While snow has been scarce in Great Falls, the Neihart area has plenty of the white stuff. Showdown Montana is just weeks away from welcoming skiers and snowboarders back to the slopes.
"We are so excited because we are celebrating our 89th season on Highway 89, so we are ready for another year," said Avery Patrick, vice president and marketing director at Showdown Montana.
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"A lot of people know, we don't make snow at Showdown. So we haul snow from our parking lot and we build up, we haul it in a dump truck and we build up our base area with that snow. So the dump trucks have been running all morning. We had a nice storm overnight," Patrick said.
"We just did some improvements to our lodge this year. We made just some upgrades in some rooms around the lodge, which will be nice for our guests," Patrick said.
"Today we're launching our cyber sale - we have two lift tickets for $100, which is a heck of a deal. Those lift tickets have no blackout days. Fully transferable, but two days of skiing for 100 bucks is a is a great deal," Patrick said.
For President and General Manager Katie Boedecker, the ski area serves as more than just winter recreation – it's a vital community resource during Montana's challenging winter months.
"Winters are hard in Montana. They're long and seasonal depression is a real thing. And having something fun to do, being able to get out with friends or family or even just yourself on this mountain is really important. It's good for people's mental health. It's good for their physical health. This is an important community area," Boedecker said.
Patrick shares that enthusiasm for bringing the community together on the mountain.
"Oh, I am so excited for winter, and I just love it when our lodges filled up full and full of families, full of kids, full of people out enjoying the mountain, in and out, enjoying winter. I think. I think it's really important and it's why we do what we do," Patrick said.
Showdown Montana's official opening date is December 12, though they may open on December 5 depending on conditions.
Showdown is about 65 miles southeast of Great Falls; click here to visit the website.
