TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Many Ski Resort Costs On The Downslope

ADVERTISEMENT

By MICHELLE HIGGINS

The New York Times

Published: February 1, 2009

Attention, powder hounds. It's still possible to find a deal at a wide range of ski areas this winter - even at some of the most popular resorts.

The Aspen/Snowmass ski area in Colorado is offering one free flight, a free night of lodging and a free day of skiing to travelers who book a four-night vacation at www.stay aspensnowmass.com/frontier with four days of lift tickets and at least two airline tickets on Frontier Airlines, the second-largest jet service carrier at Denver International Airport. Hotels.com is running a ski condo sale around the country with rates up to 25 percent off.

And Vail Resorts, which owns and operates four large ski areas in Colorado and the Heavenly Resort on the California and Nevada border, is offering deals at each, including three nights of lodging and three days of skiing for the price of two at Heavenly, where rates start at $85 a person a night at the Lakeside Inn & Casino. That's on top of 20 percent discounts on ski school programs through today.

The company's luxury hotel subsidiary, RockResorts - including the Lodge at Vail, the Hotel Jerome in Aspen and the Snake River Lodge & Spa in Jackson Hole, Wyo. - is also offering guests who stay for at least two nights a free night, a free bottle of wine and a $50 gift card for use in the resort or on the mountain at the company's ski resorts.

Such deals - normally unheard of at this time of year - are intended to increase visits as skiers and snowboarders cut back on spending. Aspen Skiing Co. said skier visits were down 8 percent over the holiday weeks of Christmas and New Year's compared with last year and projects that visits would fall between 5 and 15 percent for the season.
Vail Resorts reported an uptick in visitors over the holidays but an overall drop of 5.8 percent in skier visits through Jan. 4 compared with the same period last year. Lift ticket revenue was down 7.5 percent, and bookings through Dec. 31 were down 14.8 percent.

"People are coming, but they're not going to spend as much," said Rob Katz, chief executive officer of Vail Resorts. "Ski school business was down more than everything else - close to 20 percent." And people are spending less in restaurants, opting for a "$30 bottle of wine versus a $100 bottle," he said.

Reservations are also coming in at the last minute. The week before Christmas, for example, Keystone Resort in Colorado quickly went from about 60 percent full to more than 90 percent, said Katz, sending reservation agents into a frenzy.

But the lag in bookings means more opportunities for travelers - even during the popular Presidents' Day week. Sunday River in Newry, Maine, for example, has lodging specials from $99 a person a night from Feb. 13 to 19 that include an adult ski or snowboarding lesson and a lift ticket.

Ski.com, which specializes in mountain vacations to more than 80 popular resorts, is offering four nights in a two-bedroom condo at Crestview in Park City, Utah, with three-day lift tickets for $488 a person between Feb. 14 and 21, through a buy-one-night, get-one-free offer.

The slopeside Teton Mountain Lodge & Spa in Jackson Hole has slashed rates on its four-night Skier's Dream package by about $100 a night, compared with last year. Rates now start at $342 a person a night and include three days of lift tickets and daily breakfast.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT