{"id":20544,"date":"2019-12-13T13:21:23","date_gmt":"2019-12-13T20:21:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skyhinews.com\/?p=62031"},"modified":"2019-12-13T13:21:23","modified_gmt":"2019-12-13T20:21:23","slug":"granby-ranch-kicks-off-season-unaffected-by-ownership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/krky\/local-news\/granby-ranch-kicks-off-season-unaffected-by-ownership\/","title":{"rendered":"Granby Ranch kicks off season unaffected by ownership"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Brendon Dougherty and his son, Cavin, take the first chair up the Milestone Ski Lift on Friday, Granby Ranch\u2019s opening day.<\/strong>
Eli Pace \/ epace@skyhinews.com<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

The first two people up Milestone Ski Lift on Granby Ranch\u2019s opening day were Brendon Dougherty and his son, Cavin.<\/p>\n

From Denver, Cavin just turned 12 years old and skiing Friday was his birthday gift.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is our main ski place,\u201d Brendon Dougherty said. \u201cWe\u2019re up here a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

All this week, employees hustled about cooking food, prepping lifts and making final touches for opening day.<\/p>\n

With the resort up and running Friday, a visitor wouldn\u2019t even know it was announced earlier this week that a lender intends to take back Granby Ranch property<\/a> \u2014 mainly because that change does not affect the resort amenities.<\/p>\n

\u201cEssentially, it\u2019s the real estate surrounding the resort that\u2019s under new ownership, but the resort itself is not affected by that ownership transition,\u201d explained Rachael Thackston, event coordinator for Granby Ranch.<\/p>\n

The Granby Ranch real estate and the Granby Ranch ski resort are separate entities with a similar name and, until this week, the same owners. That can lead to some confusion, but it\u2019s only the undeveloped land around the resort that\u2019s changed hands.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why, with 6 inches of fresh snowfall, opening day was \u201cbusiness as usual\u201d for the 200 seasonal and 50 full-time employees at the resort.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have a whole staff and family of employees here,\u201d Thackston said. \u201cWe\u2019re all working so hard to bring our community back to Granby Ranch and get families on the hill. I hate for that to be forgotten in the main light of real estate changing hands.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Friday, the ski resort opened 11 runs and 3 lifts according to OnTheSnow.com<\/a>. The two-seater Milestone Ski Lift was the first to ferry skiers and riders up the mountain.<\/p>\n

According to chief operating officer, Greg Finch, snow totals are a little less than this time last year, but the weekend storm<\/a> could change that quickly.<\/p>\n

Finch started as COO at Granby Ranch<\/a> just over a year ago and said he has only seen it improve during that time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would say after a year, our focus has really been just doing the things we\u2019ve been doing, but doing them better,\u201d Finch said. \u201cAnd I really believe we are.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the property around the resort changing hands won\u2019t affect this year\u2019s operations, Finch said there are some unknowns for next season.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe next couple months might be a little more than interesting,\u201d Finch said. \u201cOnce it all gets sorted out, there will be positive changes, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n

Front-line employees don\u2019t think they\u2019ll see much change this year either.<\/p>\n

Tickets manager Harmony Johnston, who\u2019s been at Granby Ranch for three years, was more focused on the new opportunities at the resort.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year was awesome, but it\u2019s definitely going to be hard to beat,\u201d Johnston said. \u201cI think with our staff, we have new people here and it\u2019s kind of a younger crew. I think it\u2019s going to bring in a fresh environment this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

The resort has already implemented some changes for this year.<\/p>\n

The Granby Ranch Grill has a new executive chef who has redone the restaurant\u2019s entire menu. Beyond that, the Grill is now offering breakfast and discounts for members.<\/p>\n

Food and beverage manager Ross Palmer, who\u2019s entering his eighth season at the ranch, said he\u2019s looking forward to the improvements. As for the property near the resort changing hands, he\u2019s not worried.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not going to affect us at all,\u201d Palmer said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to still keep going the way we\u2019ve been doing things here at the restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jeff Wilcinski, rental manager, has spent his time preparing for ski season by testing out the equipment fleet, which includes new skis, boards, boots and a scanning system for inventory management.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m anticipating it to be busier than it ever has been,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve been here \u2026 since 2015 and every season has just gotten busier.\u201d<\/p>\n

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