Ski Resorts 'Cautious But Excited' For The Winter Season Following Warm Fall
BRECKENRIDGE, Colo. (CBS4) - Rain fell throughout the day on Monday in Summit County, and the sun also made an appearance. The moisture was welcomed, but many people are more than ready for it to start falling in the form of snow -- and fast.
This ski season is off to lackluster start. Opening days have been pushed back compared to years past, all thanks to the warm fall weather.
Keystone and Arapahoe Basin resorts have started making snow, but they are still waiting on Mother Nature to do her part. Despite the weather, resorts CBS4 contacted say they are still expecting a good year, but maybe not a great one.
"We are cautious, but again excited for the winter season," Rachel Zerowin, Breckenridge tourism office spokeswoman, told CBS4.
Zerowin says for the month of September booking pace was down 2 percent from 2014. But she points to lodging numbers that are up 13 percent over this time last year in Breckenridge as a reason to be excited.
"We still have two-thirds of our bookings to go and we have time left, a lot of our season pass ticket holders wait until closer to the season to make their reservations," Zerowin added.
While it remains early in the ski season some industry analysts point to the slow-down in bookings this year as an early indicator resorts may not fare as well as they hope.
"The decrease in the winter booking pace is the first such reversal of momentum in several years, and is a little surprising, because the industry is coming off the best summer ever for mountain destinations with overall occupancy up more than 7 percent, and revenues up more than 11 percent for the six-month period of May-October," explained Ralf Garrison, Director of DestiMetrics, a company that tracks resort numbers.
Major economic indicators were cited as possible factors in the slower booking pace. Although the Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) increased for the second consecutive month and reached its second highest level since 2007 at 103 points, that optimism was tempered by the second consecutive monthly decline in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.
"The anemic number of jobs created last month may indicate growing market concern about a global economic slowdown and this is a real worry," said Tom Foley, Operations Director for DestiMetrics. "Job creation and earnings are the largest influencing factor for consumer spending and a prolonged period of reduced job creation or a slowing in earnings growth may impact discretionary consumer spending, including travel."
While the economy was cited as at least a partial explanation for the modest cooling in bookings, the analysts also acknowledge the role of recent warm temperatures on the pause in early booking patterns.
"Ironically, the exceptional weather in the Rockies and far west mountain resorts that extended the summer season and contributed to this record-breaking summer is now a possible factor for the slowing in winter bookings," offered Garrison. "Regardless of the reason, this unexpected dip in winter bookings marks a pattern shift that has on alert for variables that could impact the coming season."
LINK: Colorado Ski Resort Projected Opening Days
Matt Kroschel covers news throughout Colorado working from the CBS4 Mountain Newsroom. Send story ideas to mrkroschel@cbs.com and connect with him on Twitter @Matt_Kroschel.
