A sudden surge in last-minute ski-pass deals is providing a rare chance for procrastinating powder hounds.
On Monday, Copper Mountain, Arapahoe Basin and Intrawest’s Winter Park-Steamboat ski areas offered discounted passes. Copper busted out of the traditional two-fer rut with its unique Snow Day Pass, delivering free skiing every time the resort logs 4 or more inches of snow.
The $99 pass also offers two guaranteed lift tickets Feb. 6 (Super Bowl Sunday) and April 15 as well as two “friends and family” tickets for $59 each.
Copper marketing director Pete Woods said the resort averages 42 storms a year that drop at least 4 inches of snow over a 24-hour period. One in every four days so far this season at Copper have been powder days, Woods said.
“Our hope is to get people who haven’t committed and also people who have but maybe haven’t been to Copper in a few years,” Woods said. “We are seeing there are a fair amount of people who haven’t bought any kind of pass simply because they are snow-chasers.”
Intrawest’s Steamboat and Winter Park ski areas announced a combined four-day pass Monday. The 4by40 Pass offers two days at each resort for $199, with blackout dates from Dec. 27 through Dec. 31. Pay another $50 for the 4by40 lodging upgrade, and get a night in slopeside lodges at both resorts.
Rob Perlman, chief of marketing for both resorts, said early snow launched a strong start for the hills and that the pass deal “keeps that momentum going.”
Arapahoe Basin also joined the holiday-dealing fray Monday with its Holiday 3 Pass, which gives three days of skiing for the price of two. The $138 pass has no blackout dates and is good through the 2010-11 season, which for Arapahoe Basin can last well into May.
Jason Blevins: 303-954-1374 or jblevins@denverpost.com
Discount offers
Arapahoe Basin:
Winter Park-Steamboat:
Copper Mountain:
