DENVER - A year ago, ski resorts ended their worst season in nearly two decades with the biggest snow depths of the winter.
This year, the resorts not only set a record for the worst attendance, but they also lacked the late-spring snows to ease some of their woes.
As most of Colorado's major resorts, including Aspen and Vail, prepare to close this weekend, wildfires and rockslides are the talk of the high country.
April has been so warm that the snow is melting faster than seasonal workers can hitchhike home.
Steamboat Springs, the state's northernmost resort, closed last weekend, and Berthoud Pass is closing on Saturday, a month before it had planned.
Breckenridge, Keystone, Arapahoe Basin and Loveland all planned to remain open into May.
''The warm temperatures, particularly at the base, have really taken a toll on the slopes,'' said Rose Abello of the Aspen Skiing Co.
''This has been a warm April, the bookend of the fall,'' said Jim Felton of the Breckenridge ski resort.
For the 1998-99 season, skier and snowboarder numbers tumbled to 11.3 million from 11.8 million the previous year.
Resort officials said it was the worst attendance drop in nearly two decades, blaming it on a dearth of early-season snow, but they made up some of the loss with late-season snow depths.
In Aspen, for example, there was a 100-inch base on May 1, the deepest of the season, last year. On Friday, Aspen reported a base of 53 inches to 66 inches, with spring conditions.
As of the end of February, skier and snowboarder numbers totaled 6.8 million, a decline of about 9 percent from a year ago. Resort officials blamed warm weather early in the season and Y2K fears that kept holiday visitors home.
''Last year was really extraordinary. We didn't even reach our maximum snow depth until the first week of May. This April is probably a little drier than average,'' said Dale Atkins of the Colorado Avalanche Information Center. ''Dust and wind are making the snow dirty, which means it will melt even faster.''
Vail and Crested Butte cashed in special insurance they bought in case skier numbers fell.
Breckenridge was one of a handful of resorts reporting gains this year. ''We do seem to be the anomaly,'' said Felton.
Colorado Ski Country USA said the total number of skiers and snowboarders visiting the state's slopes was down 9 percent this year, and that follows a 4 percent decline the year before.
The decline in ski visits have intensified the battle to win the loyalty of skiers. Major resorts are offering unrestricted season passes for $400 and less. Winter Park is offering a weekday season pass for $100 per person if four people sign up together.
