Remember Aspen Skiing Co.’s slogan “uncrowded by design”? Well, it seems that they need to change that to “crowded by design.”
It seems quite clear that the Ikon Pass is paying off big for the Crown family. I’ve never seen the four mountains so crowded as they are now, and the only thing I can come up with is a whole new skier base with the Ikon Pass.
Slowly but steadily, we are starting to look a lot like Vail and Breckenridge. I was always under the understanding that Aspen, and even the Crown family, were not interested in being another Vail look-alike, but I see now that’s not the direction they want. I am hearing from a lot of longtime, repeat tourists that they are not impressed with this new direction. These people know it’s expensive to come here, but the lack of crowded lift lines made it all worth the expense. Just look at A-Basin and their exit from the Epic Pass. The owners obviously came to the conclusions that customer happiness is more important than the bottom line.
In the coming election, think hard about what you envision for the future of Aspen.
Ian long
Snowmass Village