As the ski season at Seven Springs begins to wind down, all indications are that the three most well-known Western Pennsylvania ski resorts — Seven Springs, Hidden Valley and Laurel Mountain— bounced back after the covid-19 pandemic. Although the resorts’ new owner, Vail Resorts Inc., does not disclose resort-­specific visitor numbers, company officials said this season was a success. "We are pleased with the season and are thrilled to see the extra inches of snowfall earlier this week,” said Quinn Kelsey, director of communications and resort marketing at Vail Resorts, based in Broomfield, Colo. Pittsburgh Pirates owner Bob Nutting sold the three ski resorts in the Laurel Highlands for $118 million to Vail Resorts in late 2021. The sale was finalized Dec. 31. The Nutting family owned Seven Springs in Champion since 2006 and acquired the property for nearby Hidden Valley Mountain Resort in 2013 for a reported $7.5 million. Nutting purchased the assets of the long-closed Laurel Mountain Ski Area in Ligonier Township in 2016 from Somerset Trust Co. • Vail Resorts raises base minimum wage to $20 an hour next ski season Alex Moser, longtime Seven Springs director of marketing and communications, also confirmed it was a successful season at the three resorts after a slow start. "We have had a very good season despite the challenges Mother Nature gave us in December, as it was unseasonably warm then,” Moser said. On Friday, Seven Springs marked 100 days of skiing. And despite temperatures climbing into the 70s late in the week, the resort is expected to easily surpass its annual century benchmark of skiing days as the slopes remain open the next few weeks. "We are open through this weekend and again next weekend,” he said. "Last year, we skied 99 days at Seven Springs. So again, we will surpass last year. We currently have 74 inches of natural snowfall. We had 77 inches last year,” he said. In its second-quarter fiscal report to investors this week, the company disclosed skier visits rose throughout its 37 resorts in North America during January and February relative to results through the peak holiday period. Season-to-date total skier visits were up 2.8% and total lift revenue up 10.3% through March 6, compared with the fiscal year 2020 season-to-date period through March 8, 2020. The company also reported net income of $223.4 million for the second fiscal quarter of 2022 compared with $147.8 million in the same period in the prior year. Those net income figures did not include income generated by the three local resorts because of the date of the closing, company officials said. Company officials noted that the increase is primarily because of the greater impact of covid-19 and related limitations and restrictions on results in the prior year. The company’s net income in the second quarter of fiscal year 2020 was $206.4 million. The newly added local resorts were mentioned in the public report. The company updated its fiscal 2022 guidance range and is expecting resort-reported earnings to be between $813 million and $837 million. Locals have expressed concern about the future of Laurel Mountain because the land where it operates is owned by the state and administered by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources instead of the resort. Vail now owns the assets — ski lifts and lodge — and took over a 35-year lease that Nutting’s Springs at Laurel Mountain LLC signed with the state in October 2018 under the sale. Kelsey dismissed concerns about the future of Laurel Mountain. "We look forward to welcoming back longtime fans and newcomers alike next season — all three resorts will be on the Epic (ski) Pass. In regards to Laurel Mountain, we believe all three are fantastic resorts with distinct offerings that are a great complement to our existing 34 North American resorts, creating a much stronger connection to skiers and riders in Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania and providing a regional destination for our passholders located in Washington, D.C.; Baltimore; Cleveland and the surrounding areas,” Kelsey said. Ligonier Mayor Ormond "Butch” Bellas, who taught his family to ski on Laurel Mountain slopes and is a former ski patrol member, is optimistic about the new ownership’s impact on the slope. "It’s my understanding they were out here four or five times looking before the sale was finalized. And they also have a lot of experience with lease contracts at some of their operations with other resorts around the nation,” Bellas said. "I’m very optimistic over the future there.” Vail Resorts CEO Kirsten Lynch also told shareholders that company officials were happy with the company’s earnings for the period. "We are pleased with our financial performance for the quarter. Visitation trends and demand for the experience at our resorts remain encouraging,” she said. "Following the holiday period, the experience across our resorts improved markedly, with better snowfall, a stabilization and ultimately reduction of cases of covid-19 and overall better staffing, allowing us to open terrain across our resorts that was close to normal levels for that time period.” Meanwhile, Seven Springs officials reemphasized that the current ski season has not ended and passholders at Hidden Valley and Laurel Valley can use them at the resort in Champion. The resort’s annual end of season "Pond Skim” is set for March 26. "We will have 100 skimmers this year and expect thousands to come and view and participate in this end of season ritual. Prizes will be awarded for best skim, best costume and best splash,” Moser said. Celebrity judges are Susan Koeppen of WPXI-TV, Ross Guidotti of KDKA, Jim Colony of The Fan 93.7 and the resort’s own "Struggling Skier” from its viral ski report video of the woman falling down the steps of the resort this season. Moser also did not rule out potential ski days in April dependent on the weather. Paul Peirce is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Paul at 724-850-2860, ppeirce@triblive.com or via Twitter . Support Local Journalism and help us continue covering the stories that matter to you and your community. Support Journalism Now >