Citing the impact of the downturn in the economy, Intrawest has confirmed the layoffs. The number of employees affected has not been announced.
Pre-season bookings and season pass sales are down at many Colorado ski resorts, most of which depend heavily upon fly-in destination visitors, and Intrawest officials indicate that the company's Colorado ski resorts have not been immune from this downhill schuss in reservations. Many industry analysts believe that destination resorts will suffer the brunt of the economy's impact upon skier traffic, and that drive-to ski areas may even experience a net benefit as skiers and snowboarders forego expensive vacations in favor of more frequent daytrips to neighborhood ski areas. Of Intrawest's three Colorado ski resort properties, Steamboat is the most dependent upon destination visitors, while Copper Mountain and Winter Park each receive a mix of vacationers and drive-up business from the Denver metropolitan area.
During the peak winter season, Intrawest employs 22,000 full- and part-time workers in the U.S. and Canada.
