Consumers cut back where they could and while local resorts pushed special promotions food sales and even ski school numbers still dropped. Hopefully, we are more prepared this year and its clear Colorado ski resorts are adjusting.

Keystone is offering a $225 season- long lesson pass which provides unlimited class sessions and with deals like the epic pass and Aspen’s flex pass it’s clear the nature of the resort industry is changing. Customers are for the first time, since resorts realized you could charge $107 a lift ticket, able to enjoy nature’s gift without sacrificing too much.

While huge projects were not prevalent this year changes and upgrades were still made. The Aspen Skiing Company invested $8 million on mountain upgrades which include a hands-free lift with electronic tickets. The Little Nell is undergoing a complete renovation and the newly LEED- certified Viceroy Snowmass is the latest development at the new billion dollar Snowmass base village.

Copper finished the new Woodward at Copper adventure sports training hall that offers a multitude of skiing and snowboarding programs. Keystone built a new skier bridge that leads back to the base of River Run gondola, and Loveland added a magic carpet lift to Loveland Valley for kids ski school.Winter park is at the end of their major $30 million redevelopment of The Village at Winter park Resorts.

Improvements and adjustments were made to all ski resorts in Colorado but it’s a different world and maybe a sign of permanent changes. In the midst of all the anticipation and in every dripping conversation I have heard about winter, no one has mentioned their disappointment. Let us remind the companies at night of any fancy chairlift, our thoughts are just on snow and oh’ that  mountain.

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