What are Colorado ski resorts doing this year to improve the customer experience? With resort real estate sales on the down side these days, the Vail Daily published an informative article this week about what is new for Colorado ski resorts this year and how important it is for the resorts to focus on improving the ease, comfort and quality for guests.
Eagle County, Colorado based Jerry Jones stated ”resorts need to increase their revenue from day-to-day operations in the coming seasons”. Intrawest’s Bill Jensen said, “ski area operators should focus on doing what they do best — providing an unmatched outdoor experience”.
Here are a few highlights about what’s new in the Colorado high country for the upcoming ski season:
- Vail Resorts also emphasized better, healthier food in the company’s many on-mountain restaurants.
- The Aspen Skiing Company has recently invested about $8 million in on-mountain improvements, including hands-free lift access with electronic tickets.
- Crested Butte is now owned by CNL Lifestyle Properties, the same company that owns the commercial real estate at Copper Mountain. Changes include a remodel of the popular Ice Bar. A new play area at the base of the mountain includes a synthetic ice rink. The rink, made from “Super-Glide” synthetic ice, is the first synthetic ice-skating facility in Colorado.
- Copper Mountain is focusing on the recently completed Woodward at Copper adventure sports training hall with a slew of programs for skiing and snowboarding.
- Echo Mountain Resort guests can choose from several new multi-week programs for kids ages 4-14 and their parents. Kids’ morning and afternoon classes are offered in three-week sessions, and a parent one-hour lesson and lift ticket can be added at a discounted rate.
- Keystone has completed construction of a new skier bridge leading back to the base of the River Run gondola, and will offer a $225 pass valid for unlimited group lessons during the upcoming season.
- Loveland added a Magic Carpet surface lift to Loveland Valley for children’s ski school programs.
- Monarch Mountain added a snowcat to a fleet already serving 75,000 acres of prime pow country and doubled the size of a terrain park.
- Purgatory is one of the few areas adding new terrain, expanding its expert offering by 30 percent. The new, steep, tree-skiing terrain is accessible from the Legends lift (Chair 8).
- Ski Cooper is offering specific season passes for military personnel and their families. The small area near Leadville also added a new snowcat to its fleet this year to provide better access to nearly 25,000 acres of terrain.
- Telluride will also add new steeps with the Gold Hill Chutes 2-5. Chutes 2-5 offer wide-open, above treeline couloirs and chutes dropping 1,600 vertical feet.
- Winter Park is putting the finishing touches on the major expansion and redevelopment of The Village at Winter Park Resort. When the project is completed, it will total an estimated investment of $30 million for on-mountain construction and feature 20,000 square feet of new retail, rental, restaurant and living space.
- Wolf Creek will open the $1.5 million Raven’s Nest day lodge, located mid-mountain on top of the Raven chairlift. Additionally, some ski school classes will meet at this mid-mountain location, providing a seamless start to lessons for guests.
To read the article in full, Colorado ski resorts prep for upcoming season.