NOT JUST IKON VS EPIC, MOUNTAIN COLLECTIVE SKI PASS STILL AROUND

The Mountain Collective Pass is around again for the 2018-19 season. It offers two days at each of 16 resorts for $409, and will add Montana's Big Sky to the group for the upcoming season. The group includes: Utah’s Alta, Snowbird and Snowbasin, Aspen Snowmass, Wyoming’s Jackson Hole, California’s Mammoth and Squaw Valley Alpine Meadows, Vermont’s Sugarbush, Idaho’s Sun Valley, New Mexico’s Taos, Australia’s Thredbo, Canada’s Lake Louise, Banff Sunshine and Revelstoke, and Coronet Peak and The Remarkables in New Zealand.

PRESIDENT TRUMP ANNOUNCES TARIFFS, DOW DROPS MORE THAN 400 POINTS

President Trump announced his administration would impose a 25 percent tariff on steel and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum. The announcement caught investors off guard and the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 420 points. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 declined 1.3 percent a piece. Investors worried that trade retaliation would trigger trade wars and there were concerns about the rising costs for companies that rely heavily on aluminum and steel, like auto and plane makers. Imports make up about a third of the steel American businesses use every year.

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CALLS NOR'EASTER A "LIFE AND DEATH" SITUATION

The Mid-Atlantic and Northeast U.S. is bracing for a major storm with extremely strong winds, rain, heavy snow and very high storm surge waves. The National Weather Service in Boston advises residents and visitors, "Please take this storm seriously. For those living along the coast, this is a LIFE & DEATH situation." The worst of the wind and coastal flooding will hit from eastern Massachusetts to southern Maine. Hurricane-force wind gusts of 75 mph are possible, according to the NWS.

GLENWOOD COUNCIL OK'S SOUTH CANYON HOT SPRINGS STUDY

The Glenwood Springs City Council Thursday tentatively agreed to enter into a lease-option agreement with Steve Beckley and the other owners of the Iron Mountain Hot Springs to take water samples from the South Canyon hot springs and conduct site analysis of the area. The site is currently considered a public health hazard due to the high bacteria levels in the existing pools. If the site proves feasible to develop into a bathing facility with campsites and other amenities, Beckley said he would create a public process to form a proposal which would require reviews by both the city and Garfield County.

ASPEN PAYS $2.6M FOR WOODY CREEK LAND FOR POTENTIAL RESERVOIR

The city of Aspen closed on the purchase of 63 acres of land in Woody Creek at a cost of $2.68 million which the city will hold as a site for one or more reservoirs. In July, the city announced its intention to transfer the conditional water storage rights it holds on Castle and Maroon creeks to Woody Creek and other sites. The acreage purchase includes 61 acres on Raceway Drive valued by the Pitkin County Assessor's Office at $2.3 million and a 1.9-acre parcel next to the Woody Creek post office.

LARAMIE ENERGY BUYS BLACK HILLS OIL & GAS HOLDINGS

Officials of Laramie Energy announced Thursday the company had purchased the Piceance Basin oil and gas assets of Black Hills Corp. Black Hills, based in South Dakota, has significant holdings in the area but recently said it was getting out of the oil and gas development business. In earlier statements, Black Hills reported having about 73,000 acres of Mancos shale leases in the Piceance Basin and had acquired another 16,000 acres in federal leases in the De Beque area in late 2016. Laramie Energy has about 1,500 wells in Mesa, Garfield and Rio Blanco counties.

BURNING MAN THEME FOR MANCOS MELT CELEBRATION

The annual Mancos Melt festival is March 15, and for the first time, this year the festival has a theme, the Burning Man. The theme is a takeoff on the festival held each year in the desert of Nevada that attracts people from around the world and is known for outlandish costumes, artwork and the giant wooden man-sculpture burned at the end of the festivities. The Mancos Creative District will host a kick-off party March 15 and on March 17 there will be the annual bed races, an indoor putt-putt tournament and the lighting of the Manco "man" sculpture.

HOW TO COUNTER THE LOSS OF WILDLIFE IN EAGLE COUNTY

Wildlife managers from Colorado Parks and Wildlife appeared before the Vail Planning and Environmental Commission this week to present an overview of the state of local wildlife. Wildlife herds in Eagle County have been on a steady decline for the past 15 years. The elk herd between the top of Vail Pass and Wolcott has declined from about 3,500 animals in 2002 to less than 1,200 in 2016. The major factor in the decline is the impact of humans, their homes and buildings, roads, and constant presence, at all hours, limiting the movement and freedom of animals. The way to preserve or rebuild herds, according to CPW officials, is limiting growth of development and trails and education to ensure compliance with seasonal trail closures and other regulations.

THE EPIC PASS WILL BE AVAILABLE TO ALL ACTIVE AND RETIRED MILITARY FOR $99

The Vail Resorts' Epic Pass will be available in the 2018-19 season to all active and retired military and their dependents for $99. The Military Epic Pass is for active and retired members of the United States, Canadian and Australian military and their dependents. The Epic Pass will celebrate its 10th anniversary in 2018-19 and VR officials decided the Military Epic Pass was an appropriate way to honor the veterans of the 10th Mountain Division that founded Vail.

SUMMIT COUNTY CHAMBER PRESENTS BUSINESS EXCELLENCE AWARDS

The Summit Chamber of Commerce presented 10 awards this week, honoring local businesses including: the businesses of the year in the small, medium and large categories as well as businesses promoting employee wellness, the environment, customer service and more. Some of those honored: Large Business of the Year, Arapahoe Basin Ski Area; Medium Business of the Year, iFurnish and iMattress; Small Business of the Year, Red Buffalo Café; Marketing Champion, Town of Silverthorne; and Ben Fogle Award, Doug Berg.

NATIONAL PARK VISITS IN 2017

Nearly 331 million people visited the National Park Service's 417 sites around the United States in 2017, a slight dip from the 331 million record-breaking visits during its centennial anniversary year in 2016. For the 59 national parks, 2017 visitor numbers:

1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park (NC/TN): 11,388,893 visits
2. Grand Canyon National Park (AZ): 6,254,238 visits
3. Zion National Park (UT): 4,504,812 visits
4. Rocky Mountain National Park (CO): 4,437,215 visits
5. Yosemite National Park (CA): 4,336,890 visits
6. Yellowstone National Park (ID/MT/WY): 4,116,524 visits
7. Acadia National Park (ME): 3,509,271 visits
8. Olympic National Park (WA): 3,401,996 visits
9. Grand Teton National Park (WY): 3,317,000 visits
10. Glacier National Park (MT): 3,305,512 visits