Low Snowpack Not Bad News For All Businesses In Mountains

ARAPAHOE BASIN, Colo. (CBS4) - The Colorado ski season officially ends this Sunday when the lifts close at Arapahoe Basin -- its earliest closing in decades. But the low snowpack and warm weather isn't bad news for all high country businesses.

Right now snowpack levels are awful across the state -- averaging just 20 percent of where it normally is this time of year.

It's no secret that the high country thrives off of recreation. And while the crown jewel is skiing, there are some other opportunities that are blooming much earlier this spring.

Arapahoe Basin was open until the Fourth of July last year, and a cold fall let them open just 100 days later -- earlier than normal. But since then Mother Nature hasn't been so kind.

"It was a tough decision, and with the lack of snowfall and warm temperatures this spring, it was just something we had to do," Leigh Hierholzer with Arapahoe Basin said.

Arapahoe Basin wanted to stay open until June, but the last snowfall was about two weeks ago and there wasn't much before that dating back to Valentine's Day.

"This is the earliest closing since 1981," Hierholzer said. "There are business considerations that we have to look at. With warm weather down the Front Range a lot of people just aren't coming up. We've had to close more terrain."

It's quite a different story just a few miles away at the Breckenridge Golf Course.

"We opened last year June 2 -- our latest opening ever and the season was the shortest on record since 1985," a Breckenridge Golf Course official said. "This year we're going to open May 5 and hopefully have the longest season on record."

As preparations are under way, the golf course doesn't just want to try and bring more tourism, but it's actually run by the town and hopes to bring in more revenue.

"The golf course isn't going to do the kind of numbers a ski area does, but hopefully people will see some fun and novelty and a unique experience to play golf in the high country in early May."

While the economy has taken a hit, it's really affected the seasonal workers. Many have received less pay with shorter seasons and every mountain closing earlier than expected. The golf course said many of their employees are coming from the ski areas.