GHENT, WV (WOAY) – Another ski season is upon us in the mountain state. West Virginia Tourism and West Virginia Ski Area Association held a news conference at Winterplace Ski Resort on Tuesday, January 14, 2020.
“We got some cold temperatures that are moving back into the area. Our snowmakers will be able to get back on the hill and we’ll be pumping up to ten thousand gallons per minute up the slope and making fresh snow for everybody to come out and enjoy. So it’s really pretty amazing that a lot of the system is automated and with a click of a button we can turn it on and literally in 12 hours you’ll see a completely different scene then what we see today,” said Executive Vice President Tom Wagner.
The economic impact of the five-month-long industry is over $250 million, employing 5,000 people.
“You know we consider a four-season destination, without our winters and ski resorts we will not consider as a travel destination during the winter months. I think once people see that we have winter sports they start there and then they also branch out and see what else we have because they’re a lot of things that go on in the winter that people just don’t realize,” said Lisa Strader.
