Is Not Being a “Vail” Actually a Blessing for Small Resorts?
February 15th, 2012
I sometimes feel I do too much critiquing and too little suggesting. Like, somehow, I’m the 400 pound, mullet-sporting guy on his 3rd beer at the baseball game yelling at the 2nd baseman to hustle. So, every once in a while on a Wednesday I’ll try to balance the scales a bit and put my own ideas up for display, analysis, and critique. (view all ‘WID’ posts).
My wife skis a time or two each season. So do I. While I should hit 20 days on the mountain this year via snowboard, I still pick up the skis for a few turns every winter. So, as we selected a mountain that would cater to our beginer-ness, we drove past Beaver Creek, past Vail, and up to Ski Cooper, a small ski area nestled high (base elevation of 10,500′) in the mountains of Colorado.
Two runs in (close to the time I switched from the “pizza” to the more extreme ‘french fry”), I started noticing how awesome the snow was. Not just on the runs, but the piles of powder that sat untouched between the trees.
On the next trip up the lift, I looked over my right shoulder and saw a line of jagged peaks blanketed in snow and sun, put my arm around my wife, and thoroughly enjoyed the fact I wasn’t on a high-speed quad.
The Switch
At lunch, we pulled out some camp chairs, ate our home-made sandwiches, and rested our legs before I switched to the board for the afternoon. I’m glad I did. The snow that I thought was good on skis was some of the best I had ridden. The groomers were amazing, I’ve never been able to lay a carve down like that in my life not to mention the fabulous powder in the trees.
Before long I was comparing this day to all my days at Beaver Creek and Vail in the weeks/months before. Laughing, I quickly realized that this day was, by far, my best day of the season. Hands down, bar-none, you name it. Since I moved to Colorado I’ve been asking myself one question: how do these smaller resorts (areas) compete with something like the EpicPass? On Saturday, I started to find my answer.
Embrace What Your Mountain ISN’T
If I were at a small resort, I’d embrace the things the mountain ISN’T. At Cooper, I parked a short walk from the lift, didn’t feel weird eating a balogna sandwich for lunch, enjoyed the scenery from a slow lift, avoided going into debt to buy a pass, and found amazing snow.
The people in the lift lines weren’t skiing because of an image, GoPros were non-existant, nor they people skiing groomers on gear meant for Alaskan first descents. The week before at Beaver Creek I had parked 2 miles from the mountain, taken a shuttle to the base, never noticed the scenery as I rode high-speed quads, tried to carve on ice all day, and, honestly, had a pretty lousy time (add in parking and I heard it was even worse at Vail).
In a sentence, at Cooper, I was reminded why I love to ski.
Love the Resort You Are
If Cooper tried to compete directly with Vail, they’d lose. Their tagline could never be, “Like Nothing on Earth” or “Not Exactly Roughing It” but it could easily be, “Reminding Skiers Why They Love to Ski” or “Skiing: Pure and Simple” (lame examples, but you get the idea).
In my book, that’s not a bad position to have. So, if I were a small resort, I’d embrace that fact that we aren’t Vail (or Squaw, or Killington, or Deer Valley), make it public we never want to be, and instead of worrying about what we don’t have, I’d use that as our selling point.
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SlopeFillers is run by marketer and skier / snowboarder, 
Great post. Many people are looking more for an authentic riding experience than a corporate ski resort that focuses on out-of-boot amenities and theme park attractions.
Definitely agree, Jamie. I was like a slap in the face on Saturday and my brain telling me, "Hey dummy, what are you doing at a big, crowded mountain if the skiing is so good here?"
Have not made it out to Ski Cooper as of yet but I was just talking about it yesterday. Avoid the crowds at Breckenridge and come stay with us…on our dime mid week any time. I can spice it up with a few discount passes… great post btw!
Great stuff Gregg.
Focusing on a ski resort's strengths is always a better strategy than fighting another resort over weaknesses.
- Troy
Thanks Gregg, but I like your buildup. You have to give the readers a story, right?
- Troy
Right. I love a good story.
If they want one stat to win at…
When you are awesome and have less acres, your awesomeness is highly concentrated. The big guys may have the little ones beat on most stats, but not awesomeness per acre, which also then mocks the overuse of stats in the first place. It's about the smiles per hour in the end. Little else.
Many of the throwback gang in the east have very much embraced the slower pace vibe and sell it. Abram, Magic, Saddleback, MRG, etc.
Thanks, Powdermonk!
Quality Post SF!
I am a BIG fan of the smaller resort scene. The one thing that always seems to stand out…THE PEOPLE. Talk about a true community of mountain loving friends. Small mountains plant the seed for the ski & ride experience. I often find an employee attitude, associated with the larger, well known resort scenes. What the??
Quality ski & snowboard lifestyle marketing, starts with children & beginners level enthusiasts. Developing one's skillz, at the smaller mountain resort facilities throughout the world. Is crucial to developing a true love for the sport and natural environment that surrounds us. Just like you noticed at Ski Cooper. The trees were beautiful, and full of untracked powder. Ripe for the taking.
Any snow slider, can't ignore the emotion associated with the feeling of moving through untouched POW. Regardless of the slope pitch ( over 30 degrees preferred) or name of the resort. The feeling you get from a great day on the mountain, can be created at any mountain. It's all in your head, and who you are with.
Powdermonk
At Monarch we promote ourselves as "100% Natural." No snow making here, no condos on the slopes, no lift lines. I know of what you speak. Great article. Look me up if you get to visit us.
Rick, very cool. Love to hear that. I moved to CO last fall and Monarch is definitely on my list (thanks to the Monarch stickers I see everywhere). If I can't make it this year, I'll be out there early next season.