Colorado Resorts Offering a Flurry of Early Season Ski Deals
Posted: November 13, 2012 Filed under: Ski Area | Tags: Arapahoe Basin, Aspen Mountain, Colorado, Copper Mountain, Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Deals, Durango Mountain Resort, Ski, Ski Areas, Ski Cooper, Ski Country USA, skiing, Snowboard Leave a comment
Colorado Resorts Offering a Flurry of Early Season Ski Deals
Skiers can save with special offers on multi-day lift tickets, lessons, rentals, lodging, and a snow guarantee
DENVER, Colo. – November 9, 2012 – As the 2012/13 ski season gets underway in Colorado, Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) resorts are rolling out early season deals and incentives that underscore Colorado as a very attainable and affordable winter ski destination.
With the variety of discounted products recently released, savvy skiers will find that doing a little research can pay big dividends. “Guests have learned that by taking advantage of early season deals and booking their ski vacation early, they will yield the biggest savings and end up with a ski trip that fits their budget and needs,” explained Melanie Mills, president and CEO, Colorado Ski Country USA. “Resorts are able to leverage their partners in lodging, ski school and equipment rentals and put together some very creative and attractive packages.”
A sampling of resort early season deals is below and more can be found on www.ColoradoSki.com/deals.
Passes & Lift Tickets
East Wall at Arapahoe Basin (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Arapahoe Basin offers The Legend’s 4 Pass which is valid for four days of skiing or riding at Arapahoe Basin. The cost is $158 and the pass is non-transferable (this is a hard-card product that requires a photo) and available for purchase until December 14, 2012. Valid all season with no blackout dates, guests can purchase The Legend’s 4 online at Arapahoebasin.com or via phone by calling 888-ARAPAHOE.
Colorado Gems Card
The Colorado Gems Card is a discount card for use at the eight Colorado Gem resorts (Arapahoe Basin, Eldora, Loveland, Monarch, Powderhorn, Ski cooper, Ski Granby Ranch, and Sunlight). It offers deals and discounts that appeal to skiers and riders of all ages and abilities. In addition to the resorts’ upgraded season-long deals, there is a new component to this year’s Gems Card: Flash Deals. Flash Deals are special promotions and ways to save that are unique to each Gem resort and will be announced last minute throughout the season. CSCUSA will announce Flash Deals in the Gems newsletter, on social media, and on the Gems website www.ColoradoSki.com/gems. Only Colorado Gems Card holders will be able to take advantage of Flash Deals.
Powderhorn
The Powderhorn P-Card is neither a season pass nor a lift ticket, but still offers flexibility and savings. The P-Card is a $69 product that allows the purchaser one free day of skiing or snowboarding and additional days at 20 percent off a regular single day adult lift ticket for the rest of the season. Complementary to the P-Card is the Deca Card. The Deca Card can be used for gifts, families, groups, and friends. The Deca Card is $170 and allows the holder to purchase 10 half-price lift tickets, one at a time, all in one day, or any combination in between. It is transferable with no blackout dates. Details and more information can be found at www.Powderhorn.com.
New this season is Ski Cooper’s XP 4 Day Pass for $99. Providing direct-to-lift access (pass will be scanned at the lift), no blackout dates or restrictions, and the flexibility to not be used on consecutive days, this deal breaks down to skiing or riding for less than $25 a day. The XP 4 Pass is non-transferable. The $99 purchase price is good until opening day (November 22 as conditions permit) and then the pass can be purchased for $119 while supplies last. For details and more information please visit www.SkiCooper.com.
Steamboat
Guests are invited to spend the early season in Ski Town USA with the Boat Launch pass that offers three days of skiing and riding from November 22 – December 14. The pass is $129, but with snow in the forecast, Steamboat is offering discounted passes for the next week. For details and more information please visit www.steamboat.com/boatlaunch.
Sunlight
Sunlight offers a free lift ticket to Powderhorn passholders until December 20, 2012. Skiers and riders need to show their Powderhorn season pass at the Sunlight ticket window to receive a lift ticket for the day. This offer is valid for all ages and available from opening day at Sunlight (scheduled for Dec. 7) until December 20, 2012. For details and more information please visit www.Sunlightmtn.com.
Lift & Lodging Packages
Aerial view of Ski Cooper. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Aspen/Snowmass
This year the Limelight Hotel in Aspen, where dogs are welcome, offers deals such as its Ski Free package* where guests can receive up to two lift tickets per day with a three night minimum stay, based on availability, and some blackout dates apply. Details and more information can be found at www.limelighthotel.com.
*Lift tickets do not have a dollar value and are non-refundable. Lift tickets are good at all four Aspen/Snowmass ski areas, including Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk and Snowmass.
Copper Mountain
Copper Mountain’s Powder to the Pillow deal gives guests overnight stays in their back pocket to use at any point in time. Guests can pre-purchase three to six nights of lodging and reserve the rooms throughout the season. Visit www.CopperColorado.com for more information.
Crested Butte
A destination known for their past ski free promotions, Crested Butte Mountain Resort offers free skiing for everyone on Opening Day of the 2012-2013 winter season. On November 21, 2012, everyone skis for free, no strings attached. If guests want to stay longer and still receive free skiing, they can book the Ski Free with Lodging package with Crested Butte Vacations at www.skicb.com or call 800-600-2803. Stay one night and receive a free day of skiing for each person on the reservation. This package is available November 21 – December 19, 2012.
Purgatory
Skiers and riders can escape to the scenic Colorado Rocky Mountains for $95 per person/per night with Purgatory’s Rocky Mountain Getaway. The package includes two days of lift tickets and two nights lodging at Durango Mountain Resort. For more information and to book, guests can call 800-525-0892 and mention the “Rocky Mountain Getaway.” Details and more information can be found at www.DurangoMountainResort.com.
*Price is per person, per night, based on double occupancy, minimum two-night stay. Packages may be further customized. Not valid 12/24/2012 – 1/4/2013. Other restrictions may apply.
Steamboat
Steamboat believes that the early bird gets the worm through early rewards package. Travelers can save 20 percent on lifts and lodging for four nights and three days, as low as $394 per adult. A minimum four nights’ lodging and three day lift ticket is required for all guests. Additional savings can be found with Steamboat’s Airfare Sale, with flights as low as $150 into Steamboat’s Hayden Airport. United, Delta and American Airlines have deals from locations including Atlanta, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Orlando and more. Travelers need to book by November 30, 2012 for the best savings. For details and more information please visit http://www.steamboat.com/plan-your-trip/deals-and-packages/early-rewards.aspx.
Winter Park
Guest can book five flexible nights of lodging for $169 per night at The Vintage Hotel and they will receive a free Winter Park Season Pass. The season pass allows unrestricted access to Winter Park’s cruisers and Mary Jane’s famous mogul runs all season long. Lodging must book buy December 12, 2012.
New this year, Winter Park is offering a Snow Guarantee. With the guarantee, previously booked vacations can be rescheduled for later in the season if snow conditions are not up to guest’s standards. Trips must be booked for arrival/departure between November 14 – December, 20 2012. Notification of rescheduling must be made 48 hours prior to arrival (by 4 p.m., two days prior to arrival) and will be on a space available basis. Rescheduled trip must be used by April 21, 2013. The cost of the early season vacation will be applied to the later dates and any difference in cost will be paid by the guest and no refund will be offered.
This season Winter Park is offering 25 percent off nightly lodging at the resort. The discount applies to Winter Park Resort properties including Zephyr Mountain Lodge, Fraser Crossing, Founders Point, and Vintage Hotel. Offer is not valid December 26 – 31, 2012 and March 10 – 14, 2013 and must be booked by December 12, 2012. Details and more information can be found at www.WinterParkResort.com.
Lift/Lessons
Aspen/Snowmass
Aspen/Snowmass invites guest who are new to the sports of skiing and snowboarding to take advantage of a lift and lesson package and get on the slopes in the early season. Right now, guests can buy 2, get 3 on lift tickets, equipment rentals, and group lessons (all kids group lessons ages 5 – 17 and adult group lessons level 4 and up). Packages must be booked by November 19, 2012 and are valid November 22 – December 20, 2012. To book this package and get more information please visit www.stayaspensnowmass.com.
Loveland
Loveland has a deal for those who have never tried skiing or riding before but always wanted to. With Loveland’s 3-Class Pass, guests can learn a new sport and receive an Unrestricted Loveland Season Pass to enjoy and practice turns all season long. Guests can simply sign up for three ski or snowboard full lesson packages, which include lesson, all day lift ticket and equipment rental. Once they complete the third lesson, they will receive a season pass. Additional charges apply for novice and low intermediate adults. Prices and more information can be found at http://www.skiloveland.com/skischool/3_class_pass.aspx
Ski Granby Ranch
Ski Granby Ranch (formerly SolVista Basin) offers the Get On the Snow (GOTS) program for never-ever-before skiers or riders. With Ski Granby Ranch’s GOTS Program, guests can learn a new sport and receive a season pass to practice everything they learned. The program includes two full days of lessons and equipment rentals. Once the second lesson has been completed, guests will receive a season pass. For more information, please visit http://www.granbyranch.com/colorado-skiing-snowboarding-ski-resorts-ski-and-ride-school.html.
Wolf Creek
The Beginner Package at Wolf Creek Ski Area offers never-ever skiers and snowboarders a combination lift and group lesson ticket to keep it easy on the first day. The $56 price includes four hours in a group ski lesson and access to the beginner Nova double chairlift. For $66 the same deal can be used for snowboarders. This package is offered to adult skiers/boarders, as well as children ages nine and up. For details and more information please visit www.WolfCreekSki.com
Anniversary Deals
Copper Mountain
Copper Mountain welcomes its 40th season in the skiing business December 7 – 9 with throwback deals. All weekend long, Copper is offering anniversary themed specials; $40 lift tickets, $.72 beer at Endo’s, $40 equipment rental for two and $40 Ski & Ride School and Woodward at Copper packages and much more. Retro snow suits are requested but not required; visit www.CopperColorado.com for more details.
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What’s new at Colorado Ski Resorts for the 2012-13 Ski Season
Posted: September 11, 2012 Filed under: Ski Area, Uncategorized | Tags: Alpine skiing, Arapahoe Basin, Colorado, Copper Mountain, Crested Butte Mountain Resort, ski area, skiing, snowboarding, United States Ski Team 1 Comment
Unrivaled Guest Experience at the Core of Colorado Ski Country USA Resort Enhancements
For the 2012-13 ski season, Colorado Ski Country USA (CSCUSA) resorts are dedicated to solidifying Colorado as the top ski vacation destination, including exceeding guest expectations for services, amenities and resort facilities.
Colorado is synonymous with skiing because guests know they will find consistent powder snow framed by top-notch services. As part of their commitment, resorts are enhancing their profiles this season, adding new infrastructural components that will make visitors’ time on the slopes more efficient and rewarding. Improved snow making and maintenance at a number of resorts is calculated to enhance skiing and riding, while guest-facing developments such as new restaurants, increased terrain and additional built-in activities will supplement the overall guest experience.
These capabilities, along with numerous other additions and renovations throughout Colorado Ski Country, are intended to usher in a new era of guest service and help maintain Colorado’s position as the nation’s leading state for winter activities. Below is a complete round-up of the 2012-13 capital improvements.
New Infrastructural Improvements
Howelsen Hill, the oldest continuous resort in operation west of the Mississippi, is building a $1.75 million HS45 (Hill Size 45) ski jump that will be fully functional in summer and winter. Owned by the City of Steamboat Springs, Howelsen anticipates finishing this intensive project prior to this winter. When completed, the HS45 Ski Jump’s plastic surface will be sprayed with water, enabling skiers to slide on the surface and allowing youth level competitors to jump at Howelsen Hill in both the summer and winter. This will provide training for young athletes from around the nation to be competitive on a national and international basis.
Wolf Creek’s new Race Hutch will debut this season, located at the bottom of Charisma where the race-course finishes. Race equipment, fencing, gates, sound system and banners will be located in this small building. Also, new water-free composting restrooms will be installed at the base of the Alberta Lift replacing the current temporary port-a-potties.
Snowmass will add 230 acres of new terrain on Burnt Mountain this season, bringing total skiable acreage to 3,362 acres, making it the second largest ski area in Colorado. The terrain on Burnt Mountain features rolling, low-angle meadows, glades and spectacular views into the valleys between Snowmass and Buttermilk.
Loveland’s new on-mountain developments include complete renovations on The Ptarmigan Roost Cabin at the top of Chair 2 and The Rockhouse at the top of Chair 1. The interiors have been redone and the decks expanded to create more space for skiers and riders to take a break between runs and enjoy the views. The resort will also reconfigure Chair 2 to add an off-load station below the current re-load station, allowing the area to offer early and late season lessons for beginner skiers and snowboarders when Loveland Valley is closed.
In addition to its new on-mountain developments, Loveland will utilize its new snowcat to take guests up to The Ridge, a free ride designed to grant convenient access to its wider terrain.
Monarch received Forest Service acceptance of its new master plan last November. The Base Lodge expansion and remodel is the first project, a $2.3 million investment. An additional 16,000 square feet of space will enhance the facilities and services. The improvements include rejuvenation of the entire lodge, including creating indoor stairs to all levels, a handicap elevator, a fire suppression system and more seating throughout the Lodge.
Guests will notice the newly expanded Base Lodge upon arrival. On the right side of the building at the parking level there is now a direct-to-mountain walk-thru entrance.
As part of its commitment to improving the experience for beginners and introducing newbies to the sport, Arapahoe Basin is adding an $80,000 conveyor lift in the Pika Place Learning Arena. Already home to North America’s highest terrain park, the resort will prepare to open the 2012-13 season with the addition of a beginner-level terrain park, called Ace’s Kids Park, which will be adjacent to the new lift.
Winter Park Resort will add a new Tube Park for the upcoming season. This family-friendly amenity will give guests yet another exciting activity in the Village during the day and into the evening. Opening in December 2012, the new park will feature four lanes, conveyor lift access and a state-of-the-art warming structure with restrooms, hot chocolate service and flexible space available for groups.
Launched for the summer of 2012, Copper Mountain’s newest attraction – the Alpine Rush Zip Line – will continue to operate throughout the 2012-13 winter ski season. This family-friendly ride features a unique dueling-design which allows two guests to fly side-by-side as they soar 30 feet above Copper’s bustling West Lake ice skating rink. The flight travels 300 feet across the lake, reaching speeds of up to 30mph. Alpine Rush makes the perfect addition to Copper’s intimate, pedestrian-only Village, which also features restaurants, shopping and comfortable lodging, all within walking distance to the lifts.
Snowmaking Improvements
Colorado is known for having consistent snow conditions and the 2012-13 season will be no exception as a number of resorts invested in snowmaking equipment. Arapahoe Basin has purchased a new $250,000 snowcat, and Winter Park Resort will replace two of its snowcats, resulting in improved snow maintenance at both resorts. Steamboat Resort will add a new Bison groomer to its fleet, expanding and upgrading snowmaking capabilities, and will also add new 4-stroke energy efficient snowmobiles. Howelsen Hill will be introducing a new Super PoleCat snow gun to facilitate the hill’s snowmaking ability, complementing its new ski jump.
Last season, Copper Mountain partnered with the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) to create the U.S. Ski Team Speed Center, an exclusive on-snow alpine ski racing venue designed to provide full length downhill training by early November each season. For the 2012-13 season Copper will fine-tune the automated snowmaking system for the Speed Center.
New snowmaking pipes are being installed at Crested Butte Mountain Resort, adding more acreage and more capacity to the East River a
rea. Enhanced
snowmaking will allow the resort to open this area sooner, with better coverage in the early winter season. The resort has also leased a new Prinoth snow groomer, the Bison X,which will maintain one of the state’s best corduroy.
During the off-season, Telluride completed an operational and energy analysis on existing snowmaking equipment. After this study, the resort received a snowmaking grant through National Ski Areas Association’s (NSAA) Sustainable Slopes Program that includes five high-efficiency snowmaking guns. These new guns will be a significant addition to the 10 high-efficiency guns purchased last season, and complement the three new Piston Bully snowcat groomers that Telluride’s grooming department has added to its fleet to improve terrain grooming.
Wolf Creek not only purchased a new Piston Bully 400 Snowcat to improve terrain options, but has installed two more Gazex exploders, one in the Horseshoe Bowl and one on the Knife Ridge. The Gazex and Aviblasters are an integral part of Wolf Creek’s Avalanche Hazard Reduction Program.
Partnerships, Rental Fleets, Ski School Improvements and New Access
Copper Mountain, home of the unique Woodward at Copper, has acquired a 14’x14’ Super Tramp at the facility for the upcoming season. There are only three Super Tramps in the country. Woodward, dedicated to park and pipe progression, has also added a portable skate mini-ramp.
Silverton Mountain will begin hiking access, and heli drops for an upgrade fee, to new runs that require rappels in or out of couloirs and/or big snowy aprons. This will allow access to places like the Mad Dog, Close Out Couloirs off Storm Peak, and the Hidden Valley – a large, open powdery bowl with no accessibility except via a 100 ft. rappel. The new activity is $425 per person and promises the adventure of a lifetime.
Steamboat Resort has partnered with ski manufacturer Rossignol to create the Rossignol Experience Center. Rossignol’s line of Experience Skis were created to fit the needs of skiers ranging from novice to expert, making the progression easier, faster and more fun. Similarly, the upcoming season will see yet another step in the progression of Durango Mountain Resort as it has also partnered with ski manufacturer Rossignol to open a Rossignol Experience Center. The Durango Mountain Resort Ski School has been trained by Rossignol to incorporate the new Experience technology into their lesson programs, minimizing the learning curve and getting resort skiers out and enjoying the entire mountain quicker than ever. Crested Butte Mountain Resort will also introduce its new partnership with Rossignol this season, and the resort’s Rental and Demo Center will utilize Rossignol’s Experience Demo program to aid in the learning process.
Monarch is investing an additional $300,000 to improve the guest experience by expanding its rental and demo fleet of skis, snowboards and boots. Additionally, the Monarch ski school staff will don new highly visible green uniforms, and ski patrol will add new snowmobiles to assist guests and open terrain quickly and more efficiently.
Winter Park Resort has grown its rental fleet by adding new helmets, boots, skis and snowboards to ensure guests can enjoy the newest equipment available, while Wolf Creek has also invested heavily in its rental fleet to provide the same opportunity.
Recreation Law 