Winter Dew Tour was a success for riders and the community DOVER- The Winter Dew Tour has come and gone. The world’s top freeskiers and riders made their way to Mount Snow and put on a spectacular show. Tour champions were crowned; Alberta Cross rocked the Snowbarn; and tens of thousands of fans meandered around the festival village sampling Power Bars and Mountain Dew, riding the Matador beef jerky inflatable bull, or just standing and watching the excitement on the huge Jumbotrons. All in all, organizers say the 2010 Winter Dew Tour was a success. But the big question is “How did the Deerfield Valley make out?” According to several local businesses, the Winter Dew Tour was a smashing success for them and the valley.

Greg Fisher, Mount Snow marketing and events director, said last weekend’s events exceeded expectations. Last year, approximately 24,000 fans attended the Winter Dew Tour festivities at Mount Snow. This year, Mount Snow topped 33,000 fans over the four-day period. “In two years, the Mount Snow event beat all the attendance records set at Breckenridge, Snowbasin, and Lake Tahoe. Tahoe had larger numbers than ours last year, but we now have the highest total among the host ski resorts,” said Fisher.

Fisher said a variety of factors made this year’s Winter Dew Tour a major success. The exposure Mount Snow received from NBC, MTV, MTV-2, and USA Networks played a major role. The good weather also was a factor. Had last weekend’s mid-Atlantic snowstorm made its way to southern Vermont, Fisher believes it would have negatively impacted weekend attendance and athletes’ performances. The event also benefited from fans and spectators who attended last year’s Winter Dew Tour and took several videos and snapshots of the competitions. Their documentation was seen by many on the Internet and social media networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Visits by Governor Jim Douglas, Bruce Hyde, Vermont’s Tourism and Marketing commissioner, and Steve Cook, Vermont’s Tourism and Marketing deputy commissioner, were another indication of the Dew Tour’s success. Their presence during the freeski superpipe award ceremonies made the event a special one and Fisher credited Mount Snow Chamber of Commerce Director Laura Sibilia with organizing the special visit. “To have them come down was an honor. Governor Douglas gave a nice mini-speech, he spoke highly of southern Vermont and snowboarding, and the resort got some good air time. I think the crowd appreciated it and it’s a big event now,” said Fisher.

The Winter Dew Tour’s success trickled down to local businesses. For instance, many fans and spectators used public transportation to attend last weekend’ sevents. Fisher said the Deerfield Valley Transit Association was instrumental in making the Winter Dew Tour a smooth operation. According to Randy Schoonmaker, DVTA general manager, the MOOver set a single day ridership record on Saturday with 12,295 rides, compared to an average Saturday of fewer than 4,000 rides. Schoonmaker added that Saturday’s number also beat the Saturday number during the 2,000 X Games with 11,095 rides. In all, the MOOver transported 19,372 passengers during the four-day event.

William “Buzzy” Buswell, of Buzzy’s Taxi Service, transported approximately 1,200 people during the four-day event. Buswell said they made several trips to and from Albany International Airport and transported athletes and sponsors throughout the area. He estimates that Buzzy’s Taxi Service pumped approximately $16,000 into the local economy in payroll, gas, and food ,and Buswell hired three extra drivers to handle the extra demand. “They were working 12-14 hours and lived at Albany Airport. I’m personally very happy even though we’re all exhausted,” laughed Buswell.

Melissa Wise, manager of Rentals Only, said business was better than during last year’s Winter Dew Tour. Wise did not provide any numbers, but she said that several vendors and athletes booked long-term stays with Rentals Only. “I think being on the major television networks really helped. The more they see Mount Snow, the more it puts us on the map,” said Wise.

Andrew Nystrom, co-owner of Snow Mountain Market on Route 100, said the bounce in Winter Dew Tour business was “tremendous.” Nystrom said store traffic was nonstop for four straight days and business was significantly better than last year. “The Dew Tour was fantastic. With the Dew Tour and Presidents Day weekend coming up, February is going to be a tremendous month for us,” said Nystrom.

Stephen O’Hern, the Hermitage Inn innkeeper, said many of their guests were not there for the Winter Dew Tour. However, O’Hern added, the Hermitage Inn also benefited from the weekend’s events. He said many coaches, athletes, and event sponsors ate at the restaurant and it saw a substantial amount of business as a result.

Even businesses outside of Dover benefited from last weekend’s events. Veronica DeMio, Just Bead It store manager, said business was steady, but the store’s name received significant publicity. DeMio said Just Bead It created special Winter Dew Tour bracelets for other businesses, the media, coaches and athletes, and more. Just Bead It made over 50 bracelets for some of the athletes. Fans and spectators saw them, and customers recognized their work. “The people who came said they heard about us from the Dew Tour,” said DeMio. “There wasn’t an influx of people but businesses talked each other up. Dot’s Restaurant told customers to check out our store and our name got out quicker. It was great for advertising.”

As for Fisher, he believes Mount Snow put on a great show for everyone and he is confident that it made an impression on the Alliance for Action Sports, the organization that owns and organizes the Winter Dew Tour. “I think they’ll be here for quite some time,” said Fisher.