Surely, there must be some way to put these resources to good use. It’s a tempting idea and one that some, such as the Tokyo waterpark that used to drain its wave pool and fill it with trout for fly-fishing, have even acted on.

Such ideas, however, usually meet with limited success.

The notion of turning waterparks into off-season skate parks has been bandied about by some, but it’s probably another one that is better left unexplored.

“There is really nothing in a waterpark that you could use to make a skate park,” says Geoff Chutter, president/CEO of White-Water West Industries Ltd.

Camelbeach Waterpark at Camelback Ski Area nevertheless offers a glimpse of how one operation has successfully managed to keep its infrastructure producing revenue.

Situated in Tannersville, Pa., in the Pocono Mountains, Camelback opened for business approximately 40 years ago. In the late 1970s, Camelback began a summer program by first installing an alpine slide (since discontinued) and later an Olympic-sized pool and a body slide.

Over the years, the summer operation gradually evolved to include a minigolf course and small rides. In 1998, the park was transformed into a full-blown waterpark, with a lazy river, children’s activity area, slides, raft rides, wave pool, thrill rides and a speed slide complex, which replaced the alpine slide. As a result, summer attendance has grown, says General Manager Richard Wiseman.

But he’s also figured out a way to use the lazy river in the off-season. It is built in the base area, Wiseman says. In autumn, all of the rope fencing is taken down and the river is filled with more than 2,500 plastic juice barrels, which are then covered with plywood. This enables Camelback to make snow over the structure so guests can ski on it in the winter. The wave pool and slide complexes are built in areas on the hill that are not ski terrain and do not have to be taken down.

Many of the food service facilities are shared in summer and winter (though in the summer, there are more outside concessions). At the end of the ski or waterpark day, guests can return to the Chateau Resort and Conference Center at the base, or to any of the condominiums lining the mountain.

Camelback sells season passes to the waterpark and ski areas, and these are not interchangeable. But passes are available that bridge both seasons, and skiers who purchase frequent skier cards also receive discounts at the waterpark. The same staff handles marketing for Camelback and Camelbeach, though the two attractions usually are advertised and promoted separately.