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Colorado - Fri. 12/12/25 |
A Free Business Publication from Alpine Bank
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VAIL SELLS FEWER PASSES AHEAD OF SKI SEASON
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Vail Resorts sold fewer passes heading into the peak ski season, but its chief executive officer said that elements of its turnaround strategy to draw skiers back were beginning to deliver results. The operator of ski resorts, including Vail Mountain, Whistler Blackcomb and Stowe, said Wednesday that the number of ski passes it sold for the upcoming North American season fell 2 percent through Dec. 5 from a year ago. Overall revenue from pass sales, however, rose 3 percent, driven by a 7 percent price increase. CEO Rob Katz said the company saw initial promising results from its marketing investments and new price offerings. Sales, as compared with the prior year, rose after Labor Day, which Katz attributed partially to shifts in the company’s move to increase spending on social media and influencer advertising. Vail has rolled out promotions this year to drive single-day ticket sales and has lowered lift-ticket prices at some resorts.
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SWIRE COCA-COLA LANDS SITE FOR $475 MILLION PLANT
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A massive Coca-Cola bottling plant creating 170 jobs has found a home in southeast Colorado Springs after the company behind it was unable to complete a deal to build on city land near Denver International Airport. Draper, Utah-based Swire Coca-Cola USA and Colorado Springs officials announced the plant’s location in the Peak Innovation Park on Wednesday night, ending the mystery about where the $475 million investment would be made after the Denver deal collapsed last summer. Construction on the 620,000-square-foot facility is expected in 2026. Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade said his city and partners, including Urban Frontier, the real estate company behind the business park that Swire chose, are able to “provide businesses the support, speed, and clarity they need to succeed.” Gov. Jared Polis praised the fact that the plant will still be built in Colorado, a state where Swire has 1,300 employees.
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COLORADO BEGINS ENFORCING LEFT-LANE RESTRICTIONS FOR COMMERCIAL VEHICLES ON 'HIGH RISK' SECTIONS OF I-70
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Colorado transportation officials are now enforcing a new law that restricts commercial motor vehicles, including semitrailers, from driving in the left lane along “high-risk” stretches of I-70. The rule limits heavy trucks to the right lane along certain stretches of I-70 unless they are actively passing, helping to maintain steady traffic flow and reduce crash risks on steep grades often impacted by weather. There are new lane markings in the left lane and signage near Georgetown, the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels, Vail Pass and Glenwood Canyon, reminding commercial vehicles of the new left-lane restrictions. The Colorado State Patrol is actively enforcing commercial vehicle left-lane restrictions in these areas, including by conducting regular patrols to identify trucks traveling in the left lane in violation of the law, especially during storms and peak travel periods. Violations may result in a $100 fine and four points against the driver’s license.
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PITKIN COUNTY MAKES 'HISTORIC' PURCHASE TO PROTECT LAND NEAR SNOWMASS
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Snowmass Falls Ranch, the largest inholding in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness and the gateway to some of the area’s most coveted recreation and wildlife habitat, was acquired in a historic purchase by Pitkin County, in partnership with The Wilderness Land Trust, to protect it from development. The 650-acre property sits just outside Snowmass Village, at the foot of the Elk Range, with a majority of the property within the boundaries of the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness.
Originally established by Kate Lindvig, known as the “Cattle Queen of Snowmass,” during the original settlement of Aspen, the property was purchased by Pitkin County for $34 million from the previous landowners earlier this year using Open Space Program funds. Purchasing the property, originally listed at $50 million in 2021 with no conservation easements or deed restrictions, was possible thanks to recently sold bonds and a $10 million loan from the Great Outdoors Colorado trust fund. For more information, visit wildernesslandtrust.org.
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LA PLATA ELECTRIC ASSOC. OFFERS SCHOLARSHIPS, D.C. TRIP FOR STUDENTS
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La Plata Electric Association is continuing its annual tradition of offering scholarships and educational travel opportunities to students in 2026. The offerings include scholarships for college and vocational students, and a fully funded leadership trip to Washington, D.C., for four high school juniors from Durango, Bayfield, Pagosa Springs and Ignacio. LPEA will award $28,000 for students pursuing four-year degrees, $10,000 for those attending two-year vocational or technical programs and $12,000 for students entering accredited electrical lineworker training. The application deadline is March 1.
Applications are also open for the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour. The deadline is Jan. 2. The all-expenses-paid tour takes place June 15-21. Details and application links for college and vocational scholarships are available at lpea.coop/scholarships. The application deadline for all scholarships is March 1. Applications for the Youth Tour can be submitted at lpea.coop/lpea-youth-tour. Applications are due by Jan. 2. Questions can be directed to youthtour@lpea.coop or 970-247-5786.
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HAYDEN STATION UNIT 2 PLANT OFFLINE AFTER SCRUBBER VESSEL PARTIALLY COLLAPSES
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Xcel Energy has temporarily shut down Hayden Station’s Unit 2 plant after one of the facility’s scrubber vessels partially collapsed on Nov. 29, according to a statement from Xcel Senior Media Relations Representative Michelle Aguayo on Thursday. No one was injured, and the scrubber vessel is believed to be stable, said Aguayo. “We are looking into the cause and have consulted with the manufacturer,” Aguayo said. “Repairs are in the planning stages, and the plant remains safely offline.” “Safety is a priority at Xcel Energy, including how our plants are run and maintained,” she added.
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WINTER LOGGING ROAD CLOSURES IN GMUG'S GRAND VALLEY RANGER DISTRICT
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The Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison (GMUG) National Forests’ Grand Valley Ranger District are temporarily closing several roads in Mesa County to ensure public safety while timber is being harvested in the area. The following roads will be closed to visitors Monday through Friday from Dec. 10 at 8 a.m. to Dec. 23 at 8 a.m.; and Jan. 4 at 8 a.m. to April 1 at 8 a.m. unless rescinded.
The road closures include:
- National Forest System Road (NFSR) 121 (Trickel Park Road) is closed from the northern forest boundary approximately 5 miles south to the intersection with NFSR 114.
- NFSR 260 is closed from the intersection with NFSR 121 for approximately 5.2 miles east to the edge of the Englehart DxP Timber Sale.
- NFSR 114 is closed from the intersection with NFSR 121 for approximately 4.8 miles east to the eastern terminus of the road.
Temporary closures of snow- and ice-covered mountain roads are necessary to protect public safety and prevent collisions with logging trucks. Roads will reopen to the public on weekends and when log hauling operations are paused. For more information on this closure order, to include a detailed map, please visit our website or contact the Grand Valley Ranger District at 970-242-8211.
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COLORADO UNEMPLOYMENT FELL TO 4.1% IN SEPTEMBER, DELAYED DATA SHOWS
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Colorado’s unemployment rate is improving, according to the Colorado Dept. of Labor and Employment. The state recorded 134,000 unemployed people in September; 4,800 fewer people compared to August. The state’s unemployment rate fell from 4.2 percent to 4.1 percent. The national unemployment rate was 4.4 percent. The state released September’s data on Thursday, which was delayed by more than seven weeks due to the federal government shutdown. The employment data was collected before the shutdown that ended up being the longest in U.S. history.
- Colorado added 500 jobs in September, the report said.
- The number of Coloradans participating in the labor force fell in September by 3,400 people, pushing the labor force participation rate down by one-tenth of a percentage point to 67.3 percent.
- In the last year, from September 2024, the state added more than 18,000 jobs.
- The largest gains were in the educational and health services sector, making up more than 50 percent of the state’s job gains.
- Leisure and hospitality added 8,800 jobs; the information sector added 2,900 jobs and professional and business services added 1,600 jobs.
- The state saw job losses in the financial activities sector (-4,800), trade, transportation and utilities (-4,600) and construction (-3,200).
- Colorado has seen 0.6 percent job growth year-over-year, slightly below the national average of 0.8 percent.
- Colorado’s unemployment rate has been slowly declining since hitting a high of 4.8 percent in May.
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TOP U.S. CITIES FOR A "REAL-LIFE HALLMARK HOLIDAY STORY"
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Those looking to live out a festive, Hallmark-style Christmas may not need to venture farther than a small town south of Denver. Littleton, which stands out for its Main Street charm and thriving local economy, ranked first in Colorado for its Christmas movie charm and placed ninth nationally, according to The Action Network analysis. The Action Network rankings are based on a “Hallmark Likelihood Index” — which pulls data from more than 3,000 towns on population, number of small businesses, historic sites and December snowfall — to determine where a real-life Hallmark holiday story is most likely to happen. The top 10 contenders included:
- Puyallup, Washington, 5.4 percent
- Farmington, Michigan, 5 percent
- Poughkeepsie, New York, 4.6 percent
- Price, Utah, 4.4 percent
- Naples, Florida, 4.3 percent
- Bangor, Maine, 3.8 percent
- Burlington, Vermont, 3.6 percent
- Fairbanks, Alaska, 3.6 percent
- Littleton, Colorado, 3.3 percent
- York, Pennsylvania, 3.1 percent
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SOME CHRISTMAS RITUALS AROUND THE WORLD
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For as much as Christmas in the United States is celebrated with going to church and other religious ceremonies, it is also the time of gift giving. While many nations do exchange gifts, the rituals around them differ enormously. Here are some Christmas traditions from around the world:
- Iceland: Reading by candlelight after Christmas dinner. In Iceland, publishers gear up to release new books at Christmas, the jólabókaflóð, or "Christmas book flood". On Dec. 24, families exchange presents, eat Christmas dinner, and then spend the evening reading their new books by candlelight, perhaps with a box of chocolates and a drink beside them.
- Japan: Christmas is more like our Valentine's Day. Christmas Eve is a romantic evening for couples, with restaurants offering specials and many hotels selling out.
- Australia: Playing cricket. With the nice weather in the Southern Hemisphere, the family tradition is a Christmas cricket match, with everyone taking part.
- Ukraine: Celebrating spiders. In Western Ukraine, Christmas decorations are a bejeweled spiderweb to celebrate The Legend of the Christmas Spider, an Eastern European folktale in which a spider decorates the Christmas tree of a woman too poor to afford ornaments.
- Venezuela: Roller skates to church. In Venezuela, there are the usual Christmas church services, however, there is a distinctive way of getting there…on roller skates. This ritual dates back to the time when many adults skated through the night to reach Misa de Aguinaldo (Early Morning Mass) at 5 a.m.
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INTERNATIONAL VISITOR ARRIVALS CONTINUE DOWN IN SEPTEMBER
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The National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) recently released international travel data, both arrivals and departures, for September 2025, which showed:
- Total non-U.S. resident international visitor volume to the United States was 5,477,289, down 11 percent from September 2024
- Overseas visitor volume to the U.S. (not including Canada and Mexico) was 2,826,200, down 7.7 percent from September 2024
- The largest number of international visitor arrivals were from Mexico (1,505,562), Canada (1,145,527), the United Kingdom (373,675), Japan (194,092), and Germany (162,435)
- Total U.S. citizen international visitor departures from the United States were 8,546,659, up less than 1 percent from the departures in September 2024
- Mexico recorded the largest outbound visitor volume of 2,916,364 (34.1 percent of total departures for September)
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FORBES: WORLD’S MOST POWERFUL WOMEN, 2025
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The 22nd annual Forbes list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women was determined by four main metrics: money, media, impact and spheres of influence. For political leaders, gross domestic products and populations were considered; for corporate chiefs, revenues, valuations and employee counts were critical. Media mentions were analyzed for all. The 2025 top 10 Forbes Most Powerful Women:
- Ursula von der Leyen: President, European Union, Belgium
- Christine Lagarde: President, European Central Bank, Germany
- Sanae Takaichi: Prime Minister, Japan
- Giorgia Meloni: Prime Minister, Italy
- Claudia Sheinbaum: President, Mexico
- Julie Sweet: Chair & CEO Accenture, USA
- Mary Barra: CEO General Motors, USA
- Jane Fraser: CEO Citi, USA
- Abigail Johnson: Chair & CEO, Fidelity Investments, USA
- Lisa Su: CEO AMD, USA
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MARKET UPDATE - 12/11/2025 Close
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(Courtesy of Alpine Bank Wealth Management*)
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Canadian dollar (per U.S. dollar)
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Mexican peso (per U.S. dollar)
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30-year fixed mortgage rate (Freddie Mac 12/11/2025)
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*Not FDIC insured. May lose value. Not guaranteed by the bank.
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Alpine Bank is an independent, employee-owned organization with headquarters in Glenwood Springs and banking offices across Colorado's Western Slope, mountains and Front Range. Alpine Bank serves customers with retail, business, wealth management*, mortgage and electronic banking services. Learn more at alpinebank.com.
*Alpine Bank Wealth Management services are not FDIC insured, may lose value and are not guaranteed by the bank.
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