to Searchmont were up 27 per cent over last season

Audited financial statements from Searchmont Resort aren't done yet, so we don't have exact profit-or-loss figures.

But early numbers presented today to Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corp. (EDC), which owns the ski hill, point to a very good year.

Favourable weather allowed the ski hill to open before Christmas and stay open three extra weekends in April for a total of 76 operational days, compared to 66 in the 2016-2017 season and 44 in 2015-2016.

"To say that the season was nothing but phenomenal was an understatement," said Greg Punch, who chairs the EDC's asset committee that owns Searchmont.

"They had a really good year," Punch said.

Searchmont's 2017-2018 ski season has officially ended but so much late-season snow remains that the hill is still skiable, he told the EDC.

"The results were simply incredible," said Colin Wilson, Searchmont's general manager.

"Our outside operations manager, Chris Greensted and his team, put in an amazing effort," Wilson said.

Greg Punch presented the following statistics at today's EDC meeting:

there were 37,720 visitors this past season, a 27-per-cent increase over last season's 29,701 visitors
total revenue was up 22 per cent
737 season passes were sold, a 50-per-cent increase over last season's 492 passes
revenue from ticket sales was up 24 per cent year-over-year
revenue from accommodation sales was up 46 per cent, partly attributable to villa renovations done last summer, including new flooring, trim, paint, furniture and televisions
food and beverage sales were up 24 per cent
snow school revenue was up 33 per cent after Searchmont hosted two instructor certification courses, training seven new instructors
rental shop revenue was up nine per cent

"The collaborative effort from the community, funding agencies, the Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corp. and local business has been critical in bringing the operation into a profitable position," said Tyler Epp, president of Searchmont Ski Association Inc., which operates the hill for the EDC.

"We are continuing to make incremental improvements to strengthen the business model and establish strategic partnerships," Epp said in a written statement.