{"id":799827,"date":"2019-09-26T19:46:53","date_gmt":"2019-09-27T01:46:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/?p=372115"},"modified":"2019-09-26T19:46:53","modified_gmt":"2019-09-27T01:46:53","slug":"are-you-ready-for-ski-season-news-to-know-from-the-summit-coo-breakfast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/are-you-ready-for-ski-season-news-to-know-from-the-summit-coo-breakfast\/","title":{"rendered":"Are you ready for ski season? News to know from the Summit COO breakfast"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

<\/p>

Breckenridge Ski Resort chief operating officer John Buhler speaks to the assembled crowd at Thursday’s annual Summit County Chamber of Commerce Ski Area COO Breakfast at Copper Mountain Resort.<\/strong>
Katie Girtman \/ Studio Kiva Photography<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

COPPER MOUNTAIN RESORT \u2014 The heads of Summit county\u2019s four ski resorts and areas \u2014 plus Loveland Ski Area \u2014 gathered at Copper Mountain Resort on Thursday to recap last winter and preview the 2019-20 ski season.<\/p>\n

A-Basin addresses elephant in the room<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Alan Henceroth, chief operating officer at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area, shared his most candid comments yet about the ski area\u2019s decision<\/a> to discontinue its pass partnership with Vail Resorts and enter into a new partnership with the Ikon Pass<\/a>. Henceroth put it bluntly: Though A-Basin had its best season ever in 2018-19 in terms of sheer business, the massive crowds of people and cars proved too much to handle.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve had a great 22-year relationship with Vail Resorts,\u201d said Henceroth, \u201cand it\u2019s been good for us and been good for them. But we had to move on. We had to do something different. We are probably the only ski area ever that has said, \u2018Our biggest goal for this next season is to do 100,000 less skiers.’\u201d<\/p>\n

Henceroth said that A-Basin favored the idea of a restricted partner, which they found with the Ikon Pass, as it will give relief for their overcrowded parking problem<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Henceroth also described how this Fourth of July<\/a> served as quite the exclamation point to A-Basin\u2019s busiest year yet, as July 4, 2019 went down as the busiest day in A-Basin\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

Henceroth also made a point to praise Breckenridge Ski Resort COO John Buhler for his work and said that none of the decision was personal. Buhler expressed similar sentiments, calling his team \u201cbig fans\u201d of Henceroth and joking with Henceroth about his parking situation.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlan, go vertical, man,\u201d Buhler said, alluding to a parking structure. \u201cJust do it. It\u2019ll allow you to get that 100,000 (guests) back.\u201d<\/p>\n

New Keystone leader<\/strong><\/h2>\n

About two hours after the event ended, Vail Resorts sent out a press release stating that effective Oct. 15, Keystone Resort\u2019s new general manager will be Jody Churich, former senior director of skier services at Park City Mountain Resort. Churich takes over for Geoff Buchheister, who will be the new COO of Whistler Blackcomb.<\/p>\n

Before she joined the senior leadership team at Park City Mountain Resort last year, Churich was previously the COO for Woodward Camps, owned by POWDR, since 2013.<\/p>\n

Snowmaking start days and planned opens<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Aside from the three ski resorts and ski areas racing to open first this fall \u2014 A-Basin, Keystone and Loveland<\/a> \u2014 both Copper and Breckenridge announced Friday, Nov. 8, as their planned opening dates.<\/p>\n

Copper Mountain President and General Manager Dustin Lyman said the resort\u2019s snowmaking will begin in four days. Buhler said that Keystone will start firing their snowmaking guns within the next week.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

<\/p>

Copper Mountain Resort President and General Manager Dustin Lyman speaks during Thursday\u2019s annual Summit Chamber of Commerce Ski Area COO Breakfast season kick-off event at Copper Mountain Resort.<\/strong>
Katie Girtman \/ Studio Kiva Photography<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Terrain park changes<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There were several updates Thursday regarding terrain parks and training facilities at Summit County\u2019s ski areas. At Breckenridge, Buhler said, despite \u201crumors\u201d going around, the resort will continue to have terrain parks, with two on Peak 9 and one on Peak 8. There will also be a change to the resort\u2019s halfpipe as it will drop down to 18 feet tall to accommodate more casual skiers and riders.<\/p>\n

At Copper Mountain, Lyman said Woodward Copper plans to open a new venue called \u201cRed\u2019s Backyard.\u201d The name pays homage to Olympic gold medalist 19-year-old Red Gerard\u2019s actual backyard terrain park at his family\u2019s home in Silverthorne. The venue will debut this winter alongside snowboarding legend Danny Davis\u2019 new Woodward Peace Park venue<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Lyman also said Copper has built a new tech venue for Alpine ski race training as part of the resort\u2019s annual tech and speed training site for the U.S. Alpine Ski Team and other international teams. Lyman said much of what the resort built was with U.S. star Mikaela Shiffrin of Eagle-Vail in mind.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

<\/p>

Arapahoe Basin Ski Area Chief Operating Officer Al Henceroth speaks during Thursday\u2019s annual Summit Chamber of Commerce Ski Area COO Breakfast season kick-off event at Copper Mountain Resort.<\/strong>
Katie Girtman \/ Studio Kiva Photography<\/em><\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Ski & snowboard shorts<\/strong><\/h2>\n