Iowa Ski Area Reports Successful First Season Under County Management

Did you know that there’s lift-serviced skiing in Iowa? The state has four active ski areas, one of which is Mt. Crescent.

In January 2022, it was announced that Pottawattamie Conservation of Pottawattamie County, Iowa used $2 million in ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds to purchase the ski area.

Pottawattamie Conservation, which owns the neighboring Hitchcock Nature Center, saw this as a necessary move to protect another local asset. Chad Graeve, who is the natural resource specialist for Pottawattamie Conservation, described the importance of buying more land in their geologically diverse area to KETV7 Omaha:

“It’s a globally significant geological landform that was created during the ice ages. We find it in only two places in the world, along the Missouri River here and along the Yellow River in China. It is our charge to protect those hills at Hitchcock [Nature Center] and the natural communities there.”

While some were skeptical at first, the benefits of the move are now clear. They immediately gave locals benefits, like a 25% discount on lift tickets and season passes. In addition, they purchased four snowmaking guns, resulting in a significant improvement in snow quality. Ninety-nine new seasonal jobs were created by the county taking over.

Jeff Franco, who is the chief deputy director of Pottawattamie Conservation, described to KETV7 Omaha how the first year surprisingly went well financially:

“Running through our entire fiscal year, we had a little under $1.4 million in revenue. Our operating expenses, including the additional insurance the county purchased to support Mt. Crescent was just over $900,000…

Our goal was to break even. The fact that the public responded in the way that they did, we didn’t see coming. And so, we were very surprised once the season ended to see that number.”

Customers and employees were also happy with how last season went. Here’s what Denny Schaeppi, a longtime Mt. Crescent ski instructor, said about the experience:

“This year, the conditions were just awesome. For the first time in twenty-some years, we could actually ski on the trails.”

Pottawattamie Conservation is currently working with the SE Group on a master development plan to help realize the potential of the ski area as a four-season destination. One of their goals is to create a trail network to connect the Hitchcock Nature Center and the ski area. They also want to purchase more land around the ski hill.

A video report from WOWT is below.