To Our Loyal Supporters, I dont regularly see comments posted on our China Peak Facebook, but Ive been sent several recently and I thought it would be a good time to weigh in on this very difficult season. Its only January 21, so theres plenty of opportunity for winter to appear, but so far were on a rough track for the fourth consecutive year. I wont spend time addressing the negative comments, as theres nothing I can do about the weather, so for those people who blame me, our staff or the resort in general for the less than ideal conditions, sorry. But for so many who have made positive comments on our Facebook page, remain so supportive, understand the rough hand weve been dealt since 2011, continue to come up and enjoy the skiing and riding we do have, the brilliant sunshine, our fantastic staff including Debbie, Paul, Michelle, Lyndsie, Ann Louise, Bruce, Jennifer, Rich, Sully, Roger, Keith and many others who provide a fun and rewarding experience every day, I wanted to say thanks so much for hanging in there with us. While these four years have been financially punishing, the good news for China Peak is we set ourselves up conservatively from the beginning in 2010. We spent a lot of money making dramatic improvements in almost every phase of the resort - hotel rooms, bar and restaurant, bathrooms, indoor/outdoor seating, food service and menus, bars, ski & ride school programs, rentals shops, retail stores, snowmaking, grooming - but we did so without over borrowing. Weve kept our debt in check, and were able to find the capital to handle our own financial needs when banks were not an option. We also paid a very fair price for the resort in May of 2010, which meant our debt was never more than we could handle. This doesnt mean we can last forever with more poor winters, but we at least are in a position to weather the storm more successfully and for a longer period of time than had we been highly leveraged with no means of self financing when the banks said no. While having tough conversations with banks and raising cash reserves to cover the lack of income these past four years is certainly no Good Time, perhaps the most frustrating part is our inability to continue making significant improvements to China Peak. We are anxious to replace the Fire Bowl T Bar with a chairlift, which will really open up the upper east side of the mountain with very desirable terrain. We purchased a second large structured tent last year, and will use it to expand Mainstream by 40%, adding a new Childrens Center and much improved food variety and quality. Wed like to double the size of Buckhorn at the base of Chair 2, and if possible add more rooms at the Inn. With a few good winters behind us, all of these improvements would have very likely already been completed; now, we have to wait for a strong winter or two before moving forward. In closing, on behalf of my two great Fresno-based partners, our terrific management team, and the friendliest staff at any resort anywhere, we thank you for the kind words of support and continuing to hang in there as we do what we can to provide Good Times at 7,000 feet, where the sun shines bright, the staff is friendly and helpful, the beer is cold, the bartenders are always smiling, where spending quality time with buddies, BFFs, sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, wives and grandparents seems more special when its at China Peak. Tim Cohee
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 20:20:17 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015