The Recession, and Maybe someone could buy Hyak....

I would be surprised if any ski area had the money to put into improvements this year. It would be difficult to get a loan for capital improvements right now, and I don't think they're sitting on a big pile of cash after this season. I would imagine that right now they're planning on delaying their work one season.

From the ski area's point of view they would want to evaluate how much money they lose a season by closing Hyak and the Nordic area versus how much it costs to keep the area open. I would imagine that next year they'll be watching closely to see how much closing Hyak costs them. Though if the economy remains in the dumps it could be hard to compare seasons.

The ski area clearly seems to be shifting towards an "Alpental and Central" strategy. The season pass prices and operating hours of Alpental and Central seem to show that they are the most important revenue generators for the ski area.

I wonder what would happen if they had a special "Hyak Only" season pass? OR, perhaps Boyne may want to sell off it's "less profitable" Hyak area? I assume it would be a bargain now with no lift....