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.”
Hlavac detailed weather trends in the post, noting that the 8 inches of snow that fell at the area last weekend failed to reverse the ski area’s fortunes since precipitation wrought by the storm started out as rain and fell on unfrozen ground — a bad combination for maintaining a base. He also noted that Teton Pass happens to be located in a region of Montana hurting for snow.
The Sun-Teton-Marias basin, which is located just east of the Continental Divide, currently has 42% of the typical snowpack for this time of year, a record low. Teton Pass was able to operate just four days this season, according to Hlavac’s letter.
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Tom Frownfelder, a former Choteau Chamber of Commerce board member and current finance officer for the city, said the ski area provides a winter boost to the area economy during a time of year when traffic from other recreational draws like hunting and wildlife watching tend to fall off.
“It does hinder our winter push,” Frownfelder said, adding that the dismal snowpack also has repercussions for agricultural producers and other businesses reliant on the Teton River.
Hlavac wrote that Teton Pass “absolutely [intends] to take care of” its skiers. Customers who purchased a season pass or lift ticket voucher will be able to carry those over to the 2024-2025 season, he wrote.
Teton Pass normally receives 300 inches of snow annually, and the uppermost of its three lifts tops out at about 7,200 feet. Hlavac wrote that this is the ski area’s worst season for precipitation totals based on 55 years of records.
Turner Mountain, another small northern Montana ski area, is currently closed while it waits for more snow. According to On the Snow, which compiles information about ski area conditions around the state, base depths for open ski areas in Montana range from a minimum of 6 inches at Great Divide to 67 inches at Whitefish Mountain Resort.
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