Antelope Butte season closing weekend this Saturday, Sunday

Summit Chairlift in repair; Kids ski free again next year

A finale weekend is in the works at the Antelope Butte Mountain Recreation Area as the winter season is coming to a close. 

The last days to shred the slopes are Saturday, April 5 and Sunday, April 6. Both days will feature discounts and live music. 

The Montucky Entertainment Series lineup features one-hour sets between noon and 5 pm each day. Saturday will be: Banjo in the Woods (Caleb Dysthe), Cooper Quarterman, Just Another Band (locals JD Kunkel and Shelby Cole), and Wayne Hape. Sunday will be: Jim Schmoyer, Quartteman, Just Another Band (Kunkel and Cole), and Knuckles.

 “We’ll offer 25% off on all food and beverage items, 25% off on all retail items, and $49 adult day tickets,” said general manager John DeVivo

Saturday is the day for the Easter egg dash. Children 12 and under are invited to dash through the snow at 10 am. Happy Trails is the place to meet for children 10 and under. Children 10-12 should meet at Last Tango. 

“The kids Easter egg dash should be a lot of fun, even though it’ll be over in the blink of an eye. We will put around 1,500 eggs out there stuffed with candy between the two slopes. Everybody should roll in by 9:30, because we’re planning on shooting the starting gun (blank) at exactly 10 a.m. One lucky kid in each dash will win an adult season pass for a parent,” added DeVivo.

Organizers opted out of the pond skim this year. 

It’s no secret the mountain and lodge have been more crowded this season, with the main parking lot typically full every weekend. Skier numbers are currently up 48% over last year’s total.

 “The ‘Free Season Passes for Kids’ (under 18) program was a huge success this year, and we think we’ll have a great story to tell the whole world at season’s end,” said Devivo. “Our visits are way up, and our revenue numbers are way up in all categories. We’re seeing hundreds of new guests from well outside our normal 90 minutes to two hours travel range, most of whom have said that they either couldn’t afford to ski as a family outside of this program, or that they’d be skiing elsewhere if not for this.”

Programming for local school districts had another great year, with nearly 700 kids experiencing their first day on snow. All three Greybull schools participated in the program this season. 

A welcomed announcement for those already thinking of the 2025-26 winter season; there will be no change to the adult season pass pricing and AB will continue to trailblaze the ski industry by again offering the free season passes for kids program.

“Thanks to our board of directors members for letting us follow this wonderful track toward offering and maintaining affordable and accessible recreation opportunities within our region,” said DeVivo. 

With warmer months looming, plans for summer are underway. 

“We’re considering a boost to our summer activities menu in 2025 and beyond, but will have to receive the board of directors approval before we release anything,” said DeVivo. 

A new slate of board members was voted in at the end of March. “We’ll have more updates after their meeting on April 14,” he added. “This new board of directors will be much more localized, and will focus heavily on a five-year plan for sustainability and a strong restart to our fundraising campaign.”

For DeVivo a highlight of the year, “has been hearing hundreds of people telling us that we run a great, super smooth operation, which has been very heartwarming for the team. We have two stated goals, and they are to function as the best small ski area in Wyoming and to offer the best skiing and riding in the Bighorns,” said DeVivo.

The status of the Summit double chairlift is in limbo for closing weekend. “On Sunday during startup procedures, we discovered a problem with the motor and immediately shut it down and took it out of service for the day,” said DeVivo. 

“The Summit double chair has had three other issues this season. All of them are uncommon, and they are all unrelated. We replaced the very top (exit side) sheave train on a Friday a month into the season and adjusted that assembly by an inch and have had no further issues; we had a recent problem with a motor decoder (essentially a tachometer) and swapped it out with the one from the other lift and have had no further issues; then we had a problem with the main breaker and performed a repair while awaiting the new breaker, which has been installed and is working fine.”

“In each case with a lift issue, we took the necessary extra time to consult with the right engineers and/or installers to be sure that proper protocols were being followed. This is the right way to do things. Our spring-summer-fall and in-season maintenance programs are excellent, and we deal with three sets of eyes and ears to be sure we’re following the right parameters: a third-party lift engineer, the USFS lift engineer/inspector, and our insurance carrier’s lift inspector,” he said. 

Repairs are underway and the crew is hopeful for the Summit lift to resume operations in time for closing weekend. The Park chairlift and the Pole’r Express surface lift will be open as usual. Lift status updates can be found on the AB website and social media pages. 

When the Summit lift is closed, ticket and rental prices are reduced to $29. Uphill access is permitted, but the areas above the Park chairlift will not be patrolled. 

Snow totals show 140 inches thus far this season with five fresh inches over the last few days and more in the forecast. There is limited grooming, mostly on the flats with some windblow areas. “We picked up a few inches last weekend, and we’re expecting another five to 10 inches. If we can get the Summit lift back online for the weekend, then most of the upper mountain will feature some great fresh powder,” said DeVivo.