CBMR pass sales pushing record pace

15 percent up over the same time last year

If early-season pass sales are any indicator, there will be more skiers and riders on the slopes this winter. To date, Crested Butte Mountain Resort pass sales are pacing 15 percent up over the same time last year.

“At this pace we will set a new record in pass sales for the resort,” said Daren Cole, CBMR vice president for sales and marketing. “Our one-day extension to the early-season deadline was a huge success, and the onsite sales in Gunnison, Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte were very well received.”
Outside the valley, and even outside Colorado, pass sales are seeing a dramatic increase, according to Cole. “Our regional pass sales in Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs and New Mexico have been off the charts, where we have been seeing 200 percent to 300 percent increases. The comment we are hearing at all the shows is ‘We’ve been meaning to get to Crested Butte and this is our year!’”
In addition to season passes, CBMR is packaging lodging and lift tickets with great success, Cole said. “One of the products that has been a huge success at the regional shows is our ‘Get Away Pass’ that includes one night of lodging and two days of skiing for two people. This is a great product for the regional market as it commits the guest to at least one night lodging and we have seen that approximately 75 percent of the people who purchase this product actually add on one or two additional nights.”
Business pass sales are on pace with last year, reported Kristen Van Hoesen of the Crested Butte-Mt. Crested Butte Chamber of Commerce. “We’ve only sold a handful of Business Passes, as the later deadline is one of the best perks of the program. We’re pretty much on track with last year, and I expect that pass sales will pick up the second or third week in November before the mountain opens and before Thanksgiving and be strong through the deadline, December 10.”
Cole feels it’s the unique qualities of the Crested Butte area that are making a big impact on the resort’s record pass-sale pace, saying, “The new ButteNess marketing campaign has been well received in the marketplace. We have heard a number of comments from new pass holders indicating that it is the unique and unpretentious attitude of Crested Butte that is moving them away from the I-70 corridor this winter.”