Shoulder Season, or Best Season?

Most mountain resorts go through a transition just before and right after ski season. During this “shoulder season”, some resorts will actually shut down for maintenance, remodeling, touch-ups, and/or staff turnover and training for a few weeks. If you’re an outdoors-type that isn’t just interested in ski slopes when mountains come calling, the shoulder season can be one of the biggest bangs for your buck.

Depending on the region, shoulder seasons will fall March-April and October-November in most cases. Leading up to the resort’s turnover period, room rates can go significantly down. Don’t let this throw you off. The rates in most cases are just a product of demand and not signifying that normal amenities aren’t available. An example of something you could possibly encounter on the negative side would be the temporary shut down of a regular food/beverage outlet for renovations, but this can also easily be verified by simply asking the staff when making reservations what shoulder season effects might be in play. In the case of a restaurant outlet closing, the resort will always make accommodations to make up for that loss of service by including the outlet’s menu at another location on property for instance. If you’ve never been to the resort before, you might not even notice that something is off. Gather this information from the resort before you book and weigh your options.

Biker/Hiker Paradise

Ski-In/Ski-Out resorts located on the slopes will often transition their winter slopes into mountain bike parks, using the downhill clearings for gravity-fed biking trails. These same mountainsides often contain a web of hiking trails that can keep you active for several days. The ski lifts will continue to operate after the snow melts for a certain amount of time to accommodate bikers and hikers while providing an off-season income stream. Shoulder season weather is perfect for both these activities. These lift operation schedules can be crucial for access to many areas, so be sure to inquire about calendar cut-offs.

Whitewater

At the end of the ski season, as the summer sun starts to flood the rivers with mountain run off, whitewater activities like float trips, kayaking, and rafting can come into play. How long this lasts into the fall season will differ depending on the area. A lot of operations will shut down in September because there just isn’t enough water running, which can be just as dangerous as when there is too much. In the right locations, more passive float trips can replace the whitewater rafting trips of the summer and provide a fun way to see the sights. Depending on your skill level, kayaking can be done just about anytime water is running.

Here are a few resorts I recommend considering not only for their high season, but for their shoulder seasons as well…