The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
CBMR trailing statewide average
It was a harsh winter for many ski resorts in Colorado—financially, that is. The latest report from Colorado Ski Country shows Colorado resorts were down about 7 percent in skier visits during the 2008/09 season.
Crested Butte Mountain Resort was no exception. The company dropped from 416,000 skier visits during the 2007/08 season to just 356,000 this year. There were, however, 44,000 free lift tickets given away during the resort’s ski-free promotion the previous season.
CBMR chief operating officer Ken Stone says paid skier visits are down about 9 percent, while season pass use is up 2 percent.
Stone says, “We saw a downswing in skier visits but we saw some other metrics that were more encouraging.” He says air passengers last year were up 6.9 percent at the resort, with 2,200 additional airline tickets sold. Stone says CBMR maintained a solid hold as a destination resort in Colorado, with a 3 percent market share among statewide skier visits. He ultimately would like to see the resort’s market share increase to 4 percent.
Stone says 81 percent of the guests last season were first-time visitors, and the resort is now making every effort, including some special offers, to encourage those guests to return.
Crested Butte Vacations director Jeff Moffett says guests stayed a half-day longer on average (four and a half days) and group business was up 10 percent.
Colorado Ski Country USA announced on June 11 that its 22 member resorts saw 6.79 million skier visits over the course of the 2008/09 season—a decrease of 6.9 percent from the previous winter season, or approximately 500,000 skier visits. The 2007/08 season is the second best on record.
According to Colorado Ski Country data, resorts saw a 2.5 percent increase in attendance from Front Range guests.
“The travel industry as a whole was put to the test this past year,” explained Melanie Mills, president and CEO of Colorado Ski Country USA, in a press statement issued after the meeting. “But visitation numbers show not only the enduring value of a Colorado ski vacation, but the strong commitment our resident skiing and riding community has to our state’s signature sports.”
Some resounding themes among other Colorado Ski Country member resorts were a trend indicating guests were making bookings closer to the time of vacation and a need to promote preseason bargains or deals.
On a national level, skier visits overall are down 5.5 percent, with the Rocky Mountain region seeing a decrease of 7.2 percent.
