Plan for Next Ski Season

The 2008-09 ski season is wrapping up with awesome powder. Recently many of area ski resorts announced lower pass prices for next season.

Copper Mountain and Winter Park offer a $40 savings on the Rocky Mountain Super Pass Plus, but this deal ends today (4/20). It gives you unlimited skiing and riding at Winter Park and Copper Mountain plus six days at Steamboat for $399.

Arapahoe Basin is acting like it's 2007 with 09-10 season passes at rolled back prices. Grab this deal by April 30th.

• Arapahoe Basin only Adult Season Pass is now selling for $279, the youth pass is selling for $189, and the child pass is selling for $109.
• Arapahoe Basin only Adult Season Pass is now selling for $279, the youth pass is selling for $189, and the child pass is selling for $109.

Crested Butte passes are on sale from June 1 to Sept. 7, adult passes, as well as family value packages, are $949, senior passes are $225 to $615, young adult passes are $199, and children passes are $135. For a $40 processing fee, Crested Butte Mountain Resort breaks a season pass purchase into four equal payments when customers place the first payment by July 31.

Echo Mountain is a great secret little spot at a bargain price. They are currently offering a limited quantity of 2009/2010 Unlimited Season Passes, for only $139! Unlimited skiing and riding for the 2009/2010 season. New pass holders have the option to include the rest of 2008/2009 for only $50 more!

Eldora Pass prices start at $359 for adults, $75 for kids, $89 for seniors, and $839 for a family of four. Pass prices will increase in the fall. Spring Sale pricing ends April 30th, 2009.

Loveland offers 2009-2010 season passes at the 2008-2009 rates through May 31st. Adult Season Passes start at $339 ($305 for renewals) and Adult Midweek Passes are $229 ($206 for renewals). Young Adult Passes are $269 ($242 for renewals), and Child Passes can be purchased for $149 ($134 for renewals).

Monarch Mountain is not increasing Season Pass prices for the 2009-2010 ski season. Early-season pass prices purchased through July 3, 2009, for the 2009-2010 season are $289 for adults, $159 for students, $89 for juniors, and $159 for seniors.

Purgatory at Durango Mountain Resort is not increasing their prices either. Passes will still be $539 for Adult All-Season Passes, students are $289, and children all-season passes are $239. Children’s passes are $119 when purchased with an adult pass.

Sunlight is also holding on to current prices, temporarily. Early-season rates at 2008-2009 prices are available until May 31. Adult unlimited season passes are selling for $360 and mid-week season passes for $250.

Tips for Driving I-70 from State Patrol

Nothing ruins a great weekend of skiing like driving I-70. Colorado State Patrol finds that the following areas are hot spots for accidents.

Notorious accident spots:

• Five mile section (mile markers 216 to 221) in the eastbound lanes just east of the Eisenhower Tunnel. That stretch includes the on-ramp where ski traffic from Loveland Ski Area merges onto the interstate. This spot can often be icy. Combine that with ski traffic and accident potential is high.
• Officer's Gulch between Copper Mountain and Frisco. Drivers come down off Vail Pass and they think they've finished their decent, but there's still downgrade in that area a lot of curves and some shading of the roadway.
• Hidden Valley area east of Idaho Springs near the Twin Tunnels where sharp curves often cause trucks commonly to tip over.
• Fall River at 237, especially eastbound there's a very sharp right hand curve drivers get caught by surprise at that sharp right hand curve, especially in snow and ice.

The State Patrol has analyzed their accident data base over a number of years and found that the #1 cause of accidents is impatient drivers driving too fast for road conditions. I-70 changes conditions can change rapidly throughout your drive. Weather may be inconsistent, shade and curves can catch drivers unexpectedly. But no matter how anxious you are to make it home play it safe.