BRIDGTON, Maine — Ski resort officials are hailing the start of the 2023 season as their best, since 2019.
Rachel Wilkinson, the director of skier experience at Pleasant Mountain, shared insights into the unprecedented early start.
"Any additional time that we gain with people on the snow is very impactful in terms of revenue for us and the local community," Wilkinson said.
Pleasant Mountain's seasonal hiring spree employs 300 to 400 individuals, both full-time and part-time employees to work at their ski school, restaurants, and various other venues.
This emerges as a boom for the local community to guarantee jobs and help out local businesses.
"Ninety percent of the traffic that goes to Pleasant Mountain stops in here and drives by us, so it helps immensely," Brian Fox, manager of Ski Hot Ski Shop, expressed gratitude for the increased foot traffic generated by the ski mountain.
Ski Hot Ski Shop triples its workforce during the ski season to keep pace with the heightened demand for equipment and services.
"We started the lease season in September, and we still have some stuff left, but we are pretty much cleaned out. We've got a hundred skis out already," Fox said.
Ski season is highly weather-dependent, on whether locals and tourists will come out to the slopes this winter.
"When you get to start with amazing snow like this, people are really excited. Natural snow brings lots of enthusiasm you don't get otherwise, so we are really excited for a really strong start to the season," Wilkinson said.
As one of the largest employers in the area, Pleasant Mountain's staff is gearing up for its official opening on Friday.
The early and robust start could bring a welcomed economic boost to the local community in Bridgton, as well as other ski areas across the state.