Economy casting chill on Colorado ski season

Colorado's major ski resorts -- many of them vacation destinations for most of the country and Europe -- are bracing for a rough season.

And it isn't because of a lack of snow, but a lack of visitors.

Bookings for Colorado's major resorts, Vail, Aspen and Telluride, are down from last year. And Frontier Airlines, which takes travelers to those destinations, says demand for tickets to posh resorts is down from previous years.

At Vail Resorts, investors were given a less-than-optimistic forecast for the upcoming season.

For 2008, Vail posted a loss of $11.1 million, despite a jump in revenue to $270.5 million attributed to its real estate division. The resorts acquired five chalets last year. Net income for 2008 was $102 million, but the company expects income of between $60 million and $76 million for this fiscal year.

"We have certainly begun to see the impact of the current economic softness during these unprecedented times," said Robert Katz, chief executive officer for Vail Resorts, which includes ski areas of Vail, Keystone, Beaver Creek and Breckenridge. "Whether these results represent guests delaying their purchases, or are signs of a visitation decline for the upcoming season, is not something we can discern yet."