By Tony Chamberlain, The Boston Globe
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News
Nov. 11, 2001 -- One year does not a trend make.
And yet, given the irrepressible optimism of the average skier (who else would spend a small fortune to drive deep
into the belly of winter every weekend four months a year?), you might think that the era of eternally great skiing
had dawned in New England.
Even those with the longest memories in ski country, from John Diller at Sugarloaf to Tim Mueller at Okemo or Al
Fletcher at Nashoba, have a hard time remembering a better winter than the last one.
So, maybe the economy was beginning to sour, but no hint of negativity could stand up to a winter of nearly perfect
snow and temperatures.
And given the state of the snowmaking equipment stockpiled all over New England's ski areas, the latter is a much
more important variable. While there was near-record snowfall around the Northeast, the entire season was free
of those crippling tropical thaws that erode the surface and create a subcutaneous layer of ice that never goes
away.
Which is what made last season the rare delight it was: no thaws, no ice. Lots of snow. If ever a season came along
to stay close to home, last year was the one. And yet skiers and snowboarders showed up everywhere, driving the
number of skier visits to record heights (57 million).
What a difference a year makes.
Even if the winter gods could conjure up another perfect season, the industry at this point is holding its collective
breath waiting to see if the events of the last two months that have devastated parts of the resort industry will
hurt skiing as well.
New England operators hope that a reluctance to travel by air will turn into a hometown boon as skiers from the
huge northeast corridor market not only stay at home but also, of course, ski at home.
Though on the retail level skiers have little or no interest in the corporate shuffling in the boardrooms of ski
industry owners, the picture is as fascinating as it is ever-changing.
In the mid-'90s, it seemed all of skiing was going corporate, and areas split up like the Balkan countries after
World War II. Then there were four major players -- American Ski Co, (Attitash Bear Peak, Killington, Snow, Haystack,
Sugarbush, Sugarloaf, Sunday River, The Canyons, and Steamboat); Intrawest (Tremblant, Stratton, Whistler/Blackcomb,
Mont Ste-Marie, Copper, Mammoth, Mountain Creek, Panorama, and Snowshoe); Booth Creek (Cranmore, Waterville Valley,
Loon, Big Bear, Northstar-at-Tahoe, Sierra-at-Tahoe); and Vail Resorts (Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, and Keystone).
These four commanded the lion's share of skier visits, and hoped that real estate development and an economy of
scale could transform skiing from its mom and pop beginnings to corporate empires.
While it may be premature to write the demise of the ski industry bigfeet, two of the first movers -- Les Otten
(ASC) and George Gillett -- are gone, and all the foundering at the top has at least slowed down the age of consolidation.
Not to mention the building of slopeside hotels, super high-tech lifts, and ever-growing snowmaking/grooming arsenals.
Several ski regions have invested less in development and amenities this off-season than they have in any year
in the last decade. And while there have been staff cuts at the big conglomerates, area operators say ski areas
are left to compete on the basis of pricing and service.
Savvy skiers are shopping for various discount lift-ticket package and season-pass programs, some of which involve
a buddy system (buy one, get one at a reduced price).
Killington, New England's biggest draw in Vermont, for example, is making use of its legendarily long season with
this astounding offer: early and late season Family Ski Weeks -- lifts and lodging for a family of four at $693
before Dec. 20 and after April 7 (except Thanksgiving).
Nearby Sugarbush, no longer an ASC property, offers the Sugar Card this season, a $39 lift ticket any non-Saturday
of the season.
In New Hampshire, Loon, Waterville Valley, and Cranmore offer a Threedome Pass -- Sunday through Friday (non-holiday)
skiing for $249 per adult (just over $40 per day).
Many areas are still trying hard to sell their midweek and January skiing -- historically light in skier visits
-- and could tempt skiers to change vacation plans to non-school-holiday weeks. At Bretton Woods, whose slope expansion
now lets it boast that it is New Hampshire's largest ski area, the Bold and Beautiful pass allows skiers to ski
midweek at Cannon or Bretton Woods for $199 for the season.
Some Western destination areas also have deals to try luring skiers from the East and other regions. Whether the
Rockies will again collect its 20 percent of all skier visits in the country remains a question of both the economy
and the confidence factor.
Steamboat in Colorado is offering the Vintage Package this season: a four-day lift ticket with three days lodging
for $240 per adult (must be booked by Nov. 10). Breckenridge offers a package for bumpsters: three nights lodging
for $1 at the Breckenridge Fish and Cattle Company with a mogul clinic for two adults for $399.
Beaver Creek (Vail's boutique-bred twin) offers three days instruction, lift tickets, and rentals for $155. And
while skiers do not ordinarily think of bargains when contemplating jetting off to Aspen, the Virtual Hostel (www.aspensnowmass.com) claims to be able to locate last-minute lodging
deals as low as $40 per night.
Whether skiers and boarders, buoyed by the sugarplum visions of last winter, will flock to the slopes this season,
or whether the twin whammies of the economy and travel jitters will dampen business, is too early to know.
But at this hour, ski movers are clearly watching not market trends but long-range weather forecasts. Skiing always
comes down to that.
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(c) 2001, The Boston Globe. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.