Snowmaking Credited For Full Arizona Ski Season Beginning Friday

By Holliday Moore
Published: Wednesday, November 14, 2018 - 3:33pm
Updated: Thursday, November 15, 2018 - 8:54am

It's been a few weeks since measurable snow fell in Arizona, but that hasn't stopped ski season from starting this coming Friday.

After several weeks of snowmaking on seven beginner and intermediate trails, the ski resort northwest of Flagstaff announced it will open at 9 a.m. on Nov. 16.

This is the second ski season with full snowmaking capabilities on Mount Humphrey lending to a healthy start to a new season.

Looking at revenue increases, resort management sees no real comparison between seasons since snowmaking began.

"When you're open and you hit your targeted date and you have a 140 day-operating season, and it hasn't even snowed, that's significant," said SnowBowl Ski Resort's manager Rob Linde. "You're really talking about a percentage increase of 100 percent."

Without snowmaking last year, Linde said SnowBowl would have been shuttered and left several hundred Flagstaff and nearby residents without jobs.

This year, he plans to hire more than 600 employees.

On average, the ski industry contributes approximately $12 million to the Flagstaff economy each year.

EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been modified to clarify the year SnowBowl would have closed without snowmaking.

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