Ruidoso Winter Park is a great example of how the high-quality WeatherPort® outdoor event facility from Alaska Structures® offer a great return on investment.
When park owner Tom Dorgan wanted to generate more revenue for this snowy seasonal paradise, he chose 12’ x 12’ canopies to act as “VIP Igloos” at his New Mexico park.
At $395 a day to rent one of the VIP Igloos and enjoy free refreshments, food, unlimited snow tubing, zip lining and other perks, the canopies have already given the park a 400-percent return on a $10,000 investment in just one year.
“It was amazing,” Dorgan said.
Ruidoso Winter Park has three WeatherPort Canopies from Alaska Structures, but Dorgan said he’s looking to expand the VIP experience if more space becomes available.
“I would order more if I had more room,” Dorgan said.
Ruidoso Winter Park offers a wide range of fun outdoor activities. Dorgan said he added the ‘igloos’ because wanted to provide guests with the opportunity to have an even better experience.
“The idea came from the cabanas that you see at a water park,” he said.
Like those poolside cabanas, the winter park’s igloos are a comfortable shelter solution. Dorgan installed his canopies on 12’ x 12’ carpeted wood platforms. The igloos feature a table, a heat source and six chairs. They also have roll-down curtains and doors for an added level of protection against winter weather.
The winter park’s igloos have been a great revenue source, but it’s not the first time Dorgan has used WeatherPort Canopies from Alaska Structures. He uses a 10’ x 10’ canopy as a harnessing station for a portable zip line he operates at different locations, including the Albuquerque BioPark Zoo.
After two years of constant setup, takedown, moving and regular cleaning, Dorgan said his canopy tent still looks new. The canopy’s green membrane has shown no signs of fading, even in New Mexico’s sunny environment, he said.
Dorgan said he would not have found the same level of performance from a cheaper canvas popup or easy-up tent.
“I could go to (a big-box retailer) and for under $200 buy a 10’ x 10’ shelter and the first gust of wind comes and I’m going back to buy another,” he said. “Even if you’ve got it staked down, the lightweight materials they use, it’ll twist and bend and be done. There’s no comparison in the quality.”
Dorgan said the quality of a WeatherPort Canopy’s, a brand from Alaska Structures, construction goes beyond durability.
“Everything goes together the way it should. You don’t have the struggle getting the alignment done on your snap-in pins or anything like that.,” he said. “Everything works the way I would expect it and I’m sure it’s the way (WeatherPort) designed it to work. The framework goes together very, very easily. The materials they use, they’re good materials. It’s not lightweight and flimsy.”
Dorgan said he’s not the only person who’s taken note of their industry-best quality and ruggedly durable construction.
“I’ve had other people call and ask about the units, actually. That happens actually quite a lot,” he said.
WeatherPort® is a brand of high-quality fabric buildings from Alaska Structures®. If you are interested in learning more about our fabric buildings and remote camp systems please contact us by calling +1-907-344-1565 or completing our online form to request a consultation.
