Burke Mtn sold to Jay Peak

[jimmywilson69]

My guess is, after snowmaking upgrades (which are easy to plan and execute in a few months), something like this will be the first new thing we see at Burke.

from_the_NEK the Google Earth Master!

Nothing wrong with a little hotel action IMO. I have never skied at Burke, I would like to and now that there is a real possibility with a combined pass/ticket with Jay I can certainly see it happening!

 

[from_the_NEK]

from_the_NEK the Google Earth Master!

Nothing wrong with a little hotel action IMO. I have never skied at Burke, I would like to and now that there is a real possibility with a combined pass/ticket with Jay I can certainly see it happening!

Notice that in my rendering, the Bear Den bar is preserved and connected to the new Hotel/Lodge with a breezeway.
New owners...please take note 8)

 

[thetrailboss]

I think that the short-term goals for Burke are really quite simple: more snowmaking and more marketing. Jay does really well with the latter. They will want to simply bring more people to the mountain to show them how easy it is to get there and what a great place it is. I think they will want to get the visit numbers up above 100,000 per season in the next few years in order to even think about growing anything more substantial.

If Stenger fails then we know that nobody can make it at Burke. I hope I didn't just jinx it.

Burke's marketing stepped up in the last few seasons and did a great job with the limited resources that they had. The direct marketing effort in Boston was met with a good response from here at least. Get folks there. Let them see what a great place it is. That's all you need to do.

 

[Sick Bird Rider]

Just curious--what is the take on the Burke acquisition in the Jay community?

Hopefully JPtracker, MagogFishy, FBrissette and others will chime in on this question. Personally, I think it is a good thing. I've skied at Jay for 40+ years, never been to Burke though thought about it many times. If my Jay pass will get me there, I'm going.

My optimistic view is that Qresorts will invest in Burke enough to improve the amenities & ski experience but not so much that the spirit of the place gets overwhelmed. They can promote Jay as the "big" resort with all that goes with it and leave Burke as the "back to basics" but comfortable alternative.

 

[from_the_NEK]

My optimistic view is that Qresorts will invest in Burke enough to improve the amenities & ski experience but not so much that the spirit of the place gets overwhelmed. They can promote Jay as the "big" resort with all that goes with it and leave Burke as the "back to basics" but comfortable alternative.

This seems to be the common consensus among the regulars at both mtns. Let's hope that is the plan :beer:

I've also been thinking that they might promote Burke as the "pit-stop" to break up the long drive to Jay from southern NE?

(BTW. I posted a quick comment on your blog)

 

[BigJay]

I wonder how this will affect the Kingdom Trails and it relationship with the Burke Mtn bike park? MTB has turned Burke into a year round attraction. There is already a strong inflow of riders from Quebec. I wonder if Jay's marketing power in Quebec will step this up even more for promotion of the lift served terrain.

No, i want true mountain biking back up at Jay Peak like in the old days! (But with more modern trails!)

 

[gregnye]

No, i want true mountain biking back up at Jay Peak like in the old days! (But with more modern trails!)

Yes! You could have the thrill of holding on to your bike as you go up the Freezer!

(or you could use common sense and use the tram)

 

[riverc0il]

“The thing they need more than anything else is a bed base that guests who come to the area can go to,” Stenger said. “I think a hotel is definitely in the future” at Burke Mountain.

An on mountain slopeside hotel would be a huge boost for Burke. There is ample local accommodation in the area for current demand/need but a slopeside hotel would put Burke in another league.

That said, I am quite surprised that someone as savvy as Stenger would suggest that a bed base is the thing that Burke needs more than anything else. He is of course looking at Burke as a new owner and probably has automatically assumed Burke's real problem is a thing of the past: lack of awareness and lack of "perceived reason" for potential guests to make the drive. It will be REALLY interesting to see what happens as Burke transitions from sleepy old school unknown mountain to Jay's sister mountain. Guest visits more than doubling within one year's time could certainly happen even without that increased bed base...

 

[fbrissette]

Just curious--what is the take on the Burke acquisition in the Jay community?

Cannot speak for my Jay Peak neighbours (who all miss on the summer fun) but I only see positive in that purchase. Like Sick Bird Rider, I've skied Jay for nearly 30 years and have never been to Burke. Any sort of deal for Jay pass holders will definitely see us go there a couple of times every year and spend money for food. That's the problem with a season pass. It suck having to pay for lift tickets somewhere else (especially for a family). Gimme a reasonable deal and we'll go for sure. It actually might results in less skiers at Jay which is also a positive.

Strangely enough, now that Burke is almost home, we may want to go mountain biking there, at least until Jay decides to invest in a reasonable network.

Homeowner meeting is next Saturday and hopefully we'll get more information.

Francois

 

[thetrailboss]

Cannot speak for my Jay Peak neighbours (who all miss on the summer fun) but I only see positive in that purchase. Like Sick Bird Rider, I've skied Jay for nearly 30 years and have never been to Burke. Any sort of deal for Jay pass holders will definitely see us go there a couple of times every year and spend money for food. That's the problem with a season pass. It suck having to pay for lift tickets somewhere else (especially for a family). Gimme a reasonable deal and we'll go for sure. It actually might results in less skiers at Jay which is also a positive.

Strangely enough, now that Burke is almost home, we may want to go mountain biking there, at least until Jay decides to invest in a reasonable network.

Homeowner meeting is next Saturday and hopefully we'll get more information.

Francois

It's funny to hear folks comment about the pass reciprocity. They had reciprocity for a while in 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003. Did you all not go to Burke then?

 

[thetrailboss]

And, interestingly enough, this Burke thread, like others here on AZ, is getting tons of hits. There is lots of interest of Burke here and I know lots of folks from here went to Burke last season for their first time.

 

[dropKickMurphy]

+1. They will keep Jay as the destination resort and Burke as the locals/racer place I bet....

I would think so. They really want to fill all those new hotel rooms at Jay. I don't see them adding lodging at Burke for the foreseeable future.

In the competition for the ski week crowd, Having a second mountain is a big plus. It wold be nice if they were a bit closer to each other, but I can see them running a shuttle several times a day fr the Jay resort guests to have a chance to try a different mountain.

This could be great news.

Being under the Jay umbrella, maybe Burke will be able to survive financially without having to make the kind of changes that would change the essential character of the place.

I see the paring between Jay and Burke as similar to Sugarloaf and Saddleback. About the same distance apart. A full scale destination resort and a smaller ski area that offers smaller crowds, loads of character, and the type of terrain that would appeal to the advanced skier that tends to be drawn to Jay and the Loaf.

I wouldn't mind seeing The Loaf and Saddleback end up under the same ownership...whether Boyne or someone else

 

[fbrissette]

It's funny to hear folks comment about the pass reciprocity. They had reciprocity for a while in 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003. Did you all not go to Burke then?

Wasn't a season pass holder then. Even if I was at the time, the extra hour of driving from Montreal was annoying, With a home in Jay, things change quite a bit. It's a relatively short drive and we'll be happy to 'sacrifice' a few of our 50+ ski days and go to Burke.

Francois

 

[crank]

I've been skiing Jay since 1984 and have never skied Burke. I've been meaning to but every time I have been heading to that region there has been a lot more snow at Jay.

I do not think Jay would buy Burke to keep it a "locals and racers mountain". Hell, what else has it been for it's entire existence? Would Jay Peak buy it to preserve it as is MRG style? No, ski area development is more about development than ski. and, while Jay does have great skiing, in my mind they have been concentrating a lot more on the development side in recent years and I see no reason not to expect the same at Burke.

Burke has been on my ski hill bucket list for years... I think I will finally get off 91 there next season. Heading up next month for NEMBAfest!

 

[bobbutts]

I think the problem at Burke with the Locals plan is simply that they don't exist in significant numbers.. According to Wikipedia, Lyndon has ~5,500 population and St. J ~7,500.

All the significant population centers have a closer local mtn as far as I know.

I think 2 unique things about Jay ability allow it to succeed, one is reaching the Montreal market, and two is natural snowfall and glades. Don't see that carrying over to Burke. I think an ice arena or Waterpark there would be in competition with Jay, so doubt those types of destination attractions are coming either. I'm not saying it won't succeed, more that Jay and Burke are apples and oranges.

 

[Razor]

This sucks. Wife and I have been going to Burke midweek a few times/year since we retired. Now we're going to have other people on the lifts, and we won't be the only ones on the trails and in the trees. We won't still be getting fresh tracks in the afternoon.

 

[riverc0il]

This sucks. Wife and I have been going to Burke midweek a few times/year since we retired. Now we're going to have other people on the lifts, and we won't be the only ones on the trails and in the trees. We won't still be getting fresh tracks in the afternoon.

Mid-week? I don't think much is going to change. Unless it is a powder day, you can ski anywhere in New England mid-week without lines and be alone in the woods. Even with the new management and Jay connection, I don't foresee a massive bump in mid-week skiers. Weekends... well, they won't be offering their five minute line guarantee any more.

Personally, I'd rather be able to share Burke with some new like minded skiers than see it continue playing owner roulette and teetering on the edge.

 

[Zand]

Wet dream here: change the Triple Major pass to Burke, Jay, MRG. I'll go wipe the drool off my keyboard now.

 

[Razor]

Mid-week? I don't think much is going to change. Unless it is a powder day, you can ski anywhere in New England mid-week without lines and be alone in the woods. Even with the new management and Jay connection, I don't foresee a massive bump in mid-week skiers. Weekends... well, they won't be offering their five minute line guarantee any more.

Personally, I'd rather be able to share Burke with some new like minded skiers than see it continue playing owner roulette and teetering on the edge.

Comments were tongue-in-cheek. Actually quite happy to see local ownership. Burke is a great hill. And as someone who has spent some quality times on the Kingdom Trails, I can see the area's relatively untapped 4 season attraction enhanced tremendously.

 

[BigJay]

Jay Peak has been planning for an expansion since the 90s... they've just realized it's much easier to buy a whole mountain altogether!

Will they rename Burke: "The East Bowl"?

Maybe they'll put the Jet over at Burke when they replace it?