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A handful of Aspen Skiing Company employees spokesman Jeff Hanle. “Who can blame them? It’s Aspen!
are spending the 2016-17 season in new tiny houses that are But the result is that there simply isn’t a lot of housing stock
as cozy as they are affordable and close to the “office.” The turnover around here.”
fortunate few are helping ASC test the waters to determine The company employs about 700 people year-round,
whether tiny house living for seasonal workers is a sustain- a number that balloons to more than 3,600 during the
able option. ASC, like numerous ski areas throughout the winter season across its four ski areas, Aspen Mountain,
country, is taking steps to address a growing dilemma across Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass. A lot of those
ski country: the shortage of affordable housing options for seasonal employees are full-time residents in Aspen and
seasonal employees. neighboring communities in the Roaring Fork Valley, but
Land resources are often scare in mountain resort there is also an annual influx of employees from across the
towns. Rising home values, higher full-time occupancy country and around the world, all competing for affordable
rates, a slowdown in construction during the recent reces- living quarters.
sion, building restrictions if the ski area is on public lands, The tiny house experiment is only one of several efforts
and an increase in the number of property owners who at ASC to help its seasonal workers find a place to live. The
are turning to sharing-economy resources like VRBO company offers a full complement of employee housing
and Airbnb for shorter-term (and more lucrative) rental options, including dormitories at the resorts, hotel-style
income—all are contributing to the problem. rooms in repurposed motel buildings in nearby towns Basalt
“In Aspen we have another trend, which is that we and Carbondale, and subsidized for-sale employee homes
have a lot of employees who work here for 20, 30, even 40 near the base of Aspen Highlands and other resort
years who retire and never leave,” said Aspen/Snowmass properties. Last summer, ASC brought in consultant

34 | NSAA JOURNAL | SPRING 2017