Posted inBusiness, Coloradans, COVID, News, Outdoors

Eager early-season crowds are helping Colorado ski resorts fine tune operations before the holiday crush

Winter Park delayed its opening a couple weeks to early December and the pent-up demand almost overwhelmed the Grand County resort on its first Saturday.  Lines were long on Dec. 5 and, as skiers kicked off skis and snowboards to load up the base-area gondola, distancing faded. By midday, the resort had made changes. “We […]

Posted inBusiness, COVID, News, Outdoors

How Colorado’s independent Wolf Creek ski area plans to navigate a coronavirus reopening

Almost 4,200 Wolf Creek skiers responded to a survey sent by the ski area’s owner, Davey Pitcher.  They were largely from New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma as well as surrounding communities like Pagosa Springs and South Fork. Typical Wolf Creek skiers. They all said, heck yeah they wanted to ski this season. And they were […]

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 […]

Posted inNewsletters, Outsider

Owner of Wolf Creek ski area wants to reopen this weekend. But first he has a major hoop to jump through.

Updated at April 30, 2020, at 11:28 p.m.: Gov. Jared Polis orders Colorado ski areas closed until at least May 23. Davey Pitcher wants to open Wolf Creek ski area this weekend.  His limited opening plan won unanimous approval from boards of county commissioners in Archuleta, Rio Grande and Mineral counties. He got approval from […]

Posted inBusiness, Outdoors

At the height of the ski pass war, Wolf Creek — with its $70 lift ticket — remains defiantly independent

WOLF CREEK — As the first flakes frost the highest peaks, the Colorado-sparked season pass war is ablaze. It’s a new world for skiers, with resorts across the U.S. aligning into two distinct camps. In one corner, the nascent Alterra Mountain Company this week fired off a list of new partners for the Ikon Pass, which offers unlimited […]