For the second year in a row, Vail Resorts is again offering the Epic Pass to not only locals but for anyone who wants to ski the five best mountains in the West. For only $579.00 Vail offers unlimited days of skiing with no blackouts at the five mountains they own(Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Breckenridge, Heavenly Valley). Most people, when hearing about this incredible deal, will find it hard to believe, but this is the second year and word does get around. Most ski areas sell their unlimited season passes for anywhere from $1,500.00 to $2,000.00 per year, and with daily tickets costing close to $100.00 per day, it only takes 6 days to break even with an Epic Pass.

In today’s paper, the CEO announced that, although lift ticket revenue was down by 8.4%, the revenue from season pass sales was up by 14% over last year, due entirely from sales of the Epic Pass. The overall earnings for the publicly traded company were down by 52% from 2008, which was not unexpected due to the economy. The biggest hit came in the lodging side of the business and Vail has announced it plans to offer a lot of new lodging deals for the coming season.

In addition to the Epic Pass, there are some other signs of optimism in the real estate area. In downtown Vail, the Solaris, the Four Seasons and the Ritz Carlton all are seeing a lot more interest over last years slow season. Here in Edwards, Gateway has experienced a lot of new clients coming back into the market. Revenue for the second half of the year has already exceeded the first half, and a lot of new clients are coming out to find some very attractive deals in the area.

Please call me, Judd Babcock, for more information on the opportunities popping up on a regular basis these days. The recovery in real estate starts as people begin to realize how many properties are still out there at aggresively reduced prices.

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