SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "And just like that the ski season ends"

And it only took at least a decade of local voices refusing to 'be quiet'.

The resulting boycotts and mass exodus to places like Vail,  from locals and tourists with a conscience who have been observing  the social persecution and pillorying of anyone trying for economic equality with living wages, anyone bringing alleged soft corruption (heck, maybe even hard corruption) issues to light, anyone refusing  to be gouged with outrageous pricing and few amenities, anyone who is global weary of the social class structure and pecking order of Aspen and Big Money and anyone who really is genuinely in favor of the DEA and FBI hanging out around the area and focused on Aspen; must have finally dug a trench in the Crown Family and the Aspen Ski Corp bottom line profits.

After all, it was well over 14 years ago that Vail determined it was appropriate and necessary to provide things like mountain biking, kayak parks and year round offerings to the folks. Which is precisely the reason that they have been able to enjoy $35 million annual profits, spend $70 million on new lifts after spending mega-money the year before on improvements to the mountain.  Oh, yes.  And repeatedly landing world class sporting venues  and events.

Looks like (if no further national and world economic recessions happen) we can count on this new energy from the powers that be up in the Skico to finally get game on if they start building now, in what, 10 years?

Wasn't it Johnny Boyd who was talking up turning base village into a high end gambling casino venue?  That might be faster.

Johnny Boyd:
"As skiing becomes an iffy proposition in the future, the SkiCo has finally decided that mountain biking really is fun and might be a good way to make some money. Whistler is a huge destination for bikers of all ages and Keystone has a gnarly reputation for summer fun. SkiCo should be able to blow both of those upstarts off the map.

It looks like Snowmass could become the place to be later in the summer. The SkiCo has commissioned at least one awesome trail on the Elk Camp side of the mountain. This trail was built by the company Gravity Logic, and has excellent flow and, for those young enough to leave the ground, the possibility of big air. If you haven’t ridden it yet, you should head to Snowmass as soon as the snow melts. It’s almost as fun as a powder day.

The one disappointing addition to Elk Camp is the Vapor Trail. I’m not too sure what it is supposed to be when it grows up, but I hope the SkiCo brings in someone to redesign it and give it the flow that it needs to become a popular trail.

When the SkiCo decided to move all summer operations to the Elk Camp gondola it abandoned many perfectly good trails on the Sam’s Knob end of the mountain. The downhill course used by Blast the Mass and NORBA competitors was described as “neglected” by the racers I talked with last year. Instead of letting these trails revegetate, the SkiCo needs to make the commitment to summer and think about opening the entire mountain.

The trails on the western side of Snowmass run ridge lines with views forever and drop through aspen forests in amazingly technical descents that riders would flock to Snowmass for. Plus, there is plenty of room for more trails and terrain parks.

Mountain biking amenities need to be modeled like skiing. Instructors teaching the skills needed to ride a bike should be lined up at Base Village just like in the winter. Video of the day’s class could be posted to the Internet so the folks back home who paid for Junior’s trip to Snowmass Village can see the little tyke’s progress.

If the commitment to summer downhill sports is certain, it makes sense to open both sides of the mountain. Running the Village Express six-pack and the Elk Camp Gondola sends bikers into all kinds of terrain. There are no finer views than the top of Sam’s Knob, which opens other money-making possibilities for the SkiCo.

As winter as we know it becomes more and more doubtful with the change of climates the Aspen area is experiencing, the summer activities have to take center stage for the SkiCo. By running two lifts and turning on the marketing to let riders know what we’re doing, we could become a bigger summer biking destination than Whistler. In fact, the possibilities are endless and could make summer as busy as winter for the SkiCo....."  (Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBoxBlogs: Aspen Daily News "Business looking up for resort"

Carolyn Sackariason:
"After 11 consecutive months of increased sales tax revenue over 2010, the city of Aspen fared better than most of its ski resort counterparts in Colorado last year.

Aspen came in third for the largest increase in sales tax revenue in 2011 in a field of eight mountain towns, according to statistics provided by city finance director Don Taylor. Vail had the largest increase of nearly 10.6 percent in 2011 while Snowmass logged an 8.5 percent gain. The rest of the towns — Breckenridge, Winter Park, Steamboat Springs, Glenwood Springs and Crested Butte — all had gains but not as large as Aspen and Snowmass.

The city of Aspen last year posted a 7 percent gain over 2010, with a total of nearly $503 million in taxable sales generated across 12 retail sectors. A 4 percent increase in sales tax revenue was realized in 2010 over 2009, when the national recession took hold. Aspen’s sales tax revenue was down 14 percent in 2009 from the year prior.

In 2011, the city of Aspen reported that every month except January — which was down 1 percent — saw an increase over 2010. However, Aspen is still nowhere near pre-recession figures...."
(Read more?  Click title)

"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."

SandBox Comments: Steamboat Today "Local Marketing District comes under scrutiny in wake of sales tax"

Tom Ross:

"I support this very much,” Scully said. “The public/private collaboration is critical. I’d like to know, where is the money coming from and where is it going, and what is it really translating into? It’s a lot of money. To me, the key is a scorecard. To me, it seems there should be a website.”

Ken Solomon asked that the LMD board consider broadening membership to represent the entire city.

“You’re receiving 50 percent of your (public) revenues from the new tax, and my understanding is there are only 600 eligible voters who live in the LMD out of about 8,000 voters in the city,” Solomon said. “It strikes me as unfair.”

LMD legal counsel Tom Sharp told Solomon that the requirement that members of the board be registered voters who live within the boundaries of the local marketing district is decreed by state statute and that the LMD has no power to change it. He added that when the LMD was created by City Council, it had the option to make itself the board of the LMD or to create the five-member board of LMD voters.

Steamboat businessman Steve Hitchcock told the board he thinks the LMD should pursue additional air service outside the ski season.

“With the new tax coming on and collected by businesses outside the LMD, I’d like to see the LMD take on the task of summer air,” Hitchcock said.

Porter replied that summer air service is on the LMD board’s agenda. Porter added that the revenues from the new tax will first be applied for the 2012-13 ski season.

At the city’s urging, public meeting notices for the LMD board now will be posted outside City Hall, at City Market and at the post office, as well as in a vestibule outside the Chamber’s offices at 125 Anglers Drive...."


(Read more?  Click title. For now, as of this date, comment ability on this post and all marketing/tourism news stories that are currently hot topics will have no public comment ability on SandBox.  Go to the original hubs of origins to express your views, please. Thanks, 'SandBox Nanny')

"Truth goes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Then it is violently opposed. Finally, it is accepted as self-evident."