SAM Magazine - Vail, Colo., December 9, 2008 - Recent storms across the Rocky Mountains and other parts of North America have sparked terrain openings. But resorts seem unwilling to rely upon Mother Nature to drive guest bookings and are aggressively marketing discounted vacation packages and other deals to drive business over the upcoming holiday season.

In Colorado, Vail is rapidly opening terrain in the wake of several fast moving storms that have pounded the region. The ski area opened parts of the Back Bowls last weekend and expects to have the entire mountain open with most lifts running by the end of the upcoming weekend.

The snow has coincided with a joint marketing effort called "All The Love" created by the Town of Vail and Vail Resorts to spur Front Range business. Via a custom website (www.VailAllTheLove.com) and direct mail, the program features substantial savings on lodging from more than 50 properties, as well as savings on Vail ski school lessons, mountain dining venues, and Adventure Ridge activities. More than 60 participating restaurants, bars, shops, spas and services throughout the Town of Vail are also providing exclusive offers to consumers carrying the Vail All The Love card.

Keystone, which has recently opened new terrain in the wake of more than 20 inches of snow, is also turning to the web to promote discounts. The resort's new website, KeystoneTonight.com, is also targeting Front Range guests and will offer last minute deals on lodging, activities, dining and more, including hotel rooms or studios for $99 a night.

Also jumping into the fray is Aspen/Snowmass, which is partnering with Frontier Airlines to offer a Kids Fly/Ski/Stay Free package, When guests purchase a minimum 3-day/4-night package including airfare, lift tickets and lodging through Stay Aspen Snowmass before December 23, 2008, each adult booking one child (12 and under) flies, skis and stays completely free of charge.

A focus on the family also highlights discounts at Copper Mountain. The ski area, which received 31 inches of snow last week, has announced that guests who book 30 days prior to their arrival will only have to make a $30 deposit at the time of booking to reserve rooms. In addition, the resort's January Lift and Lodging Package features a kids 12-and-under ski and stay free program for guests booking a minimum of four nights of lodging and four days of lift tickets in January. Packages start at $109 per person, per night and also feature early access to the mountain with the resort's Beeline Advantage program.

A raft of deals is also available in Utah, where Snowbird has chalked up six feet on the year and has more than 75 percent of its terrain open. The stellar conditions are augmented by an early season ticket price of $62 and the resort is offering additional discounts on food and rentals via its website. Early season lodging packages are also available, starting at $99 per night.

Other deals available at Utah Resorts include the Salt Lake Super Pass, which is an interchangeable lift featuring redeemable lift tickets to Alta, Brighton, Snowbird and Solitude resorts. The pass includes round-trip travel on ski buses, city buses, and light-rail to any of the four resorts from downtown and suburban Salt Lake. Two-day adult Super Passes start at $114 ($64 for kids) and a five-day Pass costs $280 ($155 kids). The pass can be used within any seven-day period on whichever day travelers want. The Pass is typically packaged in conjunction with lodging specials, providing even greater savings and can be purchased online in partnership with Travelocity.

And while travelers to Park City don't have to book their air travel via Travelocity, they should hold onto their boarding passes. The Town's QuickSTART program converts airline boarding passes into same-day lift tickets at the Park City resort of choice, including The Canyons, Park City Mountain Resort, or Deer Valley.

In the Midwest, Boyne Mountain opened a record breaking amount of terrain last weekend. The ski area now offers more than 250 skiable acres and 42 trails served by seven lifts "Never before have we had this many trails open for the first weekend in December," says Ed Grice, Boyne Mountain general manager. "Reviews from skiers and riders on our slope conditions have been incredible thanks in large part to 36 inches of fresh snow and our new Boyne Low-E fan guns. Mother Nature is certainly granting early holiday wishes with this weather."

Still, some resorts are struggling, particularly those in the Pacific Northwest. We've had snow but no lifts are turning," says K2's Mike Gutt who works in the ski manufacturer's Seattle offices. "It's been really warm."

That's also the case for the Lake Tahoe area, where Diamond Peak delayed it's scheduled December 11 opening. The ski area, which will open as conditions permit, has made over 2.6 million gallons of snow as of date, with resort officials saying the mountain will open when it has coverage from top to bottom.

Conditions remain strong in New England, with Sugarloaf opening the summit last week thanks to more than two feet of natural snow, plus a revamped and enhanced snowmaking system. The resort claims that conditions are, "some of the best early season conditions in the resort's history." The mountain has also dropped the ropes on a full-size terrain park in the Stomping Grounds.

Conditions are much the same in Vermont, where the state has tallied nearly 230 trails open at 10 Vermont ski areas. "We're off to one of the strongest starts in years with the trail count rising daily," says Ski Vermont President, Parker Riehle. "In addition to being among the top three states leading the nation in open trails, we have also seen increased early-season sales and inquiries, especially from the Northeast driving population. Vermont's close proximity within an easy drive of major metropolitan areas made for strong Thanksgiving business, and our skiers and riders have been very encouraged by the fact that our open terrain has matched last year's start to a stellar snow year."

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