{"id":2451665,"date":"2019-11-28T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-11-28T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=316772"},"modified":"2019-11-28T10:00:00","modified_gmt":"2019-11-28T17:00:00","slug":"aspen-skiing-co-hopes-to-match-last-winters-ikonic-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/aspen-skiing-co-hopes-to-match-last-winters-ikonic-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Aspen Skiing Co. hopes to match last winter\u2019s Ikonic season"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.6867469879518\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-316772-562\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/openingday-atd-112419-12-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/openingday-atd-112419-12-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | People enjoy opening day on Aspen Mountain on Saturday, November 23, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>People enjoy opening day on Aspen Mountain on Saturday, November 23, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/openingday-atd-112419-12-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"People enjoy opening day on Aspen Mountain on Saturday, November 23, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/openingday-atd-112419-12-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/openingday-atd-112419-12-2-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | People enjoy opening day on Aspen Mountain on Saturday, November 23, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>People enjoy opening day on Aspen Mountain on Saturday, November 23, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/openingday-atd-112419-12-2-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"People enjoy opening day on Aspen Mountain on Saturday, November 23, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/openingday-atd-112419-12-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/openingday-atd-112419-12-3-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times | People enjoy opening day on Aspen Mountain on Saturday, November 23, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>People enjoy opening day on Aspen Mountain on Saturday, November 23, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/openingday-atd-112419-12-3-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"People enjoy opening day on Aspen Mountain on Saturday, November 23, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/openingday-atd-112419-12-4-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/openingday-atd-112419-12-4-1024x732.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Austin Colbert | Skiers make turns during Snowmass Ski Area's opening day on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>Skiers make turns during Snowmass Ski Area&#8217;s opening day on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)<\/strong><br \/>Austin Colbert<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2019\/11\/openingday-atd-112419-12-4-1024x732.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Skiers make turns during Snowmass Ski Area's opening day on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2019. (Photo by Austin Colbert\/The Aspen Times)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/aspen-skiing-co-hopes-to-match-last-winters-ikonic-season\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/aspen-skiing-co-hopes-to-match-last-winters-ikonic-season\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">The business numbers from last ski season are impressive and perhaps daunting for resort operators aiming to keep pace.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Aspen Skiing Co. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/colorado-resorts-post-record-number-of-skier-visits\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">set a record<\/a> with 1.55 million skier visits.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Skico\u2019s sister company, Alterra Mountain Co., debuted its Ikon Pass to smashing success.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Colorado resorts racked up a record 13.8 million skier visits.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote p402_hide\" readability=\"4\">\n<blockquote readability=\"11\">\n<p>\u201cI think the bigger the platform players like Vail and Alterra become, the bigger gaps that we\u2019re leaving (will) begin to be exploited by the well-positioned, wily, independent resorts.\u201d \u2014 Rusty Gregory, Alterra CEO<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">U.S. resorts tallied their fourth-best season with 59.3 million skier visits.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">So how do they top that?<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cThat\u2019s a good question,\u201d said Katie Ertl, Aspen Skiing Co. senior vice president of mountain operations. \u201cIt\u2019s a very high number to match.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Skico\u2019s prior record was set 21 years ago in winter 1997-98. Last season\u2019s showing was the result of timely snowfall and exposure to a new wave of skiers and snowboarders via the Ikon Pass.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Snowfall amounts were about average on the Aspen-Snowmass slopes going into the end of February, then wave after wave of snowstorms during the first half of March produced epic powder days. The ski season also seemed busier to Roaring Fork Valley skiers, Ertl speculated, because so many storms fell during weekends.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cIt was the timing that was so amazing to all of us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Many Roaring Fork Valley residents are stuck at their jobs on weekdays so they are weekend warriors on the slopes. When there is powder on Saturdays and Sunday, people respond in a big way.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">At one point last season, Skico\u2019s season pass use was tracking 40% higher than the prior season, when snowfall was below average.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Add Ikon Pass users to the mix and Skico experienced lift lines longer than Roaring Fork Valley residents were accustomed to. The affordable pass, which provides access to more than 40 resorts at about $1,000, attracted a lot of first-time visitors to the slopes of Aspen and Snowmass. Many of them were from Colorado\u2019s Front Range.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Ikon Pass use accounted for about 9% of Skico\u2019s total skier days, Skico spokesman Jeff Hanle said in June. That would mean about 139,500 skier visits.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Skico officials expect another big boost from the Ikon Pass this year, assuming decent snowfall.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cThere are people who had Aspen-Snowmass on their bucket list for years,\u201d Ertl said. \u201cIkon got them up here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">There was enough grumbling about crowding that Skico President and CEO Mike Kaplan felt compelled to address it in some public forums during the summer. Some Roaring Fork Valley residents blamed Ikon Pass users for creating the lift lines. Kaplan countered by saying big powder weekends brought out the locals. There would have been crowds even without the Ikon passholders, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">And besides, Kaplan said, people have been concerned about bringing in new customers and increasing business to the valley. The Ikon Pass is achieving that, he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Ertl said Skico did face some \u201cvolume impacts\u201d last season and is working on ways to increase the guest flow this season. The company ponied up extra funds to expand its contract with the Roaring Fork Transportation Authority for bus service. Weekend service will be dedicated this winter for direct bus service between the Brush Creek-Highway 82 Park and Ride and Aspen Highlands, for example.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">In addition, watch for more phased openings of terrain on big powder days. Last year, the Deep Temerity lift was swamped with a crowd on a Saturday when Aspen Highlands was blessed with 16 inches of snow.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cWe opened the entire Bowl all at once,\u201d Ertl said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">In similar conditions, the ski patrol will open the Deep Temerity and Highland Bowl terrain phases to spread out demand.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Skico has also increased the capacity of the Cloud 9 lift at Aspen Highlands and the High Alpine lift at Snowmass to 1,800 passengers per hour from 1,200.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Alterra anticipated selling <a id=\"N0x2405340N0x22f7ca0:N0x2405340N0x24687f0\" href=\"https:\/\/coloradosun.com\/2018\/10\/31\/ikon-pass-epic-pass-sales-2018\/\">250,000 of the Ikon Pass<\/a> last season, according to a report in The Colorado Sun. Rusty Gregory, CEO of Alterra Mountain Co., said there\u2019s been strong growth in Ikon Pass sales for its second winter. Additional destinations have been added to the mix.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cWe\u2019ve given people a lot of reasons to buy the Ikon Pass,\u201d Gregory told The Aspen Times. \u201cThe retention level (repeat buyers) was astounding, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">He also expects strong repeat business in Aspen-Snowmass among Ikon users.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cI think people will be back because Aspen\u2019s a great place,\u201d Gregory said. \u201cYear to year, it will have a lot to do with the conditions and the economy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Adrienne Saia Isaac, director of marketing and communication for the Denver-based National Ski Areas Association, said snow remains the \u201cbiggest driver\u201d for the ski industry.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cWhen it snows, people come skiing. After a great season, we see that effect often trickle into the next season in the form of advance pass\/ticket purchase and advance bookings in general,\u201d Isaac wrote in an email. \u201cThe same can be said after a low snow year \u2014 the trend is generally to see a decrease in early purchase until people see it start to snow again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">For those reasons, there are no guarantees that skier visits will grow this season at Aspen-Snowmass or the 15 resorts that Alterra owns.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cIt\u2019s really less about growing,\u201d Gregory said. \u201cWe\u2019re a private company and obviously we want to do well, but we\u2019re not focused on quarter-to-quarter growth. We\u2019re really just focused on the brands we own, the brands we partner with and using Ikon in a way that helps make those brands available to people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">The Ikon Pass and the Epic Pass \u2014 which is offered by Alterra\u2019s chief rival, Vail Resorts \u2014 are transforming the North American ski industry. Former Steamboat ski area executive Chris Diamond wrote about the reshaping of the competitive landscape in his book, \u201cSki Inc. 2020,\u201d which went on sale Oct. 29.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">He figures that somewhere around 1.35 million individuals purchased the Ikon and Epic passes last season. That is roughly 16% of all people estimated to participate in skiing and riding in the U.S.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">The total number of skier visits accountable to the Ikon and Epic passes \u201clikely approached 16.2 million, or 30% of U.S. visits,\u201d Diamond wrote. That assumed people used their passes 12 days on average.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Looking at the bigger picture, the resorts owned by Alterra and Vail along with their affiliated resorts accounted for about 50% of all the visits in the U.S.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Skiers and snowboarders are getting a good deal, Diamond argued, because they can ski at numerous resorts for significantly less money than what many individual resorts previously charged for season passes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">The industry giants are using pricing to drive consumers to the passes. Vail\u2019s peak, walk-up, single-day lift ticket price was <a id=\"N0x2405340N0x22f7e20:N0x2405340N0x2468fd0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/local\/vails-single-day-window-lift-ticket-price-hits-209-aspen-at-179\/\">$209 last season<\/a>. Aspen charged $179. The average weekend, adult ticket industry-wide was $129.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Data show skiers and snowboarders are embracing the passes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Single- and multi-day lift ticket sales accounted for 55.5% of skier visits in 2008-09. By last season it had fallen to 43.5%, according to the annual Kottke End of Season Survey commissioned by National Ski Areas Association.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Meanwhile, season pass use accounted for 43.4% of all visits last season, up from 34.7% a decade ago, the survey showed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cThat\u2019s the trend for today,\u201d Gregory said. \u201cI don\u2019t think (the growth in pass sales) will continue at the pace that it\u2019s been at. It will balance out in the near years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Ikon and Epic aren\u2019t the only games in the industry, but they are the biggies. Gregory said he is asked all the time if there is room in the industry for independent resorts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cI think the bigger the platform players like Vail and Alterra become, the bigger gaps that we\u2019re leaving (will) begin to be exploited by the well-positioned, wily, independent resorts,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">While there is little doubt that the relatively inexpensive passes are benefiting people committed to skiing and snowboarding, the ski industry continues to seek ways to draw new blood. Ski area operators with the support of NSAA offer inexpensive introduction packages to skiing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Diamond wrote in \u201cSki Inc. 2020\u201d that the \u201cmega-passes\u201d of Alterra and Vail will help bring in newcomers because \u201cbring a friend\u201d discounted passes are often available.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Nevertheless, the retention rate for people new to skiing and riding hovers around an \u201cunacceptable\u201d rate of 19%, Diamond wrote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Gregory said Alterra isn\u2019t focused on passionate skiers at the expense of newcomers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cI think resorts are doing a reasonable job offering beginner, entry-level packages for individuals and families, but I think it\u2019s something we need to continue to focus on,\u201d he said. \u201cWe certainly are at Alterra and through our individual resorts. You\u2019ll see over time that we\u2019re going to focus on that company-wide.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Back to this season \u2014 nobody knows for sure what will unfold. Skico\u2019s Ertl said she is focused on improving the guest service experience from the parking lot to the chairlift to the ski line. Snowfall and other factors will determine if business increases or not.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cWe\u2019re taking it day-to-day and working with what\u2019s in front of us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">The latest lodge occupancy outlook for Aspen and Snowmass Village shows the winter pacing flat to last year. That\u2019s not all that bad, considering last year was a record.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">December is strong at 6% ahead of last year\u2019s pace at this time while March is 4.6% behind, according to Stay Aspen Snowmass, a central bookings agency owned by Skico.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Gregory spent 40 years in operations at Mammoth Mountain. He said that experience taught him that no season is the same as the prior ones due to shifting circumstances.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cI\u2019m super excited to see what this season is going to be like,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\"><span><em><a href=\"mailto:scondon@aspentimes.com\">scondon@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/aspen-skiing-co-hopes-to-match-last-winters-ikonic-season\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>People enjoy opening day on Aspen Mountain on Saturday, November 23, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times People enjoy opening day on Aspen Mountain on Saturday, November 23, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times People enjoy opening day on Aspen Mountain on Saturday, November 23, 2019. (Kelsey Brunner\/The Aspen Times)Kelsey Brunner\/The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2451665","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-19 04:23:05","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2451665","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2451665"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2451665\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2451665"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2451665"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2451665"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}