| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 16/10/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 45 |
| Copyright: Other |
New product by Alan Moore
Facilities and offers lift potential for ski sales
Special deals aim to boost winter market
THE ski market from the UK to the top US spots of California, Colorado and the Mid West and New England, has been boosted with an increased range of accommodation, resorts and special offers for the 2000/2001season.
Winter sports operators report a growing trend for more two-centre holidays and city stopovers and there is a stronger booking pattern for resorts closer to the key gateway cities.
Prices are up slightly but, in general, remain similar to last season.
However, the drop in the value of the US dollar against the pound has meant that Canadian resorts are gaining a greater competitive edge on their US neighbours.
Denver: combined with early ski packages
Denver: combined with early ski packages
Neilson Ski
New to the fourth edition of the Neilson Active programme for 2000/2001 are Denver Shop and Ski packages which feature three nights in the Colorado city before a further seven nights skiing in either Breckenridge or Winter Park.
This package is offered on five departures between November 17-December 15 and leads in at £719, based on stays at the Denver Marriott and Hi Country Haus condominiums in Winter Park. The price includes British Airways flights and transfers.
Product manager Nina McMaster said: “Denver is a fantastic city with world-class shopping and attractions. The pre-Christmas breaks mean clients benefit from huge savings on shopping and enjoy the early snow conditions before the slopes get busier.”
Neilson has also introduced the high-class resort of Vail from £635 for a week’s bed and breakfast at the Tivoli Lodge, based on three sharing a room, flights and either car hire or coach transfer. The Vail lift pass also includes skiing in Breckenridge, Beaver Creek and Keystone.
Virgin Ski
Two new resorts introduced for the winter are Brian Head in Utah and the Las Vegas Ski and Snowboard Resort at Lee Canyon in Nevada. They have joined the programme following the launch in June of twice-weekly Virgin Atlantic scheduled flights from Gatwick to Las Vegas.
Seven, 10 and 14-night packages are featured at the Cedar Breaks Lodge at Brian Head from £559 in December with flights, car hire and twin-share room. It is a three-hour drive from Las Vegas. The Lee Canyon resort, 50 miles northwest of Las Vegas, is offered for three, seven and 14 nights. The short break costs from £399 and one week starts at £489.
United Vacations
As well as introducing The Canyons in Utah in its Ski Freedom programme, the operator has added a wide selection of other resort hotels in Colorado, Vermont and Wyoming.
New in Colorado are the New Village at Copper Mountain, Copper Springs Lodge, the Silvertree Hotel at Snowmass and the Steamboat Grand Resort and Hotel in Steamboat Springs. They are all four-star properties with nightly prices from £19 per person.
Colorado: wider choice
Ski Independence
The Canyons at Salt Lake City in Utah and Big Mountain resort in Montana have joined the Ski Independence programme for this winter, as its customers look for smaller and more off-the-beaten track destinations.
Marketing manager Karen Flavell-Smith said: “Utah is emerging as a big seller because there is a lot to see and do and it is easy to drive around. The resorts are well connected, which gives the option of trying four or five resorts – The Canyons is the ultimate ski-in/ski-out resort experience in Utah.”
She added that although the skiing and accommodation is of a very high standard, it is expensive. “It is pitched a bit too high for the overseas market, but it may be cheaper after the Winter Olympics there in 2002.”
Flavell-Smith said the new Montana resort of Big Mountain is less crowded than many other US destinations and caters for the more adventurous skier.
She added: “It is also quite accessible from Canada and gives people the option of trying new two-centre combinations.”
Inghams
Tipped by Inghams as the “best undiscovered ski resort in North America”, Big Mountain in Montana gets greater exposure in the operator’s programme for winter. Manager Lynsey Devon said: “We have added several properties in the resort, which is ideal to combine as a two-centre, especially with places like Fernie in British Columbia.
“Clients can use Monarch or JMC charter flights into Calgary where they are transferred to Big Mountain. The transfer takes about five hours but it is still cheaper and easier this way than using scheduled flights, and clients prefer the direct service.”
She added that more customers are also booking add-ons to their ski holidays. “They are getting very popular and we offer stays in Boston for the New England resorts, Reno and San Francisco for California and Denver for those heading for the Colorado ski areas.”
Inghams’ top-selling resorts are Breckenridge and Heavenly in the west and Stowe, Vermont, in the east.
Big Mountain: ideal for two-centre breaks
Crystal
The operator has increased its accommodation range in this year’s brochure covering the major ski areas of Colorado, California and New England. It is focusing on stays at new chalets in Winter Park and Aspen in Colorado that can be combined in one trip.
Product manager Melvin Westlake said: “We are promoting these two resorts as a two-centre holiday which includes travel on the California Zephyr train. This offers a fantastic ride as it follows the Colorado River and Glenwood Canyon.”
Winter Park: new chalets available