DENVER INC: Wishing for bad weather in name of 'good' causes

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

Published September 5, 2008 at 9:05 p.m.

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Focus on the Family and Vail Resorts CEO Rob Katz were hoping for bad weather the night of Barack Obama's Democratic acceptance speech at Invesco Field at Mile High last week but for entirely different reasons.

The Colorado Springs-based group humorously called for prayers that weather disrupt the event. Katz on the other hand, wanted the event to feature bad weather, with snowfall, to showcase Colorado as the heart of the Rockies. And to boost ski reservations for the coming season.

Katz said he shared his vision with Gov. Bill Ritter on a recent bicycle ride, and it didn't get a great reception.

Katz still can hope for some snow this Monday, when the Broncos take on the Raiders at Invesco.

A break for older skiers

Monarch Mountain was established in 1939 and in honor of its 69th year of operation the ski area is lowering the age for free skiing privileges from 70 to 69.

That's a bit of a bright spot for the forgotten generation, as Colorado ski areas focus on the newbie skiers. Giveaways for the 70-plus crowd have almost disappeared, despite their growing numbers.

A 2007 survey by the Lakewood-based National Ski Areas Association showed skiers from 55 to 64 accounted for 9.4 percent of visitors nationally last season, up from 4.6 percent a decade earlier.

The proportion of visitors age 65 and up has also about doubled in the same period, to 4.2 percent from 2.4 percent.

Embracing bicycling

Thousands of delegates and visitors plus residents of the host cities for this year's political conventions enthusiastically endorsed bicycle-sharing for the good of America's health and environment.

Over the eight days of the conventions, bicycle riders from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and 36 countries took 7,523 rides, pedaled 41,724 miles, burned 1,293,429 calories and reduced their carbon footprint by 14.6 metric tons by riding Freewheelin bikes in Denver, and Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn.

The statistics come from health care provider Humana and the bicycle-advocacy group Bikes Belong, which teamed to create the Freewheelin bike-sharing program. U.S. bicycle and helmet manufacturers loaned nearly $1 million in equipment for both conventions.

The 15,141 miles ridden in Minneapolis and St. Paul translated into a donation to the American Red Cross hurricane-relief fund of $151,414 from the Humana and Bikes Belong foundations.

Humana and Bikes Belong are leaving 70 bicycles and bicycle racks in Denver and the Twin Cities for the communities to use in creating their own bike-sharing programs.

Iverson cuts home price

Denver Nuggets All Star Allen Iverson is offering a deep discount for his home in the Philadelphia area, cutting the price by 37 percent.

Iverson and his wife, Tawanna, put their house on the market after the Philadelphia 76ers traded him in 2006 to the Denver Nuggets, The Wall Street Journal reports.

Built in 1991, the six-bedroom, 14,000-square-foot house is in Villanova, about 20 miles northwest of Philadelphia. The four-floor, French-style house has arched Palladian windows, a movie theater and a guest suite, according to the listing. The four-acre property includes a pool house and a stream.

The 33-year-old guard paid $5 million for the house in 2003, records show, and listed it for $6.3 million. He's now asking $4 million. Chanel Overton of Long & Foster Cos., who has the listing, declined to comment, as did a representative for Iverson.

Assistant Business Editor Jane Hoback and Deputy Business Editor Gil Rudawsky write about local business news that doesn't necessarily end up in quarterly reports. They can be reached at business@RockyMountainNews.com

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