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Steamboat Springs — The 800-pound gorilla of Steamboat Springs' business community spoke Friday.

Steamboat Ski and Resort Corp.'s top official held forth at Mainstreet Steamboat Springs' annual meeting at Old Town Pub. Group members heard Ski Corp. President Chris Diamond's insights into the company's recession expectations. Retail will take a hit, and competition and decreased consumer confidence will keep prices flat throughout a couple of years, Diamond predicted.

"To think next year we're going to improve this, you're probably smoking something," he said.

Skier numbers haven't plummeted, Diamond said, saying the ski area could see a season-over-season decrease of less than 10 percent. But more of the visitors are coming from the Front Range rather than outside that driving distance, he said.

"While they drive volume, frankly, (they) don't drive the bottom line the way that our core family vacation guest does," Diamond said. "That segment of the market will be off somewhere between 10 and 20 percent."

Also this season, traffic has slowed for the Steamboat Ski and Snowboard School, he said, and some of the higher-end mountain restaurants have been affected. Retail has been hit hardest, Diamond said.

But at least there's snow on the ground and in the forecast, he said.

"I'd be giving a little different presentation if we were having snow challenges on top of everything else that's going on," Diamond said. "But fortunately, we're right on track for another record snow winter, so that poor snow excuse for not booking your vacation has gone away, and that's a really good thing for all of us."

He also noted that downtown and the mountain work together to create an impression on tourists. People don't differentiate between the two when they evaluate their vacation, Diamond said. In its 1 to 10 ranking system, Steamboat Ski Area so far has earned an 8.2 this season. That amounts to a citywide thumbs-up, he said.

Steamboat must keep providing good service and protect its brand, he said. People see the city as a Western, family-friendly real town with real people - and Champagne Powder, Diamond said.

Still, business and local real estate will never be what they were during the boom of the past few years, he predicted. The powerful minds of Steamboat need to start planning for that, Diamond suggested.

"If we can figure out where the opportunities are going forward as a ski resort and downtown, we could come out ahead of the pack," he said.

Other Mainstreet news

Also Friday, Mainstreet said goodbye to a few board members. Steve Hitchcock, Kelly Landers and Leon Rinck retired from the panel. Michael Lang, of Harwigs/L'apogee, and Sue Krall, from Off the Beaten Path Bookstore, took spots.

The group is facing challenges, Mainstreet President Towny Anderson said, and must figure out how to fund itself. The board and the group members are committed to that, Anderson said.

"Just as a healthy heart is necessary for a vibrant and healthy body, a healthy downtown is important for a vibrant and healthy Steamboat and Routt County," he said.