Wisp at Deep Creek Mountain Resort season looks strong

Daily Record, The (Baltimore), Nov 8, 2004 by Sofia Kosmetatos

Ski resort and tourism officials are predicting another strong winter season in Garrett County.

Wisp at Deep Creek Mountain Resort does not book lift tickets and rentals - the majority of its business - in advance. Sales of season passes, though, have increased about 4 percent over last year, according to Senior Marketing Administrator Sarah Duck.

Hotel bookings are tracking just slightly behind last year, but Herb Faulkenberry, director of sales and marketing at Wisp Mountain Resort Hotel & Conference Center expects bookings will pick up closer to vacation dates.

Thanksgiving weekend is the official start of the winter season, and that's still two-and-a-half weeks away.

While people's reservation habits have changed from booking far in advance to giving just one week notice over the past few years, the hotel has consistently sold out every weekend during the heart of the season, running from late December through mid-March, according to Faulkenberry.

The resort has experienced double-digit annual growth during the last three years, according to past reports. A new attraction - the 400-foot Super Pipe carved out of the snow - and more than 70 inches of natural snow helped increase skier visits last year by 114 percent last winter over 2002-2003.

This season, a new $3.5 million pump house will increase Wisp's snowmaking capacity by 18 percent, and will help make skiing conditions less dependent on natural snowfall.

The addition of more recreational activities in the area, including ice kiting and ice fishing on Deep Creek Lake, have helped increase the Deep Creek Lake area's popularity in the winter, said Deb Clatterbuck, director of marketing and tourism for the Garrett County Chamber of Commerce.

But the area is popular year round, she said, with the most visitors in July and August. February is the third most popular month, close behind August. This year, the number of year-round tourists increased about 7 to 8 percent over 2003, said Clatterbuck.

Mary Jo McCulloch, executive director of the Maryland Tourism Council and the president of the Maryland Hotel and Lodging Association, said Western Maryland's strength as a drive-to market, more lodging facilities and the addition of sporting activities outside of skiing, have all added to the region's appeal.

I think all the predictions tell us that people are ready to travel, they're ready to get out, she said.