CBMR pleased to lead the region in skier visit increases

Looking to carry momentum into the summer

Preliminary numbers are trickling in from ski resorts around the state, and so far, Crested Butte Mountain Resort (CBMR) is feeling pretty good about how its 2010-2011 ski season is stacking up.

“We’re up about 6 percent, or about 21,000 skier days, and from what we’ve seen—not all the state numbers are in—the preliminary data shows the state is up about 1.5 to 3 percent,” said Daren Cole, CBMR vice president of sales and marketing. “We started the season relatively slow but then Christmas was really good and February and March were amazing.”
And indeed, early reports indicate that CBMR is ahead of the pack for increases in skier visits. Vail Resorts, which owns Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in addition to two resorts out of state, saw a year-over-year increase of 3.9 percent in skier visits across all properties (adjusted as if the Northstar-at-Tahoe property—acquired in 2010—was owned in both seasons), with revenue increases between 8 percent and 9 percent for ski school, dining and retail.
Closer to home, Monarch Mountain reported its third-best season but saw an 8.4 percent decline in skier visits. According to coverage in the Mountain Mail, marketing director Greg Ralph attributes the decline to several challenging circumstances, including six days during which U.S. Highway 50 closed, six days of extreme cold, and closing on a peak Sunday due to a power failure.
Numbers for Telluride Ski Resort were not yet available; according to communications manager Tom Watkinson, the resort tries to abide by requests not to release skier visits until after Colorado Ski Country releases statewide statistics in June.
But while the Colorado ski industry waits for official statewide statistics, the National Ski Area Association (NSAA) has released preliminary national results from the Kottke End of Season Survey. According to the NSAA, the nationwide ski industry had its second-best year ever, with 60.1 million skier and snowboarder visits. That’s a .6 percent increase over last year and 400,000 shy of the 60.5 million visits recorded in 2007-2008. In the Rocky Mountains, early results show a 4 percent increase in skier visits with a 31 percent increase in snowfall.
What that means closer to home, according to metrics provided by CBMR, is 358 inches of snow—165 inches more than last year—and increases in more than just skier days. Compared to last year, lodging occupancy was up 9 percent, the resort sold 2,126 more passes, including mountain pass cards, the airline load factor increased by 7 percentage points and group bookings were up 8 percent. Revenue information was not disclosed.
“We contribute [the increase] to a variety of things. We had fantastic snow this year, as everybody did. Group business was up in March, and in the air service we were down in the number of available seats but still sold the same number of seats,” said Cole. “It also ties back into our value packaging, family fly free program, where every third ticket was free. We had great success with that this year.”
According to Cole, the resort looks forward to carrying that momentum into the summer. The grand opening of the zip line canopy tour, events like Ride the Rockies and the USA Pro Cycle Challenge, and an increase in group bookings all speak to a strong season.
“For June, July, and August we are pacing up over 40 percent in room nights. Group room nights are up 47 percent, and the forecast is to finish 30 percent up in room nights for June through August. So it’s looking like a fantastic summer, so far,” said public relations manager Erica Reiter.
It seems the only thing standing between the end of the ski season and the summer season is snow.
“I don’t know if you’ve been to the base area lately, but it’s not looking much different than March!” Reiter said, joking that opening up the bike trails just might require a snow blower. See related story on page 15.
But visitors can rest assured: the Silver Queen lift will open for Ride the Rockies the weekend of June 10, and the Adventure Park will open June 18 as scheduled. According to Reiter, the resort hopes to have the grand opening for the zip line sometime between June 26 and June 29. Snow has stalled the installation, so that one will be up to Mother Nature.