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Colorado Ski Resorts See Decline in Visitors during December

By Jason Blevins, The Denver Post
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Jan. 13--Colorado resorts logged 2.67 million early-season ski visits through December, a 9.2 percent decline from the same period last year.

But resorts are reporting a spike in overnight vacationers, fueling hope the Colorado ski industry could reverse a six-year decline in destination skier traffic.

"What I'm hearing from all resorts is that out-of-state business is definitely increasing," said Rob Perlman, president of Colorado Ski Country, the trade group representing Colorado resorts, which on Monday released visitation numbers for November and December.

Last season's record start was fueled by record snow and hordes of local skiers. This season, however, Front Rangers have been slow to ski. With simply average snowfall in the mountains in November and December -- and relatively balmy temps down home -- resort leaders have been waiting for the Front Range deluge.

Ski areas flanking Interstate 70, such as Vail, Breckenridge and Copper Mountain, saw an 11.1 percent decline in visitation in November and December. Day-tripping hills such as Loveland, Eldora and Arapahoe Basin, saw a 15.3 percent decline from the same period last season.

More out-of-state visitors have helped fill the void of local skiers this season, an about-face from recent seasons. Perlman said Colorado resorts logged one of the busiest Christmas seasons on record, indicating a long-awaited rebound in vacation skiers is on the horizon.

The state's destination resorts, such as Aspen, Crested Butte and Telluride, logged 779,000 visits through December, a 2.2 percent decline from the previous season's early tally. However, those resorts that rely almost exclusively on vacationers are pacing 16.7 percent ahead of the 2001-02 season and 3.6 percent ahead of their five-year average.

The destination resorts posted an array of best-evers over the holidays. Aspen Skiing Co.'s four Roaring Fork Valley ski areas logged their busiest day ever on Dec. 31. Telluride logged the most skiers ever on that day, too. Crested Butte boasted its most bustling holiday ever. Steamboat saw several days of sold-out jets landing at the local airport.

The destination boom is good news for an industry that has seen its share of skiing vacationers slip by 1.23 million in the past six seasons. Front Range skiers with budget passes clipped to their parkas have buttressed the decline in destination skiers, reaching more than 3 million visits last season.

And resorts within two hours of Denver want to keep those numbers up.

"Front Range visits have been a little soft," said Copper spokeswoman Beth Jahnigan. "They are a major part of our business, and we really want them to know how much they mean to us as customers."

Copper Mountain and Winter Park, which boasted its busiest Christmas season ever, are working to re-energize the Front Range market with a slew of mid-season deals.

-----To see more of The Denver Post, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.denverpost.com

(c) 2004, The Denver Post. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

 
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