Colorado skiing 1997-98: Rich boys and old friends

November 16, 1997

As skiers and snowboarders anxiously await the coming of El Nino, the climatological Santa Claus, the shape of Colorado’s snow country has changed forever. Vail Resorts’ acquisition of Keystone and Breckenridge has created a ski resort behemoth unlike any other. One hopes that Breckenridge will retain what’s left of its “genuine Colorado” image.

Copper Mountain, which last year lampooned corporate ski areas in a billboard campaign, joined the corporate crowd as Intrawest Corp. of Vancouver, British Columbia, purchased the popular Summit County ski area. American Skiing Co. acquired both Steamboat and California’s Heavenly Valley, positioning it to challenge Vail as the biggest, baddest ski company in North America.

Not to be outdone, Aspen weighs in this season with a $59 (that’s fifty-nine dollar) full-price lift ticket.

What this all means is we can only hope for a wicked price war to break out. Discount ski cards are plentiful on the Front Range before Thanksgiving, then slowly start to disappear, although local Denver supermarkets sell tickets to most resorts at a discount. The ever-popular Gold C coupon books are always worth their modest price. And Crested Butte is again offering free lift tickets from Nov. 21 to Dec. 20 and April 6-19. (During Thanksgiving, tickets will be distributed first to those who have booked lodging in town.) Of course, Colorado has plenty of excellent places to ski that won’t bankrupt the blue-collar skier, including Loveland, Monarch and Eldora.

One of the more interesting deals in Colorado this year is Loveland’s Day Tripper Special, tailored for businesspeople who wind up in Denver without their equipment. Loveland will completely outfit such a person with skis or board, ski clothing, hat, glove, goggles and sunscreen, plus a full-day ticket, for $65 during the regular season.

Virtually unnoticed in the crowd of stuffed shirts are two decidedly non-corporate old friends who are returning to the Colorado ski scene – Berthoud Pass and Cuchara Valley. We eagerly anticipate the re-opening of Berthoud Pass, one of the wildest and historically significant ski areas in the state. (See our story, Berthoud Pass: Colorado’s first ski area.)

Other developments of note follow.

Aspen Mountain
The existing Ruthie’s chairlift will become the first high-speed double chairlift in the U.S. Reportedly, Aspen couples were reluctant to share their chairs with a third. Or was it that Aspen stoners were reluctant to share?

Eldora
The new Indian Peeks area opens up additional terrain at Eldora, offering 1,400 feet of skiing and snowboarding.

Snowmass
A new lift will extend the Big Burn summit to the top of the Cirque, giving Snowmass the longest lift-served vertical in the U.S. at 12,510 feet.

Steamboat
The expansion of Pioneer Ridge commences with the opening of 260 acres of expert/advanced terrain.

Telluride is opening “the southwest’s biggest snowboard park,” featuring over 1,000 vertical feet of berms, gaps, hits and tabletops.

Winter Park is opening 435 acres of terrain in Vasquez Cirque, billed as an “inbounds backcountry” experience with no lifts overhead, no buildings in sight, and no grooming.

Story and photos by David Iler