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Winter is just around the corner, which means weekends packed with drives to Summit county, long days on the mountain, and cool evenings in idyllic mountain towns. But first, Coloradans need to know where to get their gear, how to save money on lift tickets, what the best runs are and how to keep their gear safe while shredding powder. Below are some local companies helping Coloradans make the most of their winter on the slopes. We caught up with some of their employees to find out what's new and even what their favorite place to ski in Colorado is.
GetSkiTickets.com, Brandon Quinn
What’s new at GetSkiTickets.com?
We just recently launched an all new mobile web site and booking engine so our guests can book lift tickets from their phones, tablets, phablets and of course desktop. This past year our gross revenue grew by 60 percent while total transactions increased 35 percent. Our E-commerce conversion rates were up 241% as well. Our current database of dedicated skiers and snowboarders is 66K people.
How local is your team? Who are you hiring next?
Our company is comprised of 3 full timers and 2 locally contracted talent. The company is owned by myself, my wife and my sister! It's a family run local Colorado company and proud of it. The company is native to Colorado as are the owners. We're always looking for talented, passionate people to join our team. Email [email protected] with resumes.
Why use GetSkiTickets.com?
We sell discount lift tickets! Who doesn't want discount lift tickets? With the cost of skiing and snowboarding constantly going up, we provide a marketplace for skiers and snowboarders to shop discount lift tickets, rental, lessons and season pass deals. We partner directly with ski resorts and market their products to our audience of skiers and riders. Our tickets have to be purchased in advance, which provides us with the opportunity to discount our tickets. Tickets sold on our web site are date-specific and non-refundable. However, we offer lift ticket insurance to protect the purchase.
Do you ever get out of the office and enjoy the Colorado winter fun?
Our special outings consist of us "sampling" our own products and doing a little quality control. Come join us at any of our participating ski resorts.
Best place to ski/snowboard in Colorado?
Wow…good question. Colorado has the goods so that's a tough one. A pow day at Aspen Highlands is pretty difficult to beat. Although Loveland isn't a resort partner yet (give us a call Loveland), I've recently enjoyed the accessibility and affordability of this resort. Catch it on a powder day, ski for four hours and get home to finish off the work day. It's the easiest and closest ski resort to Denver. Carpe Skiem!
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skiGenius, Matt Doyle
What’s new with your platform?
We have been working hard over the past 2 months to bring this app to life and we are scheduled to launch on December 1st. We plan to launch initially at Vail, Breckenridge, Keystone, Beaver Creek, Copper Mountain, Loveland and Arapahoe Basin with more than 800 individual runs cataloged and reviewed by local experts.
The team:
I’m flying solo as of now. I’m looking to bring on an iOS developer as a co-founder in addition to an intern that can help with our social media presence.
Why use skiGenius?
One of the best things about Colorado is the sheer number of different ski resorts available to us. At the same time, one of the worst things is that they are enormous and impossible to navigate if you aren’t familiar with them. skiGenius can recommend you great runs based on your ability and the types of terrain you love skiing, so you can spend more time enjoying yourself and less time worrying about where you’re going next.
Are you planning any fun winter outings?
We will definitely be hosting some winter parties at various resorts over the course of the season beginning in January.
Your favorite place to ski/ride?
As cliche as it is, my number one resort is Vail. I’ve been skiing there for 20 years in addition to getting engaged and married there. It’s near and dear to my heart. Picking a favorite run is difficult but I would say when the conditions are right, Montane Glade back in Blue Sky is a winner.
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Snowgate, Christian Nitu
What’s new for SnowGate this season?
This past winter season was the launch of the SnowGate, the first locker system controlled by a smartphone at winter park resort, CO. This year SnowGate will be expanding to new resorts nationwide. They will be adding features to their mobile app (iOS and Android), including a reservation system, partnership program, and group key feature to their mobile enabled lockers. With over 4,100 happy customers in its first year of operation at Winter Park Resort, SnowGate is looking to grow on its early success while developing new technologies to revolutionize the storage industry.
Who is your local team?
We have two full time team members based in Boulder. We will be looking to hire 1 full time Intern this summer along with 1-2 full time within the year locally. We will post these positions on our page and social channels.
How do I use SnowGate?
Users can interact with our lockers the same way they would interact with a standard kiosk (Redbox, B-Cycle, etc) to secure their skis, snowboards, shoes, boots, etc. all in one place. They can also have the same experience by downloading our mobile app, which is available for iOS and Android. Using the app, users can rent lockers, share keys, extend sessions, end session, and view their transaction history.
Any upcoming SnowGate parties?
SnowGate will host a November launch party this year, details will be posted on the website and social channels.
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Evolve, Brian Becker
What’s new with Evolve?
Evolve is on a mission to make vacation rental easy for everyone. Our system provides homeowners with the easiest and most effective way to earn rental income, while offering travelers a simple and secure online booking experience. We recently surpassed 70,000 nights booked for our owners.
How big is the local team?
We currently have 21 team members locally and we are actively hiring.
Why use Evolve?
Our platform allows us to monitor the performance of every property in the Evolve Network in real time. This gives us the ability to make instant adjustments that help to maximize each home's booking potential.
When there’s not snow on the ground, where do you go?
Roxborough State Park is one of the area's best kept secrets. The hikes offer fantastic views of incredible red-rock formations and there's an abundance of wildlife in the area.
