The Arizona Snowbowl is gearing up for the winter season with a couple of inches of snowfall enhancing the prospects for an exciting opening. Fresh snow graced the slopes over the weekend, promising an eager audience of winter sport enthusiasts an early start to their seasonal escapades. With more snow anticipated, the Snowbowl staff is working tirelessly to ensure that the resort is ready for visitors when the lifts start running this Friday, as reported by FOX 10 Phoenix.
Recognizing the imminent arrival of winter, Matt Schmidgall, owner of Ski Haus, described the current weather as "It’s feeling like it’s winter. It’s cold. It’s gloomy out, and it’s feeling like winter is finally here," a sentiment capturing the chill in the air and the anticipation of the ski season that lays ahead, as stated by FOX 10 Phoenix. As the snow machines are fired up and preparations on the gondolas are underway, there's a collective effort to transform this arizonian retreat into a winter haven.
In preparation for the influx of visitors, the Snowbowl has also invested in summer upgrades, including clearing trees to refine the trails and enhancing its snow-making system, crucial steps to ensure that resort's conditions are optimum for skiing and snowboarding. Grubb further emphasized the excitement for natural snowfall, stating in a KJZZ interview, "We love our snow making team and we love snow making. But without a doubt, we also rely on that natural snowfall. And so we are super excited to be seeing some weather coming in."
While the staff at Snowbowl continues its intense preparations, local winter retail shops have opened their doors to skiers and tourists seeking to rent their equipment ahead of the season. The area is primed for an economic boost, with business owners like Schmidgall emphasizing the critical nature of tourism, especially following last year's record-breaking 185-day ski season. "We thrive off of any tourism that we can have come through here. Winter obviously to us, being a winter business, it means everything," Schmidgall told FOX 10 Phoenix.
Arizona Snowbowl is expected to open this Friday, November 21, and more snow in the forecast should make for good conditions. For updates and ticket info, check the resort’s website, as per FOX 10 Phoenix.
