FEATURE
Owning and operating a
snow grooming fleet can
be a costly proposition
for any ski resort or recreation
area. But for smaller operations,
as well as for many snowmobile
clubs and cross-country ski groups,
the impact on the bottom line can be
particularly acute, and there’s also
the problem of how to find qualified
grooming operators who consistently
deliver a great product on the trails or
the slopes.
For businesses and organizations
looking to ease challenges like these, a
Rocky Mountains-based company says
it has the answer.
Mountain States Snowcats is a fullservice
snow grooming firm that offers
turnkey solutions to ski resorts,
recreation areas and winter sports organizations.
The company has a large
fleet of snowcats that are contracted
out and it also provides customers
with skilled operators to run them,
removing the headache of having to
purchase, maintain and operate costly
snow grooming equipment.
“A lot of smaller ski areas have a hard
time with snow grooming,” said Jeremy
Straley, who founded Mountain States
Snowcats in 2000.
“If you only have the need for one
snowcat and it breaks down, that can
put people in a big bind,” Straley said.
“When they work with us, they never
have to worry about summer maintenance
or major machine rebuilds
or anything like that. They know their
snow grooming budget, and it’s fixed.”
Snow grooming contracting is what
Mountain States Snowcats specializes
in, but it also provides snowcat sales
and rental options. Straley maintains
that ski operations, snowmobile clubs
and cross-country ski groups are starting
to see the advantages of leasing
their snow grooming equipment rather
than owning it.
“When people lease a snowcat from
us, they have security of knowing that if
something happens to it, they can call
our mechanic directly and it’s taken
care of,” Straley said.
“Our leases cover all maintenance
and service right down to the wipers
and the oil changes. If the machine
does break down or even blows an
engine, then they’ll have another one
there for them to run the next day.”
snowopsmag.com | SnowOps 23
/snowopsmag.com
/snowopsmag.com
