'FLAT IS THE NEW UP'

Optimism Cautiously Creeps in for Ski Season

By David Frey, 11-18-09

	Shoppers crowd into the annual Denver Ski & Snowboard Expo. David Frey photo.

If you’re a ski resort operator, it’s hard to be optimistic when the country is suffering the effects of a grueling recession and about one in 10 Americans is jobless.

But when snow is dumping in the high country and across the room at the Colorado Convention Center people are walking out with armfuls of ski gear, optimism creeps in.

At the annual Denver Ski & Snowboard Expo last weekend, resort operators sounded notes of cautious optimism for the upcoming ski season. Many companies are seeing upticks in season pass sales, early bookings are on the upswing and after last year’s drop in skier numbers, any improvement would be welcome.

“Flat is the new up,” says Sarah Allen, of Powderhorn Resort outside Grand Junction.

Early numbers offer some reasons for optimism. Vail Resorts reported a 15 percent rise in ski pass sales. Aspen’s premier pass sales, discounted over last year’s price as part of a reshuffling of pass offerings, are up, too. Bookings at resort-based properties across the country are up, and the trade group Ski Utah is predicting a 3 percent increase over last year. Early season snows may help put people in the ski and snowboarding mood, too.

Melanie Mills, president of the trade group Colorado Ski Country USA, says she expects Colorado to see an increase, but a modest one, over last year’s numbers.

“Right now we feel good about it,” Mills says. “It’s November. It’s snowing. Our sense is, the destination market is going to be a little bit better this year. Not a lot better, but a little better. I wouldn’t say the era of the ‘staycation’ is over, but people are willing to travel a little more.”

Resorts that once touted luxury have begun pushing discounts. Vail offers a competitive Epic Pass to lure Denver-area skiers into the mountains. Aspen is offering online discounts up to a week before booking to encourage last-minute travelers.

“One of the things we’re hearing this year and a year ago is, ‘it’s the year of the deal,’” says Vail spokeswoman Amy Kemp. “We look at it a different way. It’s the year of the value.”

How different is this ski season from previous seasons? A few years ago, Vail was boosting its billion-dollar facelift on the mountain and in town. This year, it’s boasting about rebuilding its burger. Instead of spas and million-dollar fractionals, its Angus beef and organic cheese.

The annual expo is a pre-season ski party, where mostly Front Range residents press into the shopping area to hunt for bargains on skis, gear and clothes. Resorts from across the state and out of state set up booths to hawk season passes and tout their terrain.

The poor economy wasn’t keeping Jenne Trembley, of Boulder, from stocking up on ski gear. Shopping at the expo sale, she lugged bags full of ski boots and snow pants. This is her first winter living in Colorado, she says, and she bought an Epic Pass and plans to put it to use.

“This is the one thing you have to spend money on,” she says.

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