Taking a powder

Businesses are feeling the bite of one of the most dismal midseason snowpacks many skiers have seen in years.

Loulou’s Ski Chalet in Spokane usually waxes and sharpens 100 pairs of skis per week, drawing traffic into the shop and driving sales of hats, gloves and goggles, said employee Phil Freeman. But business is down substantially, he said.

As a result, Loulou’s and other ski shops are resorting to strategies generally reserved for later in the season to bring in customers. They’re putting ski gear on sale and advertisements on the radio.

WinterSport, another Spokane ski shop, is starting its “progressive” ski sale next weekend, almost a month early, said employee Aaron Coski. The sale usually takes place at the end of February, discounting everything ski- and snowboard-related by 30 percent. The following weekend, the discount rises to 40 percent, then 50 percent after that.

“We just don’t have any traffic when the conditions are like they are right now,” Freeman said. “But with good snow conditions, it stays pretty constant up until the last part of February.”

Only three of the region’s five ski resorts are open, but they are offering limited terrain and warning of early-season conditions, with rocks and mud showing through the snow. The warming trend that swept through the region last week, bringing rain and mild temperatures, decimated much of the snow coverage and created a ripple effect for businesses that rely on a solid winter recreation season.

“This has been the worst winter I’ve experienced in 20 years of doing business here in Sandpoint. It kind of knocks the wind out of sales,” said Marc DeLaVergne, owner of Outdoor Experience, which caters to backcountry skiers but also sells snowshoes, cross-country skis, kayaks and other recreation gear. DeLaVergne said two customers have called asking for mountain bike repairs, which never happens in January. “We’ve lost a good six to eight weeks of selling. Eventually, people just lose their enthusiasm to ski because we get so close to spring.”

Silver Mountain planned to be closed Monday through Wednesday, pinning reopening hopes on a 40 percent chance of snow Wednesday night. Recent rains there melted the snowpack from 40-plus inches on top to about 20, said the resort’s spokesman, Stephen Lane. Mt. Spokane General Manager Brad McQuarrie said the mountain would be closed pending additional snowfall.

The lodging industry has noticed the impact of the meltdown, said Ken Schueman, owner of the Super 8 hotel in Kellogg. Some groups planning to travel to North Idaho for ski vacations have canceled and last weekend was “real, real slow,” he said.

The declining business has hurt seasonal employees as well. Closed ski resorts mean temporary layoffs for part-time staffers. At Mt. Spokane, McQuarrie said, that means most of the resort’s 200 staffers are out of work until the mountain reopens.

“It’s gonna be a tough one,” McQuarrie said. “We’re hurting, but we’ll survive. We’re going to max out everything we can to get through.”

Still, Lane, at Silver Mountain, said skiers shouldn’t pull out their golf clubs yet. When the resort reopens, he said, it will offer reduced ticket rates and there’s a Mardi Gras party to look forward to at the end of February. The President’s Day holiday weekend, which is Feb. 19 to 21 this year, is typically a big ski weekend as well.

“We haven’t given up on winter yet, and neither should the guests,” Lane said. “It’s the middle of January. We still have February and March.”