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Aspen — The Aspen Skiing Co. will fill the same number of positions next winter as the prior ski season and avoid pay cuts despite the recession.

Jim Laing, vice president of human resources for the ski company, said the company is sticking to a business plan of maintaining its historic levels of staffing. It will focus on hiring more full-time employees, which will reduce the actual number of people hired. However, the full-time equivalent positions themselves and hours will remain the same at Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk and Snowmass, Laing said.

The ski company has about 3,500 positions at peak season at its mountain operations and hotels.

Laing said the focus on full-time positions is being driven by two factors. First, many applicants want full-time jobs. During past periods of worker shortages, the ski company was forced to hire more part-time workers and patch them together to fill positions.

Second, hiring fewer people to work full time still saves the company in benefits and perks, such as health insurance and ski passes.

Hourly wages will be flat in 2009-10, but there will be no cuts. Many employers in the Roaring Fork Valley - from newspapers to construction firms and architects - have reduced pay by as much as 4 to 10 percent.

The ski company also declined to force employees to cover increases in health insurance premiums.

"These are big statements in that they involve big dollars," Laing said.

He credited the ski company's status as a privately held company and its ownership by the Crown family specifically as the reasons for its approach on employment issues. The Crowns take a long-view approach that hinges on maintaining top-notch customer service, he said.

"It's about who we are as a company and a community," Laing said.