The rebirth of a long-neglected North Carolina ski resort will have to wait another ski season. Hatley Pointe, formerly known as Wolf Ridge, announced yesterday that they won’t be opening this season.
For some context, the Hatley family purchased Wolf Ridge last year. During the prior ownership era, the ski resort had been criticized by locals for subpar mountain operations and a diminishing trail count. The Hatleys began a thorough renovation, which included gutting the old base lodge and overhauling their snowmaking network.
There are numerous reasons why they announced that they won’t be opening this winter. For one, their new snowmaking system has run into various issues. The ski resort fixed some issues they faced in the pumphouse, but still are running into trouble having their automated snow guns be operational. Secondly, they have run into delays in setting up other portions of their mountain operations. Thirdly, the weather has taken a turn this week after what was a snowy stretch for North Carolina.
However, they plan on opening the ski resort for various activities in the coming months. In the next few months, they’ll continue their work on having their base lodge open for dining during the offseason. In addition, they’ll be building a mountain biking trail network.
Deborah Hatley, who’s the co-owner of the North Carolina ski resort, explained to ABC 13 News what they envision the ski resort to become in the future:
“We want it to be a place where people can come enjoy all year round — spring, summer, fall. We truly believe we have such an amazing property that really magnifies the beauty of Mars Hill and Madison County.”
While it’s certainly a bummer that this happened, I imagine the new experience at Hatley will be worth the wait.
Image/Video Credits: Hatley Pointe
