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Janet Day – Where did that winter season go?

Janet Day / Talk of the Valley
Fraser Valley, CO Colorado

So Soon? This is it, closing weekend at Winter Park Resort. This season seems to have gone by awfully quickly, but maybe it’s just a fact of aging that time seems to fly by faster every year.

I spent a lot of this season working with people in their 20s and it’s been fun. I love their energy, outlook, optimism and willingness to laugh at anything, especially themselves. I wish I could bottle some of it and take a sip every once in a while to rejuvenate myself.

It’s been interesting to watch the “kids” develop work relationships, build skills and find their niche in the resort world, even if just for a few months. I wonder who among them won’t be seen here again, who will return to a job with a promotion next season, who’s been motivated to return to school for studies in outdoor recreation or environmental sciences and who is going to be that generation’s resort CEO, COO or CFO taking the snow sports industry deep into the 21st Century?



The difference with this generation and mine is social media. Through Facebook, Twitter, My Space and who knows what new apps for smart phones, these young adults keep in touch, support each other, find jobs for each other and build on what they’ve learned and experienced together. I’m really rather envious of what the future – immediate and distant – holds for them.

A Pass is a Pass: I’ve been asked a few times for my opinion about the Corona Pass versus Rollins Pass name debate and my answer is always the same: I really don’t care. Each name has its history and the people using those names have their reasons. I’ve used both but find myself saying “Rollins Pass” most often when talking about the top and saying “Corona Pass Road” when talking about the drive up there.



Whatever name is used, there’s bound to be some confusion. Two years ago my then-new dog took off during a hike up James Peak, causing no small amount of panic. But campers whose tent he apparently walked into called my phone number printed on his collar. They were not local and convinced they were camping just below the summit of Corona Pass but weren’t sure exactly where. I spent more than an hour running up to the summit, past the collapsed tunnel and across into Boulder County trying to find their campsite. Turns out they were just below the trestle, which on the map in their guidebook was identified as Corona Pass.

Foreclosure Figure: Those were some scary numbers in a recent Denver Post article about home foreclosures in mountain resort communities. Reporter Jason Blevins wrote that “while foreclosure sales have been on the downturn along the Front Range, mountain communities are experiencing increases often of triple-digit percentages as homeowners from the wealthy on down lose their properties.”

Grand County saw a 348 percent increase in foreclosure filings from 2007 to 2009. Among resort-town counties, Routt, Pitkin and Gunnison were even worse. And the outlook for this year, according to brokers and economists, isn’t much better.

Proud Patrol: Congratulations to the Winter Park Resort Ski Patrol for capturing the team standings in the races during last week’s 2010 Colorado Pro Ski Patrol Convention at the resort. Steamboat’s patrol team came in second and Vail’s third. Other participants include patrollers from Aspen Highlands, Snowmass, Wolf Creek and Copper.

– Keep in Touch: What’s got your attention around the area? Let me know. I’ll try to find the answer or spread the news. Send it all to JDayQuilts@msn.com. Follow me and local tidbits at http://www.twitter.com/DayJan or friend me on Facebook.


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