Vail's bet on Afton Alps aims to build new ski generation

Skiers and snowboarders braved the subzero temps in recent days to test out the slopes at Afton Alps, after the ski resort underwent $10 million in renovations.

It's the first season since Colorado-based Vail Resorts Inc. bought 50-year-old Afton last year, and this season's changes include 72 more snow-making machines, a lift ticket-scanning system, and new terrain for snowboarders and freestyle skiers.

Vail's strategy was to invest in places where people learn how to ski, like Afton, hoping that one day those young people will travel to its bigger resorts or mountains in other states, said Amy Reents, Afton Alps' marketing manager.

"The ski industry as a whole is really trying to focus on trying to grow the sport, because there's a lot of baby boomers in the sport that are getting older," Reents said. "So that certainly is a concern. But they've been working real hard at keeping them engaged and working on getting more youth in, and it's been holding quite stable."

Prices are staying the same this year at Afton, Reents said, but customers now have the option of buying a season pass that gives them access to the company's other ski resorts.

Minnesota has 19 ski areas that compete with other vacation and entertainment options as much as they compete with one another.

Afton Alps is the Midwest's largest ski area close to an urban area but Lutsen Mountains near Grand Marais is the largest ski area in the state. Neither ski area would disclose the number of skiers and snowboarders that visit their resorts each year.

Lutsen has steadily invested $20 million over the past 10 years in new snow-making and lift equipment and other resort changes, said Jim Vick, Lutsen's marketing director. This year six-person chair lifts replace the two-person lifts.

"That's really been the big prize that we've been working towards for the last decade," Vick said. "It's the number one request that our skiers have asked for."

Lutsen's advance sales are up 20 percent from the same time last year, he said. Lift tickets are increasing by $9 because of the new chair lifts.

Lutsen's strategy to attract younger people is driven by music -- concerts at Papa Charlie's, the slopeside restaurant and night club, Vick said.

"That helps bring in our 20-somethings," he said. "That's our next folks that are going to come up with their families in the future."

But as with every year, ski resorts are looking at the forecast. So as commuters complain about the cold and snow, ski resorts are gleeful.

The cold November, followed by a winter storm and arctic temperatures increased snow-making abilities, said Peter Zotalis, vice president of mountain services for Welch Village Ski and Snowboard Area near Red Wing.

"And on top of that, we've received natural snowfall, which gets people excited to ski and snowboard, and learn to ski and snowboard," Zotalis said.

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