Intrawest being acquired by Aspen

[4aprice]

I wonder if Aspen now will be added or somehow combined with the Rocky Mountain Super Pass. That would put it up there with the Epic. Maybe we see something like the Epic with tiered Pass's for Aspen. Those would be up my alley as I like Aspen more then Vail. Aspen on the Max Pass would be awesome but highly unlikely.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

 

[Domeskier]

They selling at a 6.1% discount on the current share price? Sounds like the deal might be tied up in court for a while.

 

[drjeff]

Can't wait to see what last season $14 3 chicken fingers and fries at the mid mountain Lodge will cost next season at Str-Aspen! ;-)

If this merger gets a HSQ in the snowbowl and a gondola that actually consistently runs quicker than most fixed grip lifts in the near future - good in my book!

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[Jcb890]

Can't wait to see what last season $14 3 chicken fingers and fries at the mid mountain Lodge will cost next season at Str-Aspen! ;-)

If this merger gets a HSQ in the snowbowl and a gondola that actually consistently runs quicker than most fixed grip lifts in the near future - good in my book!

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My problem with Stratton isn't the lifts or costs of food - its the people and the vibe there.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

My problem with Stratton isn't the lifts or costs of food - its the people and the vibe there.

yea, really the worst crowd in vt. havent been to mt snow in years but i imagine a similar vibe.

but in my experience it tends to go pretty quiet after 12 pm.

not the worst terrain when the trees are in play. i appreciate it as the closest vt to home on the max pass.

 

[Jcb890]

yea, really the worst crowd in vt. havent been to mt snow in years but i imagine a similar vibe.

but in my experience it tends to go pretty quiet after 12 pm.

not the worst terrain when the trees are in play. i appreciate it as the closest vt to home on the max pass.

The wife and I much prefer the vibe at Mt. Snow. While they do get some of that crowd being in S. VT, it isn't nearly as bad as Stratton from what I have come across. I don't mind the terrain, they have some good stuff and fun trails, I just can't get past the vibe and general experience.

We have a Peak Pass so far for '17/'18 and have been happy to be back at Mt. Snow regularly after only going once earlier this season.

 

[BenedictGomez]

I've never skied Stratton, what's "wrong" with the people who ski there?

 

[Handlebars]

Having spent much of this winter skiing stratton (as a day tripper mostly skiing Sunday's) I must have missed the bad vibe compared to mt. Snow, care to explain what you didn't like about it?


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[KustyTheKlown]

sundays arent that bad. saturdays are really bad.

the place just gets so packed with a sort of entitled moneyed "casual skier family in a benz" types. they are very "me me me" and lack a great deal of basic etiquette. and the lines for the six packs and the gondola can be ridiculous on a saturday morning, but as i said above, it dissipates a great deal after lunch starts. lots of people don't seem to make it back out.

 

[dlague]

Aspen and KSL which owns Squaw Alpine. This came out of left field as I there have been separate rumors of Vail looking at buying Stratton and Squaw Alpine. Its probably too late to change the season pass offerings for next year, but this will surely shake up the passes for 2018/2019, as Aspen and Squaw Alpine are Mountain Collective and Intrawest is MAX pass.

Its interesting how every ten years or so the ownership of major mountains in the east gets shaken up in a short time span. In 95/96 it was LBO buying up mountains until the formation of ASC, and Booth Creek buying up 3 mountains in NH. In 07/08 it was Peaks, Boyne, and Powdr buying up the ASC mountains plus Loon, and then CNL coming in. And this year it has so far been Vail buying Stowe, Aspen and KSL buying Intrawest, and CNL mountains getting sold to Och-Ziff.

Not really, Vail added Whistler tot eh Epic and Epic Local at the start of this season after they bought then in August.

 

[Smellytele]

Mt Snow vibe wasn't bad yesterday but this is late in the season and the crowd is different than prime time. I agree on the Stratton vibe though I do like the small mid mountain bar there. I like the sun bowl lodge better than going near the village. Not a fan of the terrain at either. Snow bowl at stratton has some decent terrain and also Northface at Snow. But very limited at both

 

[Jully]

Not really, Vail added Whistler tot eh Epic and Epic Local at the start of this season after they bought then in August.

But they still honored all of Whistler's previous pass products for that year.

 

[Jcb890]

the place just gets so packed with a sort of entitled moneyed "casual skier family in a benz" types. they are very "me me me" and lack a great deal of basic etiquette.

Basically this.

 

[BenedictGomez]

the place just gets so packed with a sort of entitled moneyed "casual skier family in a benz" types. they are very "me me me" and lack a great deal of basic etiquette.

Where do you normally ski where you're encountering all of the "sub poverty-line skier family in rusted out 1980s Toyota Corolla" types?

Skiing's a wealthy sport.

Sure, at Stowe & Deer Valley, etc... there's noticeably a bit more wealth, but it seems silly to try to stratify it in any meaningful way given pretty much wherever I ski the average skier is relatively well-off versus the average American.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

its about where it is and how its marketed. aside from mt snow, its the closest to nyc. and pretty close to boston too. they have advertising all over the new york city subway system. the casual skier family in a benz from the nyc metro area isn't driving the extra distance to sugarbush, stowe, jay, etc. they tend to be more heavily concentrated at snow, stratton, okemo. its noticeable.

stowe may be pricy but its at least a skier's hill. its far from population centers and takes some intention and effort to get to. relatively.

the rusted corolla families are at bolton, burke, magic, bromley

 

[Jcb890]

Where do you normally ski where you're encountering all of the "sub poverty-line skier family in rusted out 1980s Toyota Corolla" types?

Skiing's a wealthy sport.

Sure, at Stowe & Deer Valley, etc... there's noticeably a bit more wealth, but it seems silly to try to stratify it in any meaningful way given pretty much wherever I ski the average skier is relatively well-off versus the average American.

I think you understand what we're trying to get at. I have no qualms with people having money and doing what they want. What bothers me is the attitude people take and the lack of thought towards anyone other than themselves. Many times (most?), this is closely related to money.

 

[Smellytele]

the rusted corolla families are at bolton, burke, magic, bromley

Hey I resemble that remark

 

[deadheadskier]

I just think there are different types of skiers. Some folks are most interested in the skiing side of the experience, others the resort side and want to be coddled with over the top service. A place like Magic or MRG does draw a different clientele than a place like Stratton or Okemo. I really don't care who I bump elbows with at a ski area. I just don't want to bump into a lot of them.

 

[bigbog]

I don't think of Aspen's actions as being a "response". When your rivalries are doing business do you really wanna be caught sleeping? When you have the $$$ that these people have you don't have to answer to anyone with a "response". As DHS just mentioned...if you offer the public a choice of atmospheres, ie not playing the other guy's game, you'll touch base with more people.

 

[Jcb890]

I just think there are different types of skiers. Some folks are most interested in the skiing side of the experience, others the resort side and want to be coddled with over the top service. A place like Magic or MRG does draw a different clientele than a place like Stratton or Okemo. I really don't care who I bump elbows with at a ski area. I just don't want to bump into a lot of them.

My last straw at Stratton was this season when there were people literally walking into me because they weren't looking. Both skiers with and without skis on while I'm either standing or skating on my board. I even hit a guy head-on because he decided he'd try and walk uphill on his skis instead of go with the flow with people in lift line. I was going slow and had almost stopped, but after seeing what had happened, I wished I kept my speed up and lowered my shoulder instead. Oh, and he didn't apologize for slamming his skis into my board or even stop to see what he did... just kept on his merry way.