Despite coming off a bad snow year, an early look at winter reservations in Summit County suggests the possibility of a strong ski season ahead.
reports mountain resort bookings through March 2013 are up 0.5 percent over this time last year in four Western states, including Colorado and Utah.
Denver-based (MTRiP) tracks advance reservations for resorts in the western U.S.
But MTRiP director Ralf Garrison says it鈥檚 not an across-the-board increase for all winter months. He tells that while bookings are up for October, November and February, they鈥檙e down for December, January and March.
Still, preliminary bookings are pacing slightly ahead of where they were last year for much of January, February and March.
"We intuit that guests are still a little hesitant based on the lack of snow this last winter season, and perhaps waiting a bit longer than otherwise to see if Mother Nature will give them some direction and some confidence," Garrison told KUNC.
Garrison says the economy and the weather remain wild cards, which hotels and resorts can offset by offering deals or first-rate packages. He estimates about 40 percent of ski season bookings are in place.
This week announced it plans to open Wednesday, Oct. 17, the earliest opening date any Colorado resort has announced for the 2012/2013 season. In a , A-Basin says it will have one lift open to mid-mountain, and expects to have an 18-inch base.
