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Lift Gifts
Ski deals available nearly everywhere
Associated Press Writer
Mike and Pam Mathe have taken their two kids skiing at Beaver Creek over Christmas break each of the past five years. It's their one big vacation for the year, a luxurious respite from Mike's traveling and the kids' classes.
No way are they going to let the economic downturn stop them from going this year.
"We need this vacation; this is what we look forward to every year," Pam Mathe said. "Realistically, it hasn't been a toll on us business-wise as it has for a lot of people, but if I had to buckle up and save for this, I would."
The good news for the Mathes - and anyone else who wants to go skiing - is that the penny pinching might not be so bad this year, thanks to creative measures ski resorts
are taking to combat the slumping economy.
Extra nights lodging, ski rental packages, cut-rate lift tickets, stay-and-ski deals, upgrades - all are part of the promotions resorts are using to lure people to the mountain.
Of course, there's always going to be a portion of the population that's going to ski no matter what; snow's falling, they're headed for the hills.
For the rest of us, skiing is a luxury, something easily cut from the budget when things get tough. Paying rent or skiing? There isn't much debate.
Ski resorts are aware of the competition for consumer money, and they're doing everything they can to hold on to their share.
"There's all kinds of tactical responses the individual areas are going to make, lots of energy within the industry to kind of counter the reasons why people might not ski this year," said Michael Berry, president of the National Ski Areas Association. "There's a lot of people paying a lot of attention."
There's plenty of reason.
Hotel bookings in Vail are down significantly, and skiers who do show up are expected to spend less money per person. Some are predicting one of the worst winters ever for the town's economy.
Though the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek isn't expected to be hit too hard by the economic downturn because of its affluent clientele, holiday bookings are down from a year ago.
Many resorts also are seeing a shorter booking window from guests who normally make reservations early, keeping early-season money off the books.
"We've definitely seen a falloff in pace from last year, even over some of the key holiday periods," said Scott Gubrud, Park Hyatt's director of marketing and sales.
"I think there are people still planning on doing a vacation; they're just kind of on the fence a little bit in terms of waiting to decide what's happening in the economy, what's happening in the election, before they make a decision."
The key is luring those people off the fence.
Grand Targhee in Wyoming
already is a lower-cost alternative to nearby Jackson Hole - its family pass is cheaper than Jackson's single adult pass - and is trying to lure more regional skiers with cheaper multi-day lift tickets and discount punch cards.
Mount Snow in Vermont has a strong drive-up business, so it isn't trying anything too drastic. Instead, it's dusting off some tried-and-true favorites, including a one-night stay-and-ski deal for $72 and a discount card for frequent visitors.
Heavenly Mountain Resort near South Lake Tahoe, in California, in conjunction with Rock Resorts, is offering a variety of skier-enticing deals, including unlimited ski rentals, fifth-night-free lodging, even a $50 baggage bailout to combat baggage fees from the airlines.
"We acknowledge that vacation dollars are going to be tight this year, so we're just trying to make it as compelling and accessible as possible for people to make it up to the mountains," said Russ Pecoraro, Heavenly's director of communications.
Here's a look at some of the deals out there:
•Beaver Creek, beaver
creek.snow.com
Where: Vail Valley/Colorado Rockies
The promotions: Fifth night free during the holidays, third night free with upgrade and breakfast, free Epic pass with Technique Week purchase.
The lowdown: For the first time this year, the high-end resort is offering a fifth-night-free promotion during the holidays. There's also a third-night-free package - available anytime outside the holidays - that includes a one-category upgrade and breakfast for two, starting at $949 a night. Beaver Creek mountain is offering a free Epic pass - a $579 value - to anyone who signs up for the first week of Technique Weeks, an all-
inclusive program that includes five nights lodging, four days of personalized instruction and four lift tickets for $3,049.50.
•Southwest Colorado, www.
durangomountainresort.
com, www.wolfcreekski.com,
tellurideskiresort.com.
The promotions: Durango Mountain Resort has several deals for visitors, including a buy-two-get-one-free package of lift tickets and lodging for January. Telluride offers "stay and ski" packages from $83 per person per night. Check the Web sites for more details.
The lowdown: Deals are mostly for those coming from outside the area and probably not all that much help for locals. Wolf Creek offers discounts on certain days, including right now during the early season.
•Grand Targhee, www. grand
targhee.com
Where: Wyoming/Grand Te-tons
The promotions: Early season SnowCat adventure package, eight- and six-day punch cards.
The lowdown: Grand Tar-ghee's family pass, at $1,725, already is less than one adult season pass at Jackson Hole. Multi-day lift ticket prices have gone up about $7 per day. The resort also is offering three days, three lift tickets and an adventure ride on a SnowCat for $369 per person through Dec. 21. There also are discounted punch cards for frequent visitors: $399 for an eight-punch card and $339 for six.
•Heavenly Valley, www.ski
heavenly.com
Where: Lake Tahoe, Calif.
The promotions: Epic Pass, unlimited ski rental, baggage bailout, fifth night free.
The lowdown: Rock Resorts is extending its fifth-night-free program to all six holiday periods, and its baggage bailout program gives guests $50 off to cover airline baggage fees. There's also an unlimited ski-rental program for $359; daily demo rentals usually run between $70-80.
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