To find out more about Antelope Butte’s winter sports offerings, as well as venue opportunities during their off-season, visit their website at antelopebuttefoundation.org.Jones said that visitors have much to look forward to when they come to the lodge, saying, “We have a full restaurant, we make homemade soups and chili, burgers and lasagna. We make […]
To find out more about Antelope Butte’s winter sports offerings, as well as venue opportunities during their off-season, visit their website at antelopebuttefoundation.org.Jones said that visitors have much to look forward to when they come to the lodge, saying, “We have a full restaurant, we make homemade soups and chili, burgers and lasagna. We make really good food.”Outside of winter sports, the resort will host a weekly ‘Apre-ski’ entertainment series on Saturdays at their pub. These weekly events with live music will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. each Saturday. DeVivo added, “We serve the first pizza at 11 a.m. and sell the last beer at 5 p.m. … and we’ll offer seven free ‘Yoga With Trish’ sessions on select Saturday mornings upstairs in the lodge.”The resort is open every day through Jan. 5 except Christmas Day, with hours from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. After Jan. 5, Meadowlark will resume their regular schedule and will be open Friday through Sunday, with the same hours as above.Antelope ButteAs of Monday, all the green (beginner) and blue (intermediate) trails are open, as well as the lower portion of the black (expert) trails. Jones said, “The tops of the black aren’t open yet because there are still some rocks that need covered. We’re still waiting on some more snow to cover those up.”He spoke about the new inventory in the rental store, and said, “We’ll have at least 40% more rental gear this year, thanks to the generosity of Boyne Resorts (MI), Vail Resorts (CO), and The Sports Lure (Buffalo). We’ve also brought Nordic rentals back into our shop, and we’ll groom the Nordic trails as often as possible this year.”The winter sport season is in full swing at Meadowlark, but Jones said that during the off-season it can be rented as a venue for all kinds of events. “I do a lot of weddings. It’s a beautiful wedding venue, I’ve got a lot booked this summer. We do church retreats, bank meetings, and residents at the VOA in Sheridan have been coming to stay in the cabins and use the lodge as a meeting place. Last year for the first time, we had a military group come up to do training in the summertime on the ski hill, and they booked again for this year, they absolutely loved it. We also do birthday parties, reunions and any type of corporate meeting,” Jones explained.On the trails open an Antelope Butte, DeVivo said, “Right now we plan to have all terrain areas open in order to spread the crowds out … We’ve opened up at least six to seven different terrain areas for intermediate and expert skiers and riders; it’s not new terrain, it’s just safer and more navigable … We’ll have our normal terrain parks open, but also hope to put a few terrain park elements elsewhere (to be determined) on other trails.”Thanks to a big snowfall earlier this month up in the Big Horn Mountains, skiers and snowboarders have plenty of chances to hit the snow while they’re home for the holidays. Antelope Butte Mountain Recreation Area General Manager John DeVivo gave an update on that resort, located at 28 Forest Service Road 244, just off US Highway 14 between Shell and Burgess Junction. This nonprofit-run resort offers inexpensive programs for kids learning how to ski/snowboard and features a multitude of downhill runs ranging from beginner to expert accessed via lift, as well as some Nordic trails and hiking access to back-country trails. The main building at the resort hosts a pub serving food and drinks, and a rental shop that has gotten a significant upgrade this year.
Meadowlark Ski Lodge and Antelope Butte Mountain Recreation Area discussed their holiday schedules as well as making some exciting announcements.Regarding Antelope Butte’s holiday schedule, DeVivo said, “We plan to be open Dec. 20-22, and then closed Dec. 23-25, and then open Dec. 26 through Jan. 5 before switching to our regular Wednesday through Sunday schedule (plus holiday Mondays). Ski/snowboarding hours are from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., with last call at the pub at 5 p.m. MeadowlarkDeVivo reports the resort’s summit lift got an upgrade this year, saying, “The summit lift will operate at 425 feet per minute (fpm) rather than 320 fpm, giving skiers and riders less time on the lift and more time on snow.”
This resort opened for the season on Friday, Dec. 20, and DeVivo gave a similar report to Jones for snow conditions at his resort. He said, “The snow is out there, but it’s not super deep, so we’ll groom very lightly over the first couple of weeks … We groom very gingerly when there’s not a lot of depth, and we groom both fewer trails and less often.”Jones said, “Normally we get some snow in November and December, and we pack it all down to get a good base and try to open in the first or second weekend of December.”She added, “Last year, we had a tough season. A lot of ski resorts just didn’t get a lot of snow; but skiers here last weekend said there was more snow up there now than all of last season, so we’re hopeful this year.”Co-owner of Meadowlark Ski Lodge Holli Jones reports that the resort was opened for the season last weekend. Meadowlark Ski Lodge, located at 426 US-16, just off the highway on the mountain between Ten Sleep and Buffalo, offers a range of downhill skiing/snowboarding trails, a single ski lift, and several amenities at the lodge. Trails at the resort are mostly open and the fresh snow has been groomed. DeVivo announced that Antelope Butte has reached nearly 2,000 registrations for its free season pass program offered to kids under 18; this is their flagship program for their nonprofit operations. DeVivo said, “These waters are uncharted within the ski and snowboard industry.” Also, the resort’s Wednesday and Thursday school programs are already 100% booked. DeVivo said, “We host between 700 and 800 local and regional students a year as their ‘first day on snow’ at a cost of just per child. We host said students from both sides of the pass, and they typically travel two to three hours each way to take part in it.”
For more information, you can visit their website at https://www.lodgesofthebighorns.com/meadowlark-ski-lodge-wyoming.php.She stated that there is also new rental equipment to check out at the rental shop in the lodge, as well as a great variety of items in the pro shop. She said, “We sell goggles, sweatshirts, neck warmers, hats, coats, snowpants, you name it.”
