Mt. Holiday has kicked off a new summer fundraising campaign, aimed at keeping the ski hill “affordable, accessible, and thriving.” Holiday is looking to raise $100,000 by August 23.

“For more than 75 years, Mt. Holiday has been where children learn new skills, families make memories, and our community comes together,” the ski hill wrote in an email sent to subscribers this week. “As a nonprofit, we've made a commitment to keep those experiences affordable and accessible for everyone. Your support helped transform one of our most difficult seasons into one of our strongest. Now we're asking for your help to keep that momentum going while ensuring Mt. Holiday remains affordable and accessible for every family.”

Famously, Mt. Holiday was only able to open for eight days during the entirety of the 2023-24 winter. That season’s struggles led the ski hill to take out a low-interest disaster relief loan from the Small Business Administration for $480,000. Jim Pearson, executive director at the time, told The Ticker in 2024 that the loan amount was “probably about what we’ve lost over the last season from not being open.” It allowed the ski hill “to pay off a line of credit we’d opened just to get through the season, to cover things like payroll and bills.”

More consistent winter weather in 2024-25 and 2025-26 helped buoy Mt. Holiday’s fortunes, but the ski hill reports on that “the true cost” of keeping things running “continues to rise.”

“Snowmaking, electricity, lift maintenance, insurance, equipment, staffing, programming, and facility improvements all cost more each year,” Mt. Holiday’s website reads. “At the same time, unpredictable winters continue to place pressure on ski hills across the country, especially nonprofit hills built around access instead of profit.”

This summer’s $100,000 fundraising goal would “help bridge the gap between what it truly costs to provide affordable, year-round outdoor recreation and what we charge to keep those experiences accessible.”

More information about the fundraiser can be found here.