The popular ski area is set to open Thanksgiving Day, but only if there are enough workers to make it happen.
“We are now bringing our kind of frontline workers who are returnees and we are bringing them back at a higher rate than in the past, so they seem to be coming back,” the Abruzzo said.
Abruzzo run the ski resort and he said they had raised the minimum wage to $ 13 an hour this year – just above the Santa Fe living wage – to forestall this nationwide labor shortage. He is confident that there will be a lot of people working the slopes, but the lodge is a different story.
“I think some of our departments like the food service are likely to have difficulties like everyone else in the food service industry,” said the Abruzzo.
But there is another tough battle going on this year – the weather.
“I assume that it will start snowing every day and the big snowfall will be when it happens,” said the Abruzzo.
Forecasters say New Mexico is heading into a different La Niña pattern, which usually means less snow. But the Abruzzo said he wasn’t worried.
“You know, we’ve had a lot of La Niñas that have turned into great skiing years,” he said. “I mean, it was only 1 in 20 years that we really had no snow. I am not predicting this at all. The meteorologists are not predicting this, they are all saying that we will have a winter so I think it will be okay. “
And that’s a good thing – because many New Mexicans are dying to hit the slopes.
“We’re seeing record sales of season tickets, and so are all other ski resorts. I think the general consensus is that people want out. They want to have fun in the mountains.”
The Ski Santa Fe job fair will take place at La Casa Lodge on Friday, November 2nd, from 12pm to 6pm and on Saturday, November 6th, from 10am to 2pm
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