Giant wakes for winter; Sleeping Giant ski area to open Friday

Posted 12/11/14

General manager Jon Reveal was excited to see the ski hill open for business, although a few more inches of snow would be welcomed, he admitted.

“Two weeks ago, I was singing the praise of the good Lord and natural snow,” Reveal said. “But, …

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Giant wakes for winter; Sleeping Giant ski area to open Friday

Posted

The Sleeping Giant is about to awaken.

The Sleeping Giant Ski Area will open for the season Friday. It will celebrate its first weekend of the 2014-15 season with the Sleepy G Jamboree on Saturday, which will include a bonfire in the parking lot and a torchlight ski parade down the Big Horn lift. Dinner will be served at the end of the day as well.

General manager Jon Reveal was excited to see the ski hill open for business, although a few more inches of snow would be welcomed, he admitted.

“Two weeks ago, I was singing the praise of the good Lord and natural snow,” Reveal said. “But, the good Lord giveth, and the good Lord taketh away.”

Sleeping Giant averages 150 inches of snow each winter, so there is almost always a dependable supply of powder for alpine enthusiasts. There are three lifts and 49 runs on the 184 skiable acres, with an elevation of 7,428 feet at the summit and 6,619 at the base.

There is a 16-inch base at top of the dual Big Horn Lift and 18 inches at top of Sheepeater Lift, triple. There is a third lift, called the Magic Carpet, which is a conveyer belt that rides skiers to the top.

He said he wishes to “always have a great snow year, with no snow on the weekends, which we had last year — a lot of people, the sun out, no injuries and wonderful skiing.

“One of the great things about the ski industry is, you always expect the best and deal with what you’re given,” he said Wednesday.

Sleeping Giant is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday through Sunday, although from Dec. 19 through Jan. 5 it will be open every day except Christmas.

It also will be open on a pair of Mondays — Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 19 and Presidents Day on Feb. 16.

It has 40 employees, counting ski school staffers, Reveal said, but volunteers play “a very important part” in allowing the nonprofit ski area to operate.

Most members of the North Absaroka Ski Patrol are volunteers, Reveal said, but they meet all the requirements stipulated by National Ski Patrol.

Season passes and day tickets are on sale. Skis and snowboards can be rented at Sleeping Giant.

For more information, go to www.skisg.com.

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