As the second half of winter begins, Arizona Snowbowl is getting ready to reveal some of the ski resort’s best specials, programs and events of the season. With a wildly successful holiday season in the books, Snowbowl and its guests still have a lot to look forward to.
Spreading the Love for Snow Sports
Arizona Snowbowl was recently named one of the top nine “Ski Resorts to Get Beginners on the Slopes This January,” as ranked by OnTheSnow.com. With the largest learning terrain in the Southwest, beginners can spend the day on the more shallow slopes and take on the runs at their own pace, away from other more advanced skiers and boarders. Snowbowl attracted more beginning skiers and boarders to its slopes last month by giving away 500 free lesson packages and selling 500 more at half price in celebration of National Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month.
“We offer the free and discounted lesson packages every January because we enjoy sharing our passion for snow sports with people new to the slopes,” said Ski and Ride School Director Jaime Gonzalez. “Our instructors have a lot of fun introducing our guests to skiing and riding and watching as the student starts getting hooked to the sport, just like they are.”
Sweet Deals for the Season
Arizona Snowbowl is continuing to offer a variety of specials on everything from tickets to lessons for the entire family. The ski resort frequently sells discounted lift tickets online, and weekly specials are just now kicking off. One of the most popular discounts is Boomer Thursdays: guests 50 and up can purchase $35 lift tickets and a complimentary learning clinic every Thursday.
Eighth Annual Kahtoola Agassiz Uphill Race
Arizona Snowbowl is hosting Kahtoola’s eighth annual Agassiz Uphill Race, presented by Gore-Tex, at 5 p.m., on Feb. 7.
The KAU’s 300 participants use the traction of their choice to go up and down the mountain – Kahtoola MICROspikes traction, snowshoes, crampons, skis with skins or split-boards. With a sunset start, headlamps are strongly encouraged and costumed racers and the music of Sambatuque are sure to entertain spectators gathered at the start/finish arch. The KAU offers three race courses for 2015: the new 3.5-mile Agassiz Climb challenges experts to scale 2,180 feet of vertical rise/decent, the classic Midway Climb offers advanced racers a three-mile route with 1,416 feet of vertical gain/loss, and the Fun Climb for intermediates covers a solid 621 feet over its 1.5 miles.
The race is also a fundraiser for the Friends of Camp Colton, the non-profit organization that helps support Flagstaff Unified School District’s (FUSD’s) Camp Colton – a 44 year-old environmental education program for local children. One hundred percent of the race proceeds will be donated to the Friends of Camp Colton Scholarship Fund and will help send more Northern Arizona sixth graders to Camp Colton.
Everyone is welcome at the post-race fundraiser at Snowbowl’s Hart Prairie Lodge. Awards, refreshments, raffles and a new costume showdown are all part of the evening’s festivities. Kahtoola set its most ambitious fundraising goal yet, and with help from KAU racers and supporters, strives to raise $35,000 for the FCC Scholarship Fund via race registration fees, raffles and Champ for Camp donations.
Safety Week
In May 2014 the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) announced that Arizona Snowbowl won the prestigious “Best Safety Month Award” for ski areas across the nation. This is the fourth ski industry safety award the resort has won in the past six years under Safety Supervisor Jon Gauld’s supervision.
“Over 300 ski resorts compete nationally for this award, so this is a huge honor to have our Safety Month Program named the ‘Best in the Industry,’” Gauld said.
In January, Gauld led another successful Safety Week, where guests could win prizes, learn more about avalanches, purchase helmets for just $40, recite the Rider Responsibility Code for a discounted lift ticket and more. FBN
By Jason Stratton
Jason Stratton is the marketing director at Arizona Snowbowl. For more information, visit
www.arizonasnowbowl.com.