There will be no Hatley Pointe this winter.
After repeated delays, the ski area that billed itself as a boutique mountain resort will not open for the 2023-24 season.
Management sent an email out yesterday around noon with the news.
“After a lot of contemplation and personal soul searching, it is with great sadness and heartache that we have made the difficult decision to not open this winter,” owner Deborah Hatley said in a YouTube video. “As many of you know, we started this project in March of 2023 with an aggressive but hopeful timeline, and we really set out to do it all.”
Management had hoped for a soft opening this year, with lift access only, but that proved to be too much, with all the construction that was going on. Hatley attributed the delays to difficulties with the snowmaking process.
“While our crews managed to resolve a problem with our pump house, we still have several minor kinks to work out to dial in our new automated guns,” the resort said.
It looks like some mountain biking could be in the future, as the resort s teasing out “some exciting plans for spring and summer.”
From the news release:
While we are no doubt disappointed, we are incredibly grateful to our community for the encouragement and enthusiasm you all have shown for this project. The future for this mountain is still very bright, and we are excited to invite you all to see us this Spring and Summer for some exclusive offerings including our new restaurant Smoke & Timber. Thank you so much for following our journey, we promise it will be worth the wait!”
The news isn’t entirely a shock to me, personally. While I don’t know much about construction, I did grow up in New England, where every construction project takes months longer than originally projected. The project the Hatleys have taken on is massive, and I would have been blown away if it were all ready in time for this winter.
With that being said, I’m going to try my best to get to Hatley Pointe in the summer once everything is operational, and provide y’all with a preview for next winter season.
Here’s what else you need to know around the southeast today:
Snowshoe
The rain that has been forecast for today looks like it will be holding off until later in the day. Flying Eagle opened yesterday afternoon, and Lower Shays should be open later today, pending ski patrol approval.
“Our mountain operations team has put in the work, adding two of your most requested favorites to the trail count,” the snow reporting team said. “Pour that coffee into a travel mug and get yourself up here! Self care begins with a fine day of skiing followed by fine dining. 10 Prime has the perfect indulgent menu to bring you out of a midweek slump!”
Winterplace
Whatever you do, do not be intimidated by that little rain icon on your phone’s weather app.
“Don’t let some rain scare you,” Winterplace said today in the snow report. “Take a look at the hourly details and see how much possible rain there could be and at what times. The little ‘Rain Icon/Photo’ on your app doesn’t tell the whole story. Come enjoy the snow!”
The high temperature today will be about 53 degrees. There are 27 open trails and six lifts spinning.
Discounted lift tickets are offered every Tuesday and Wednesday. Pay $60 instead of $83, and $45 for those 12 and under.
Winterplace will sponsor its first ever rail jam in the Heaven Holler Terrain Park on Sunday at 2 p.m.
Beech
Discord user Mtns2Sea was at Beech on Monday, and said that it was a bit crowded for a non-holiday Monday.
Massanutten
The ‘Nut is still 100% open, and hopefully will be during our SkiSoutheast Summit from February 9 through 11.
There’s sunny skies and temperatures in the low 50s today. Warmer weather is incoming, and so is rain, though hopefully that holds off until tomorrow.
Sugar Mountain
The snowguns are off at Sugar! If you’re someone who dislikes skiing and riding with them on, today might be the day to take advantage of that.
There are 20 slopes open and five lifts spinning at Sugar today.
Bryce
From Bill Nabers:
Another cold night of snowmaking followed by a great day of skiing. View from the top of Locher Bowl. All runs open. and in great shape. I realized today how much snow we had made when a reel that contains a slope closure rope that last week was above my shoulder is now barely above my knees!
Video Of The Day
Commercial fishing. Surfing. Snowboarding. Judd Henkes does it all!
Monster Energy teamed up with GimbalGod (videographer Spencer Whiting) to produce a “welcome to the team” video for Judd. But 18 months later, after traveling to Chile, New Zealand, Ireland, Norway, Canada, and Alaska, “Greenhorn” was born.
The Rest
Don’t forget: Clear your calendar from February 9-11. That’s when Massanutten and SkiSoutheast will host team up to host our summit. It’s a great way to meet like-minded, snow-loving people, and possibly make some lifelong friends in the process.
Thanks to everyone that has already joined us on Discord.
Think snow!
Think cold!
Click here to join us on our new SkiSoutheast Discord channel. It is a great way to meet new snow loving friends and shares experiences, ask questions, and more!
And as always, email me at [email protected] with your thoughts and photos.