A TOUGH WINTER so far for Marquette Mountain, which was supposed to open for skiers and snowboarders last Friday.
Yeah, the weather has been mostly cold and snowy, but then the unexpected happened.
General Manager Frank Malette says two separate incidents of vandalism have delayed the ski hill’s opening. The vandals, he says, damaged the water system at Marquette Mountain. That prevented the staff from firing up the snow guns.
An investigation of the incidents is underway, but as of Sunday, Malette wasn’t saying exactly who was conducting the investigation.
In any case, the good news is that most of the damage has been repaired and Malette expects the snow guns to finally start making snow this morning (Monday). He hopes to have Snowfield open for skiers next Saturday.
A video surveillance system has now been set up on the Mountain, according to Malette.
“And once we start the snow guns and the groomers, we won’t stop,” he says. “We’ll have personnel on the mountain 24 hours a day.”
That should prevent any further, serious vandalism.
Malette, who was just appointed GM earlier this year, has faced criticism from some in the skiing community for his lack of experience in the industry but he says it doesn’t bother him. He and his staff are just moving ahead with improvements at Marquette Mountain–new snow guns, new groomers, new lights, lower ticket prices, longer restaurant hours–while dealing with the most recent setbacks.
Any motive behind the vandalism? Malette won’t venture a guess, at least not publicly.
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