2006-07 Vermont Skier Visits Down 7%

[Greg]

http://news.alpinezone.com/16803/

 

[thetrailboss]

Read that over lunch. Am surprised considering that 2005-2006 was not a good snow season either....I guess it shows that the holidays really do matter.

 

[JPTracker]

Does any one know the breakdown by resort? At our owners meeting last weekend Jay claimed to be the only Vermont resort to have an increase over last year, but I don't remember the numbers.

 

[ski_resort_observer]

Does any one know the breakdown by resort? At our owners meeting last weekend Jay claimed to be the only Vermont resort to have an increase over last year, but I don't remember the numbers.

That claim as far as the info I have is not true but I have been told that Jay is one of the few. This info is not avalible to the individual resorts but some of the owners/managers of diferent resorts are friends and might discuss it infomally like over dinner or some other gathering like perhaps the annual VSAA meeting being held this week at the Bush. For years the ASC and Intrawest resort's numbers have been publically avalible but unfortunately that has ended with the sale of the ASC resorts and Intrawest going private last fall.

I am hopeful that the numbers for some of the ASC resort's might become available for the entire season but I'm not holding my breath. Some of the numbers for some ASC resorts for their 2Q visits(Oct 31-Jan 31) were made public via their P&S Aggreements but seeing the numbers for the 3Q would be very interesting.

 

[Ski Diva]

Hey, I'm doing my part!!!!

Seriously, though, when you consider how awful the weather was til mid-February, 7% isn't all that bad.

 

[ski_resort_observer]

Hey, I'm doing my part!!!!

Seriously, though, when you consider how awful the weather was til mid-February, 7% isn't all that bad.

Certainly a true statement but still the fact remains it's a 7% decline after last season's 6% decline and is the latest piece of a 22% decline from the 5.2m visits Vermont resorts enjoyed in 1986..

In the mid-70's Colorado and Vermont were pretty even in skier visits. To say the two states have trended in opposite directions since then would be an understatement. I don't mean to sound so pessimistic because I'm not. Just one good winter snowwise combined with a nice increase in capital investemnts by the new owners of Mt Snow and kmart should boost things.

 

[Jonni]

A few times at work (Mt. Sunapee Mountain Operations) I have heard that Mt. Sunapee was the most profitable hill percentage wise out of the whole Triple Peaks corporation. Though this is only what I have heard. I haven't actually seen some documentation to back it up.

 

[thetrailboss]

A few times at work (Mt. Sunapee Mountain Operations) I have heard that Mt. Sunapee was the most profitable hill percentage wise out of the whole Triple Peaks corporation. Though this is only what I have heard. I haven't actually seen some documentation to back it up.

Makes sense. No real overhead. No property tax.

 

[Jonni]

I'm not sure but I think that they have to pay a percentage to the state on how much revenue they generate. I'm not 100% on the no taxes thing either. There may be some tax revenue generated now that the place is a private industry.

 

[nycskier]

Make sense. No snow in Vermont in November and December. This was this was the first year in awhile that I didn't ski Thanksgiving.

Early January had 60 degree days this year. In fact I went biking in short sleeves in early January. The fact that skier visits was only down 7% is a testament to how great the late season was.

Also because the snow came so late a lot of mountains closed early before the mid april snow and were closed with a lot of skiable snow on the mountain.