No snow: Sierra-at-Tahoe reduces workers’ hours
Publisher’s note: This is one of a series of blurbs about how the lack of winter is impacting the Lake Tahoe Basin. If you have an idea, please email it to info@LakeTahoeNews.net.
Sierra-at-Tahoe ski school employees were sent an email Jan. 23 saying their hours would be cut as well as the hours the employee bus will be running.
“We are doing our best to manage labor and reacting to daily business volume. This also directly affects our bus routes. We will be running the red/blue bus route this upcoming weekend,” Steve Hemphill, spokesman for the South Shore resort, told Lake Tahoe News. “Everyone is doing their best to adapt to current conditions. We are not closing and do not plan to close. We will be staying open until mid-April.”
He would not say how many people are affected, when it takes effect, what the hours were and are now, or if others have had or will have hours cut.
— Lake Tahoe News staff report
What is interesting is how the LTVA is sending out emails saying all is well and dandy in Tahoe and the snow is great.
Business volume drops and they need less workers. da!
Last week. Our economy is hurting. Hang in there Sierra.
Officials at Sierra-at-Tahoe Ski Resort reported Thursday that rumors of it closing were “absolutely false.”
The resort plans on being open seven days per week through mid-April, and Sierra still has a great product to offer, spokesperson Steven Hemphill.
“There’s absolutely no way that would be happening,” he said of a closure.
Sierra has also been able to stay operational without the need for layoffs, Hemphill said. Employees have been given multiple scheduling options, and the resort is doing its best to give staff hours.
On Thursday, the first snow in several days fell on Sierra, which had six lifts and 23 trails open as of Jan. 17.
Sierra at Tahoe is only one local business that is reducing staff hours due to the lack of snow which has caused a drop in winter recreational business. I know that Stateline casinos are also reducing employee hours and while many people may not care about that since “it’s Nevada”, a whole lot of workers living in California are being severely impacted. And let’s not forget what this is doing to all other SLT businesses along with the eventual trickledown effect to City government in lost TOT and sales tax revenues.
But the SLT City Council continues to place the future economic health of this community on recreation only. I recommend that they really begin supporting the basin wide effort to bring real broadband into the Tahoe basin which would provide the ability for non-service/non tourist related type businesses to operate here, along with creating non-service/non tourist related type jobs. Diversification is necessary to help smooth out the lean times and the City Council should reconsider putting all their economic eggs into the recreation only basket because Mother Nature may not cooperate in hatching those eggs.
Good for John Rice and staff for trying to stay open. This is a straight season pass holder gesture as there are basically no skiers buying tickets. Thanks!
As to the local economy…. poor us. Everyone is suffering, anyone saying different is lying. Supermarkets are down, restaurants are down, ski rental shops are down, retail is down, lodging is down, casinos are down, ski resorts are down. Its all about the snow.
Lets hope everyone survives who is in business and that they have a rainy day fund to get them through.
Unfortunately, people today ski on a calendar as opposed to the snow conditions.
While it has been dry, I can remember many a winter that had little to no snowpack until February. I can even remember a winter that had virtually no snowpack until March.
Skiing has changed from “ski the conditions” to “ski the calendar”. Keep in mind that we’re only one month into winter.
I remember two years ago when we did not get any snow until Jan. 23. Our winter was bad but the summer made up for the bad winter. We also have to remember we just came off a great summer, a much better one than the one in 2011 where we had a late winter(snowing on the day of the tour of Cali. race) So as long as we have a summer as good as last year, the businesses should be able to survive.
Relo
I remember spending my birthday (late January) on top of Ebit’s pass that year.
4Mer.
If you know where to look the local economy is diversifying. It just didn’t happen where Tarwater said it would, within the boundaries of his district. The improvements were needed but what happened was way aboveboard. Remember all the telecommuters that were going to move to town?
Well they did and they paid 30% more in rent to locate a mile and a half over the state line.
Round Hill is home to at least four high tech companies.