IntraWest in Trouble?

[hardline]

This really hits it on the head (who is suprised, skiernet is awesome). And Hardline's comment about Intrawest trying to use the Stratton/Tremblant/Whistler model everywhere is completely true.

I could see owning a ski house there, an extra hour each way every weekend over the course of the season adds up. But renting a hotel room? If you are going that infrequently why not just drive an extra few hours and go to the catskills?

As a snowboarder I even find MC grating. I love their parks but the whole trail situation/lodging situation/lift situation/crowding situation outside of the parks are a complete and unmitigated disaster. The parking adds insult to injury. I figured out that waiting in line every time you wanted to use a lift was more time than just driving further to the poconos. I might spend an extra hour in the car each day but I spend a lot more time actually moving down hill on snow instead of standing there.

Plus, their snowmaking is attrocious, their grooming isn't great, and their prices are insane. Friday is now part of the weekend? Come on.

From the decisions they have made there, it is no suprise Intrawest is getting hammered. They are making a lot of money there because it is NEW JERSEY, and it is the closest real mountain to Manhattan. The skier density in the area is so great, and the options so limited, pretty much anyone will make money. The real question is, how much money could be made by a real operator rather than a real estate company? I just hope Peak is the one who takes them over, they seem to be doing a great job at Mount Snow and others.

the creek for daytriping sucks but if you have a pass it works. there is noone there after 5. i have never stood in a line more than 2 min and that was when i went on a date with a girl on a saturday. durring the week its a ghost town then around 4 it gets busy till like 7 then the kids go home. you have to adjust you usage habits for the area.

 

[JesusBuiltMyCrotchRod]

There's alot of negative MC banter on this forum from oldschoolers that "think" they have all the answers on how mountain creek should be run....But have you ever considered that the resort simply changed their target customer and they are achieving their goals? Just because YOU don't like the resort, does not mean that your opinion is majority. There are tens of thousands of people that do and enjoy that the resort caters to the park scene.

It's ok to have an opinion, but to state "they don't know what they are doing" seems a bit odd when you dont know all the facts or have access to their bottom line.

 

[Method9455]

the creek for daytriping sucks but if you have a pass it works. there is noone there after 5. i have never stood in a line more than 2 min and that was when i went on a date with a girl on a saturday. durring the week its a ghost town then around 4 it gets busy till like 7 then the kids go home. you have to adjust you usage habits for the area.

Yea definately, when I was in school I had a pass for 5 years and went from 4-9 a few times each week and it was great. I'd get 30 days in there a year and have no lines for the whole time. But weekends are all I can do now and it is just unimaginable to pay for a lift ticket for that. Cutting school for a mid week day was glorious.

I'm not denying that the park rats are their target audience. I largely am one. But I think they are losing even in that regard. Look at their completely failure with the pipe in the last few years. The big park at South is great but it really doesn't need to be on both Bear and south, there was plenty of open space on South last year I felt like I was hitting no more features per run at South than at Vernon even though the run at South was significantly longer.

 

[millerm277]

But have you ever considered that the resort simply changed their target customer and they are achieving their goals? Just because YOU don't like the resort, does not mean that your opinion is majority. There are tens of thousands of people that do and enjoy that the resort caters to the park scene.

Good point. Since I have a lot of friends that do ride the park at MC, here were some of their comments: (3 people I talked to.)

-They loved the lack of crowds and HSQ(s).
-They liked the features that were there.
-They were disappointed about the lack of a pipe.
-Some were disappointed about Sojourn not being open, as they wanted to ski/ride some of the other parts of the mountain as well.
-They didn't like the lack of much pitch in the middle of South.
-They thought the park was a bit too spread out.
-They had mixed opinions on the conditions.

 

[hardline]

Yea definately, when I was in school I had a pass for 5 years and went from 4-9 a few times each week and it was great. I'd get 30 days in there a year and have no lines for the whole time. But weekends are all I can do now and it is just unimaginable to pay for a lift ticket for that. Cutting school for a mid week day was glorious.

I'm not denying that the park rats are their target audience. I largely am one. But I think they are losing even in that regard. Look at their completely failure with the pipe in the last few years. The big park at South is great but it really doesn't need to be on both Bear and south, there was plenty of open space on South last year I felt like I was hitting no more features per run at South than at Vernon even though the run at South was significantly longer.

there park crew has no idea how to play up the terain or build hits. all of the jumps toss you straight up into the air. you can not hit them with any sort of speed. plus if you did you would miss the landing completely and be in the flat. i like big gaps that i can hit at speed. they build stuff for little kids trying to throw 7's with no speed.

that being said there where two lines last year at south that where fun to hit at speed.

 

[JesusBuiltMyCrotchRod]

there park crew has no idea how to play up the terain or build hits. all of the jumps toss you straight up into the air. you can not hit them with any sort of speed. plus if you did you would miss the landing completely and be in the flat. i like big gaps that i can hit at speed. they build stuff for little kids trying to throw 7's with no speed.

that being said there where two lines last year at south that where fun to hit at speed.

This is also true. While the park at south is a great improvement, the staff seems inexperienced and ill-equipped since the original 'jiblab' crew left. The park is 'vanilla'. there used to be a time when MC could be considered innovative, not so much now.

 

[Method9455]

I don't know if I'd go so far as to call them inexperianced. Their jib setups are superb but a jump here and there wasn't great. But the two lines on tables at South were great. I am hoping it has a lot more to do with last year being the first year at South than inexperiance. They had been building the Vernon parks for years so it was really new.

I think the big let down is their season length. They open late and close early, and they seem really slow to roll out new terrain. It is nearly February before they are in full swing.

 

[hardline]

I don't know if I'd go so far as to call them inexperianced. Their jib setups are superb but a jump here and there wasn't great. But the two lines on tables at South were great. I am hoping it has a lot more to do with last year being the first year at South than inexperiance. They had been building the Vernon parks for years so it was really new.

I think the big let down is their season length. They open late and close early, and they seem really slow to roll out new terrain. It is nearly February before they are in full swing.

there was also a cool hit in hawkhighlands. where the had the two rails on the right. if used the cheater ramp on the most right rail as a little hit and cleared the rail. it was a nice little gap then they had the hit right after it was nice.

i think the problems is the guy building the parks don't havent riden enough natural stuff to really know how to build real terrain park vs a park. i don't really do rails so i can't comment but the other stuff need somework. they need to stop thinking like a park rat and more like a freerider.

 

[thetrailboss]

Posted this morning on the NY Post Website.

 

[JPTracker]

Another point of view

 

[ctenidae]

Intrawest managed to get the refinancing done- apparent unanimous support from its lender group.