Posted inNews, Outdoors, Outsider

Colorado’s independent ski areas are thriving in the shadow of dueling, consolidating resort giants

In the shadow of battling behemoths, smaller, independent ski areas are thriving.  “It’s not just that the big areas are crowded and skiers want to escape crowds,” said Bob Nicolls, the owner of Monarch ski area, which saw record visitation in 2021-22, with income for the ski area climbing 20% above the previous season. “I […]

Posted inBusiness, Climate, Culture, Environment, News, Outdoors, Water

PHOTOS: Short on powder, Colorado’s ski resorts let snowmakers rip

Ski resorts across the country are leaning more heavily on snowmaking guns as warmer, shorter winters threaten a business model based on snow. In Colorado, the reliance on man-made snow has been essential to the start of the 2021-22 ski season, with all of the state’s 13 major river basins reporting precipitation through November well […]

Posted inBusiness, News, Outdoors

Smaller ski areas retain their workers with help of federal coronavirus stimulus money

At least 10 of Colorado’s smallest ski areas together received at least $5 million — and as much as $12.7 million — in federal loans from the Paycheck Protection Program.  While the big-league operators like Alterra Mountain Co., Vail Resorts and Aspen Skiing were too large to qualify for the federal stimulus loans, the so […]