Killllington 🎿🏂🏂🎿🎿🏂🏂🎿😀

[Keelhauled]

Is there that much “bleeding”? K has a healthy mountain biking operation In the summer. The typical starting date is Memorial Day weekend. So it’s not like they shut down the mountain and turn it into a ghost town like some other mountains.

Yea but we're not in summer yet, it's the shoulder season, and not the one with pretty trees either. It's not like they can just move up the start of biking, and vacation season hasn't started yet, so the revenue is from skiing or nothing. If skier traffic is underperforming their projections they can eat the loss or trim the expenses. If we'd had a really good winter, maybe eating the loss for another week or two would be more acceptable.

But I suspect that by the time MLK weekend washed out every mountain in VT was badly behind revenue expectations, and even if from there on out they met their targets they're still ending the season below their financial targets. In that light, especially if the spring pass sales are *also* less than hoped for, it makes sense to me that they'd retrench to a skeleton operation as soon as they can. They'll still be able to claim latest closing and longest season with Superstar alone, which has always been what they've leaned on for their spring reputation anyway.

 

[thetrailboss]

The canyon will be skiing great but no canyon lift tomorrow is disappointing, lapping the gondola sucks. There really pinching their pennies this year. I hope Mike Solimano is at the passholder lunch tomorrow he's going to get an earful. King of spring no more

Consistent with what I’m seeing at Snowbird.
Cut backs. They shut down more than half the area with plenty of snow a week earlier than norm, citing “construction”. Spring skiing went from 7-days a week, to 4, to now 2 after the first week of May. Service is at all-time lows. All the meanwhile my season pass went up more than 50% in two seasons. I think POWDR is really struggling.

 

[thetrailboss]

Jay peak

Or Sugarloaf.

 

[cdskier]

I don't know where the difference came from, but compared to last year, similarly back-loaded in terms of snow, the people never showed up this year even when the snow finally did (and they sure didn't show up in the first half either). I absolutely believe that Killington/Powdr are deciding to just try and shut down ASAP (without completely publicly admitting defeat) to stop the bleeding.

Sugarbush has been pretty dead this spring since the eclipse weekend. Really seems to be less people this spring than usual. Sure we haven't had "perfect" warm and sunny weekend days, but the spring skiing has still been quite good. Don't know if it is the weather or something else.

 

[NYDB]

. Don't know if it is the weather or something else.

we are heading into a recession No doubt. Hopefully it’s a mild one

 

[Zermatt]

we are heading into a recession No doubt. Hopefully it’s a mild one

Really? I hope it obliterates the housing market in ski areas and possibly the ski areas themselves including mega passes.

The minimum price for a condo in downtown Jackson, WY should not be $3 million.

In the meantime I’ll keep skiing in Europe.

 

[Zermatt]

Recently, Killington has closed after the first Sunday (or Memorial Day) "that some walking was required". That meant that we rode the lift with skis off. We walked down the headwall. And after a pleasant run most of the way, we walked the last 100 yards at the bottom of Preston's Pitch.

Last season, they were intending to make it to the weekend of June 3/4, but opted to open on June 1 for their last day. It was pretty marginal and the forecast for the weekend was challenging.

Those who remember the 1990s, when they ran as late as June 22, have watched how climate change has taken its toll on both the beginning and end of the season.

I’m not denying climate change one bit but the main factor in opening and closing dates is the willingness to throw away money. In the 1990s money was not a factor, today it is.

 

[Zermatt]

What Killington thinks spring skiing should look like versus actual spring skiing in New England.

 

[skiur]

View attachment 62658View attachment 62659What Killington thinks spring skiing should look like versus actual spring skiing in New England.

That's a bit BS though, you show a picture of the bunny hill while superstar has enough snow to make it to June. I certainly have a problem with how K is running stuff lately, but they still made a $hit ton of snow on supe.

 

[Zermatt]

That's a bit BS though, you show a picture of the bunny hill while superstar has enough snow to make it to June. I certainly have a problem with how K is running stuff lately, but they still made a $hit ton of snow on supe.

My post had nothing to do with the snow quantity. Sorry you didn’t get it.

 

[letitsnow1]

It was a great day especially superstar and Mahali played a great show

 

[Smellytele]

Sugarbush has been pretty dead this spring since the eclipse weekend. Really seems to be less people this spring than usual. Sure we haven't had "perfect" warm and sunny weekend days, but the spring skiing has still been quite good. Don't know if it is the weather or something else.

Maybe because the top of the mountain closed early...

 

[cdskier]

Maybe because the top of the mountain closed early...

There have been other years that HG was closed by now and there were still more crowds those years... I've seen more crowds when they've been down to just Stein's and Spring Fling off Valley House other years.

 

[Smellytele]

There have been other years that HG was closed by now and there were still more crowds those years... I've seen more crowds when they've been down to just Stein's and Spring Fling off Valley House other years.

Other choices with more open.

 

[cdskier]

Other choices with more open.

Are they seeing an increase in people though? This thread was just discussing how K has less people than usual this spring. And for Ikon holders K would be one of the alternate options to Sugarbush...

 

[joshua segal]

I’m not denying climate change one bit but the main factor in opening and closing dates is the willingness to throw away money. In the 1990s money was not a factor, today it is.

The attempts to open in October since Covid have been made. The weather didn't support it. In the 80s, I remember skiing on natural snow at Killington well into May. IMO and according to Mike S., Killington made more snow on SS this season than ever before. No question that they have cheaped out on lift ops in the last few years, but they consistently provide a quality product thru May. While the Superstar Express doesn't run full most of May, it handles the crowd who are the same people day-after-day.

 

[Newpylong]

The attempts to open in October since Covid have been made. The weather didn't support it. In the 80s, I remember skiing on natural snow at Killington well into May. IMO and according to Mike S., Killington made more snow on SS this season than ever before. No question that they have cheaped out on lift ops in the last few years, but they consistently provide a quality product thru May. While the Superstar Express doesn't run full most of May, it handles the crowd who are the same people day-after-day.

Mike tends to use hyperbole to support his arguments. They have no method of determining whether they made more snow on SS this year vs other years other than intuition. That feed does not have its own flow meter nor did they have snow depth technology on the cats prior to the last couple years.

 

[tumbler]

Ski areas are always dead this time of year and the snow will melt as the sun gets higher in the sky. They are all losing money by being open, they do it for the marketing. Most people have moved on as all the kid sports and other warm weather outdoor activities are available.

 

[Zand]

I was very optimistic on the ride up as it was 50 and sunny as far north as Chester. Then the temp dropped like a rock and it's 35 and slate gray with flurries here. Groomers are sand on boilerplate. Afraid to even consider any nats. Not worth the drive whatsoever lol.

 

[Zermatt]

I was very optimistic on the ride up as it was 50 and sunny as far north as Chester. Then the temp dropped like a rock and it's 35 and slate gray with flurries here. Groomers are sand on boilerplate. Afraid to even consider any nats. Not worth the drive whatsoever lol.

View attachment 62664

Ouch. Glad I skied Saturday morning. I left Manchester around 9am and it was cold but blue bird skies. Quickly got into a thick overcast for the rest of the drive back to CT.