Big Burke announcement

[from_the_NEK]

1st day on skis this year = tomorrow morning (not counting the J-bar hill with the 4 year old last Saturday :wink

 

[fbrissette]

Enjoy it ! Should be a good one.

 

[thetrailboss]

1st day on skis this year = tomorrow morning (not counting the J-bar hill with the 4 year old last Saturday :wink

Get it right....it's now the Q-Bar.

 

[fbrissette]

Get it right....it's now the Q-Bar.

We're getting a lot of mileage out of this Q thing...

 

[thetrailboss]

We're getting a lot of mileage out of this Q thing...

The Poma discs have been replaced with "Q's". Don't get the tail in your butt.

 

[billski]

The Poma discs have been replaced with "Q's". Don't get the tail in your butt.

and it's not a "lift line", its a "Q". :roll:

 

[VTKilarney]

This past Sunday Ary Q was scanning lift tickets (Q-tickets?) for about two hours at the Sherburne Express. It smacked of desperation to me. ("Look at me! I'm not arrogant after all!") What was really interesting is that NOBODY even acknowledged the guy. And for that matter, he wasn't that welcoming. He was all business.

I don't need him to scan lift tickets. I need him to make sure that snow is made and the mountain is groomed. But more importantly I want to hear him admit that he has made some mistakes. He is going through great pains to say anything but. If he knows he has made some mistakes, then I think the guy has a chance. But if he thinks that he can B.S. his way out of his mistakes, he is selling the people who live in the Kingdom short.

I'm willing to give the guy a chance. Frankly, I think that the tide has turned so much against Ary that we are now part of the problem. Everything he does is now criticized - and I am concerned that even when he does something right nobody will want to admit it. The truth is that Burke can't survive with so few customers. We here in the NEK are spoiled. We want our local mountain to have no lift lines, but then we forget that this means certain bankruptcy.

In my opinion, the one thing that will be important to watch is the hotel. If they can't break ground this year, I am going to get nervous. Ary knows that you can never make money without a hotel. So if the funding doesn't come through, how much longer will they hang on?

 

[VTKilarney]

Do you think that the ski school will start giving Q-tips? (rim shot)

 

[from_the_NEK]

The truth is that Burke can't survive with so few customers. We here in the NEK are spoiled. We want our local mountain to have no lift lines, but then we forget that this means certain bankruptcy.

Yikes, a bluebird "powder day" today and I would be surprised if there were 75 people at Burke. I hope this can be turned around. See full report here –

http://forums.alpinezone.com/showthread.php/128191-Burke-2-6-14?p=822346#post822346

 

[thetrailboss]

Yikes, a bluebird "powder day" today and I would be surprised if there were 75 people at Burke. I hope this can be turned around. See full report here –

http://forums.alpinezone.com/showthread.php/128191-Burke-2-6-14?p=822346#post822346

Did Ary scan your ticket?

 

[from_the_NEK]

Didn't see him today. I did see TOTB

 

[thetrailboss]

Didn't see him today. I did see TOTB

Yeah, you need to watch out with him.

 

[Big Wave Dave]

have you guys, like, been to burke this year? seems like an awful lot of negativity in here. I have about a dozen days in and conditions have been excellent. Have the shared Jay pass and on par its been better than Jay. they have blown more snow than ever and the grooming is some of the best I have seen. seems a little infantile to focus on the name when the product is really good.

and cut Ary a break, he and his Dad seem to need a PR rep but still, they seem to be coming around and making amends- how is it bad he was working the liftlines? isnt that what you want from an owner? tough crowd.

 

[thetrailboss]

have you guys, like, been to burke this year? seems like an awful lot of negativity in here. I have about a dozen days in and conditions have been excellent. Have the shared Jay pass and on par its been better than Jay. they have blown more snow than ever and the grooming is some of the best I have seen. seems a little infantile to focus on the name when the product is really good.

and cut Ary a break, he and his Dad seem to need a PR rep but still, they seem to be coming around and making amends- how is it bad he was working the liftlines? isnt that what you want from an owner? tough crowd.

Welcome to the boards. Check out the many threads on the board to see what is really going down. You will see that the new ownership has burned a lot of bridges with the community.

 

[fbrissette]

have you guys, like, been to burke this year? seems like an awful lot of negativity in here. I have about a dozen days in and conditions have been excellent. Have the shared Jay pass and on par its been better than Jay. they have blown more snow than ever and the grooming is some of the best I have seen. seems a little infantile to focus on the name when the product is really good.

and cut Ary a break, he and his Dad seem to need a PR rep but still, they seem to be coming around and making amends- how is it bad he was working the liftlines? isnt that what you want from an owner? tough crowd.

To me it is fairly simple:

- man up and say you were wrong and made many mistakes (don't let Bill Stenger do the apologizing) and that you learned from those mistakes
- you'll mend broken bridges with the kingdom trail association to improve on the partnership
- you understand that the name change is not popular and you'll do a better at communicating changes in the future.

Simple enough.

 

[thetrailboss]

To me it is fairly simple:

- man up and say you were wrong and made many mistakes (don't let Bill Stenger do the apologizing) and that you learned from those mistakes
- you'll mend broken bridges with the kingdom trail association to improve on the partnership
- you understand that the name change is not popular and you'll do a better at communicating changes in the future.

Simple enough.

Father and son have made it clear that they don't care. Ary views the community and loyal Burkies as the enemy. :blink:

 

[VTKilarney]

Uhh... with all due respect I have been to Burke this year, and have many friends that are passholders. If you are stating that conditions have been excellent this year, I suspect that you are a shill for Ary or Burke.

Fact: Snowmaking this year has been troubled. They have not blown more snow than ever. The mountain itself, in an apology letter to passholders, admitted that they had "challenges" this year when it comes to snowmaking. If they can admit it, why can't you?

I am not alone in this belief. I've spoken with scores of passholders that have lamented the snow conditions this year. A lot had to do with Mother Nature, but a lot did not. If you looked at other mountains, it was very clear that Burke was behind the eight ball this winter, and that they are still trying to catch up. Through the Christmas holiday there was only one way down from the summit. Just take a look at this trip report if you don't belive me: http://tinyurl.com/l6dqm4g

I want to see Ary succeed. Believe me. But being in denial about the conditions on the mountain is not going to help anybody.

 

[thetrailboss]

Uhh... with all due respect I have been to Burke this year, and have many friends that are passholders. If you are stating that conditions have been excellent this year, I suspect that you are a shill for Ary or Burke.

Fact: Snowmaking this year has been troubled. They have not blown more snow than ever. The mountain itself, in an apology letter to passholders, admitted that they had "challenges" this year when it comes to snowmaking. If they can admit it, why can't you?

I am not alone in this belief. I've spoken with scores of passholders that have lamented the snow conditions this year. A lot had to do with Mother Nature, but a lot did not. If you looked at other mountains, it was very clear that Burke was behind the eight ball this winter, and that they are still trying to catch up. Through the Christmas holiday there was only one way down from the summit. Just take a look at this trip report if you don't belive me: http://tinyurl.com/l6dqm4g

I want to see Ary succeed. Believe me. But being in denial about the conditions on the mountain is not going to help anybody.

I think that, unfortunately, they are WAY behind in terms of terrain this season and hear from many sources that skier days are WAY lower.

 

[Big Wave Dave]

a shill? seriously? no sir, I actually ski at Jay way more, but this year has been so thin their the woods arent worth it and the trails there are not why you go.
burke sent out an email to passholders at x-mas saying they were focusing on quality over quantity. yes only willoughby/poma was open but it was good- in my experience. Not the first christmas at burke with just willoughby from the summit... right? right.
and I have a burke pass, the awfully named "judge", and I dont recall any snowmaking f-up letters. maybe I am wrong but so what? i think Q burke is ridiculous and wrote the mountain a letter over kingdom trails. but to hear the negativiity for a place that all things being equal hasnt changed at all in form is just insane.

trailboss your comments are just silly. the enemy? like when I ski by Ary in the liftline he tries to trip me and then beat me with my own ski pole? c'mon dude.

 

[VTKilarney]

So now you are changing your tune to say that other years have been as bad - and that things have been "good" even if they are not improved. At least you are backing away from your original argument - even if slowly.

I understand that Jay didn't have glades open, but do you honestly expect us to believe that Jay didn't do a better job with their snowmaking terrain? If you are going to make an argument, at least compare apples to apples.

Also, you do understand that the "quality over quantity" email was damage control to explain an absolute dearth of snowmaking, do you not?