Popular resort kicked off the season ahead of its competitors, but behind the scenes a transition in management and technical setbacks have made for a bumpy ride
Searchmont Ski Resort kicked off the season ahead of its competitors, announcing on Nov. 22 that it was the first major hill to open across Ontario. But behind the scenes, a transition in management and technical setbacks have made for a challenging start.
Kim Burkhardt, Searchmont’s general manager, said the popular resort north of the Sault is experiencing some upheaval this year, with all new upper management in place and a number of new staff members still learning the ins and outs of operating a ski hill.
The resort is also without its quad lift, which is being replaced with a new lift expected to be in operation before next season — a development that’s triggered some heated comments online.
Burkhardt has heard the criticism, and understands why some users are upset with how the season has started. But during a sit-down interview at the resort, she told SooToday there are many positive things in the works at Searchmont — and urged skiers to be patient as some of those changes take shape.
“There has been a lot of quick judgment and I understand that they want transparency and they want us to be honest, but there’s also a certain line where we have a job to do — and if our groomers are going down, social media posts aren’t what we’re worried about,” she said. “We’re worried about getting that groomer up and going so we can open the hill.”
Burkhardt took over the GM position this summer after years working as the previous general manager’s assistant. She brings lots of experience in finance and the hospitality industry.
The resort was purchased by Detroit-based Wisconsin Resorts Inc. eight years ago, after many years of the tourism asset being on life support under management of the Sault Ste. Marie Economic Development Corporation.
“If we go back 10 years ago and take a look at when they got opened and when they closed and what was available then, we have far exceeded where they were,” said Burkhardt, comparing the state of the resort when it was purchased in 2018 to now.
Burkhardt said those steady improvements over the past eight years only serve to increase the expectations of some of those who use the hill.
“I understand where people are coming from, because we have been proving to them that we are doing better,” she said. “So now their expectations just keep going higher and higher.”
Despite the upgrades, Burkhardt notes Searchmont has not raised the price of a full season’s pass or ticket pass in three years.
“The only thing that went up this year was our triple triple, which is a smoking deal to begin with,” she said.
Still, management has faced some criticism so far this season for a few lost days and occasional equipment failures. On Dec. 20, the hill was only open for race competitors, not for the general public.
“The reason that we could continue to run the ski race is because they did not require grooming for four days,” Burkhardt said. “They wanted the hard pack.”
She said some grooming equipment was also down for repair, an issue that has since been rectified.
Burkhardt noted that Mother Nature isn’t always as helpful as some may think after a heavy snowfall.
“As great as natural snow is, it doesn’t make our job easier,” she said. “It actually makes it more difficult. It’s just more things to work around and to groom around — and everyone wants us to be open in an instant and it’s just not possible. There’s a lot that goes into the decisions of where and when and how we go about opening and those decisions aren’t made lightly.”
Joining Burkhardt this season is Sawyer Stachel, the resort’s new outside operations manager. He moved up from one of the company’s U.S. resorts in November to help operate Searchmont, bringing a wealth of experience in operating and maintaining the equipment used at ski resorts.
He agrees that decisions to not open or not operate certain lifts is not done lightly, but they are always made in the name of safety.
“I love a pow day as good as anybody, but I am not willing to put anybody on a lift without knowing what I’m sending them up to,” said Stachel.
Management has also faced some criticism because of the timing of those decisions to not open certain lifts. Burkhardt said she shares people’s frustrations, but reiterated that safely always comes first.
“I understand people want to know and, because of our location and and it’s a drive, we’ve been really trying to do a lot better about getting the updates out there beforehand,” she said.
Burkhardt said she is hoping for some patience and understanding from customers as the new management and staff find their collective groove.
Aside from Searchmont, Wisconsin Resorts operates four ski resorts in Michigan, as well as one in Wisconsin. Stachel said those other hills are more beginner-friendly and focused on entry-level skiers.
“Searchmont is more of a destination,” he said. “It’s for the diehards and for the people that love the back country, but also want to just get as many laps in as possible.”
He noted that Wisconsin Resorts designed and built the snow-making equipment used in all of their resorts, including at Searchmont.
“I’ve worked for Wisconsin Resorts for just over five years and I’ve been doing snow-making and I built their ski lifts in the States for all the resorts and just travel around and do all the maintenance,” Stachel said. “I got involved with Searchmont last year to come up for their snow-making because they were having some issues and it’s a proprietary system, no other resort system uses it.”
Burkhardt said many much-needed upgrades have been made over the years, but there is still more to do, including this year’s project of removing and replacing the quad lift, which services some of the more challenging runs on the hill.
She noted most of those runs will still open this season, serviced by the other lifts.
To make life easier for skiers using the trails on the far left face of the hill usually serviced by the quad lift, resort staff is building a series of headwalls — a large bump at the bottom of a run that allow skiers to gain enough speed to make it back to the operating lifts with minimal skating.
“Where every run dumps out will have its own headwall to kick you to the tapered run, all the way back, which has never been done before,” said Stachel.
Some of the towers for the existing quad lift are in the process of being removed. Stachel said the plan is to have the new lift towers put in place by helicopters and built by next summer, well in advance of the 2026-27 season.
“We can build it in the parking lot, fly it up, bolt it in place, and it’s good to go. That’s what has been done right now,” he said.
Another aging piece of infrastructure failed recently when a water pipe servicing the Wolf’s Head run burst, causing a massive rift in the ground. The pipe was intended to service the snow-making equipment on that part of the hill, which was not yet activated because of the work being done to remove the quad lift.
“The leak went undetected for longer than it should have, and that was a huge training moment for us as snow-makers and as a crew,” Burkhardt said. “But as soon as we were aware of it, we shut it down.”
She noted that Wolf’s Head was not expected to open this year because of the work being done to replace the quad lift.
“It’s going to take some time to put back together, but that’s what we do, that’s what we’ve got the equipment for and that’s why we’ve got the skilled workers we have,” said Burkhardt.
The resort is currently proposing a wastewater treatment plant on site for future expansion of the resort, which could see treated effluent discharged into Goulais River. Some, including Batchewana First Nation, are opposing the proposal.