benski
Active member
Its hard to do, Unless I go during winter break, I would have to drive to Binghamton, I would just about fed up with the drive by the time i would reach either Killington or Magic, and 4 hours or 3.3 respectively.
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Jay Peak / Burke Sweepstakes
- Thread starter Zand
- Start date
Its hard to do, Unless I go during winter break, I would have to drive to Binghamton, I would just about fed up with the drive by the time i would reach either Killington or Magic, and 4 hours or 3.3 respectively.
Smellytele
Well-known member
Love the glades there. The slog out of the East Bowl sucks but still love the place.
MEtoVTSkier
Active member
Edd
Well-known member
Is the new Burke hotel on the same level as the Tram Haus? I’ve stayed at Jay but not Burke.
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MEtoVTSkier
Active member
28 mile difference wouldn't bother me, but if it's a weekend, I'd rather not ski with 5-8k of my "best friends" at Kmart. I leave that for mid-week. Weekends, I'd choose Burke. (...and not Jay, for the same reasons)
Edd
Well-known member
“Crowd concern” is a customer differentiator that is rarely discussed. That’s because most folks just tolerate the crowds as a fact of life. This is made easier if you’re from Boston/NYC kind of places. It’s a conundrum. Burke suffers because it’s the kind of place I’d prefer to ski.
Assuming the hotel is nice enough, does anyone think it’s possible for Burke to go high end private-feeling-ski-area? Emphasize the privacy and terrain quality and simplicity of skiing Burke? I can’t shake the feeling that there’s something to be found there. Burke is so good it deserves to succeed somehow.
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Assuming the hotel is nice enough, does anyone think it’s possible for Burke to go high end private-feeling-ski-area? Emphasize the privacy and terrain quality and simplicity of skiing Burke? I can’t shake the feeling that there’s something to be found there. Burke is so good it deserves to succeed somehow.
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VTKilarney
Well-known member
I just don't think that there is a magic answer for Burke. If there was, someone would have thought of it by now. Burke is not quite big enough and not quite near enough to draw enough skiers in order to break even.
I am REALLY curious if the hotel is breaking even. They had rooms available for MLK weekend (at least when I checked a day or two before), and I find it very hard to believe that it is selling many rooms mid-week. And of course there are a couple of months during shoulder season when nobody is staying there.
On the other hand, Burke is very lucky that other people have dumped money into it. It has MUCH better infrastructure than just about any other struggling mountain.
But just what is the path to viability? I'm really not sure.
I am REALLY curious if the hotel is breaking even. They had rooms available for MLK weekend (at least when I checked a day or two before), and I find it very hard to believe that it is selling many rooms mid-week. And of course there are a couple of months during shoulder season when nobody is staying there.
On the other hand, Burke is very lucky that other people have dumped money into it. It has MUCH better infrastructure than just about any other struggling mountain.
But just what is the path to viability? I'm really not sure.
Edd
Well-known member
That’s frustrating. You and I don’t agree on much but I trust your take on Burke. Really bums me out, even though I’m not invested there.
I'd say yes. Have stayed at both. We stayed there season before last when it was first opened. Killer deals over Christmas week and at last minute. Hotel was very nice, restaurants were brand new and so was the service staff so not so great at the. One funny thing was the back deck, facing the slopes is heated. Everything except the ramp up and down from the hot tub which made for one icy, super slick walkway.
DoublePlanker
Member
Sweepstakes or FIRE sale at this point?
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machski
Well-known member
Not that it would be a huge amount of the shoulder seasons, but I wonder if the hotel gets any influx from Lyndon State parents/families for graduation and maybe even back to college move in weekends. Have to think there is some of that, lodging options in Lyndon itself are weak at best.
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What's the condo development scene like lately at Burke? Seems to me for the mountain to be viable, it needs a greater critical mass of regulars.
Also, does it make sense for it to be open 7 days a week? Especially when it's part of a package deal with Jay? I don't think I'd be too upset as a passholder there if they were closed Tuesday and Wednesday and I had to go up to Jay those days.
Maybe the school could concede to just having the training hill and lift open those days.
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Also, does it make sense for it to be open 7 days a week? Especially when it's part of a package deal with Jay? I don't think I'd be too upset as a passholder there if they were closed Tuesday and Wednesday and I had to go up to Jay those days.
Maybe the school could concede to just having the training hill and lift open those days.
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This is actually spot on re:the college. I was up there mtbing a few weekends ago and it was the same weekend as Lyndon State graduate. Saturday night the hotel was sold out.
I've never skied Burke (for many of the reasons noted here) but I'm a big mountain biker and East Burke/Kingdom Trails are easily the best mtbing trails in the Northeast. They've gotten noticeably more popular/crowded over the past few years (a ton of Quebecois) and, at least on Saturday nights, the hotel does a great business from mountain bikers (I've seen it sell out before on just a typical summer weekend). I think the existence of Kingdom Trails definitely gives the hotel more of a chance of hitting break even was it really opens it up to ~3 seasons (mud season and late fall are probably still tough). Burke also has a pretty extensive lift-serviced downhill network which supplements the Kingdom Trails (A day ticket is $40), although I doubt thats much of a money-maker. The hotel is very nice and the pub in it is great in the summer when you can sit outside and have a beer overlooking the Willoughby Gap.
Good points. As a serious mountain biker who knows the crowd, do you think that the hotel is set up for mountain bikers?
MEtoVTSkier
Active member
If I owned trailside, I'd be pissed.
I'd be more pissed if I owned trailside and Burke went the way of Saddleback.
I just see it always struggling to be sustainable as a 7 day a week operation. Seems a Pico or Magic type schedule makes sense there.
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I just see it always struggling to be sustainable as a 7 day a week operation. Seems a Pico or Magic type schedule makes sense there.
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from_the_NEK
Active member
Who knows what is going to happen here. Jay is obviously the more attractive property. However, on the Burke side, I have to wonder if the Summer season with weddings and MTB is becoming more profitable than the winter season (Way lower costs to operate). That might make the resort attractive to an entity that is currently not involved in the ski resort game. Would a luxery hotel operation like Omni Resorts be interested adding a biking destination (that also happens to have skiing) as part of their portfolio.
