You want to know when it’s going to snow?
Al Henceroth at Arapahoe Basin knows.
“I just got a direct newsflash from Joel Gratz at Open Snow,” HJenceroth told a packed house at the annual Ski Area COO Summit at Copper this morning. “Oct. 13, three inches new at the Basin, 21 degrees.”
His counterpart at Loveland, Rob Goodell, also knows.
“I also got a notice from Joel Gratz,” Goodell shot back to a round of chuckles. “There will be four inches at Loveland and it’ll be 20 degrees.”
Everyone was laughing, even Henceroth. This good-natured chirping is the best part of the COO Summit.
And then, Keystone’s new general manager Shannon Buhler took the stage. She was playing the game and learning fast.
“I didn’t get the Joel Gratz text,” she said. I’ve got to figure that out.”
‘Better, not bigger’
All three executives took the stage today, joined by Jon Coperland with Breckenridge and Dustin Lyman at Copper.
It was a heartfelt homecoming for Shannon Buhler. Her dad, former Breckenridge executive John Buhler, was the host.
“She’s been around this business for over 35 years,” John Buhler said when introducing his daughter. “She’s been in locker rooms, she’s been in admin offices, and she’s been at the resort since she was 2 years old.”
Theme of the season this year is “not sexy, but necessary.”
Or, as Coperland at Breck says: “This fits right into our motto. We’re trying to be better, not bigger.”
Not sexy, but necessary at Breck is ditching plastics.
“We did this last year at Pioneer Crossing, and then we expanded that to all of our operations over the summer,” Copeland said. “This led to the elimination of almost 80,000 plastic bottles by the use of aluminum products and durables.”
Not sexy, but necessary at Keystone are wind turbines.
“We’re currently working on installing wind turbines on the top terminal of Bergman Express to convert wind into other stable energy, reinforcing our commitment to zero as a company,” Shannon Buhler said.
Not sexy, but necessary at Loveland is a price freeze.
“Our season pass pricing, our ticket pricing is the same this year as it was last season,” Goodell said. “We are committed to making this sport accessible and affordable.”
Copper’s Lyman teased the only new chairlift in Summit this season – the upgraded six-chair at Timberline Express.
“The towers fly tomorrow, so we’ll put all towers in over a 24-hour time period via helicopter,” Lyman said. “We’re very excited about that. It’s on track for a late-November opening.
Otherwise, there are no major chairlift or facility installs happening this season or even next season.
A-Basin’s parking problem
Not sexy or popular is A-Basin’s new mandatory reserved parking plan for Saturdays and Sundays. Henceroth recalled one particular Saturday this past season when he decided, enough is enough.
“The highway was backed up a mile above us, a mile below us,” Henceroth said. “Truck drivers were screaming at our employees, and I just kind of put my head in my hands and I’m like, ‘It’s really time for the next big change.’”
Every executive today commented on skier parking.
We’re in a time when we have to change guest behaviors when it comes to parking,” Copeland at Breck said. “And that’s super difficult. People get used to the way they do things.”
Lyman at Copper said they have added 900 new spaces at the Far East Lot. Copper’s parking lot bus fleet now totals 14.
“How quickly can we get people parked? How efficiently and how safely can we make that happen?” Lymand said. “And then, how quickly can we get them to the chairlifts?”
But maybe Henceroth said it the best.
“There are more people that want to go skiing than there are parking places,” Henceroth said. “Everyone has to be involved. We have to call a friend to get a ride.”
This is one reason carpooling with four or more is free all season at A-Basin. It will also get you the best free parking at Keystone.
The final question
Back to this chatter about snow on Oct. 13. If it happens, when is opening day?
“It’s a secret,” Shannon Buhler smiled, and then got serious. “It needs to get a little colder. As soon as it gets cold we’re turning those snow guns on and we’re ready.”
Keystone, A-Basin and Loveland will open as soon as possible.
Breckenridge and Copper opened Nov. 8
The earliest opening ever was Oct. 9, 2007 at Arapahoe Basin.