skiersleft
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I don't even want to see what this will now become, but, like a bad horror movie, I'm still drawn to it. Pass me the 
and let the show begin.
and let the show begin.
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Attn. Killington, Chris Danforth, Marketing Manager - RE: SPRING SKIING
- Thread starter Highway Star
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Highway Star
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I don't even want to see what this will now become, but, like a bad horror movie, I'm still drawn to it. Pass me the
I won't spend any more money with Killington Resort or resort owned businesses this year, and will buy a blackout pass for next year (instaid of a full pass). Will urge others to do the the same. Will not be inviting any guests.
Pretty standard stuff, really. I had started spending money with them again this year since they seemed to have really turned a corner, but this proves that the guy at the top still just doesn't get it.
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Highway Star
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I would have rather seen that snow on Dipper or Downdraft.uke:
Still doesn't make sense to me. Why build the umbrella bars and capture that market that is already there if not planning on running until May 6. We'll see i suppose. I mean there is a crap load of snow on SS. Even with a warm spring they could go deep
Highway Star
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I was thinking the 2nd or 3rd weekend in May, really. I honestly don't what the heck they are thinking operationally here.
uke:
I thought the umbrella bar was intended to be a temporary structure
Highway Star
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It's about a $500k structure from the rumors I heard, far from temporary. They were happy to see superstar pub go, from what I understand, in that they didn't particularly go out of their way to save it during Irene.
WWF-VT
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I'm a Sugarbush passholder who did a 2 for 1 day with my son at Killington in October. It's a good way ro get a day in early. Killington is not "the only game in town" in the spring with so many other mountains open as long or later than Killington. The financial upside for Killington is neglible in the spring as most passholders at other mountains aren't goingt o buy a ticket at Killington.
andyzee
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Weren't you boycotting Killington like 3 yrs ago and stating that you're going to buy a Stowe Pass?
Perhaps, but it has easier access to metro markets
AdironRider
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We close April 8th. Last year we opened back up (well the tram did and you had to walk to the gates) on Memorial Day with top to bottom skiing. Targhee made it pretty much to July 4th. They closed too.
Its always a bummer to have a mountain close earlier than they need to, but I see the reasons why. From an accounting perspective it can kill you, especially if skier visits are already down. We lose all transient guests (aka the ones eating at the restaurants and buying day tickets) mid March in a good year. PBR sales double though, so you got that going for you.
Either way, Killington still had a good season given the cards dealt IMO. Theyve been open since October. If they make it to even April 29th thats one of the longest seasons you can ask for on the East Coast, let alone the west. Ours will be two months shorter.
Its always a bummer to have a mountain close earlier than they need to, but I see the reasons why. From an accounting perspective it can kill you, especially if skier visits are already down. We lose all transient guests (aka the ones eating at the restaurants and buying day tickets) mid March in a good year. PBR sales double though, so you got that going for you.
Either way, Killington still had a good season given the cards dealt IMO. Theyve been open since October. If they make it to even April 29th thats one of the longest seasons you can ask for on the East Coast, let alone the west. Ours will be two months shorter.
Highway Star
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I consider going to Stowe or Sugarbush after/before every season.
When they closed in late April a few years back (after saying they would be open to May), I downgraded my pass for the next year, didn't buy a parking pass, and didn't spend ANY money with Killington the next season. I personally know multiple other people who downgraded their passes that year.
Thus, as I said before, this is nothing new. They've completely alienated the Killington community and most of the diehard skiers in the northeast.....and just when you think they are going to finally "get-it" and start winning people back.....NOPE!!! If they didn't annoy people constantly, they would certainly have more enthusiastic and willing customers. I know people would certainly be much more willing to spend money with them in the spring if they were open until at least mid May.
The umbrella bars are nice, but they are going to look pretty silly with nobody in them and hundreds of people out on the access road BBQ'ing this March and April.
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I have a hard time believing that is 500k. You can build a pretty nice house for that kind of dough.....
Edit.... in thinking more with demo and clean up efforts I could see those kind of dollars
If you opted to go with a Stowe pass, would you buy day tickets to Killington early and late season? Stowe rarely opens prior to Thanksgiving weekend and usually closes around the 3rd weekend in April. A couple of years I lived in Stowe, you could still manage top to bottom skiing for at least 3 weeks after the lifts stopped spinning.
I've always wondered if it would make more financial sense for Killington to reduce operations to a 5 day per week schedule starting April 1st and then tack on 3 weekends in May. Maybe I'm wrong, but I'd think they'd make more profit operating those 3 extra weekends than they would spinning lifts the four Tuesdays and Wednesdays during April. I'd imagine they would make a lot more customers happy offering the May product than the customers they'd piss off being closed midweek in April.
We'll just have to see how things turn out. I know they've gotten my business early and late season each of the last three seasons and will again this season.
steamboat1
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April 1 is far to early to be closing mid week. I can see them going weekend only in May. If they decided to close mid week as of April 1 next year I'd be getting my pass to Sugarbush instead of Killington as I'm sure many others would.
I've skied a few times in May, not many people there so who are they satisfying. On the other hand there are still a substantial amount of people there mid week in April so they'd be pissing off a lot more people. But they seem to like pissing people off so who knows.
I've skied a few times in May, not many people there so who are they satisfying. On the other hand there are still a substantial amount of people there mid week in April so they'd be pissing off a lot more people. But they seem to like pissing people off so who knows.
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You honestly wouldn't want to forfeit midweek skiing in April (just two days, Tuesday and Wednesday) if it meant extending Killington's season to third week in May?
I'd do it a heartbeat.
It makes the most sense for the ski areas bottom line I'm sure. Ski areas are freaking ghost towns midweek in April. Hell, they're ghost towns and most likely losing money midweek most of the season. At least Northeastern ski areas are.
