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DENVER INC.: No dues, no place on the Colo. ski map

By Jane Hoback, Rocky Mountain News (Contact), Gil Rudawsky, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published October 18, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Look long enough at Colorado Ski Country USA's new map of the state's ski resorts and you'll notice something missing - something that leaves a glaring white space in the heart of the Rocky Mountains.

Actually, it's four things that are missing - Vail, Breckenridge, Keystone and Beaver Creek ski areas.

No, it's not a misprint. It's an on-purpose slight. The state's ski area trade group dropped the region's - and country's - top ski areas after the company that owns them stopped paying dues.

Vail Resorts, for its part, decided to bail on Ski Country after a dispute over the group's mission.

Vail's four Colorado ski areas accounted for about 40 percent of the state's 12.5 million visits last season.

Without the company's annual dues, Ski Country was forced to cut its annual budget to $1.7 million from $3.5 million in its fiscal year ended May 31.

Apparently, they made up some of the savings by using less ink on the maps.

Ski slopes to golf course

Red McCombs is not putting all his eggs in one basket. The Clear Channel founder is in the midst of trying to get approvals to transform his land next to the quirky, predominantly local Wolf Creek ski area into a jet-setter's paradise.

But, just in case the development doesn't take off, McCombs is part of the team putting together an oceanfront development in Mexico. And he's got none other than Tiger Woods designing the golf course.

McCombs said that Woods' involvement persuaded him to participate in Punta Brava.

"Forget it. It's over. I'm in," McCombs said he told one of the partners in the deal. McCombs is the former owner of the Denver Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Vikings.

Comments

  • October 18, 2008

    9:21 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    dugbek writes:

    These overgroomed areas are an embarassment to the the sport. Best to pretend they are in some other state.

  • October 20, 2008

    5:07 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    leaninout writes:

    My, but these slow news days must be challenging. I imagine staring for hours at the map and thinking about all the places you're not is a constant distraction.

    I doubt that sparse ink coverage is anywhere near the only place Ski Country had to turn to cut costs, simply because Vail didn't share in the interest of being associated with our beautiful state. No mention from Vail that they're using Colorado's national forests in which to make all that money they felt they couldn't afford to spend . . . Sure would be nice if they felt like Colorado was at least partly responsible for their success . . .

  • October 24, 2008

    12:48 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Otter writes:

    le vail suce un âne d'ânes de toute façon. le doute n'importe qui les manquera