Should Bretton Woods get its own Killingtonesque thread?

[FridayHiker]

Yeah, I know that not a lot of people on this board ski there, but there must be a few, no? For many folks who live in northern NH, it's their home every Sunday afternoon, when BW has historically sold cheap ($12) half-day tickets for Grafton/Coos/Carroll residents. Their season passes used to be semi-affordable too, at least for people who also X-country ski, since they included use of the X-country center, too.

I guess the new management who took over last year is now showing their true colors, as kids' passes have gone from $399 up to $559 (vs. $210 at Cannon), and adult passes have gone from $499 to $749. The BW/Cannon midweek combo pass is still affordable, but midweek doesn't do much good for families with kids.

The new owners stopped letting non-guests through the Mt. Washington Hotel gates back in May; sadly, that was a harbinger of the exclusivity to come (witness the new exclusive "Alpine Club" tent/building they're putting up at the base for condo owners who pay the membership fee). $69 for a lift ticket seems rather excessive for the amount of terrain, too.

I wonder if they'll keep doing the Sunday Special, or if locals are just to lowly to deal with anymore. It's really disappointing to watch. I truly miss the days that it was locally owned and operated.

[bobbutts]

they shortened the season too

[wa-loaf]

I've never been and don't know much about BW, but it seems there can be only so much room for exclusive resorts. It's sad they need to run out the locals. Probably good for Cannon though.

[OldsnowboarderME]

Originally Posted by wa-loaf

I've never been and don't know much about BW, but it seems there can be only so much room for exclusive resorts. It's sad they need to run out the locals. Probably good for Cannon though.

This seems to be the latest trend but this too in time will change ..everything moves in cycles. I didn't renew my pass this season. Cost and the change in length of the season make we look elsewhere.

[FridayHiker]

Originally Posted by wa-loaf

It's sad they need to run out the locals. Probably good for Cannon though.

I sure hope so, but with new management trying to call it "Cannon Resort", it doesn't sound promising. From a revenue standpoint, I think Cannon will do much better to keep its ticket prices affordable (resident kid passes at $210 are a great deal, but non-resident passes at $630 are too expensive imho) than to try to market itself as a "resort" with high prices. Personally, I'd hate to see Cannon privately operated, especially since a Bretton Woods employee I was speaking with last year told me that CNL (the new BW owners) wanted to be the operators if they went that route, and I think that Cannon could do well marketing itself as an affordable place for families to ski. There's getting to be a huge void in that up here.

[ctenidae]

We skied BW once, and really liked it- they had great snow last year at a time when others really didn't. It's within day trip range, so that's a plus, but if it gets to be too expensive, it will fall off the list. Will probably ski it once or twice this year, though, just to see.

I don't have as much of a problem with BW going all exclusive and such- it's really just more of the same for them, nothing too unexpected. On that scale, I don't relate them to K at all. Killington's made a 180 degree switch, and that sucks for their regulars. BW's regulars probably like the changes.

[snoseek]

understand that they are spending a lot of money on the place. have you chacked out the hotel lately? I personally think there plans will only take them so far, as the terrain limits them.

[thetrailboss]

Originally Posted by FridayHiker

Yeah, I know that not a lot of people on this board ski there, but there must be a few, no? For many folks who live in northern NH, it's their home every Sunday afternoon, when BW has historically sold cheap ($12) half-day tickets for northern NH residents for local residents. Their season passes used to be semi-affordable too, at least for people who also X-country ski, since they included use of the X-country center, too.

I guess the new management who took over last year is now showing their true colors, as kids' passes have gone up to $559 (vs. $210 at Cannon), and adult passes have gone from $499 to $749. The BW/Cannon midweek combo pass is still affordable, but midweek doesn't do much good for families with kids.

The new owners stopped letting non-guests through the Mt. Washington Hotel gates back in May; sadly, that was a harbinger of the exclusivity to come (witness the new exclusive "Alpine Club" tent/building they're putting up at the base for condo owners who pay the membership fee). $69 for a lift ticket seems rather excessive for the amount of terrain, too.

I wonder if they'll keep doing the Sunday Special, or if locals are just to lowly to deal with anymore. It's really disappointing to watch. I truly miss the days that it was locally owned and operated.

To be honest, I saw this gentrification start with the previous ownership. It is no surprise given that their largely "ego terrain" appeals to the upper segment of the market. They cut out some deals to locals in 2000-2001 or so...and then reinstated them again...only partially. The truth is that the their definition of "family resort" changed from an affordable resort to an "upscale" resort. The average Joe used to ski there a lot...but the average Joe doesn't spend as much money and skis on coupons, etc. So they poured some money into it and catered to the folks who could bank roll the work, that being the higher rollers....

[OldsnowboarderME]

Originally Posted by thetrailboss

To be honest, I saw this gentrification start with the previous ownership. It is no surprise given that their largely "ego terrain" appeals to the upper segment of the market. They cut out some deals to locals in 2000-2001 or so...and then reinstated them again...only partially. The truth is that the their definition of "family resort" changed from an affordable resort to an "upscale" resort. The average Joe used to ski there a lot...but the average Joe doesn't spend as much money and skis on coupons, etc. So they poured some money into it and catered to the folks who could bank roll the work, that being the higher rollers....

And come April those folks are done skiing for the season ... thus the early closing now.

[FridayHiker]

Originally Posted by snoseek

understand that they are spending a lot of money on the place. have you chacked out the hotel lately? I personally think there plans will only take them so far, as the terrain limits them.

The hotel got hit badly by an April wind storm, and they walked away with an insurance check for over $2million, thus all of the work on the hotel.

Yes, the terrain severely limits them, and I don't think they realize the extent of that. My own belief is that in the long run, they're shooting themselves in the foot. There's quite a negative buzz about them locally, and though it won't hurt their captive audience clientele, it will surely hurt in terms of locals recommending Cannon over BW, which they are already doing. One friend of ours who comes up from Mass to ski quite a bit (and is in the demographic they're targeting) says they won't go back because their ski school has gone downhill so much in the past few years. Um, no pun intended.