RED LODGE — New Red Lodge Mountain General Manager Jean Mikulas shared her vision for the future of the ski resort on Tuesday while preparing to open the season on Dec. 5.
"My goal is to listen and learn and try to understand, what is the soul of the mountain?" said Mikulas, a Montana native who was hired this summer. "What is the soul of the skier experience? And make sure we don’t lose that."
Watch this video to hear from Mikulas:
The opening was delayed last week due to a lack of snowfall after originally being scheduled for Nov. 28.
On Monday, the mountain celebrated nearly four inches of fresh snow, giving staff a rejuvenated hope for the season.
"It is absolutely amazing that Mother Nature showed up for us," Mikulas said with a smile. "I'm really excited about this season and the seasons to come."
Billings skier Tori Hess was visiting Red Lodge Tuesday with friends from out of town. She said she was thrilled by the winter weather.
"Very exciting to see the snow," Hess said. "I was ready for it."
Hess said the fresh flakes get her excited for the season.
"I'm really hopeful," Hess said. "I'm hopeful that we'll be able to have a nice, big, long season and maybe even see the season extended a little bit more."
But nobody was more excited for the new snow than Mikulas, who said the decision to delay the opening date was a tough one.
"We all know that the temperatures are changing and that's just all there is to it," Mikulas said. "We're certainly feeling that and experiencing that. But at the end of the day, we work on what we can control."
Mikulas said the reason for delaying came down to safety and the quality of visitor experience.
Safety has been a focus since Mikulas took over in the summer, following the tragic death of Jeff Zinne at the end of last season. Zinne was knocked off of the Triple Chair lift during dangerously high winds.
"My heart breaks every time I hear about that incident," Mikulas said. "It certainly goes out to the families involved."
This summer, more wind speed monitors were added to the lift line, and other safety protocols were reinforced.
"Our teams have been dedicated to making sure we get the lift up and running and make the changes we need to," Mikulas said.
On the quality of experience side of things, an overflow lot has been added to the road leading up to the mountain. Mikulas said it will fit 100 spots this season and will have a shuttle getting visitors to and from the mountain.
"This should really be a game changer for our teams," Mikulas said. "It'll be easier to help manage, but also a better experience for our guests that are skiing and riding here."
All are changes that visitors like Hess are excited for.
"I'm excited to see what happens," Hess said. "I hope that it keeps that small Montana vibe to it."
