AZ Challenge 2011 Results: Sugarbush

Thanks to Win Smith for participating.

Here is the post: http://skiing.alpinezone.com/articles/challenge/2011/response.htm?resort=sugarbush

Please feel free to dive in here with your feedback and comments!

Damn

I guess I need to root for condo development over on Ellen for it to return as the spring skiing venue. :lol:

Good responses. From the sounds of it, it seems that SB has probably plateaued a bit from a development perspective. Win's done a good job of modernizing the facilities there and probably realizes that the ROI would be low with the number of participants in our sport being essentially flat.

I really think Sugarbush has lucked out with a guy like Win operating it. They have a guy who is very business savy and a diehard skier. It sounds like any resort decisions are based upon serious thought on both fronts.

Plus the guy is very accessible and even posts on here from time to time. That's cool in itself.

Yeah I have to say, I've never met him in person but seems / sounds like an cool dude.

quick story about how great the ownership has been since Win & Co. took over.

5 years ago, my wife and I decided that instead of having a party for my 40th we would rent a place at sugarbush for the season. we had never done this before. Coming from New York, I figured I would go with my son 2 weekends a month and the wife and daughter would join us maybe 1x/ month. So I bought a season pass for myself and my son. my daughter was free because of her age and my wife would buy day tickets when she felt like skiing. Well we started going in december and the wife started to get into it. On her 5th day buying a ticket, they asked her why she was buying a day ticket every day. she told them the story, they spoke to the powers that be, and they gave her a season pass at the discounted price I had paid and refunded what she had paid for day tickets. She is now skiing 40+ days a year at sugarbush, and is the motivating force behind our 41/2 hour trek each and every weekend from december through april. in addition we have been there for christmas week, presidents week and two weeks in the summer.

Yes Win is very accessible. You can see him on the mountain skiing just about everyday. He often says hello to everyone as they're boarding the Super Bravo or Gatehouse lifts & around the base facilities. He even takes part in pond skimming in the spring. That's what I call hands on management.

In a post over at skiMRV Win mentioned some non-headline improvements but still I think they will be a welcome addition to MO to improve conditions on the hill.

This year we have spent $1.5 million on snowmaking and grooming improvements. New winch cat, rebuilt three of our snowmaking compressors, purchased new "potentially revolutionary" snowmaking towers that make snow at significantly less cfm than other options. This should allow us to run more towers in early season marginal temperatures which should allow faster trail openings and will also aid in recovery.