Industry News
Aspen Skiing Co.’s headquarters at the Aspen Business Center and auxiliary office in Basalt will go dark for two weeks after ski season, reports summitdaily.com.
Skico President and CEO Mike Kaplan has ordered all full-time, year-round employees to take a two-week vacation from April 23 through May 4 as a cost-cutting measure, and opportunity to “disconnect and recharge,” according to Jeff Hanle, vice president of communications.
“It’s not an unpaid vacation. It’s not a furlough,” Hanle said. “We’re calling it spring break.”
All offices will be shut down to eliminate expenses ranging from cleaning services to transportation. Only a skeleton crew will remain to pay the bills, handle vital public relations and prepare for summer operations. Otherwise, employees were ordered not to perform any work, not even answer or send work-related emails, Hanle said.
The mandatory vacation will affect between 800 and 1,000 employees. The Limelight is exempt from the directive and will continue to operate through the offseason. Skico didn’t release an estimate of how much money it will save. The steps were announced internally about one month ago.
Hanle said Skico won’t meet its financial goals this season because of the poor start. Snowfall was significantly below average in November, December, and January. Cumulative skier visits at Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Snowmass, and Buttermilk were down 20 percent as of the end of December. Updated skier visits through the end of February will be released by mid-March. Skico is a private company, so it is unknown how far revenue was down.
Hanle said the reaction to the mandatory vacation has been positive from what he’s witnessed.
“Everybody’s going around saying, ‘Where are you going for spring break?’” he said.
Are the suits sending refunds to the pass holders, or are they just taking their 8 figure incomes and taking that vacation.