IT'S BEEN A busy first few weeks for Marquette Mountain's new general manager Andrew Farron. Big races, big crowds, and some changes after the abrupt departure of former GM Frank Malette. First, (and not necessarily in importance), Jim and Ray, the popular local singing duo, are back playing at the T-Bar (the name Carp River Saloon was discarded). Farron has Jim and Ray playing every other Thursday and Sunday. And there's a reason for that. "We compared the weeks when they play and when they don't, and frankly it's a wash financially," Farron says. Meaning they're selling more food and drink when the duo plays, but that increase is … [Read more...]
Marquette Mountain Prepares for Massive Crowd
Photo: Kristian Saile ANDREW FARRON, THE brand new general manager at Marquette Mountain, is facing his first major challenge this weekend. Young skiers from all over the Midwest--400 to 500 of them--are descending on the Mountain for the Bob Hosking Memorial races from Friday through Sunday. It'll be one of the biggest race weekends here in the last several years. In addition, the junior skiers are bringing their families, so expect 1200-1500 people to pack the mountain, and of course, Marquette, as well. "The lodge is going to be overloaded, we're going to run out of parking spaces, and we'll be closing down some of the runs for … [Read more...]
New GM Named at Marquette Mountain
(Photo: Cory Genovese) AFTER WEEKS OF controversy and dissension on Marquette Mountain, Frank Malette is out as general manager, and 27 year old Andrew Farron, a mechanical engineer, is in. The announcement was made at 3 pm Monday afternoon. Farron and Marquette Mountain owner Pete O'Dovero had been having discussions about the change over the last couple of weeks. Farron, who's been working at Integrated Designs (IDI) in Marquette, concedes he, like his immediate predecessor, has no experience running a ski hill, but he has successfully managed dozens of commercial and industrial projects. And he's a committed and active … [Read more...]