Nov 26, 2017 6 min read

Western ski and snowboard resorts in California and Nevada stretched their season into this past summer thanks to one of the snowiest winters in decades. Having visitors glide down the slopes under the late spring and early summer sun was a boost to many resorts’ bottom lines after recent winters that were devoid of snow and left resorts looking for business. Some eastern resorts in New England racked up impressive snow total this past winter as well; however, local resorts were not that fortunate.

Last season, through the end of February, Pittsburgh’s snow total was 10 inches below normal. Locally, resorts like Seven Springs and Hidden Valley in the Laurel Highlands, Wisp in Western Maryland and Holiday Valley in Western New York were able to crank up snow-making machines, which helped to keep slopes covered in the white stuff and the budget out of red ink. But when your business is based on snow, what do you do when you have little to none?

Back in 1932 when the Dupre family bought the small farm that would become Seven Springs, their first endeavor wasn’t a ski resort. They opened a bed and breakfast for guests to enjoy the beautiful scenery. When the family decided to start skiing, they built a mechanical rope tow powered by an old Packard automobile engine. It was the first rope tow outside of Vermont, and by 1935, winter enthusiasts with wooden plank skis and leather bindings traversed the Seven Springs slopes.

In 1937, Seven Springs opened a handful of ski slopes to the public. When ski director Lars Skylling started broadcasting ski conditions on KDKA radio on Friday afternoons, a business was born.

The next logical step to earning money during warmer months was to build a golf course, and that happened in 1969. A convention center followed in 1972 bringing in another revenue stream. Even now, convention goers and corporate meeting attendees can be seen roaming the resort, wearing business suits rather than ski pants. The family-friendly resort hosts more than one million overnight guests each year.

Family friendly

How do you attract someone to a ski resort if he or she doesn’t ski? If someone has no interest in golf, what is there to do at a resort? These are the questions resort planners have been addressing for decades as they expanded their business models and their horizons to ventures such as zip lines, spas and sporting clays.

The foodie phenomenon is another money maker altogether as food and wine festivals have exploded in popularity in recent years.

“Each year, the resort continues to raise the bar as the 25th Annual Wine Festival and Eighth Annual Rib and Wing Festival both broke their respective all-time attendance records in 2017,” said Katie Buchan, communications manager for Seven Springs/Hidden Valley/Laurel Mountain. “Events at Seven Springs have a special appeal because of the unique and breathtaking setting that they occupy. With sweeping mountain landscapes, top-notch facilities and amenities and a wide variety of adventures to enjoy while you’re here, few places can offer the diverse experiences available at Seven Springs Mountain Resort.”

At ski resorts across the country, guests will find wine tastings and food truck festivals, rib cook-offs and craft beer samplings. That foray into the foodie craze expands from the resort hotels and festival areas onto the mountain. Gone are the days of only finding a hamburger or soup in the ski resort cafeteria at lunchtime – now guests find sushi, craft beers and gastropub offerings slopeside.

From spring through late fall, resorts across the region celebrate being outdoors in pleasant weather with events like Autumnfest and Oktoberfest at Seven Springs. Artisans and performers along with a petting zoo amuse kids while adults sample food and craft beer, contestants try pumpkin chuckin’ and the hay bale toss, and everyone takes in the scenery with rides on the chairlift and Alpine Slide.

Above the slopes

On any given summer day, the chair lifts are still humming, filled with mountain bikers rather than skiers or snowboarders. That helped resorts add more than just golf as a warm weather sports. Another addition is the popular zip line. Some resorts offer riders the chance to glide above the slopes they normally ski, even during winter months. But the high-flying experience is much more enjoyable when it’s warm.

Seven Springs offers two zip line adventures including the 3-hour Laurel Ridgeline Zip Line Experience, which includes ten different rides totaling 1,500 feet at speeds up to 55-miles-per-hour, plus a rappel and two foot bridges that look like something out of an Indiana Jones movie. If you’re not feeling that adventurous, you can hop on a Segway tour around the grounds – an activity that’s becoming an increasingly popular option at resorts around the country.

“We are proud to offer families throughout the region a diverse array of outdoor activities and adventures for all ages and all ability levels throughout the year,” said Buchan. “Offering activities and amenities in every season also allows the resort to continue to grow and create jobs throughout the year.”

One activity that is fast becoming the most popular at Seven Springs is sporting clays.

“Springs Sporting Clays opened its doors in 2009 and held a humble seven corporate outings that year. Today in 2017, the facility boasts more than 400 members and hosted more than 150 corporate outing events,” said Buchan.

Sporting clays is increasingly becoming a unique alternative to the classic golf outing for groups or gatherings of family or friends.

“Many organizations also look to sporting clays as a great choice because it takes less time to complete than an 18-hole outing,” Buchan aid, “and the sport is much more accessible to shooters of all ages and physical ability levels.”

The center doubles as the snowmobile rental center in winter months, but operated more days this past year as the sporting clay center, as the sport continues to soar in popularity.