Ski shops near Grand Targhee Resort not affected by delayed opening day
The ski business is a $66 billion a year industry that employs about 960,000 people in 38 states, the Outdoor Industry Association says. The lack of snow in southeast Idaho and western Wyoming could mean businesses relying on the ski season could be seeing red. The Outdoor Industry Association says low snowfall cost ski businesses $1 billion and 27,000 jobs between 1999 and 2010.
Snow has started to fall, but not quite enough to open the Grand Targhee Resort. The resort’s opening day has been delayed, but that won’t stop a local ski shop from getting ready for the rush.
“When we get snow in October, it’s an amazing bonus for most people. When we come to November, yeah, it will snow. Sometimes we’ll get a slide. Sometimes it’s a blast. Sometimes we’re making an effort to make it a blast. But more often than not, we target Thanksgiving and we can always almost be sure that we’ll be sliding in one form or another at Targhee around Thanksgiving weekend,” The Habitat manager Mitch Pirssel said.
The Habitat in Driggs has been preparing since early September for the transition from summer to winter.
“We change the entire inventory out with merchandising, staffing, training clinics,” Pirssel said.
Another way The Habitat prepares is by throwing a big party.
“Going into winter, we kind of target around the opening weeks of the resort to celebrate another season of sliding on snow,” Pirssel said.
It’s something this store has done for the past 12 years. Despite the Grand Targhee Resort not opening Saturday, the party will still go on and business will still thrive — especially when it comes to gear that helps people explore outside of resort trails.
“If I were a snow boarder, I’d be looking for a split board. That market has grown substantially. Backcountry skiing, backcountry snowboarding are becoming more of a focus of our buying and of our costumers’ needs,” Pirssel said.
Pirssel also told KIFI/KIDK that The Habitat is one of the biggest dealers for split snowboards in the northern Rockies. The opening date for Grand Targhee Resort is still unknown.
