Ski Areas Scramble to Satisfy ‘Boomers’

With a record snow season predicted by many, Western ski resorts are raising prices and spending millions to upgrade their facilities--especially to satisfy baby boomers.

Once again Aspen leads the way on lift ticket prices, raising its single-day, at-the-window ticket to $59. Vail’s top rate is $54.

Aspen officially defends its ticket price as a way to thin the slopes and comply with the town’s anti-growth sentiment. But Aspen CEO Pat O’Donnell says prices are up because baby boomers never cease demanding newer, faster and more comfortable lifts.

Aspen is installing the nation’s first high-speed double chair on Ruthie’s Run because some people don’t want to share a four-seater with strangers. Aspen pioneer Friedl Pfeifer once said: “You can’t get a date on a high-speed quad.”

In Colorado alone, resorts are spending $130 million this year. Vail has set up a communications center on the mountain for business people. The town of Vail is installing heated sidewalks; Deer Valley in Utah already has them.

In California, Heavenly has installed a high-speed six-passenger lift, and Mammoth has three new high-speed quads to help with weekend lift lines. Daily ski lift passes are $47 at Mammoth (up $2 from last year) and $47 at Heavenly (up $1 from last year).