Beaver, UT – Southern Utah’s Eagle Point Resort, located 18 miles east of Beaver, is offering free skiing and riding to residents of California all winter long.
The free skiing declaration was made this month in concert with the resort’s announcement of its operating schedule for the 2012-13 winter. Every Thursday in January 2013, Eagle Point Resort will offer unlimited free access for skiing and snowboarding to any guest on all 600 acres of its terrain spanning all 1,500 vertical feet. California residents will enjoy free skiing and snowboarding for the entire 2012-13 season. There are no strings attached other than the requirement to provide a name and email address.
“What we have learned overwhelmingly from our guests during the first two seasons since reopening is that we have a truly exceptional mountain that people love to visit. Our goal is to be the premier ski resort in southern Utah,” explained Shane Gadbaw, CEO and co‐owner of the resort that reopened on the site of the former Elk Meadows Resort, dormant for nearly a decade. “We have spent millions to make the property and the service first class from the newly renovated Canyonside Lodge down to the friendly greeters in the parking lots. Our last remaining challenge is to massively increase awareness in the core markets of Las Vegas, southern California and Utah so people know that we have this new boutique resort with thrilling terrain, super friendly staff, gorgeous views and long‐lasting powder stashes.”
The resort owners cited the successful model of the Las Vegas casino resorts as an inspiration for the Free Days campaign. “By owning or controlling all of the restaurants, services and rental properties around the resort and maintaining low overhead, we have the same advantage as the Vegas resorts. We can give lift access away for free yet still achieve a sufficient yield from our guests on food and beverage sales, rentals, instruction, retail or condo stays,” said Gadbaw. “More importantly, the free admission spurs the first‐time visit. That is all we need because the vast majority of new guests fall in love with the place and go home to tell their friends and family. Within two years, we have transformed the resort from an abandoned ghost town into our guests’ new favorite resort in the region.”
Eagle Point intends to open for the 2012-13 season on December 21, 2012 and remain open daily until January 6, 2013. Beginning January 10, Eagle Point will switch to a Thursday through Sunday operating schedule for the remainder of the season, plus the Monday holidays of Martin Luther King Day (January 21) and Presidents’ Day (February 18). The resort will continue promoting private rentals of the resort for groups on the Mondays through Wednesdays it is not open to the public, a program that was first launched when the resort shifted to a partial week operating schedule in the middle of last winter.
“We had our first group rent the resort for two days last year and they loved it. This year we expect more private group rentals, especially from the casino industry in Las Vegas,” explained Joe Clough, another co‐owner of the resort. “Because of the low overhead we maintain, groups are amazed at how affordable it is to rent out the entire resort on one of our down days for an incredible experience.”
The resort can host turnkey private events for large groups of up to 500 people including snow sports, lodging, dining, conference space and transportation.