Aspen Skiing Company’s Settlement Over Chairlift Commutes Could Redefine Ski Worker Pay Practices The Aspen Daily News reports that a proposed class-action lawsuit filed against Aspen Skiing Company (SkiCo), the operator of Aspen Snowmass, Colorado, is nearing a settlement. The lawsuit, brought by an hourly SkiCo employee, alleges that the company has failed to compensate workers for time spent commuting to on-mountain restaurants and facilities via chairlifts, snowmobiles, and snowcats. Related: Aspen Skiing […] Industry News SnowBrains | May 28, 2024 2 Comments
SkiCo Proposes to Expand Snowmass Ski Area, CO Big changes are coming to Aspen’s Snowmass Ski Area. From increasing the snowmaking production to potentially expanding terrain, SkiCo representatives updated the board on proposed amendments to the Snowmass Mountain Master Plan that was approved by the U.S. Forest Service in January 2023. Related: Arapahoe Basin, CO, Chief Teases Unreleased Master Plan – New Gondola, New Lifts, and Expansions – SnowBrains […] Industry News Luke Guilford | February 16, 2024 0 Comments
Aspen SkiCo, CO, Is Suing Skiwear Brand Perfect Moment Aspen Skiing Company (‘SkiCo’), the owner and operator of Aspen Snowmass Resort, Colorado, is taking legal action against high-end skiwear brand Perfect Moment, alleging trademark infringement and other violations. The dispute dates back to March 2021, when Perfect Moment posted images of influencers sporting its skiwear on social media, taken on Aspen Skiing Co.’s lifts and slopes. Following a cease-and-desist […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | December 27, 2023 0 Comments
Aspen Skiing Co. Faces Class-Action Lawsuit Over Alleged Unpaid Chairlift, Snowmobile, and Snowcat Commute Pay A legal storm is brewing as Aspen Skiing Co. (SkiCo) confronts a class-action lawsuit challenging its on-mountain pay policies. The suit, filed by SkiCo hourly employee Craig Stout, alleges that the company has not compensated workers for the time spent commuting via chairlifts, snowmobiles, and snowcats to its on-mountain restaurants and facilities, reports Aspen Daily News. Related: Judge Grants Final […] Industry News SnowBrains | November 6, 2023 0 Comments
Aspen, CO, To Host 2 Alpine FIS World Cup Events in 23/24 Aspen Snowmass, CO, was successful in its bid to host events for the 23/24 Alpine World Cup season and has been awarded two races by the International Ski & Snowboard Federation ‘FIS’. A delegation from SkiCo, the Aspen mountain operations company, traveled to the FIS working group meetings in Europe in May to throw their weight behind the application to […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | May 29, 2023 0 Comments
Aspen Snowmass, CO, Keen to Host 23/24 FIS Alpine World Cup Events After Aspen Snowmass, CO, successfully hosted FIS World Cup events in the 22/23 season, SkiCo officials will head to Europe in May, to submit a bid to host events for the 23/24 World Cup season. The International Ski and Snowboard Federation ‘FIS’ holds working group meetings each year in Europe in early May, where details for the upcoming season are hashed […] Industry News Julia Schneemann | April 26, 2023 1 Comment
Aspen Skiing Co. Asking Public to Name Trails in Pandora Expansion Aspen Skiing Co. (SkiCo) is asking the public to help name the trails at the resort’s new Pandora terrain, set to open 2023-24. An online form asks people to submit their suggestions under five categories: local people, local history, mining history, notable terrain, or greek mythology. Help us decide which trail names will live forever on our mountain when Pandora’s opens for the […] Industry News SnowBrains | October 17, 2022 0 Comments
Aspen Snowmass, CO, to Charge Uphill Skiers Next Season Aspen Skiing Co. revealed their pass options for the upcoming season yesterday, which included the announcement that they will be charging customers to ski uphill. The pass will cost $69 for the season, and anybody wishing to power themselves uphill (skinning, snowshoeing, or walking) at any of the resort’s four mountains will be required to purchase it. Premier passholders will get […] Industry News SnowBrains | August 17, 2021 2 Comments
Aspen, CO Moves to Higher Red-Level Restrictions Aspen, CO – On Monday, January 11, the Pitkin County Board of Health voted to move the county into tighter COVID restrictions. The county’s positivity rate was a whopping 12.7%, according to local data on Monday. After a severe spike in incident rates, which were at 2,934 on Monday, the county has no choice but to tighten restrictions. The county […] Industry News Dominic Gawel | January 15, 2021 0 Comments
Snowmass, CO Report: Bottomless Birthday Powder [arve url="https://youtu.be/8H9I13PBcv0"] Clay Malott | December 29, 2020 Likes Tweets 0 Comments
Exclusive: In Letter to Employees, Aspen Ski Company CEO Warns that US Ski Season is in Jeopardy SnowBrains obtained the following letter that Aspen SkiCo CEO Mike Kaplan sent to SkiCo employees on November 16, 2020. The letter warns that the current COVID spike is threatening ski season. This letter is partially specific to Aspen but also alludes to county shutdowns of ski resorts all across the country. Read Kaplan’s exclusive letter below, and do your part […] Industry News Clay Malott | November 18, 2020 0 Comments
Aspen Mountain, CO Chairlift-Gondola Hybrid on West Side of Ski Area Approved by Tramway Board Plans for a new chairlift-gondola hybrid on Aspen Mountain’s west side were just approved in a recent meeting by the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board. The plans need a variance from state regulations based on its location, splitting the open space between the approved Lift One Lodge and Gorsuch Haus developments, the Aspen Times reports. Related: Lift One Project at […] Industry News SnowBrains | October 9, 2020 0 Comments
VIDEO: Aspen Skiing Co. CEO Mike Kaplan Talks About COVID-19 Plans for Aspen Mountain This Season Aspen Skiing Co. president and CEO Mike Kaplan talks about the recently released pass options, operations, and COVID-19 strategies as the winter ski season nears. Related: Aspen Skiing Co. Increases Pass Prices for Locals by $320 to “spread people out and enable capacity controls.” Kaplan said that Aspen Skiing Co. will be introducing a new line of ski passes […] Industry News SnowBrains | September 28, 2020 0 Comments
Aspen Skiing Co. Increases Pass Prices for Locals by $320 to “spread people out and enable capacity controls.” Aspen Skiing Co. has announced changes for this season and a new line of ski passes purposed to “spread people out and enable capacity controls,” according to the corporation’s CEO, Mike Kaplan, who talked with the Aspen Times in a phone interview Thursday. The world-famous ski resort is attempting to avoid having to use a reservation system this season, which would […] Industry News SnowBrains | September 28, 2020 0 Comments
Aspen Skiing Co. CEO Mike Kaplan Prepares for Economic Uncertainty by Cutting Salaried Employees Benefits In an email to employees, Aspen Skiing Co. (SkiCo) CEO Mike Kaplan announced the company would be cutting some employee benefits in an effort to balance the books for what is an uncertain year ahead. In-line with many other companies in the industry SkiCo is expecting the global pandemic to have an impact on their bottom line, so is preparing […] Industry News SnowBrains | August 11, 2020 0 Comments
Aspen Skiing Co. to Continue Grooming for Uphill Travel at All Four Ski Areas Last Sunday would have been closing day at all of Aspen’s four ski resorts in Colorado. But coronavirus came along, and changed all that, forcing Colorado’s Gov. Jared Polis to order the state’s ski areas to close on March 15. But even after its early closing this season, Aspen kept their mountains’ trails groomed for those willing to travel up […] Industry News SnowBrains | April 22, 2020 0 Comments
Skier Caught in Avalanche in Highland Bowl at Aspen Ski Resort, CO A skier was caught in an avalanche in Highland Bowl at Aspen Highlands Ski Resort this morning, Friday, April 17, but was uninjured, Pitkin County officials say. The skier said he regretted his decision to ski the steep, snow-loaded terrain and that he hopes his experience serves as a lesson to others, according to The Aspen Daily News. RELATED: Backcountry […] Avalanche AvyBrains | April 17, 2020 0 Comments
Snowmass Ski Area, CO Gets Approval to Replace Big Burn Chair with a 6-pack, High-Speed Chairlift The Big Burn Chair at Snowmass Ski Area CO, is reaching the end of its operational lifespan after 33 years of service, and needs to be replaced according to the U.S. National Forest Service, the Aspen Times reports. The U.S. Forest Service has approved its replacement with a six-pack, high-speed chairlift. The decision was made the Forest Service on December […] Industry News SnowBrains | January 10, 2020 0 Comments
Former Aspen SkiCo Executive’s Wife Pleads Guilty to Felony Theft It’s been a month since the former SkiCo executive Derek Johnson pleaded guilty to felony theft for the illegal sales of thousands of stolen rental skis. Tuesday, his wife, Kerri Johnson, 48, followed suit by pleading guilty in the Pitkin County District Court to class 4 felony theft. Derek Johnson, 52, was a former executive at The Aspen Skiing Company, […] Industry News SnowBrains | December 19, 2019 0 Comments
Former Aspen Skiing Co. Executive Pleads Guilty to $1-Million Theft From Skico A former Aspen city councilman and mayoral candidate who stole and sold more than $2.4 million worth of skis, snowboards and other goods while working as an Aspen Skiing Co. executive for 17 years, pleaded guilty in court yesterday. Derek Johnson, 51, and his wife, Kerri Johnson, 48, admitted in Pitkin County District Court to stealing between $100,000 and $1 […] Industry News SnowBrains | November 19, 2019 0 Comments