MAGIC MOUNTAIN, Idaho — Coming out of one of the driest winters in Idaho's history, Magic Mountain Ski Resort will not open this winter.
For more than 20 years, Gary and Suzette Miller have owned the ski resort, and they say they have never come close to a year like this one.
Magic Valley Neighborhood Reporter Joey Martin sat down with the owners to talk about the disappointing season and what having no business this year means for the fate of Magic Mountain.
WATCH: Find out how Magic Mountain's owners plan to recover following the dry winter season
"I started getting over it, and then we started driving up here, and it's like no snow, and it was very depressing. It's hard to see," Suzette Miller said.
"There was one time we opened late, and even then, we were always on the verge of opening. But this year, we never were that close," added Suzette.
Gary Miller shared the same frustrations as they were forced to bear with the adverse conditions that ultimately led to a dead season.
"We'd get the snow, and then it would warm up," recalled Gary. "That [snow] would all melt. Then we’d get another storm, get some snow, and get us excited, and it would warm up again. It's just been a year that I've never seen in my whole life."
To add to that frustration, the Millers invested roughly $100,000 on a new ski patrol office, generators, wiring, and new signage all over the mountain in anticipation of the season. They were hoping to recover those funds from ticket sales.
"You add all that up [and] it was very expensive. And then to not have a season— that puts a strain on us," Gary explained.
I asked the Millers what this means for their family-owned business, since they are not a big conglomerate that can just funnel money into the resort.
"It hurts a lot, and we’re doing our best, and we’re rolling over the passes, which that hurts us for next year as well but it's the right thing to do," Suzette Miller said.
"[From] a business standpoint, it's stressful," said Gary, who went on to explain how not seeing their regular customers felt like missing out on quality time with family.
To help recoup some of their losses, the Millers are in the planning stages of hosting multiple events this spring and summer. However, because the resort is on Forest Service land, quick planning might not be enough for government approval.
"We're just going to have to do some fundraising this summer. Try to get some activities up here on the mountain as well as down below," Suzette Miller said.
One of the first fundraisers is a benefit dinner hosted by a local Magic Mountain supporter on May 7 in Twin Falls.
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