Mountain High Sets Record Holiday Attendance

Wrightwood, CA (January 5, 2009) – Mountain High Resort in Wrightwood reports a record breaking holiday season with skier visits up more than 40% over last year for the two-week Christmas period. This marks a 36% increase over the resort’s 12-year average and a welcome relief for weary resort managers. Significant factors leading to the increase include strong early-season advertising, trade-down vacation scenarios due to the weakened economy, and four and a half feet of natural snow the week prior to Christmas.

“Mountain High experienced the perfect storm,” said Karl Kapuscinski, President and CEO. “The four feet of snow prior to the holidays, in combination with pent-up demand due to a later than normal opening, and tendencies to ski closer to home all fell in line to deliver a record breaking holiday season.”

Mountain High’s North Pole Tubing Park also saw an increase of 50% over the same period last year operating near full capacity seven days per week. The North Pole Tubing Park is the region’s largest tubing area with up to 12 lanes serviced by two surface lifts. The North Pole’s reasonable pricing ($20 for two hours) makes it a popular option for families who don’t ski or snowboard, but still want to experience the excitement of a winter resort.

Mountain High’s record breaking holiday season supports the popular belief that snowfall is the leading factor in determining skier visits, even in the face of economic uncertainty. Mountain High has benefited from trade-down vacationers who are replacing week-long destination vacations with single day and weekend trips. Management remains optimistic that with the right conditions skier visits will remain strong throughout the season.

Photo: Robbie Burelson at Mountain High East, December 18, 2008.
Credit: Dennis Nadalin

Mountain High is Southern California’s closest winter resort located just 75 minutes from Los Angeles and Orange County. The area consists of three separate mountains (Mountain High East, West, and North), and offers a wide variety of high-speed lifts and alpine trails, the world class Faultline Terrain Park, an outstanding Winter Sports School, and the region’s largest tubing park. Snowmaking covers more than 80% of the slopes delivering consistent snow conditions from November through April. Mountain High is traditionally the first resort in Southern California to open each season and the only local area with night skiing seven nights-a-week. Get more at mthigh.com.