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Colorado - Mon. 06/22/26 |
A Free Business Publication from Alpine Bank
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SUMMER BOOKINGS AT COLORADO RESORT AREAS LOOKING GOOD
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Resort hospitality firm Inntopia’s latest market briefing covering summer reservations for Colorado’s resort areas shows higher bookings for the July 4th weekend than last year and higher for the summer season than at this point last year. The resorts are seeking to recover from low numbers in the winter season due to lack of snow, and there has been concern over the potential of wildfire activity this summer. This year the Fourth of July falls on a Saturday, making Friday, July 3, a federal holiday and making it a three-day weekend. Inntopia shows occupancy for the summer season (May through October) as of May 31, 5.3 percent higher than at this point last year, with June up 6 percent; July up 13 percent; and September up 3 percent. Projected revenues from room bookings are up 11 percent in June and 16 percent in July.
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COLORADO MOUNTAIN SUMMERS GETTING WARMER, HOPEFULLY THE MONSOONS COME
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Colorado State Climatologist Russ Schumacher notes that summers are not just hot in Colorado, but since 1970, the summer temperatures in western Colorado have been increasing. According to Climate Central, on average, temperatures in Colorado have risen about 3 degrees since 1970. As summers get warmer, Colorado is also seeing more periods where hot, dry and windy weather combine to create dangerous wildfire conditions. Climate Central states that the Western Slope is experiencing between 32 and 48 more fire weather days with hot, dry and windy conditions compared to the 1970s.
Schumacher said that models are showing indications that the monsoon will be active, but the wetter weather pattern typically doesn’t kick in until mid-July or early August. Still, with signs of a strong El Nino pattern developing over the Pacific Ocean, he said he’s hopeful that there will be plenty of rain in the latter half of the summer. “El Niño tends to bring wet conditions to Colorado in the fall, so I think there’s some reason for optimism further out on the horizon,” Schumacher said. “But in the near term, it’s warm and dry, and it’s looking like it’s going to continue for at least the next week or two.”
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“SKYNETS OVER DOWNTOWN” COMING TO DENVER THIS SUMMER
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The city of Denver, led by the Dept. of Transportation & Infrastructure, Denver Arts & Venues along with the Downtown Denver Partnership, Denver Downtown Development Authority and other city agencies funded the creation and installation of “Skynets Over Downtown,” an aerial art display from Poetic Kinetics and Colorado-based artist Patrick Shearn. It will begin with the opening of a display, “Sun Splash,” above the fountain at Denver Union Station on Friday, June 19. That will be followed by a sculpture, “Quaking Gold” opening June 25 over Glenarm Place, and “Skyline Drift,” which will be up in Skyline Park (1127 17th Street) in mid-July. The sculptures are expected to be on display through October, with a handful of events planned throughout the summer to complement the displays.
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DENVER WORLD TRADE CENTER: LOOKING FOR NEW CEO; BUILDING NEW GLOBAL CAMPUS
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The Denver World Trade Center has some 300 member companies and is part of a network of 320 World Trade Centers. It conducts about 80 events, trade forums and discussions about international trade annually. Since 2010, Karen Gerwitz has been the president and CEO of the World Trade Center Denver. At the 53rd annual World Trade Day conference in May Gerwitz announced she will leave her positions in the fall following a summer sabbatical and her replacement is named. The World Trade Center Denver has partnered with the developers of Fox Park to create the World Trade Center Denver Complex and expects to open its offices there in 2027. The complex at Fox Park will eventually include a cultural center, an International Exhibit Hall, Virgin Hotel, a performing arts theater, a conference center, global and local restaurants, retail, fitness center, pickleball courts, market space, and art galleries.
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MESA COUNTY LAUNCHES ITS COMMUNITY SURVEY
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Mesa County is inviting residents to participate in the 2026 Community Survey, which opens June 18, and will remain available through July 2. The survey is being distributed by Magellan Strategies, an independent research firm. Survey results will be compiled and analyzed by Magellan Strategies. The survey is open to Mesa County residents age 18 and older, takes approximately 15 minutes to complete and is confidential. The survey provides residents with an opportunity to share feedback on county services, community priorities, quality of life and the issues that matter most to the community. "We want to hear directly from the people we serve," said Mesa County Administrator Todd Hollenbeck. "Resident feedback helps us understand what is working well, where improvements may be needed and how we can continue providing services that support a strong and thriving community." The survey can be reached at research.net/r/COMesaCom26_Web.
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FROM DESERTED MINERS’ CABINS TO MOUNTAIN LUXURY
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Elizabeth Le Coq Currier and her husband, Joe Currier, had vacationed in Colorado for some two decades and came across some dilapidated coal miners’ cabins from the early 1900s that had suffered from bullet holes and no care that left boards falling down. They purchased the property, in Crested Butte, which had Coal Creek running through it, for $149,000 and began a redevelopment that included first disassembling each cabin, numbering each plank, and pouring a foundation and rebuilding the cabins. The dirt floors were covered with pine from an 18th-century Virginia barn and to repair the exteriors, they used lumber from an old Montana mine. One of the cabins became a four-bedroom bunkhouse and the Curriers built a house to “represent exactly what the old mining cabins looked like, according to Elizabeth Currier. The Curriers have now decided to return to California and have placed the property on the market for $6.995 million.
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GROUNDBREAKING THIS SUMMER FOR LUXURY SKI-IN/SKI-OUT PROPERTY IN STEAMBOAT
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Denver-based ski giant Alterra Mountain Co. and Chicago-based Marquee Development are expected to have a groundbreaking this summer on The Stockman, Auberge Collection, a ski-in, ski-out property on four acres in Steamboat Springs. It will include 95 private residences, a 59-room hotel, three restaurants, a pool, a gym, and a spa open to the public, along with several open space meeting places. The property, at the base of Thunderbird Mountain, is expected to open in 2030. Sales began ahead of the groundbreaking and already $90 million in residence contracts have been sold. Alterra Mountain Co. operates 19 ski areas, including Steamboat Ski Resort, Winter Park Resort and Arapahoe Basin in Colorado. The company also owns the Ikon Pass, which grants access to lifts at dozens of ski areas internationally.
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LEARN EVERYTHING ABOUT DILLON RESERVOIR, A PRIMER IN WEST SLOPE WATER
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Since 2012, the Summit Historical Society has hosted hour-and-a-half summer boat tours on Dillon Reservoir. The tours focus on the theme of The West in many ways, water as the force that has shaped, and continues to shape, Summit County and western Colorado. The tour explains what many of those in Summit County learn early on their arrival, that the town of Dillon has been relocated many times. The final location was due to the construction of the Dillon Dam, which began in 1960 and one of the last locations of the town was submerged in 1961.
The tour covers how crews dismantled and relocated several structures, such as the 1883 Dillon Schoolhouse, the Mint, the Old Dillon Inn as well as relocating 320 graves from the town cemetery. Of course, the reservoir is the primary source of water for Denver Water and the history of how Denver Water began acquiring water rights is fundamental to understanding the reservoir. Also covered are the beaver trappers, the railroad, the mining crews pushing into Leadville and Climax, as well as the geology of the area. Tours run throughout the summer on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings, along with one Saturday tour in July and August. To register, visit TownofDillon.com/marina/boat-tours.
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NO KIDS PLAYING IN VAIL’S CHILDREN FOUNTAIN THIS SUMMER
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As part of its continuing effort to reduce water use in Vail this summer, with the drought clearly in place, and the Eagle River Water and Sanitation District asking the town to reduce water use by one-third this summer, members of the Vail Town Council reviewed data provided by the town staff after conducting studies on June 10-11 of each of the town’s three water features to determine how much water each used. The Children’s Fountain was found to consume approximately 700 gallons of water per day and needs to run continuously, while the Slifer Fountain and the Lionshead Sunbird Park Splash Pad can be turned on and off and use much less water. The council members agreed to not run the Children’s Fountain this summer.
The Slifer Fountain was found to average around 300 to 400 gallons per day with the cascading feature but had low-use days that were under 100 gallons during July 2025. The Slifer Fountain contains a cascading feature that can be turned on and off, which cuts down on that fountain’s water usage. The town plans to fill the Slifer Fountain but will turn off the cascading feature and will monitor water use there, hoping to see numbers similar to those found on low-use days last summer. If it is found to be using more water than anticipated, the Slifer Fountain could be turned off as well, the council said. The splash pad at Sunbird Park in Lionshead uses approximately 100 to 150 gallons per day when it runs full time in a normal season and can be operated on a shortened schedule if desired.
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NEW LIFT CONSTRUCTION ON ASPEN MTN. WILL CLOSE GONDOLA, TRAILS ON MONDAY
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The Aspen Skiing Co. is building the new Nell Bell lift on Aspen Mountain, which will replace the Bell Mountain chair from 1957 and the Little Nell chair (1986) with a single, high-speed detachable quad lift, running from Gondola Plaza to the top of Bell Mountain. On Monday, June 22, helicopter operations supporting the construction of the lift will close the Aspen Gondola and some hiking trails on Aspen Mountain. The Silver Queen Gondola will be closed during the morning flight operations and is expected to open for sightseeing access after flight operations are completed, with an estimated time of approximately 1:30 p.m.
The Sundeck will be open for ice cream and grab-and-go items once the Silver Queen Gondola is operating but mountaintop yoga on Aspen Mountain will be canceled for the day. All hiking on Aspen Mountain will be diverted to the Ute Trail, with no other hiking trails open on June 22. Aspen Mountain Summer Road will be closed from Aspen Alps to the top of Bell Mountain, along with the private road from the Shadow Mountain Lift.
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UTAH WILDFIRES CAUSE SMOKY SKIES IN WESTERN COLORADO
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The 5,000-acre Iron Fire burning near Eureka, Utah and another 1,000-acre wildfire in Utah are causing smoky skies and even poor air quality in some areas of northwest Colorado. The smoke was being blown into Colorado by winds of 15 mph to 25 mph over the weekend. The Moffat County Sheriff’s Office encouraged those with respiratory conditions, young children and older adults to avoid prolonged outdoor activities over the weekend. The Routt County Sheriff’s Office had declared a red flag and high wind stage two fire restriction on Saturday.
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MARKET UPDATE - 06/18/2026 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 06/18/2026)
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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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