Sleeping Giant to remain open next winter

Posted 3/5/20

After announcing in January that this would be the final winter for the Sleeping Giant Ski Area, the ski hill’s leaders have now reversed course, “due to an outpouring of community …

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Sleeping Giant to remain open next winter

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After announcing in January that this would be the final winter for the Sleeping Giant Ski Area, the ski hill’s leaders have now reversed course, “due to an outpouring of community support.”

The nonprofit Yellowstone Recreations Foundation, which operates the North Fork ski area, described itself this week as being “thrilled” to announce that the ski area “is committed to continuing winter operations in 2021 and beyond.”

Foundation leaders had said the ski area would cease winter operations when the current season ends later this month. They cited a continuing struggle to make ends meet — with annual deficits in the neighborhood of $200,000 per year — and the loss of donor dollars.

The Jan. 21 decision to “suspend winter operations” was met with dismay from the area residents who frequent Sleeping Giant — and many began looking for ways they could help keep the ski hill operating.

“We cannot say thank you enough for the passionate responses from our community members, who continue to ask, ‘how can I help?’ We hear you and we thank you,” the foundation said in its Tuesday news release announcing that operations will continue next year.

On Sleeping Giant’s Facebook page, the announcement was met with jubilation.

“BEST NEWS EVER!!!!” wrote Jael Fisher of Powell.

“This just made our day,” added Fio Parraga of Cody, saying that her son is a regular at the ski area.

Located just a few miles east of Yellowstone National Park in the Shoshone National Forest, Sleeping Giant is one of the oldest ski slopes in the country. It first opened to snowsports enthusiasts in 1936, though financial troubles led it to close in 2004. A massive community effort — spearheaded by Jim Nielson of Cody and boosted by state and federal dollars — led to the ski area being revamped and reopened in 2009. A zipline was added in 2016 to provide additional revenue.

Under the management of the nonprofit foundation, Sleeping Giant has placed an emphasis on providing affordable family recreation, including by offering free ski passes to all area fifth-graders. In Tuesday’s release, the Yellowstone Recreations Foundation described the ski area as “an amazing gift to our community.”

The foundation is encouraging local residents to support Sleeping Giant, including through tax-deductible donations and by purchasing season passes for the 2020-2021 season.

“Over the coming weeks, we will share more details and invite the community to be a part of this amazing effort,” the release said.

In the meantime, Sleeping Giant remains open each Friday to Sunday, with the final day of the season tenatively slated for March 22. The zipline is set to open in mid-June.

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