Colorado Resorts Increasingly Seek International Business

originally appeared on kunc.org

The ski industry runs on snow, some resorts more than others. Ski towns like Aspen and Vail still get business in spite of poor snow.

Last year while many resorts took a huge hit, Aspen did well because of one type of guest: the international visitor. This sought after tourist books longer vacations, spends more money and cares less about poor snow than other guests. As drought conditions persist this winter, ski resorts are banking on business from overseas.

On a wet December evening in Aspen, a tourist and his family are strolling downtown. They just arrived from Monaco, and they’re popping in and out of restaurants and shops festooned with Christmas lights. He says they’ve been vacationing in Aspen for years.

We first came here in March of 1988, we loved it, we liked the atmosphere and everything that goes on here, and we liked the skiing of course, which is on the whole, better than in Europe, he says.

Ski resorts dream about visitors like the tourists' family. They typically stay for three or four weeks at a time in both winter and summer:

And when the families arrive in Aspen, they bring along their pocketbooks.

The international guest spends more while they’re here, and they stay longer and they book further in advance so for those reasons the international guest is at the top of the economic totem pole, according to a local travel research group.

He tracks market conditions at ski resorts for the Mountain Travel Research Program. He says resorts spend millions on overseas ad campaigns specifically designed to get visitors like international tourists and their family to the mountains.

He says international guests often book vacations despite poor snow, keeping resorts afloat in particularly challenging years, like last year:

Skier days were down quite a bit, Aspen did better on skier days and destination visitation because it has more of a destination clientele.

Aspen bucked last season’s ski industry trend, maintaining steady business compared to the year before, while skier visits at resorts across the country dropped 16 percent.

International visitors are always important to us, they always have been, but over the last five or ten years, that importance has been increasing, according to a spokesman for The Aspen Skiing Company.

He says the company works with travel agencies abroad, so when an Australian decides to book a trip, their travel agent points to deals specifically in Aspen.

We have an international sales team out there, they travel 15/20 countries around the world, mostly prior to the winter season...I think it’s no secret that our biggest markets, just go out on the slopes in January and February, and you’ll hear a lot of Australian accents, you’ll hear Portuguese from Brazil, Mexico, Canada, Germany and the U.K., all of those are the top markets, he says.

Aspen’s gondola plaza feels like a model United Nations these days, with every language and clothing style represented.

Aspen is among a handful of Colorado resorts that attract this international clientele. Their resort analyst says for some resorts, overseas business makes up 20 percent of their overall mix.

Most of the business is domestic business, some of the larger brands that have been around the longest and have the biggest reputations have relatively more international business.

And the reputation of Aspen, along with Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, Steamboat Springs and Telluride attract this kind of clientele.

Back in downtown Aspen, the tourist from Monaco is preparing for a jam-packed holiday with his family.

Some of us will be skiing or snowboarding, others will be mooching around town, going to parties, and going to restaurants, a lot of reading and writing...a mixture of things.

He and his family will be spending money along the way. And that’s exactly what the resort that spent so much money to get him here in the first place, wants.

Colorado adventures good substitute for 2013 resolutions

originally appeared in The Denver Post:


I've made my annual "eat less, exercise more" resolutions for the new year. These are perennial promises to myself; some years I execute them better than others. For 2013, I've added travel resolutions to the mix.

Sure, I'd love to spend 10 days with my husband in Tahiti in an over-water bungalow — but that's a travel dream. And it's likely only going to happen if we win the lottery or after we've paid two kids' college tuitions.

Instead, I've come up with some manageable adventures in Colorado that I think my family can accomplish in a year. Let's see how many of these we can tick off in 365 days.

Visit Telluride and Crested Butte: I've lived in Colorado since 1994, but I've never been to either of these mountain towns — a travesty for someone like me who likes to ski and hike!

Ideally this summer, I'll make the day-long trek along West Maroon Trail from Aspen to Crested Butte with a girlfriend or two. Then we'll have our husbands pick us up, spend the weekend in Crested Butte, and drive home.

Soak in Dunton Hot Springs: In lieu of Tahiti, I'd "settle" for a weekend at Dunton Hot Springs. Years ago friends visited the year-round resort, raving about its private natural hot springs, and it's been on my wish list ever since.

Though the upscale property welcomes children, I think my husband and I (sans kids) would best appreciate the fine dining and cozy log cabins. Also on my radar: nearby sister property Cresto Ranch, whose luxury, safari-style tents debut to visitors this spring.

Spend the night in our pop-up camper: Admittedly, I like nice hotel stays. I appreciate room service, hot showers and sheets that are nicer than the ones I have at home. However, there's something to be said for roughing it in the outdoors with s'mores around the fire and storytelling in sleeping bags.

We've made some amazing family memories on camping trips in Rocky Mountain National Park, at Colorado National Monument and on Steamboat Lake, but for some reason, last summer we didn't use our beat-up pop-up camper at all. I'm eyeing Turquoise Lake Recreation Area near Leadville, but open to suggestions for a new-to-us camping spot.

Hike a 14er with the kids: Last summer my husband and 12-year-old daughter hiked to the top of Mount Sopris, certainly an impressive feat, with its rock fields, high-alpine ridge trail and frustrating false summits. However, this massive mountain that looms over the Roaring Fork Valley tops out at just less than 13,000 feet.

I'd like the entire family to summit a true Colorado fourteener, perhaps one of the mountains recommended for novice peak baggers: Mount Bierstadt or Mount Sherman.

Play at a dude ranch — again: Among my family's favorite in-state vacations a few years ago was a stay at Elk Mountain Ranch, where the staff's down-home, friendly, welcoming nature made me want to take up residence to become a wrangler — and I'm not a horse person!

I appreciate the easy, all-inclusive nature of a dude-ranch stay, where one fee covers accommodations, gourmet meals and a plethora of activities, from trail rides and fishing to archery and river rafting. No televisions, limited cell service, a whole lot of family togetherness in the outdoors. That's my kind of trip.

Northwest Colorado's snowpack leads the way across the state

originally appeared on steamboat today.com

The storms of late December have boosted statewide snowpack to between 70 percent and 85 percent of normal, and Northwest Colorado, where the combined Yampa and White river basins stand at 84 percent of average, is leading the way.

At Ripple Creek Pass in the Flat Tops Wilderness Area south of Steamboat Springs, the snowpack is 100 percent of average. Closer to Yampa, at Crosho Lake in South Routt County, the snowpack is 111 percent of average. On the west summit of Rabbit Ears Pass, the snow is 80 percent of average, and at Dry Lake, on the edge of Strawberry Park just outside Steamboat, it stands at 88 percent.

Although it was snowing lightly near the base of Steamboat Ski Area when dawn came Wednesday, the National Weather Service in Grand Junction was anticipating high pressure and sunshine to prevail with lower-than-usual temperatures this week.

The storm cycle has been broken under building high pressure, National Weather Service meteorologists wrote Wednesday afternoon. A highly amplified ridge (of high pressure) along the West Coast today (settles) in the Great Basin through Thursday night. This brings a light northeast flow aloft, sunny skies and milder temperatures to the mountain slopes. The valley bottoms will remain strongly capped (by an inversion) with well below normal temperatures.

Despite the inversion, the National Weather Service forecasts daily high temperatures in the 20s through Sunday.

Steamboat Ski Area’s report of a 43-inch base at midmountain still ranks it high among Colorado resorts, especially the larger destination resorts.

Aspen Mountain has a midmountain base of 24 inches, Copper stands at 27 inches and Vail reports 25 inches as its base. Breckenridge has a 32-inch base.

Powderhorn, on the Grand Mesa east of Grand Junction, has a 41-inch base, and Wolf Creek, on the southern edge of the San Juan Mountains, leads the pack with 46 inches at midmountain.

Skiing is good for body and soul

originally appeared in thenewsstar.com

At 87, veteran ski filmmaker Warren Miller described the sport he still enjoys by saying after a good run, when you get to the bottom of the hill, you're a different person. You have been psychoanalyzed. It's like somebody drilled a hole in your brain, inserted all this wonderful scenery, people, snow, and freedom. Skiing forces out all the bad stuff from your head.

I think most skiers would find it hard to argue with that.

Whether you are at the top of the bunny slope or a double black run, there is just something about that moment when you let go and test yourself. There is no team effort, no coach prodding you on, skiing is just between you and the mountain. You have to work it out. It's a release from everything — except the moment.

Now, particularly in the beginning, I will admit it seems to take an eternity to get to that moment in time when you are at peace with yourself on the mountain. The awkwardness of balancing skis and poles and walking in those clunky boots just has to be endured. Then, you have to buy lift tickets without dropping gloves in the snow, followed by the even more difficult task of folding, peeling and sticking the ticket to the jacket's zipper without having the skis slide away from you.

After hearing the critical sound of the clean binding click that the instructor reminded you about and dislodging the snow from the sole of your boot with a ski pole, you head to the lift corral to await the chair that will knock your knees out from under you. All the while, you are endeavoring to keep the tips of your ski up and your poles from stabbing someone.

Initially, the beauty of the scenery is short lived, because the fear of unloading, falling and embarrassing yourself becomes quite real. Yet, that's the wonderful thing about skiing: there is no turning back. We all had to muddle through it and, like you, we had to face our fears head-on. You are virtually on a one way street. Skiing is commitment.

No doubt you will wade through a few challenges, but, once you have "arrived," it's like you are on top of the world! You can fly! There are no limits, just endless possibilities. This is one sport where you get out what you put into it! Choose sweet and easy or wild and crazy, it's your call. Skiing can literally take you to new heights, so enjoy the ride.

In addition to this sensational feeling of freedom, I have a few other really great reasons why you should try this sport:

1. Skiing is made to be enjoyed with friends and family. Think about it. Not every grandma can play soccer, but there are some amazing grannies on the slopes today.

2. Skiing is a super calorie burner. It's easy to push the envelope physically in a very controlled setting, so it's good for your heart to pound a little.

3. The scenery is spectacular and exhilarating.

4. Skiing is a perfect place to meet people, particularly the opposite sex, besides most of us look better in ski clothes than swimsuits. Also, what other sport gives you the chance to shout out "single" (like in the lift line) and find a potential match so easily?

5. Last, but definitely not least: you can't apres' ski (party after hours) until you have skied!

Over the Christmas holidays, Rob and I watched the movie "A League of Their Own."

Tom Hanks used this great line to encourage his all-ladies wartime ball team: If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. It's what makes it hard that makes it great.

I think that line applies really well to the sport of skiing, for there is nothing we cannot accomplish when we put our mind to it. Even though I have learned our bodies are not invincible and can be broken, age is not a barrier to learning to ski or snowboard. Just getting out there and trying does wonders for our self esteem. Skiing makes us vulnerable again, allows us to get out of our comfort zone, and lets the kid in us come out and play.

Ski season is here. The mountains out west are off to a record start. We have some deals to "snow" you out of your mind! For example, check out these great offers from 3 of my favorite ski resorts:

» Snowmass: Purchase air to Aspen with five night accommodations, and the third air ticket gets up to $500 off.

» Copper Mountain: Third night of lodging free, plus kids ski free.

» Keystone: Stay two nights, plus kids ski free, and there are no black out dates and no limit on the number of children per adult, so your kids can bring a friend.

Now, remember, just like the snow flurries that dotted the skies of Sterlington on Christmas night, these deals may not last long. It's a perfect time to plan some winter fun.