Soapbox

Looking back on the past season, it was one where we consider ourselves very lucky as we received just enough snow to stay alive. While it was never great amounts at any one time, what snow did come, we were able to roll and pack it, and especially with the new grooming equipment, set and keep some pretty wonderful tracks. A lot of places in the Upper Midwest were not even able to open their doors for the season. I think some of this is due to the fact that we are in a little blip on the edge of the Prairie snow belt and the great grooming that Jay does. After two winters that have had less than wonderful amounts of snow, we sure hope we are back to normal winter patterns. This year the snow held right up thru the tail end of March and then it was straight down hill from there.

Mary and I were able to get away just after Moose Jaw for some R and R in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and our favorite Hotel Rosita. Jay and Jonell were able to get down for a week with two of the boys, Jon and Jens and it was nice not to have any real obligations to tie us down. Jay would bike 60 miles before breakfast and then have a full day in, but that is relaxing to him. Spring was busy, lots of tree planting as well as various activities here at Maplelag. Spanish Camp has been going all summer and that has been busy too.

My one big excursion was a trip to Alaska to go fishing with Mary's Uncle Dewey. I was gone for a week just after the fourth of July week end, and the weather and fishing were wonderful. It was my first time to Alaska and the Seward area was very pretty, lots of snow covered mountains, glaciers and teeming bird life. The vistas were much like some of the Rockwell Kent paintings as he lived in the area back in 1918. Fishing was about average and we caught some halibut and some silver salmon which were flash frozen for the return trip. Then, to the Kenai-Soldatna area for two days of King salmon fishing on the Kenai River and I was lucky enough to catch a 74 pound King. There is a program in place by the guides association that if fish this large is released, they will pay for a replica mount. So hopefully one day in the lodge you will be able to see a 74# King salmon mount.

Just a few comments on the state of the economy and how it is impacting Maplelag. I think everyone can say we are not steaming along like we were five years. The dot com mentality has tanked, the tragedy of 9/11, the war in Iraq, and the uncertainty in the general economy has made a definite impact on America. We see this in guests' loss of jobs, manufacturing jobs being out sourced, and all the unknowns in the market place. Of course this has cut back on travel and leisure time activities and it makes it harder for resorts to stay alive. Our costs such as insurance and taxes have really escalated and we have had to cut back on some planned improvements. But, we will be survivors and while we are working harder, we still feel that a trip to Maplelag is most affordable and within the realm of your budget. We have different tiers of pricing, and this year we are trying some experiments with reduced rates later in the season. The skiing this time of year is usually fantastic, but it seems that after President's week end, a lot of skiers tend to write the season off. The snow might be gone in the Cities and the look of brown is tough to overcome sometimes when we are white and wonderful. The power of the web has really proved critical to us. Both checking out the Skinny Ski site and our own site: www.maplelag.com, new everyday pictures tell a story words cannot even come close to. Jay does a fantastic job of upgrading everyday with honest and truthful conditions. And, we are also trying a Canadian promotion (taking Canadian money at par) to try and encourage more skiers to make the trip here. The disparity in the dollar has really slowed the flow of traffic from the North.

Looking at the big picture, we still feel that a journey to Maplelag is an outstanding value, and hope in these tough times you will be able to take advantage of a wonderful winter getaway.

And lastly, I would like to thank all our guests for their comments and replies to the poll that named Maplelag as the Number One Cross Country Ski Resort in North America. It is truly an honor for us and we are very proud of what we have accomplished. It makes us work all the harder to maintain this trust in us, and hopefully your expectations will always be met and exceeded if possible.