Telluride executive vice president Jim Mikula said that the World Cup event consumes a lot of resources and energy at a time when the resort is also trying to get ready for the holiday crowds, and that the event creates a relatively small return on that investment.
“It’s not just the snowmaking,” he said, which is necessary to create a World Cup boardercross run. “It takes a lot of our focus away from getting the mountain ready for the rest of our skiers.”
Instead, Telluride plans to focus on opening more terrain in the pre-Christmas period. To that end, the area will look to improve its existing snowmaking system and explore ways to expand it.
At the same time, the resort’s $4.5 million acquisition of the 32-unit Inn at Lost Creek was aimed at maintaining the town’s bed base—some reports indicated a potential buyer wanted to turn the hotel into a private residence. This purchase marks Telluride’s entry into the lodging business; it has not operated hotels before. But Mikula has a long background in the hotel business, so this may not be the company’s only foray.
