Swiss Valley gears up for another winter on the slopes

JONES, Mich. (WNDU) - Last week’s blast of winter weather closed schools but did not lead to an early open to the ski season at Swiss Valley in Jones.

“So, yes it’s been super tempting, this natural snow was perfect, it was amazing, it was a great event,” Swiss Valley GM Mike Panich told 16 News Now. “Were we ready? Not quite. We had some major projects that we’re working on at this point that we need to button up. They are all snow-making related at this point, trying to get our system up to snuff with everything.”

They’re tearing up the slopes at Swiss Valley alright, just not on skis.

8-inch pipe is being buried in a deep trench on the slope known as Mountain Do—1,400 sq. ft. in total.

A bigger pump has been added to feed water to bigger and better snow-making guns.

“They will make as much snow as three of our older guns in the same amount of time,” Panich added. “So these will get us open early and faster than we’ve ever done.”

This season Swiss Valley will join the list of resorts with LED lighting on the slopes, while new ski boots and snowboards have been purchased to rent to customers.

Even the cafe is getting new countertops and carpets.

“We’ve been here for 54 years and as the industry changes, we want to adapt and provide our customers what they want, with better snowmaking, better services Panich explained.

Swiss Valley plans to open in mid-December, weather permitting.

A job fair is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 30.

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