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Resort Improvement Roundup 2008

Categories: Arapahoe Basin, Aspen, Copper Mountain, Crested Butte, Echo Mountain, Monarch, Resorts, Snowmass, Steamboat, Terrain, Winter Park
Written By: Devin Reams

We’ve seen a lot of new stuff heading towards the mountains this season. Here’s a quick peek at some of the highlights on the slopes:

Arapahoe Basin

  • 300 new parking spots added
  • Tunnel under Hwy 6 to connect parking and the slopes, safely
  • Buses to bring people down from the upper lots
  • Black Mountain lodge with room for 100 diners
  • New, efficient snowmaking at Sundance

Aspen / Snowmass

  • New acres added in Canopy Cruiser
  • New Sheer Bliss quad chairlift, access to 700 challenging acres
  • Gondola Plaza added at Aspen Mountain
  • Olympic-sized superpipe at Buttermilk
  • Two new restaurants added to Snowmass
  • New lodges and housing in the base village at Snowmass
  • Search for hotel deals in Aspen before the season starts

Copper Mountain

  • Woodward training facility with year-round training

Crested Butte

  • Adding new and expanding on expert terrain
  • New features to the terrain park
  • Ski valet, overnight ski, snowboard and boot service
  • Snow Igloos for the kids, Snow Bar for the adults
  • $25 million remodel of Elevation Hotel & Spa
  • Find plenty more hotels in Crested Butte

Echo Mountain

  • Already Denver’s closest ski and snowboard resort
  • Additional tree skiing and riding terrain
  • Three new features in the terrain park
  • More beginner areas including a magic carpet lift

Monarch Mountain

  • Investing over $600,000 for more terrain, better experiences
  • Adding a kids terrain park
  • 200 additional acres in the snowcat area

Steamboat

  • $4 million invested in the 2008-2009 season
  • Downtown access to rentals, tickets, school products
  • Ski rental fleet improvements
  • Improved snowmaking
  • Over 200 free parking spaces added

Winter Park

  • The Village of Winter Park Resort will open: retail, rental, restaurants
  • Open air gondola to transport from free lots to the Village

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2 Responses to “Resort Improvement Roundup 2008”

  1. Eugene

    I am looking for some idea and stumble upon your posting :) decide to wish you Thanks. Eugene

  2. Rachel

    Speaking of improvements, nice work with the new site – things are looking great!

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There are a ton of parties, events, and concerts coming to Denver this week as the snowsports industry descends on Denver, Colorado. The 2010 SIA Snow Show trade expo will be taking over downtown. Even if you’re not attending the show, you should be downtown this week as there will be plenty of fun to be had. Check out the Apres Ski website for the comprehensive list of events: http://www.denver.org/apresski/home.aspx

I’ll be downtown all week at various parties and events. If you’re around and would like to meet up, feel free to follow Colorado Snow on twitter or send an email to devin@cosnow.com.

Here we are half-way through January 2010 and most of Colorado’s most popular resorts are at 20-30″ bases. Most resorts don’t have enough snow to open up expert (non-man-made snow) terrain such as the Montezuma Bowl at Arapahoe Basin. So, it’s with even one or two inches that we get excited. It’s not much to get excited for, but it’s something. Given the state of things, every little bit helps. Joel Gratz has more information on the wave of storms moving through Colorado this week. Expect some good snow by this weekend!

Congratulations to Lindsey Vonn, alpine ski racer, U.S. Ski Team member, and Vail celebrity. The Colorado Sports Hall of Fame named her the 2009 Athlete of the Year. This year she re-claimed the overall World Cup champion title and became the first American woman to win the world Super-G title. You can follow Lindsey on her blog at lindseyvonn.com, and is active on twitter at @lindseyvonn.

If you hadn’t heard, Arapahoe Basin is losing it’s “hard core” exterior and becoming “resortized” by Vail Resorts. With the parking upgrades and Montezuma Bowl lift, it’s hard to argue the resort isn’t trying to stay competitive with the major resorts. So, this summer A-Basin will be adding a high-speed quad lift to replace Exhibition at the bottom of the mountain. Suggestions for the name of the lift are being accepted at alanh@a-basin.net with the winner reciving a 2010-11 Arapahoe Basin Season Pass or $300 gift certificate to Arapahoe Sports. (via DenverPost)

It’s going to be a busy weekend January 28 – January 31, not only with the SIA Snow Show be in Denver, but the Winter X Games will be in Aspen. Winter X Games 14 will be broadcast on ESPN and online coverage can be found on their Snowboarding blog and Freeskiing blog.

If you’re a Vail Resorts season pass holder (Summit Pass, Colorado Pass, Epic Pass), keep in mind you have 6 “Ski With A Friend” passes to use this season. This entitles you to discounted lift tickets at the window. We recently visited Beaver Creek where a $97 adult ticket became $65 with the discount. For pricing details (as it varies during the season) visit snow.com or call 888-215-3867.

Updated: As Nicole pointed out, ‘buddy passes’ are different than ’ski with a friend’ passes and prices are posted online. Thanks!