Owner Nick Piazza had said last winter Sleeping Giant was retreating to ‘lick their wounds’ after determining to remain closed through the ski season due to lack of snow. Now, the popular outdoor recreation business will not open the zip line this summer due to flooding.

Wanting to provide an update on summer season plans, management said the basement of the lodge flooded after receiving a season’s worth of snow in a few days and then warm weather causing flood waters.

“We will not be opening the zip line this summer and instead plan to focus on training, clean up and repairs at the mountain,” reads a social media message Tuesday. “We know this will come as a big disappointment to many of you, but we feel this is the most responsible choice we could make at this time.”

It’s been a tough few months for Sleepy G. They were able to get through the recent adversity, keeping most staff on payroll for about half the winter season despite not being able to open. They were also able to work out a plan to keep core staff employed year round.

“This took a lot of effort by both ownership and management to achieve, and we are thankful to everyone that stuck with us through this period,” the post said.

The facility will now focus on lodge repairs and general maintenance, including turning on the lifts regularly to keep them in working order, and will be sitting down in June to iron out summer plans and a budget for the winter. After a full assessment they will make further announcements in June.

The lodge had just made a large investment in infrastructure before experiencing a breakdown of underground pipes late last year, making it impossible to make enough snow with new equipment to open over the 2023 holiday season, which accounts for the majority of revenue for the entire year.

“Our chance at profitability really depends on those last two weeks in December,” Piazza said.

Sleeping Giant invested $100K for new snowmaking equipment, but the aging piping network for water on the mountain needed to be replaced.