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Killington/POWDR - how much does bad PR cost them per year in lost revenue?

Hawkshot99

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Various reading around on industry studies. $75 overall per skier visit for large areas is an accurate industry average.

Just a FYI then. As someone who knows and has seen the actual #'s, your guesses are not very accurate, for industry standards.

Thats not just on the income per visit, but many things that you have posted.
 

deadheadskier

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I think Highway Star's figure of $75 yield is very reasonable for a resort like Killington.

When I worked for Snowshoe in 2002-2003, the resort did $30M in ski related business (lift tickets and lessons). The mountain did roughly 500K skier visits. That's $60 a skier visit. That's also 10 years ago.
 

Highway Star

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Overall yield (not including lodging and "other") is about $75 per visit for large areas.

http://www.saminfo.com/issues/article.php?tid=4046

I should note that Lodging and "Other" are IMHO not fair to use in overall yield when trying to benchmark ski areas, since some areas control a huge percentage of lodging and others control none, etc.

Even more interestingly, you can dig out the Killington Pico sale SEC filing and calculate their overall yield for Killington. Depending on which skier visits count you use, their ticket yeild was about 30% below industry average, but their overal was about average.
 

J'Hams

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I agree with everything everyone says in this entire thread.
I feel like each time I'm nearly sliced in 1/2 by a snowboarder my ticket value should go down $10.
If that were true at Killington--they would owe me $2 and I would ski for free--on each visit.
 

AdironRider

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Ahh bumping old K threads with snowboarder hate. Way to make a first impression.
 

Geoff

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Yep K is the only mountain with crazed snowboarders.

Killington had the same problem back in 1980. It's not the snowboard. It's testosterone and teens & 20-somethings at a busy ski area with a poor layout. There is very limited intermediate terrain and it tends to be littered with trail intersections. At other resorts, those people are much more spread out across the hill.
 

Tooth

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Killington had the same problem back in 1980. It's not the snowboard. It's testosterone and teens & 20-somethings at a busy ski area with a poor layout. There is very limited intermediate terrain and it tends to be littered with trail intersections. At other resorts, those people are much more spread out across the hill.


Snowboarders, freestyle skiers, whats the difference? Really? Why does everyone hate on the snowboarders so much? Those people?
 

jimmywilson69

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I just ride around them while trying to have fun and being happy. If they set up in the wrong spot I tell them in a nice manner. I see just as many skiers set up in poor spots also.

I agree with that statement. I will also counter with that since snowboarders sit, it makes it worse especially in blind spot. Which is why the skiers gripe more.

I have almost killed snowboarders sitting in the middle of the slope beneath a lip or headwall. I can't figure out why they are sitting on a steeper section of the trail, except that it is easir to stand up.
 

Tooth

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I agree with that statement. I will also counter with that since snowboarders sit, it makes it worse especially in blind spot. Which is why the skiers gripe more.

I have almost killed snowboarders sitting in the middle of the slope beneath a lip or headwall. I can't figure out why they are sitting on a steeper section of the trail, except that it is easir to stand up.

I agree. When I see anyone stopped under a lip or headwall I always educate them as to why it is a real bad place to be stopped. I hate it when people do that.
 

Geoff

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They set up human blockades all over the mountain.

You should be at Killington during PSIA ski instructor's training week. They're giving "standing around lessons" all over the hill. I'll take the flock of snowboarders sitting on the trail any time.
 

BenedictGomez

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That's very encouraging to hear. I've never seen a group of teen or pre-teen snowboarders yelled at by mountain staff for "lounging" underneath a ledge or headwall.

IMO, they should start clipping tickets for that. They will, of course, but it will take a couple of high-profile deaths first.
 

Bene288

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That's very encouraging to hear. I've never seen a group of teen or pre-teen snowboarders yelled at by mountain staff for "lounging" underneath a ledge or headwall.

IMO, they should start clipping tickets for that. They will, of course, but it will take a couple of high-profile deaths first.

Well said. It's getting worse and worse. People are just so spacey. It's not just snowboarders, I see plenty of skiers doing the same thing. I had an accident at Gore, caused by someone stopped under a head wall. Right before it all happened I watched patrol ski right by these people, what are they thinking?
 

jimmywilson69

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That's very encouraging to hear. I've never seen a group of teen or pre-teen snowboarders yelled at by mountain staff for "lounging" underneath a ledge or headwall.

IMO, they should start clipping tickets for that. They will, of course, but it will take a couple of high-profile deaths first.

Geoff wasn't saying they were giving lessons on how to eliminate the standing around. He was insinuating that because of the patrol training there is lots of standing around on the mountain, therefore creating additional hazards.

Correct me if I am wrong Geoff
 

Geoff

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Geoff wasn't saying they were giving lessons on how to eliminate the standing around. He was insinuating that because of the patrol training there is lots of standing around on the mountain, therefore creating additional hazards.

Correct me if I am wrong Geoff

Ski Instructors, not patrol. But yeah, the PSIA clinics at Killington are the absolute worst for clogging the trails with pompous wannabe instructor-types from some mole hill in the Poconos standing around. Way worse than any flock of squatting snowboarders.
 
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