Almost 4,200 Wolf Creek skiers responded to a survey sent by the ski area’s owner, Davey Pitcher.
They were largely from New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma as well as surrounding communities like Pagosa Springs and South Fork. Typical Wolf Creek skiers.
They all said, heck yeah they wanted to ski this season. And they were ready to do whatever it takes to get on the lifts. Masks, social distancing and drastically changed food service that would largely entail dining in cars and parking lots were just fine if it meant they could ski.
“It’s encouraging they were willing to modify their behavior this winter,” Pitcher said.
And a majority said they would use a reservation system.
Pitcher last week submitted an operating plan to his local public health department proposing a self-imposed cap of 5,000 skiers a day at the 1,600-acre ski area. His capacity is 6,800 skiers.
He’s offering a premium pass without any blackout days. A midtier pass that has some blackout days and a discount pass that pretty much limits access to weekdays.
Buyers of the Wolf Creek premium pass must reserve their ski day 12 hours ahead of time to guarantee a spot. While he hasn’t set pricing just yet, Pitcher estimates that a premium pass will cost around $1,500, up from $780 last year. The midrange pass will be more affordable and the weekday pass – with some blackout dates during spring break – will be cheaper than anything he sold last season.
Purchasers of day tickets – available only online – also will be able to lock in their spot. He’s expanded the number of “local appreciation” days when tickets are priced around $56.
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