Marble Mountain must become a summer destination to succeed, say locals

Several people with ties to Marble Mountain are applauding the provincial government's attempt to transfer itoverthe private sector but say the resort must move past its ski-oriented operations and develop summertime attractions in order to succeed as a business.

The government announced a Request for Proposals (RFP) for Marble Mountain on Friday, calling for pitches to privately develop the provincially-ownedresort, through a sale, lease or otherwise, with the intent to keep its ski operations intact.

"It's about time," said Hal Cormier, president of the Marble Mountain Ski and Ride Club.

• Money-losing ski resort needs private operator, Finance Minister says

"The idea of bringing in private sector people has always been there.It's just now we need to try to support that idea more based on summer activities," said Joe Dicks, who owns Marble Inn Resort, a stone's throw from the ski hill in Steady Brook.

The fact that it's so expensive to fly in and out is one of the reasons, in my own opinion.- Donna Thistle, Steady Brook mayor

Dicks said in his experience, summer tourists outnumber winter ones three to one, and any future business at Marble Mountain needs to capitalize on those crowds.

"Marble development is not just about skiing and we've got to get off that," he said.

"The summer in western Newfoundland has the potential to grow economic development in this region."

While it has a lengthy history of troubled finances, Marble Mountain's ski operations have taken a particularly hard hitin recent years.According to the RFP, while the 2007-08 season saw 95,270 ski visits, the hill has averaged 64,737 for the last four years, mainly due to a decline in skiable days during the season.

The winter storms of January 2018 not only interrupted the ski season, but forced the government to spendan additional $400,000 on top ofits $856,400 annual operating grant. The year before, the province decided to offer free skiing on the Easter weekend to attract new skiiers, and lost money on the venture.

Big base potential

While short on specific attractions, Dicks and Cormieragreed the base of the hill offers the bestsummertime business opportunity. Currently, it'sa fairly flat, grassy expanse with limited development beyond the ski hill's chalet, as well as itsprovincially-run hotel, Marble Villa.

"Marble needs to develop the base in order to succeed," said Cormier.

"And if we don't do it, then we're going togo back to a local ski hill, probablywith a few T-bars, for the local market.

The summer in western Newfoundland has the potential to grow economic development in this region.- Joe Dicks, Marble Inn Resort owner

The soleprivate operator at the base, Marble Zip Tours a zip lining and rope course business welcomes any prospectiveneighbours.

"We've got an enormous amount of land here that has an enormous amount of potential," said Stelman Flynn, Marble Zip co-owner.

Flynn said his company does 75 per cent of its business between June and September, but is only capturing a fraction of the area's tourists who often head straight from the ferry up to Gros Morne National Park.

"We've got to find some way of stopping these people here for a day or two, and capitalizing on that enormous potential," Flynn said, adding conferences may be one way to generate additional revenue.

"Some big operator may not be necessary. Ski hills are made up of a lot of different people doing a lot of different things," said Dicks.

The mayor of Steady Brook, while in full support of more development at the hill, says the issue is more complicated than simply signing papers: the hill is serviced by the town's aging water and sewer systems, which would need upgrades in order to handle more infrastructure.

"All of that stuff has to be worked out before somebody just runs over and hands over a lease to somebody who then starts a water slide," said Donna Thistle.

'Political football'

Thistle doesn't foresee a private company putting in an offer for the entire resort outright, and predicts the government will probably always play a role in its ski operations or ownership.

"It's just too expensive. We don't have a big enough market, and Idon't think we'll ever be able to attract a big enough tourist market to pay for it," she said.

"The fact that it's so expensive to fly in and out is one of the reasons, in my own opinion.Ibelieve the market has not run in and said 'we're going to take this over.'"

Marble needs to develop the base in order to succeed.-HalCormier, president, Marble Mountain Ski and Ride Club

Currently, only two per cent of skiiers at Marble are from outside the province, and80 per cent of its season pass holders live within a two-hour radius of the hill.

Thistle blames some of the resort's financial problems as stemming directly from being subject to political whims such as the free Easter weekend of 2017 and hopes some version of privatization can push the resort towarda semblance of profitability.

"Marble Mountain has been used as a political football for the last so many years," she said, adding the hill balanced its books prior to being bought by the province in 1993.

Flynn also hopes increased privatization will, in the long run, pay off.

"There will be growing pains, no question about that, but it can be done."

Read more articles from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador