Killington = WIN! Things are looking up with new President...

[Highway Star]

http://www.killingtonzone.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=35516&p=485082#p485082

http://www.killingtonblog.com/

http://www.killingtonblog.com/
In the conversations with members of the Killington community, Mike has emphasized that he wants to return Killington back to the basics which made it the largest, most popular, ski resort in the East. To accomplish that, he said that the resort under his direction would return to Killington's roots of being the first ski resort to open and the last to close. He did caveat that, of course, in his discussion. We all know that there has been some substantial changes in the local climate at Killington in the last 20 years. But Mike did say that their plan is to aggressively make snow when weather conditions were favorable to both foster early skiing and riding, and keep the ski season going into the spring

Mike also spoke of several other initiatives which will being smiles to the Killington faithful. The planned change to turn lifts on the weekends starting at 8:30 AM instead of the historical 8:00 AM which was announced with the sale of season passes earlier this year will be changed. While all lifts will not turn at 8:00 AM, the resort will run the K1 Gondola to give the Killington regulars access to the resort at their normal hour. (I can say from running an inn that most of our guests hit the slopes around 10:00 AM. But I am personally happy with the change to run the K1 at 8 as it will give me a chance to get some runs in during the early morning hours before going to work for the day.)

In his discussions, Mike also said that he was very much aware that skiing is all about fun. To that end, he plans on bringing back the "Bear Mountain Mogul Challenge" in the spring. Mike want's the end of season party to return. He was at the resort when the party was a fitting celebration of skiing in the spring in Killington. He wants to do what he can to make that spirit return.
Glad someone saw the light and made the change on the 8:30 opening back to 8. :like :like
BMMC coming back, what's not to like.

Also, the town is talking about using part of the local option tax to fund a bond for a major project to enhance traffic to the region - to me, this is the interconnect.

KILLINGTON-At the Killington selectboard meeting last Tuesday, Sept. 18, Selectman Jim Haff proposed an idea for "something big," something that would significantly move the needle of economic development to make Killington a true four-season destination. The idea he outlined was a partnership between the town and resort investing $15 million-$20 million into infrastructure at the base of the mountain.

The idea was hatched recently and the specifics have yet to be determined, Haff explained to fellow board members.
"I said to Chris [Nyberg] what if you had $l5-$20 million to put into the resort right now? What would you do?" Nyberg, the president of Killington Resort at the time, took some time to think before responding, Haff said. His answer was a combination of activities including new beginning and intermediate bike trails at Snowshed, a rope course, a Pico interconnect trail, a mountain coaster, ziplines (noting that if one was constructed from the top of K1 to the base it would be the longest in North America), and even included a composting and a recycling facility and biomass plant.

"Chris was behind the 'what if' of this idea," reported Haff. At this point, "it is just an idea to move forward; a way to move the needle," he said. Adding, "regional growth counts on Killington."

In 2007, the Killington Growth Initiative committee hatched a plan and implemented the 1 percent local option tax to stimulate economic growth. That plan has been recently called into question and this summer the Killington Chamber of Commerce commissioned the Strategic Marketing Group to provide an expert opinion about town economic development efforts and ways improve town marketing. The study found the local option tax to be an inefficient funding source because 30 percent of the tax is lost to the state.

Haff suggested that funding for his idea could come from repealing the 30 percent of the 1 percent local option tax paid to the state. According to Haff, if the town could keep the full 1 percent to use for economic development, it would gain about $300,000 to $400,000 per year. Haff's idea is to use this additional sum to leverage a $10 million bond, which, in partnership with the resort, would enable them to build attractions that would have a positive impact on tourism for the region.
Killington annually collects about $1 million under the local option tax, but is required to give 30 percent of the collected amount to the state by existing statute. Changing that provision would require a change in state law or petitioning the Legislature for a possible exception. Representative Jim Eckhardt told the selectboard on Tuesday that he would work to get such legislation enacted if the town supported Haff's idea and wanted to move forward.

One attendee at the meeting questioned the likelihood of Killington getting the 30 percent back from the state.
Haff acknowledged that it was not a given, but he said that unlike at least 10 other towns in the state who have also enacted a local option tax, Killington is the only one that uses it directly for economic development and tourism and the state benefits from those sales.

For the state, this as an investment, Haff continued, saying the town and resort would need to show that the increase in the 6 percent state tax on hotels and meals plus the retail sales tax that the state would collect from the increase in tourism, would be much greater than the loss of the 30 percent collected from the local option tax.
"The resort is the economic engine of the area" said Haff, stating that tourism to Killington makes all surrounding businesses viable.

Those attending the selectboard meeting were receptive to Haff's idea and had questions. Anticipating this, Haff opened a new email account dedicated to gathering input and opinions about his proposed idea. The email is GrowKillingtonEconomy@gmail.com - all were encouraged to participate in the discussion there.

With the recent change in management at Killington Resort, Nyberg's initial ideas for how to spend the $15-$20 million are now left to the new president of Killington Resort, Mike Solimono. Haff and Solimono, along with Rob Megnin and Rep. Eckhardt met for lunch on Monday, Sept. 24 to discuss these ideas among others. Solimono was generally supportive, Haff said.
"How and what comes out of this idea is unknown, but we will never know until we try," he said. "It's now time to put the idea into a plan."

 

[ALLSKIING]

Just noticed this on FB....Hope it all holds true but good news for K!

 

[thetrailboss]

I must be seeing things...Highwaystar posting a positive post on Killington?

 

[Nick]

Gotta get Mike to do the AZ Challenge!!!!!

 

[jimmywilson69]

I am sure if you could get Nyberg to do it Mike will.

 

[oakapple]

Mike has a blog post on the official site. The guy certainly gets an A grade for blunt candor:

With tough economic times and our focus on efficiencies, at times we lost sight of what has made Killington great. Our approach moving forward will focus on bringing back the best of Killington and truly live up to our name, “The Beast”. Killington is the biggest mountain resort with the most extensive and varied terrain, offering more snowmaking horsepower, more snowmaking coverage, and more lifts than just about anyone else in the East. These are the superlatives that describe who we are and what we do best. We need to regain that swagger that allowed us to have bragging rights in almost every measurable category of operation. Look for us to return to the roots and essence of whom and what we are. . . .

In today's business climate, insurance concerns and business risks can sometimes drive businesses to make decisions that are not always guest focused.

Former management never admitted that they'd "lost sight of what...made Killington great," or that they made "decisions that are not always guest focused."

The two immediate changes are the return of the BMMC and that the K1 gondola will open at 8:00am on peak days, rather than the 8:30 that was previously announced. There are vague comments about season length that are not specific enough to really constitute any change from recent policy.

 

[JimG.]

I must be seeing things...Highwaystar posting a positive post on Killington?

+1...saw the "Killington=WIN" and almost fell out of my chair.

 

[Nick]

Maybe we can all have a massive group hug

 

[snowmonster]

Perhaps the Killington v. Sunday River threads have some social value after all.

Being guest-focused is a good thing for all of us. If this signals a different way of doing things at K then that's a win for K skiers. Good for you! I wonder how SR will respond. BobR was right, this can only mean good things for the consumers.

 

[Nick]

Check this out:
http://www.killington.com/winter/beast/blog/authors/killington/looking-forward-a-new-vision-for-the

In that regard, I will focus on the changes we are planning as we move forward:Season Length
We are committed to providing the longest on-snow season as possible, after all that’s The Nature of The Beast. This means we will open early and stay open late. While our focus will not be on "being the first to open," we will be more aggressive than in prior years to get open as soon as possible. Our snowmaking team is on high alert and will begin to make snow as soon as we have a good window of weather opportunity. In addition, we understand that our guests love Killington in the spring and we are committing to staying open until we can no longer provide a quality product.
Make this place fun again
In today's business climate, insurance concerns and business risks can sometimes drive businesses to make decisions that are not always guest focused. Killington has let this happen in certain circumstances and sometimes become too corporate in instituting new policies. We understand that our guests are coming to our resorts as a release from their normal lives and want to enjoy the outdoors and have a great time. One change that we hope will help move us in this new direction is to bring back the Bear Mountain Mogul Challenge (BMMC):

• This was an event that made Killington famous. Over time, various rules and restrictions slowly killed this event. I bear responsibility for many of these changes as I was part of the management team that slowly instituted many new restrictions on the event.
• As a part of the NOR’BEASTER, a ten-day event to kick off the spring season, we will bring back the BMMC this year. The goal is to return the festivities to the way they were in the past while being able to follow all VT Laws.

8:30 a.m. opening on weekends
As many of you know we have decided to open on weekends and holidays at 8:30 a.m. This decision was made based on the fact that there are many operational issues with opening early and many of our competitors are moving in this direction.

• We have heard different opinions on this decision from various groups of stakeholders. Even though the 2012-13 Killington Trail Guide has gone to print with the 8:30 a.m. opening, we have decided to be responsive to our guests and make a change to our morning operation time:
• We will continue with the plan to open operations at 8:30 a.m. on weekends and peak days, but we will open the K-1 Express Gondola at 8:00 a.m. giving guests who want to start early, access to the main part of the mountain with the most varied skiing, while allowing us to continue to groom the rest of the mountain for the 8:30 a.m. opening.

There will still be a commitment to many other areas that have made our resorts great such as racing programs, snowboard and ski events, seeded moguls, parks and pipes and a major focus of bringing more beginners into our sport.

 

[drjeff]

+1...saw the "Killington=WIN" and almost fell out of my chair.

I know! I immediately started thinking based on the thread title that WIN Smith must have bought Killington! :lol:

 

[Highway Star]

I'm pretty excited!!!

 

[snoseek]

Talk is cheap but better than nothing I guess.

If this guy is fer real then all you K folks will finally get your mtn back. Nice!

 

[Nick]

It sounds pretty legit to me. I feel like it would be way worse to make statements like that and then retract.

Just remember, the grass is always greener .... can you really surpass what ones mind has created as the perfect ski season ?

 

[Riverskier]

It does sound like a change in direction for K, which is great, but actions speak louder than words, so we will see. The language regarding season length sounds awfully familiar too....

 

[powhunter]

Nice,,,Niice...

 

[bdfreetuna]

They need to ditch the Dew Tour as well if they are serious about snowmaking on more of the mountain, and a longer/later season.

Seems like that put snowmaking on hold for most of the terrain for a while last year.

Also, being the last to close would ideally mean more than just Superstar and possibly the trail next to it. Seems like it wouldn't be too hard to pile up the snow on a few narrower, shadier trails as well to keep a good base for the spring.

 

[tt431]

They need to ditch the Dew Tour as well if they are serious about snowmaking on more of the mountain, and a longer/later season.

Seems like that put snowmaking on hold for most of the terrain for a while last year.

Also, being the last to close would ideally mean more than just Superstar and possibly the trail next to it. Seems like it wouldn't be too hard to pile up the snow on a few narrower, shadier trails as well to keep a good base for the spring.

Dew tour won't be a Killington next season: http://skiing.about.com/b/2012/05/07/dew-tour-downsizes-for-2012-2013-winter.htm

Think snow!

 

[Highway Star]

They need to ditch the Dew Tour as well if they are serious about snowmaking on more of the mountain, and a longer/later season.

Seems like that put snowmaking on hold for most of the terrain for a while last year.

Also, being the last to close would ideally mean more than just Superstar and possibly the trail next to it. Seems like it wouldn't be too hard to pile up the snow on a few narrower, shadier trails as well to keep a good base for the spring.

Yes, hopefully they have learned their lesson about trying to accomidate a snowmaking intensive event in January. They have had other major events at Bear in March and that seemed to work out much better. I'm not particularly happy about them blowing a ton of snow on lower skyburst for one week of park use, then letting it rot in April. Hopefully they can figure something out that's more efficient with snowmaking and still lets them support world class freestyle events. Such as permanently moving the park to lower wildfire, or even building a temporary park on superstar or OL for a big event.

Bear has pretty crummy flow these days.

 

[JimG.]

I'm pretty excited!!!

Seeing this, now I am too.