SOUTH EGREMONT, Massachusetts ??” The Catamount Ski Area in the Berkshire Mountains will close for the season at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 3.

“We have plenty of snow, and could easily extend the season for another week or two,” said Bill Gilbert, managing partner at the resort. “But historically, early April is the time when skiers stop coming ??“ so we’ll just shut down the lifts and celebrate a record season.”

The resort will be closed Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week, and plans to reopen Friday, Saturday and Sunday for its season finale.

Catamount posted its best-ever attendance this winter, despite an unusually warm early season that delayed the resort’s opening and kept a number of trails closed through the Christmas holidays.

Gilbert said that by the time the resort shuts down on Sunday, Catamount will have posted a 7 percent increase in skier visits over its all-time record, which was set during the 2002-2003 ski season. The resort also posted a 15 percent increase in visits over last season.

“We believe there were several factors related to the record season,” Gilbert said. “Our season pass program offered tremendous value, and that clearly drove skier visits. We also saw a significant increase in midweek business. But the biggest single factor was that we saw a lot of people visit us for the first time this year, then return with their friends. They liked the mountain, the snow and the atmosphere of the place.”

Gilbert said that season pass sales for next season are running significantly ahead of last year’s sales at this time. Catamount will offer adult season passes for the 2005-2006 ski season for just $199 through May 31, 2005.