It's still really good

The skiing and riding is still very. very good.  It's supposed to be in the 20's this weekend and there is not a huge warm-up in sight.  The Pond Skip takes place this Saturday which usually...usually...marks the end of the season.  However, we are now planning on being open the weekend of March 29-30 for sure and possibly beyond.  Stay tuned for an update sometime next week.  This time of year, it's better to wait and see what the weather does before we assume anything.  If we were to get some rain, we would need to keep an eye Cannon River levels.   In the meantime, the sun is warm, the bumps are soft, and the beer is cold at Jaxx. Enjoy!

Accreditation Week

Welch Village hosted it's second ever PMTS Accreditation this past week.  The event concluded today with 5 Welch Village instructors earning their Blue Level pins (myself included!) and 3 instructors earning their Green Level.  Again, like I have stated before, the fact that Welch Village offers this level of ski instruction and coaching sets us apart from any other ski resort.  It's a system that is producing incredible results for beginner level skiers all the way up to accomplished racers at Welch Village.

Spring Skiing

What a great weekend.   Plenty of sun, warmer temperatures,  great snow,  and countless people having a great time.  This weekend also was opening weekend for spring costume season.  I spotted Elvis, a penguin,  and other guests wearing entertaining attire on the slopes.   We are looking forward to a great week ahead with temperatures in the thirties.   We have a ton of snow and a deep snow pack.  We are hoping for a slow snow melt in the Welch Valley for two reasons.  One, this will lead to an extended season with great skiing conditions.  And two, a slow melt will keep the Cannon River away from HWY 7 and the ski area.

The Snow Fairies

It's cold again.  We are also due for more snow, and more wind.  Unbelievable.  I took several runs today in the bright sunshine and again, the snow was absolutely fantastic.  I wasn't able to get into the Back Bowl this past weekend but I heard it was awesome back there as well.  As long as you dress for the weather, the skiing is great.  The recent snowstorm of last week has left a lasting mark on the trees in the valley.  If you have been down here since the storm, you know what I am talking about.  As my 3-year old daughter said, "The frost and the snow fairies did a good job!"  It's already March this weekend.  It appears as if we will be able to offer you a great ski and snowboard experience for most, if not all of March.  Trust me, we are already talking about staying open as late as we possibly can this year.

Pass Pricing

We put a lot of thought into season pass pricing every spring.  We hope we have made it pretty obvious that we value our members and value our guests who make the decision to become members. Therefore, we have historically offered sometimes aggressive prices on season passes for those who make that commitment in the spring for the next season.  Unfortunately, we can't afford to offer an Olympic Pass deal or a 2-year Golden Pass every spring.  With that being said, we do try and make it as affordable as possible for as many guests as possible to purchase a pass.  Harmless Sales Pitch Alert:  For individuals to renew their season pass for next season right now, it costs just $179 to do so.  If you are not a current member, the price for a pass for next season right now is just $249 but you can use that pass for the rest of this season as well. Yes, we have increased the prices from last spring.  However, please know that it costs more every year to run Welch Village and therefore as costs for us increase, the costs unfortunately for our guests sometimes need to increase as well.  We would also like to continue to make more improvements over the next few seasons and it takes added revenue to do that.  It's always nice too add a new chairlift, improve snowmaking, add chalet space, and expand terrain like we did with the Back Bowl.  This fall I spoke with one of our guests at the Mall of America Ski Show.  He told me that he actually loves it when he comes to Welch when it's busy and he has to wait in lift lines.  He went on to say that he understands when sometimes prices need to go up because if Welch Village is busy and prices increase, that means that he will most likely get to enjoy a new capital improvement sometime soon.  Thank you whoever you were.  You get it.  And so do most of our guests and members.  Thank you to you as well. 

You can view this year's spring pass prices HERE.  For those of year who jumped on the Golden Pass offer a year ago, you can just sit back this spring and enjoy the great snow we have!  As I write this entry, Welch Village is in a Blizzard Warning with 7+ inches of snow in the forecast.  It should be a great late February and month of March!  

 

A Special Week

4 days training, filming, coaching, and hard work ended today under bright sunshine and on perfect snow. Harald Harb and Diana Rodgers trained Welch Village race athletes for the purposes of their latest instructional video which will be available in the fall.  It was truly a win-win for both Welch Village and Harb Ski Systems this week.  Our kids, already great skiers, got even better in a very short time.  Some of our coaches were also able to participate in this experience.  Last evening, Harb and Rodgers met the parents and families of all the athletes used in the film shoot and presented the keys to developing skiers and racers.  It was a great opportunity for parents to see video footage of the week and get involved in what their children were taught.  We are looking forward to sharing the final product of this weeks training and filming sessions with our coaches, instructors, athletes & families.

 

World Class Coaching at Welch Village this Week

A few lucky kids are getting a taste of some world class race instruction this week at Welch Village.  These kids are being coached on world cup skiing technique from two of the best coaches in the world, Harald Harb and Diana Rodgers with Harb Ski Systems.  They are here coaching and filming Welch Village race athletes as young as 7 years old for their new race instructional video which will be released in the fall.  Welch Village was selected because of it's dedication to quality Direct Parallel ski instruction and race coaching via the PMTS Direct Parallel system, which was invented by Harb.  Harb and Rodgers have coached several past Olympic medalists and World Cup athletes.  They also still work with current World Cup skiers on the hill and off the hill at their ski shop in Colorado.  Welch Village is the only ski area in the country that is licensed to coach this system.  After two days of filming and coaching 7-10 year old D-Team racers, Harb and Rodgers will spend the next two days working with some older athletes who race in high school, D-team, and USSA.  The coaches will also be back at Welch Village this March for the annual PMTS Accreditation event.