Wolf Creek Ski Area Announces Improvements For Winter 2017-18
Wolf Creek Ski Area is busy with several exciting summer projects that will be ready to launch for the 2017-2018 ski season. One of the largest capital improvements is the purchase and installation of a Point-of-Sale System in the Ticket Office. In addition to a new ticketing system, the Lynx Lift, a covered conveyor and Interpretive Center, will be operational for the 2017-2018 ski season. Wolf Creek Ski Area will also be going solar with the majority of it’s sustainable power offsets generated from the Penitente Solar Project in the San Luis Valley. The ski and snowboard rental program continues to be improved on all levels. The demo fleet will include the latest technology in skis and snowboards offered again online, and in both the Ski Rental and Boarder Dome.
After the 2016-2017 ski season wrapped up with over 204,000 skiers and over 440 inches of powder, the focus in the Ticket Office turned to researching point-of-sale systems that could be used in the office and at the lifts. After exploring several options and speaking with a few prominent point-of-sale companies specific to the ski industry, a decision was made to implement a new ticketing system through Active Network/RTP One. The new system allows Ticket Office cashiers to sell and print lift tickets, lessons and season passes using a computerized workstation. The Ticket Office will move from stamping tickets with a daily word to printing tickets with a barcode. Cashiers will select appropriate tickets and lesson options on a computer screen and simply print the guest’s ticket and lesson order. The ticket’s barcode allows lift operators to scan at the lift for access. Nine point-of-sale workstations will be installed in the Ticket Office with an additional two workstations installed in the Satellite Ticket Office, located in the bottom level of Prospector Grill for use over peak periods.
With the new software being installed, the online ski school reservation system will be replaced with Active Network/RTP One as well. The new eStore will allow guests visiting Wolf Creek the luxury of arranging and paying for their lessons from the comfort of their home prior to their trip. When guests’ arrive at Wolf Creek Ski Area the online reservation system will have transferred reservations and sales from the eStore into the office workstations allowing cashiers to look up reservations by guests’ name and print the lesson tickets. The eStore will have all group lessons for every ability level, ages five and older, including Beginner Specials, Wolf Pups, Wolf Riders and Hot Shots. Private lessons will still need to be arranged through the Ticket Office or booked over the phone because of the many details required.
Season Passes will also be transformed with the new point-of-sale system. Season Pass Holders will purchase their passes, read and sign the Season Pass Contract and Liability Waiver, take a photo and be issued a season pass card. Once pass holders have their season pass card they will go directly to lifts and skip the Ticket Office. Lift operators and attendants will then check and verify pass holder identities at the lift rather than in previous seasons where Ticket Office cashiers check while issuing the pass holder a daily lift ticket. Scanners will be the new ticket checking method at all lifts including the Lynx Lift, with construction to be completed by the start of the season. Colorado Search and Rescue card will continue to be included in the purchase of a season pass.
The Lynx Lift and building will be open to the public for the 2017-2018 ski season. The Lynx Lift is a 290 foot covered conveyor, manufactured by Sun Kids of Austria, and is the ninth lift to Wolf Creek’s lift system. The Lynx Lift, located behind the Sports Center building and out the back doors of the Rental Shop, will take guests to a new learning area and welcome center. This area, the Interpretive Center, is where instructors greet skiers enrolled in lessons. Students will be introduced to the sport, watch safety videos and begin their lesson. The Lynx Building will be the new location for approximately 200 ski instructors complete with lockers, administrative office, break area and restrooms. The Lynx Lift does not only service beginner terrain but also helps intermediate and advanced skiers access the Elma and Alberta lifts. The Alberta and Tranquility Parking Lots are accessible via the Lynx Lift by transporting guests up to Okey Dokey and then onto a trail that leads to shuttle services for parking.
Other off-season improvements made this summer include increasing Wolf Creek’s snow making capacity, heavy equipment additions to the snow removal department and a new snowcat for grooming operations. Wolf Creek purchased two, new, high-efficiency fan guns from the European company, Super Snow; increasing snowmaking capacity at higher temperatures. The snow removal department gained a 1021 front-end loader, a 350 horsepower loader mounted with a snow blower, twenty-four foot bull blade and a twenty-yard snow bucket, all advantageous to the snow removal efforts. A PistenBully 400 all-terrain groomer will be added to the groomers’ fleet for the 2017-2018 season, adding to the exceptional variety of terrain Wolf Creek has to offer.
The Powder Room, Wolf Creek’s newest amenity, is a premier program that will be offered to season pass holders once completed. Pass holders have the luxury of a private room complete with seasonal ski and snowboard lockers, boot and helmet dryers, restrooms and a few other fun perks. The custom Italian lockers will offer pass holders the opulence of on-mountain storage and exclusive guest benefits.
Wolf Creek is an environmentally friendly area and has always been a leader in maintaining sustainable business practices. Wolf Creek currently purchases 100% renewable wind energy year-round, mountain-wide. In the near future, Wolf Creek Ski Area will replace wind power with solar power. The new solar farm, Penitente Solar Project, is twenty-five acres of land near La Garita in the San Luis Valley. Wolf Creek continues to maintain it’s logging program in cooperation with the forest service to cut and clean dead beetle kill in an affordable manner.
The low-density skiing experience at Wolf Creek Ski Area makes Wolf Creek a destination hot spot for powder hounds, families and new skiers alike. Wolf Creek stands out from other ski areas in Colorado not only for being family owned and operated, but for also having affordable lift tickets and lesson options. Adding to Wolf Creek’s uniqueness is the phenomenal homemade food found in all eateries at Wolf Creek and convenient amenities that are at no cost, like paved parking and shuttle services.
Wolf Creek will continue to offer the Fun Race Series each weekend with a number of special programs designed to bring quality service at even better prices.
