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Skiers and boarders enjoying spring snow at Great Divide

Skiers hit Great Divide
Posted at 5:46 PM, Mar 17, 2023
and last updated 2023-03-17 19:46:13-04

MARYSVILLE – Skiers and boarders were enjoying the recent fresh snow at Great Divide earlier this week.

Sam Hall, a Great Divide employee who was taking advantage of the conditions before his shift started, shared his thoughts on the day,

“Oh, it’s very snowy and wintery. Quite Stellar,” said Hall.

Fresh snow and mild temperatures made the perfect combination for a great day at the slopes.

“I think the snow is great,” said Andy Petek. “I wouldn’t say I’m an excellent snowboarder but definitely good enough to get up and down, just have fun. And the snow is soft, that’s what you're looking for man. It’s a beautiful day.”

Cliff Hoenie, a part-time lift operator, told MTN the weather was tough to beat.

“It's fantastic. Great day to be outside, and get to share it with everybody and get some people up the hill,” added Hoenie.

This was the first week that the ski area is operating during its spring hours.

“So we have a total of five lifts, one rope tow, covering 1500 acres of terrain and just over 100 name trails,” said co-owner, Travis Crawford.

Great Divide will be open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. On Saturdays and Sundays, they will be operating from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“Well, it was a little dicey on the interstate but good the rest of the way. We’re just lucky that we can take a little time off and do this,” stated Jon Nehring.

Crawford — who has owned the Great Divide since January of 2020 — says this week alone they’ve seen over 30 inches.

“I mean we love powder, that's what we live for obviously,” Crawford told us. “We’ve been having phenomenal snow for about the last week and a half.”

Also, make sure to bust out those Blizzard skies, Fisher hats, and other vintage items for Great Divide's Retro Day fundraiser.

Run by the Great Divide Ski Patrol, the events include a raffle, poker run, best-dressed competition, live music, and prizes, including new ski and snowboard packages.

There will be $20 lift tickets with funds from the event going toward supporting Ski Patrol.