This is what has been happening up at Apex Mountain Resort this summer. Like every summer Apex Mountain Resort puts roughly $500,000 in to mountain improvements. Most of the time these improvements are not visible to the public. For example maintenance updates for the Quad can be over $100,000 but the money spent will not be directly visible.
This summer season we have had an excavator going 40 hours a week making on mountain improvements as we do every summer. We replaced the cable on the Triple Chair which was $150,000 project. There has been a crew working all summer clearing the runs with brush saws. We just purchased a new Beast grooming machine for $300,000 at the end of last season. This new grooming machine and the rest of our grooming machine fleet receive a total overhauls. We have been building snowfencing throughout the top third of the mountain to enhance snow conditions. We have millwrights and heavy duty mechanics working full time all summer and fall maintaining and improving the machinery and the lifts.
We have been asked about our slight increase in season pass rates this season. The answer is that Apex Mountain Resort is essentially a break-even business. All of our expenses are increasing, for example minimum wage is increasing 5% this year. Our parts to run the mountain come mainly from the US which are now 30% higher. If we do not stay current with the economy we will not be economically viable.
If you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact James Shalman, General Manager at 250-490-6172 or james@apexresort.com.