DENVER -- Jack Boettcher loves to cruise the blues.
For 50 years, Boettcher has skied the slopes from Snowmass to Vail to Steamboat Springs. These days, he counts among his favorite haunts some smaller resorts that offer plenty of well-groomed intermediate runs -- the "blues."
"I kind of like the family atmosphere and the price is right," said Boettcher, 76, who lives in the Denver area. "My leisure time has always been in the mountains."
Smaller ski areas from Vermont to California are seeing brisk business by catering to area residents, families, and first-time skiers and snowboarders. Many don't offer the challenging, varied terrain and amenities found at destination resorts, but they are typically cheaper and not as crowded. That means shorter lift lines and more runs in a day.
"I think the biggest change that I've seen in the last decade is the revival of the small and medium-sized ski areas around the country," said Michael Berry, president of the National Ski Areas Association. "I think actually they are doing very well now, better than probably any time in the last 20 or 25 years."
As the season gets underway, ski industry officials are optimistic, noting strong reservations to date and a new crop of youngsters interested in the sport. The industry has forecast between 57 million and 58 million skier visits this season -- a measure equal to one person buying a full day's lift ticket. The record stands at 57.3 million skier visits in 2002-2003.
In the past five years, the number of ski resorts nationwide has hovered around 500, down from a high of 727 in 1984, the association said. Most are owned by families or private corporations. It is a $4 billion to $4.5 billion industry.
For smaller resorts, the biggest challenges are watching the bottom line while finding ways to improve and prosper, such as adding faster lifts, snowmaking technology, and summer activities.
"Our business has definitely changed since the '90s," said general manager Tom Jankovsky of Sunlight Mountain Resort, near Aspen. "All the smaller resorts have had to grow up more. We're not as mom and pop as we used to be.
"The people that are flying into Aspen, that's not our clientele," Jankovsky said. "We're just a different brand of resort."
About 60 miles west of Boston is Wachusett Mountain, serving a varied clientele, including about 11,000 schoolchildren, night skiers, and members of a recreational racing league. The children range in age from fifth grade to high school, with after-school programs offered in about 350 area schools.
"They're the 12-year-old kids that are going eventually to become our ski instructors and the parents that take their kids skiing here," said general manager David Crowley, whose family owns the resort. "We've seen the cycle."