Skier visits now down 20% over the past 2 years, do think the sport will recover? (Denver: car rental, rental)

[ELCO5280]

Originally Posted by proveick

It's Feb and A Basin is still only 30% open. The new normal. Pretty sad.

It's micro-climates at it's finest. Stay at the base of the pass and Loveland just opened The Ridge making it almost 100% open.

[Eddyline]

[quote]

Originally Posted by delta07

I'm a little late to this thread, but thought I would chime in. When I lived in Colorado, I used to get a 4 mountain ski pass, which at the time was around $250. That was affordable. Sure, I lived off ramen in college to afford that pass, but I skied as much as my schedule allowed me. /QUOTE]

Not sure how long ago you got your pass, but now it is an 8 mtn pass and costs $450+/-.
I live close and have a lot of flexibility to ski mid week. So crowds and traffic are non issues.
I'll get about 20 days in, most of them open to close, so my cost to ski is about:
$22/day or $3/hr or 70 cents/thousand vertical ft. Never pay to park and I bring my own lunch and beer.
So if the ski areas fail financially you can blame me (and the climate).

[proveick]

Are you part of the solution or part of the problem? :-)

[ELCO5280]

[quote=Eddyline;28118461]

Not sure how long ago you got your pass, but now it is an 8 mtn pass and costs $450+/-.
I live close and have a lot of flexibility to ski mid week. So crowds and traffic are non issues.
I'll get about 20 days in, most of them open to close, so my cost to ski is about:
$22/day or $3/hr or 70 cents/thousand vertical ft. Never pay to park and I bring my own lunch and beer.
So if the ski areas fail financially you can blame me (and the climate).

You and I roll almost exactly the same, so I wouldn't consider you to blame.... it's the neon one-piece JONGs willing to pay $10 to park, $120 for a lift ticket and $20 for a whine spritzer and crackers that are the problem.

That's why I scope Loveland, you'll find more duct-tape holding gear together there than anywhere in CO.

[proveick]

[proveick]

I couldn't resist.

[stan4]

I used to love skiing.
But when it gets crowded, it gets dangerous.
It's also irritating to have to fly somewhere and then drive for a while to get to where you need to be, and then get all equipped...and now it costs so much. Bleah.

[ELCO5280]

Exactly +100! love the duct taped gloves, good as new now!

[wanneroo]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

That is a classic example of predatory competition in a declining market--investments by the larger "players" in the industry specifically designed to steal customer base from weaker competitors and kill those competitors off.

As to your comment about global warming from man-made causes, I've been studying weather and climate since my pre-teen days. Based on that study and my own personal observations, I'm not near as dismissive as you about the potential that man-caused global warming is at least plausible. For purposes of this thread, suffice it to say this: if man-caused global warming is real and is permanent, the ski industry in Colorado is, indeed, doomed. Doomed in some places from a purely physical standpoint--just not enough snow; and in others from an economic standpoint--a season too short to be economically viable. On a broader scale, if man-made global warming is a fact (and we probably won't know for sure if it is until it is way too late to do anything about it), the Colorado ski industry will be the least of this society's problems.

Seems strange that you always see businesses making capital improvements to their business to better serve their customers as some sort of predatory, mean spirited attack on everyone. Very bizarre.

Vail/Aspen & Powderhorn/A Basin, for instance, it's 2 different types of businesses serving a very different customer base.

Vail is merely making sure they keep up with the times and that customers have a better experience when they visit the mountain, so people are not dealing with bathrooms from 1965 or archaic, falling down buildings.

I'm very dismissive of "man made" global warming. It's another apocalyptic dream propagated by the baby boomers who's ego has lead them to believe they are the "one" generation the world began with and hopefully they can take with them on the way out. It's also another method of wealth transfer and control of the younger generations by propagating this nonsense. More rules, more costs, more taxes.

Trends have shown it's getting colder and snowier over the past 10 years. Long after the boomers are gone it will still continue to snow in the Rockies and barring any societal collapse there will still be ski towns.

[dude_reino]

[quote=ELCO5280;28118675]

Originally Posted by Eddyline

You and I roll almost exactly the same, so I wouldn't consider you to blame.... it's the neon one-piece JONGs willing to pay $10 to park, $120 for a lift ticket and $20 for a whine spritzer and crackers that are the problem.

THEY are the problem? Who do you think is subsidizing your ski pass?

(Nice TGR slang-drop, BTW)