We were encouraged this month to read that the top two executives of Aspen Skiing Company went out of their way to send an indirect message to the Steamboat Springs community saying they value Steamboat’s unique local character, just as they value the way the individual cultures of communities up and down the Roaring Fork Valley have informed their resort through the years and even set it apart from competitors.

Significantly, Aspen Skiing Company Chief Executive Officer Mike Kaplan and Chief Operating Officer David Perry said, “We’ll promote our way of doing business, but without any expectation that our new sister resorts should abandon any of their own unique attributes of culture and place. Quite the opposite, actually,” their note read. “We’ve been thinking a lot about this idea of how the valley’s longstanding sense of character and place informs Aspen Skiing Company’s product and values, as we have entered into a partnership to acquire other ski areas.”

The message appeared on the company’s website in the context of a season-ending thank-you to the Aspen community. And while we’re a bit mystified why they don’t seem to have reached out directly to the Steamboat community, as well as those of its sibling Intrawest resorts and that of Mammoth, Calif., it’s a positive message for everyone who lives in Routt County, second property owners here and loyal Steamboat vacationers.

Read more at Steamboat Today.