Big Burke announcement

[thetrailboss]

Some funny comment replies to "end of season" FB post.


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Here's an interesting one....thinking that the Hotel will be the "silver bullet" is probably shortsighted IMHO:

hanks Andrew for your reply. Its basic economics. We do not have any amenities like other resorts to help offset or cover cost. We do not have any beds where families can stay. We will lose money if we stayed open, even with the entire mountain covered in deep base of snow. There will not be nor was there ever enough people to justify opening late in the season. We are making smart business decisions that will help us sustain future operations. We hope you understand. With a hotel operation coming on board this year, we should have no problems opening up early and staying open later.

 

[thetrailboss]

[Insert foot into mouth]

John Waterman The decision to close has nothing to do with snow pack. Fresh snow yesterday. Cold this morning in Burke. More snow than all season. Even ledges is filled in Would have been nice to be open another week-end or two. Thanks.

Thanks for your reply John. Decision is based on less snow pack cover and economics. Fresh snow all disappeared with the warm temps. Not cold this morning, its pretty warm here... especially in T-Shirts...

John Waterman It's snowing right now.

Andrew Pappone Yeah, Burke, not sure why you assume that no one on Facebook is there or knows what the weather is. It is snowing all over the mountains of the north country today. Stick with your economics argument. It makes sense. The weather however, is perfect for skiing.

:lol:

 

[thetrailboss]

Here's that latest Letter to the Editor. I have to admit that I agree with what is said....especially about the culture of the mountain:

What’s wrong
with Burke?
To the Editor:
After reading Saturday’s front
page article about slope grooming
at Bretton Woods I just had to respond.
It was glaringly apparent
that Burke management is either
out of touch, inept, or blithely arrogant
… or all of the above. To
not respond to the CaledonianRecord
for this front page article
and thus miss out on free publicity
just astounds me. But not really.
Rather it seems to fit the picture
that has unfolded over the past two
years. That picture includes sluggish/restricted
snowmaking and
blaming Mother Nature on poor
ski conditions instead, lack of mid
burke lodge amenities (snack bar)
over the holiday week? … and a
callous disregard for the local ski
community along with all those
souls who drive up religiously
from the nether parts of southern
New England. Not to mention
Burke trying to get out of their
snow making obligation to BMA
for the training hill.
Really? It is BMA that makes
the ski mountain relevant, not
some pedestrian looking ski lodge
(under construction) that trashes
the view of Willoughby Gap from
mid-Burke.Then there is the quiet
grumbling(for the most part) I
have heard at mid-Burke steadily
grow through out the season.
So what to do? Our family plans
to speak with our wallet. To be
honest the only reason we are purchasing
season passes next year for
our two children is because they
are both in the BMA junior program
(the BMA relevancy factor).
My wife and I are foregoing season
passes next year. If not for
BMA we would take all our business
elsewhere. Pure and simple.
The “lodge” is not the answer ultimately
and certainly its construction
should not be an excuse to cut
back in other areas, ie., snowmaking.
That along with a complete
disregard for the culture that de-
fines the Burke Mountain experience
… there is no reason to believe
management won’t continue
to throw the baby out with the bath
water.
Steve Fischer
St Johnsbury, Vt

 

[deadheadskier]

Wonder how long until it becomes the QCaladonian Record and they silence the commentary. :lol:

I bet all such commentary does is harden Arys resolve.

 

[mbedle]

"It is BMA that makes the ski mountain relevant" Really - I find that really hard to believe. Can one of you tell me that this place was that much better 10 years ago. I've never skied there, so maybe it was. Trailboss, the quote you put seems like someone that just wants things to stay the same, and I believe that with the history of this resort, that didn't work out so good in the past.

 

[thetrailboss]

"It is BMA that makes the ski mountain relevant" Really - I find that really hard to believe. Can one of you tell me that this place was that much better 10 years ago. I've never skied there, so maybe it was. Trailboss, the quote you put seems like someone that just wants things to stay the same, and I believe that with the history of this resort, that didn't work out so good in the past.

I think that the commentator's point was that BMA is the only reason why Burke is relevant to his family. Honestly BMA is the only reason why Burke is still alive.


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[mbedle]

Do they give that much money to the place. I don't know much about it, just wondering how much money actually comes in from the school.

 

[mbedle]

Unless BMA goes out of business, its going to be the the same families that come in year in and year out as their kids move through school. In the long run, I got to believe that updating the resort will ultimately (thats going to take some years) make BMA more attractive to kids and more so, their families.

 

[thetrailboss]

Do they give that much money to the place. I don't know much about it, just wondering how much money actually comes in from the school.

Let's put it this way: one key benefactor BOUGHT the mountain for them in 2000. He later financed large portions of one if not both HSQs. And he "gave" the mountain money for the last round of snowmaking work to help the mountain and BMA. So there is some money behind them....


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[deadheadskier]

Wonder if Ary has asked BMA to add the Q

 

[thetrailboss]

Unless BMA goes out of business, its going to be the the same families that come in year in and year out as their kids move through school. In the long run, I got to believe that updating the resort will ultimately (thats going to take some years) make BMA more attractive to kids and more so, their families.

BMA is NOT the problem; the current President telling paying guests how much he hates BMA and the locals is the problem. It's unfortunate that we lost that epic post from earlier this year.


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[thetrailboss]

So someone did some digging and found "the post" from earlier this year. Here it is for those that missed it:

Q2 definitely lives on Darling Hill. He straight up told us. My wife and I were very "fortunate" to chat with him at the TamaraQ on Christmas night. We were having dinner and a couple beers.

By the end of the night, he was initiating conversation with us and talking about many of the topics that are already out there and others. I never sought out to converse with him before. Didn't think anything would come of it. Still believe that too…Doubt the town hall meeting will happen…and if it does, it will be held under the best possible circumstances (new snow, more trails open, decent conditions) to try to deceptively cloak the infrastructure problems along with their unwillingness to admit that they don't fund the snowmaking budget in the same way as in the past.

The conversation truly helped affirm many of the claims people have made regarding him. He didn't give me the warm and fuzzies, but more importantly, the topic and manner of the conversation he was having with us (pass holding couple) did not fit what I would say is appropriate for someone in his position…or someone trying to bring more people in the door.

He brought up the hotel and the downhill mountain biking. I said, "It's great that you have Kingdom Trails here!" It'll certainly help to keep your hotel filled throughout the year. His response was, "Yeah, they're great, but I will beat them with what I have to offer on the mountain for downhill biking!" and "I have more land to expand on than THEY do for XC bike trails too." I found out that they're going to be building up to 7 new downhill mtn bike routes on the upper mountain and will be running the MBX to access these routes.

These comments almost made me spit my beer out!! Since when should this be a competition??…I didn't want to get into a conflictive conversation, so I bit my tongue and drank more beer. How the hell does he think he could have MORE land than the Kingdom Trails?? The simple answer is that HE DOESN'T and never WILL!! KT gets land access from 50 private landowners…with Tim Tierney working tirelessly on getting more landowners on board, I bet that they will be expanding onto even more land.

The last thing that he brought up regarded snowmaking. As we were leaving, I simply asked what they had planned to make snow on next and when we could expect snowmaking to start on the Dippers. He could have easily answered the question with a, "We're working on it. We will be getting to the Dippers right after Lower Willoughby, etc." INSTEAD he said that AND, "We are getting rid of the contract with BMA about having to open the training hill up by a certain date. That's why we got Willoughby open quicker." huh?? Scratched my head pretty good on that one. He clearly thought I was some stupid tourist that didn't know that they ALWAYS open upper Willoughby to Bear Den to the Training Hill. Why he would throw in that extra information about a valued PARTNER with his mountain doesn't make sense. I want to chalk it up to him just talking out the side of his mouth or out of his "back door". I hope that comment was all that was. I worry though. We all saw what he did with the relationship with KT. I hope that we don't hear news that he alienates yet another giant asset to his operation. I hope that BMA and the silent benefactor (Mr. G) made that contract/agreement IRON CLAD.

My perception of him is simple. He acts much younger and more inexperienced for a person in his position should. I have worked in the ski industry during the course of my life for over 20 years and I am not going to preach that it's that he doesn't know the ski business…whether he does or not isn't the whole problem in my opinion. He could learn it well and learn it quite quickly if he had the true characteristics of a leader. He has some going for him, but not many.

 

[VTKilarney]

Q Burke just posted a couple of photos of workers posing in t-shirts on their Facebook page with this comment:
"Cleaning house! So hot in East Burke it's great to wear some t-shirts."

Somebody posted a comment reminding them that 3-4 inches of snow fell overnight.

 

[thetrailboss]

Q Burke just posted a couple of photos of workers posing in t-shirts on their Facebook page with this comment:
"Cleaning house! So hot in East Burke it's great to wear some t-shirts."

Somebody posted a comment reminding them that 3-4 inches of snow fell overnight.

Just when we thought that they could not get lamer.....

This is a CLASSIC example of Ari trying to "get back" at one of his customers for yesterday's exchange regarding Ari's dumb comment (re: it's hot outside at Burke when it was snowing and cold). Sometimes it's just best to watch what you say...admit that the season is over, thank everyone, and leave the stage.

 

[VTKilarney]

I feel sorry for the employees who were used as a prop. Does Ary realize that his comeback doesn't really work when there is tons of snow behind both of the people freezing their asses off in those t-shirts? The exchange was over. He should just let it rest. You now have a pissed of customer and annoyed employees. What was there to gain?

I think that they need Josh Segal to come in and teach their marketing department a few things. :flame:

 

[thetrailboss]

I feel sorry for the employees who were used as a prop. Does Ary realize that his comeback doesn't really work when there is tons of snow behind both of the people freezing their asses off in those t-shirts? The exchange was over. He should just let it rest. You now have a pissed of customer and annoyed employees. What was there to gain?

I almost said that. You know that he came in and said, "hey, come outside and move these pipes for me" just to get back at the guy from yesterday. Stupid. Petty actually.

 

[faQ]

Q Burke just posted a couple of photos of workers posing in t-shirts on their Facebook page with this comment:
"Cleaning house! So hot in East Burke it's great to wear some t-shirts."

Somebody posted a comment reminding them that 3-4 inches of snow fell overnight.

So, that was clearly a dig at the comment made yesterday about t shirts. Is today's t shirt post all in good fun or picking a fight?


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[thetrailboss]

So, that was clearly a dig at the comment made yesterday about t shirts. Is today's t shirt post all in good fun or picking a fight?


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I just think that getting into arguments with FB trolls is not good marketing. It also shows that they did not learn their lesson from earlier this year when the "marketing director" posted a Meme saying, "What's Wrong? You Mad Bro?" in response to constructive criticism from a paying customer on FB. Burke deserves better than this circus.

 

[VTKilarney]

So, that was clearly a dig at the comment made yesterday about t shirts. Is today's t shirt post all in good fun or picking a fight?


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I think that with all of the snow on the mountain it's more likely to piss people off than anything else. I think that people were understanding of the economics, and that they could have left it at that.

 

[faQ]

So much to be said. Calling peeps out on social media. Pretending that conditions warrant closing when only a few days ago they were saying how great they were. Not to mention, if you want peeps to book rooms for April of next year, don't go on about how bad this spring is.


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