Consumers are sitting on the side­lines, and discretionary spending is down — neither is good news for mountain resorts eyeing the 2008-09 ski season.
  However, there is one variable that could change everything: snow. “Snow trumps all evils,” Ralf Garrison said this week in the Mountain Travel Symposium’s 2008-09 travel-outlook session.
  Despite the gloomy economic […]

 SUMMIT COUNTY — Intrawest, the parent company of Copper Mountain and other ski areas across the West, reached a last-minute deal late Thursday to refinance its $1.7 billion loan that had come due, staving off bank­ruptcy threatened by the global credit freeze.
  The company says it has received unani­mous support from its existing lender group […]

COPPER MOUNTAIN — Local ski-resort executives speaking at the annual chiefs breakfast on Wednesday said they are hoping that a big drop in early season bookings will turn around when the snow starts to fall.
  Industry wide, September book­ing rates were down 19.6 percent, following a 21.3 percent drop in August, said Ralf Garrison, who […]

  Advance reservations in mountain communities for this winter are down 9 percent
 By TANYA CANINO
 SPECIAL TO THE DAILY
  As the stock markets slipped along their rollercoaster track this week, officials at a Mountain Travel Symposium warned desti­nation resort and tourism indus­try professionals of the volatility of today’s travel market.
  “I’m looking through the lens […]

VAIL — Citing the troubled economy, a Vail Resorts analyst said Thursday he expects fewer skier visits for the company’s mountains this winter.
  Will Marks, stock market ana­lyst for JMP Securities in San Fran­cisco, said he predicts a 9 percent drop in skier visits and a 7 percent fall in mountain revenue for the company […]

SUMMIT COUNTY — Skiers and riders should be able to enjoy top-to-bottom skiing at Copper Mountain a week earlier than expected this season, as the resort announced Thursday that it will open Nov. 7.
  “We want to give our guests as much value as possible and make sure they get the most out of their […]

Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the past few days, word has likely reached you that the 2008 Colorado ski season has begun. As of 8:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, when Loveland and A-Basin shared this year’s honor of being the first hills to open in the U.S., ski season is officially underway. Now […]

 In his pilgrimage to be on the first chair of the ski sea­son, Breckenridge resident Jeff Meyer abruptly moved his campsite Tuesday morning over Loveland Pass.
  Meyer, who had slept in his car at Arapahoe Basin Ski Area Monday night, packed up when he learned on Tuesday morning that neighboring Loveland Ski Area also would […]

 SUMMIT COUNTY — Despite an avalanche of gloomy economic news, ski-industry experts are still optimistic about the upcoming season, provided there’s plenty of powder.
  Looking at trends for the past 19 years, RRC Associates president Nolan Rosall said statistics show that skier and snowboard visits have been more dom­inated by snow quality, temperatures and timing […]

  Arapahoe Basin ski area will open on Wednesday, marking the third consecutive year it’s been first to kick off the nation’s ski season.
  With an 18-inch base, the intermediate High Noon run and some features of the High Divide Terrain Park will be open to visitors at 9 a.m, according to A-Basin spokes­woman Leigh […]