Looking for the perfect little Colorado mountain ski town? Maybe it ain't Aspen after all, but a town found between the old Purgatory and the new heaven known as Wolf Creek. To find out more, go to Skiing Post. "When you visit an actual ski town like this one," writes Post blogger Michael Conniff, "the exercise is particularly delicious, particularly when you come upon not one ski resort but two. Durango is known for the resort formerly known as Purgatory and now as Durango Mountain Resort (or, locally, as simply DMR), but little more than an hour away, on the other side of Pagosa Springs, there sits Wolf Creek, in a part of Colorado forest that is a dead-ringer for the deciduous density of New England. In between these two up-and-coming ski areas is the unsung urb of Durango. Here’s what I can tell you about our visit: whenever anyone pines away for old Colorado—the opposite of the Aspen that we call home—I immediately send them to Durango."
For those looking to improve their hospitality skills prior to the winter season, the Aspen Chamber is offering a variety of courses, including the popular “Magic of Guest Services”, on December 4.
In comment #1, Post blogger flower77 has deep doubts about the fate of Snowmass hotels by any other name--like Viceroy or Westin. "Amazing," she blogs, "the Town Council actually believes Pat Smith will bring in a Westin Hotel to allievate bringing in a larger Viceroy Hotel. My question is why wasn’t the Westin good enough to go into the Base Village area as first planned . And who has even heard of a Viceroy Hotel? Where in the Snowmass Village Mall area is there even enough room to put in another hotel??"
Skico co-developer Starwood closed Tuesday on a $355 million deal to take over Mammoth Mountain real estate development from—who else?—Intrawest, though Intrawest gleaned a $60 million pre-tax profit; a 15 percent interest in the Mammoth joint-venture; and “an ongoing role as development and sales manager in the build-out of the master-planned resort.”