A few weeks back I had the honor of speaking at a Hurley-Ironwood Rotary Meeting. I started out by quoting Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead....... “what a long strange trip it’s been”.
And it has been exactly that, especially this last summer. Right from the time that we closed for the ski season last March we have faced numerous adversities. In April we recorded two additional snowstorms here that equated to another 48” of snow which led us to postpone the opening of golf season and ultimately the cancellation this past summer of golf here at Whitecap.
This summer, we took the first steps to upgrading our snowmaking. We installed a new pump, which in the future will supply water to a reservoir up on the mountain which will be the site of our new pump house. The upgrades will enable us to make more snow over a larger area of the resort and also lengthen our season.
This past summer we welcomed many new property owners to Whitecap! Several lots, homes and condo’s were sold and there are currently two new homes under construction with a few more to start in the Spring. We are currently working on the new Tyler Forks subdivision which will be all ski in/ski out lots. If you ski the new Lower Arlberg trail look to your left and you will see the Tyler Forks properties. You can always inquire at the front desk for more information.
In the Hotel we built a Guest Business Office for your convenience while you enjoy your stay here. There is also a new retail shop directly across from the restaurant in the Hotel. We also finished upgrading another set of rooms and next summer we will complete the remainder of them. In our restaurant we hired a new Chef and you will certainly enjoy his offerings! Don’t forget about our Friday night Fish Fry!
A big shout out has to go to our staff. This summer they accomplished a lot of projects will help make your visit to Whitecap more enjoyable. In addition to items that we had wanted to get done on our “to do” list there are things that come up on almost a daily basis that need attention. The staff can shift gears and get these additional things done. I am proud of the fact that we do almost all of this work with the staff that we have in house. It was always my idea to create jobs and use our staff to build this place. I think they all do a great job!
My hat is off to the staff once again. This past summer I was diagnosed with a brain tumor which set me back mentally for a bit. While it is always my intention to inject some humor into things on a daily basis, that became a hard task to accomplish due to my diagnosis. Everyone here took things in stride and we continue forward. Sometimes I have to ask for things to be repeated to me due to a loss of hearing in one ear and sometimes I have very small balance issues but I will be fine and there is no place I’d rather be every day than here at Whitecap. Yesterday was a good day at Whitecap, today is better than yesterday and tomorrow will be better than today!
Lastly, I thank all of our guests, skiers, property owners, employees (past and present) and others that have been involved in this journey that we call Whitecap.
Come out and enjoy this beautiful place as we open tomorrow for the new ski season!
#whitecapstrong,
David
The National Ski Patrol recently had their Northcentral Region Spring Banquet and Awards. We are honored to have a number of winners each listed here. Congratulations to everyone!
Distinguished Service Award
- Les Robinson
- Keith Robinson
Northcentral Region Outstanding Patroller Award
- Celeste Hedfield
Northcentral Region Outstanding Patrol Director Award
- Richard Hadfield
Northcentral Region Outstanding SMall Alpine Patrol Award
- Whitecap Mountain Ski Patrol
The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast Podcast #122: Interview with Whitecap Mountains Owner & General Manager David Dziuban
A snowy Wisconsin winter; Whitecap’s unique trail footprint; the great Midwest ski factory; a single sentence in a Wilmot liftline that changed Dziuban’s life; a wild scheme to score a first job as a snowmaker at Plumtree, Illinois; turning down a job at Killington to work at scrappy Magic Mountain; Magic in the ‘80s; making Magic’s Timberside connection; Mt. Tom, Massachusetts; homemade snowmaking; Elk Mountain, the hidden gem of Pennsylvania; a rigged splice gone wrong; Whitecap, lost in the wilderness; first impressions of a run-down and lightly used Whitecap; the long and convoluted process of taking ownership of the resort; balancing personal trauma and loss with the mission of revitalizing the ski area; taming the local homeowners’ entitlement; fire levels the lodge; why Whitecap opened the next day and why it was so vital that it did; plans for a new lodge; Whitecap’s huge development potential; why the ski area hasn’t set up the new conveyor lift it purchased last year; snowmaking; assessing Whitecap’s unique lift fleet; where we could see a new lift at Whitecap; thoughts on the long chair (North Pole/South Pole); getting the CTEC lift running again; “I want to remain affordable to everybody”; why Whitecap launched a $295 (now $325) season pass and how that product has been selling; the surprise response from a one-day season passholder reciprocal deal with Mount Bohemia; thoughts on the Indy Pass and the Allied program; and that Whitecap aura.
"Stuart & David: Great podcast! The combination of the emotion, David’s passion, and the life, leadership, and perseverance lessons make this one standout. Your assessment about the special character and unique beauty of the Whitecap area is on the mark. I first skied Whitecap circa 1975 as a youngster and keenly recall the family friendly atmosphere, the rugged terrain, memorable Lake Superior views, and the feeling I could get lost in that place. I returned this past February on a spectacular bluebird Tuesday and those same feelings and memories came flooding back. The restored chairs on the old double chair by the wine hut with the beautiful varnished hardwood seats were evidence of the care being invested back into the facilities." - Scott
"I'm a Boho skier who went to Whitecap for the first time this winter and let me tell you, the place really is magical. It has the feel of almost a winter fairy tale. The skiing is fantastic (though not as long of runs as out most other places) as well as the snow. It's an easy place to get lost in, but not too lost. The lifts are slow, but beautiful (especially the one with wooden seats)." - Alex
"An instant classic. Definitely one of your all time top 5 podcasts; possibly number 1. Such a unique and interesting story. Looking forward to seeing what's in store for Whitecap in the future." - Conrad
