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Vail's Epic Pass Shakes Things Up In Ski World

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Nov 21, 2008 5:59 pm US/Mountain

Vail's Epic Pass Shakes Things Up In Ski World

Written by Stan Bush

 Section: Skiing Video Clips

 Ski Report: Trails & Conditions
Reporting
Stan Bush
VAIL, Colo. (CBS4) ― Ski season is up and running in Vail.

"We've got a good crowd here," says Vail spokeswoman Liz Biebl. "It's only going to get better."

Two of the high county's elite resorts -- Vail and Beaver Creek -- have adjusted to the bad economic climate by changing the skiing landscape.

"The Epic Pass is going to take market share away from Intrawest and the other smaller ski areas," says Jerry Jones, a former executive at several domestic ski resorts.

Skier's attitudes are also changing with the Epic Pass.

"Eighty five percent of my time will be at Vail and Beaver Creek," says one skier.

Analysts say the economy has driven the resort holiday bookings down 47 percent so far this year, with more cancelations than reservations. But according to them, resorts who have an association with the Vail brand will not suffer as much as other companies.

"What can they do?" says Jones. "They don't have a package that can compete with the Epic Pass."

However, Vail's appeal to Front Range skiers with the Epic Pass could backfire if the ski season is good enough to bring in destination visitors.

Industry experts foresee a time when the resorts have to stop selling daily lift tickets because too many Coloradans are on the mountain. That would be devastating to Vail Resorts because they rely heavily on out-of-state money.

(© MMIX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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