Snow sports: Temporary lodge keeps business going

Colonel Jay Reckard was impressed.

"This has military efficiency," this Army chemical officer said.

He was referring to the employees of Mystic Mountain, who recently outfitted guests with rental boots, skis, poles and snowboards, scheduled lessons, sold chairlift and snow tubing tickets and provided sturdy white vinyl bags to store their street clothes in secured spaces.

They did all that in a heated 4,000-square-foot tent that is serving as a temporary stand-in for the Sundial Lodge, the two-story wooden lodge that was destroyed Feb. 12 by a fire.

"I can appreciate the logistics involved in all of this," said Reckard, a native of Fairchance who lives in Stafford, Va. He and his daughter, Haley, 15, decided to visit the Fayette County resort during the Presidents Day weekend "to take advantage of what little winter is left."

"We were shocked to hear about the fire, but we decided to come anyway," he said. "We expected the worst but they've accomplished a lot in just a few days."

Four days, to be exact.

Under the direction of general manager Chris Plummer, what little was left of the lodge was scooped up and hauled away. Its scorched concrete pad was hosed down and surrounded by a wire fence. The only evidence of the fire is an occasional whiff of acrid smoke.

Plummer received offers of help from Seven Springs, Hidden Valley, Wisp and Blue Knob, and calls of support from snow sports resorts all over the country. He accepted Seven Springs' offer of more than 200 pairs of skis, boots and poles and dozens of snowboards and snowboard boots.

"If it wasn't for Seven Springs and our employees, we wouldn't have been able to do this," he said.

Terry Hager, who handles equipment rentals, welcomed guests as they entered the tent, checked their paperwork and directed them to employees who handed out the proper gear. They also helped some children get into their bulky -- and occasionally balky -- boots.

"They took good care of us," said Jason Lukasewicz of McMurray, referring to himself and his daughters, Emily, 5 and Julie, 4. "Us, too," said a smiling Bill Duchess, who had spent the day on the slopes with his daughters, Delaney, 5, and Masey, 4.

"We've all had a great day," added George Assimakopoulos of Washington, nodding toward his children, Lia, 11, and William, 8. "The kids took lessons while I skied. My wife, Michele, decided to relax in the condo while the kids and I went skiing."

Assimakopoulos said he was "astonished" when he and his family and two other families of friends arrived at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa Feb. 17 and saw no sign of the fire. "We were concerned about what we might find, but everything has gone smoothly -- no hiccups."

"That's great to hear," said Matt Grobe, director of recreation. "My rental team and everyone in here has done a fantastic job."

A white hospitality tent, a multi-stall portable restroom and UPMC's Simulation Medical and Resource Training Unit where the ski patrol can administer first-aid are a short walk away. The nearby CaddyShack restaurant is open for hot food.

The resort will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. today and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday when it will close its eight slopes and trails for the season. It has an 18-inch to 24-inch base and also is open for snow tubing.

The Good Guys Band will strike up music beginning at 8 p.m. today in The Tavern in the main hotel. There's no cover charge and the public is welcome.

Larry Walsh writes about recreational snow sports for the Post-Gazette.

First published on February 25, 2012 at 12:00 am

Source: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12056/1212581-287.stm?cmpid=sports.xml

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