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Killington Season Pass Price to be announced Monday June 18th?

thetrailboss

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One reliable source had said that "late last week" was the deadline.....that came and went. It's anyone's guess at this point.
 

loafer89

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Since 90% of my Killington skiing was in October/November and April/May, if they are not going to push the season anymore there is little interest in a pass there, or even day tickets. Time will tell how thing are run with the new owners, but it looks like I will be spending more time at Sunday River/Sugarloaf, or just sking locally this season.
 

Newpylong

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From reading what the new owners are saying, expect a big bump in prices, and nothing but under the hood improvements for next yeat. My money is better spent elsewhere... like Mount Sneaux. I'm going to give them a few years before I seriously think about renewing a pass there.
 

JimG.

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Just a general statement.

I've heard alot of complaining about Killington and ASC, that the mountain was mismanaged, that improvements in infrastructure are needed.

Now we have a new management company. They've made pretty clear what their strategy is...clear out the cheapo passholders and market more to the more profitable day or weekend trip market. Build up some capital to draw on for the needed improvements.

Sounds like they have a business plan. I commend them and I think they are on the right track.

Now I'm not saying that anyone who has posted in this thread is a loyal long time Killington skier, but that group who really made the loudest noise about Killington and ASC seem to be the first ones to jump ship and go elsewhere because the new owners actually want to make some money before they make improvements. You know, stay out of too much debt...which is what killed ASC.

I really don't understand that ethic.
 

loafer89

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I consider myself a loyal Killington skier and endured some really bad conditions at their resort over the years, but I still like the mountain and the reputation (one that is fading fast) for a long ski season. I would gladly pay $80 + dollars for a day ticket or $1,000 + for a season pass if they where to improve the mountain with lifts and infastructure of a 21st century nature, and push the season again.

Without any of the above, they are not worth my money or time any more than any other of the major resorts would be. To reiterate, I am all for increased prices, but you need something tangible to justify it, not "invisible improvements"

I think it is way too early to judge the new owners, but so far it look's like neither group is really interested in skiing, so much as they are in making money, and I feel that you have to have a good mixture of both for a mountain to have potential to please it's customers.

Saddleback is a prime example of how to run a ski area, that I wish more areas would follow, they bend over backwards to please the customer.
 

Newpylong

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There isn't really much to understand. We (I + many others) got sick of year after year of the place falling apart, subpar snowmaking, and next to zero re-investment. The place losts its character. The last time a lift was upgraded was in 1998 (The K-1) and the last large project was the Woodward resevoir connection in 2000.

Now, there are new owners that supposedly want to make money through less skier visits, increased prices, and aren't going to make any substantial improvements until those goals are reached. Killington loyalists don't give a rats you know what about their "plan". They have seen and heard enough plans in the past 10 years, they want improvements and they want them now.

While it may be too soon to judge them, other resorts have published pass prices and improvements plans for next year. My money won't be spent at Killington for more of the same.


Just a general statement.

I've heard alot of complaining about Killington and ASC, that the mountain was mismanaged, that improvements in infrastructure are needed.

Now we have a new management company. They've made pretty clear what their strategy is...clear out the cheapo passholders and market more to the more profitable day or weekend trip market. Build up some capital to draw on for the needed improvements.

Sounds like they have a business plan. I commend them and I think they are on the right track.

Now I'm not saying that anyone who has posted in this thread is a loyal long time Killington skier, but that group who really made the loudest noise about Killington and ASC seem to be the first ones to jump ship and go elsewhere because the new owners actually want to make some money before they make improvements. You know, stay out of too much debt...which is what killed ASC.

I really don't understand that ethic.
 

nycskier

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I was never one to bash ASC. Heck they provided a great deal with the A41 passes. Granted they didn't do the greatest job running the mountain. Food at Killington was terrible and they could have ran the lifts until 5pm after day light savings started but for a$365 passes I could not complain.

Besides I all I care about are the runs and ACS by making Killington affordable allowed a lot of people to get in a lot of runs!
 

JimG.

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I consider myself a loyal Killington skier and endured some really bad conditions at their resort over the years, but I still like the mountain and the reputation (one that is fading fast) for a long ski season. I would gladly pay $80 + dollars for a day ticket or $1,000 + for a season pass if they where to improve the mountain with lifts and infastructure of a 21st century nature, and push the season again.

Without any of the above, they are not worth my money or time any more than any other of the major resorts would be. To reiterate, I am all for increased prices, but you need something tangible to justify it, not "invisible improvements"

I think it is way too early to judge the new owners, but so far it look's like neither group is really interested in skiing, so much as they are in making money, and I feel that you have to have a good mixture of both for a mountain to have potential to please it's customers.

Saddleback is a prime example of how to run a ski area, that I wish more areas would follow, they bend over backwards to please the customer.

You say you want something tangible first before you can justify spending money at K. I think your attitude is a classic case of putting the chicken before the egg. There are POWDR/SP managers sitting in a meeting right now saying "we need to increase our retained earnings and lower our debt before we can justify spending money on tangible improvements". It takes money to run a business and money doesn't appear overnight, especially in a business that was driven into the ground by debt like K was.

So you want them to go further into debt making improvements to attract customers who think like you? Sorry, that's what killed ASC and POWDR/SP is smart to pass on those customers.

Saddleback? How is that a comparison of apples to apples? Killington is close to several major metro areas and has a large customer base to draw from. Saddleback is in the middle of nowhere in Mooseland...like Avis, they have to try harder just to draw enough customers to operate. Not a knock on Saddleback, I'm sure I would love the place.

Killington does not have the issue of how to draw customers to a far off land and whether you like it or not, a smart business does not spend money on things it does not need.
 

JimG.

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One more general statement...

You guys who want POWDR/SP to show you the money before you'll pony up anything are not LOYAL Killington skiers.

Here is your chance to back up the big words about wanting new management and wanting changes. So what if you have to wait a year or two to see something tangible? Loyal customers are in it for the long haul; make your investment in the future and back up your words about all the things you want to see done. And don't tell me your scared because POWDR/SP won't honor old lifetime pass commitments made by a company that drove the place into the ground. POWDR/SP shouldn't honor those passes and ASC was stupid to hand them out in the first place. Repeating old mistakes will not make K a better place.

You guys want the improvements first...you've been screwed by ASC and now the new owner who could make your dreams come true is going to pay the price. That's loyalty to the mountain?

Where is your faith? I know, gone with the cheap or lifetime passes.

Good thing I don't ski at K often...I'm sure I'm developing a hard core group of enemies there. Ah the hazards of stirring the pot.
 
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tjf67

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anyone that lives in NY and buys a pass to any place other than whiteface/gore does not care about value . Both mountains are closer, whiteface is better and now they are cheaper. I loved ASC. They were cheap as sheat. I certainly had no care if they went bankrupt. I would by a season pass for my one weak at sugarloaf a year. Would go to K early and late. The terrain never turned me on. How many times can you ski a bump run and stay interested
BTW Whiteface is doing a huge expansion.
 

JimG.

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anyone that lives in NY and buys a pass to any place other than whiteface/gore does not care about value . Both mountains are closer, whiteface is better and now they are cheaper. I loved ASC. They were cheap as sheat. I certainly had no care if they went bankrupt. I would by a season pass for my one weak at sugarloaf a year. Would go to K early and late. The terrain never turned me on. How many times can you ski a bump run and stay interested
BTW Whiteface is doing a huge expansion.

I agree with you to a degree...if I were going to drive no more than 3-3 1/2 hours every weekend to ski, it would be at Whiteface and not Killington. And that's because I think Whiteface is a more interesting place to ski.

But I don't have the time the drive that far every weekend and it would entail buying/renting a place to stay over the weekend and I don't have the money to do that. Under those circumstances, Hunter works better for me because it's an hour from my house and I can daytrip there.

Would I rather ski a bigger hill like Whiteface? Definitely.
 

Newpylong

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You're confusing people's opinions with right vs. wrong. Don't even start questioning people's loyalty, that's a recipe for disaster. Everyone is loyal for one reason or another, just because you don't agree, it doesn't make them any less.

First, doesn't everyone want to see something tangible before they can justify spending? That's usually how these things work, it's not like we're buying up someone's IPO here. Killington is an established institution and its clientel expect results.

"A business driven into the ground by debt like K was". Killington wasn't in debt, the American Ski Compant was. Killington was always a cash cow.

"So you want them to go further into debt making improvements to attract customers who think like you? Sorry, that's what killed ASC and POWDR/SP is smart to pass on those customers."

How silly of me to think that only skier's like us look for improvements. In reality, Joe Blow and Jane Doe rather ride a rusty, grease dripping triple than a High Speed Quad. I also hear they like skiing on grass too. Not. If they think that jacking season pass prices up and painting a lift is going to draw enough people to get their margins up, this company is not going to last long. This is not Utah, there isn't 400 inches of snow here to draw people.

I am/was loyal because Killington used to be a skier's mountain. First to open, last to close, solid snow inbetween. While it is early to tell, the new owners seem content on turning the place into a Stratton (higher margins on fewer skiers). This is fine, but I will not be spending my money there, as I have stated.



You say you want something tangible first before you can justify spending money at K. I think your attitude is a classic case of putting the chicken before the egg. There are POWDR/SP managers sitting in a meeting right now saying "we need to increase our retained earnings and lower our debt before we can justify spending money on tangible improvements". It takes money to run a business and money doesn't appear overnight, especially in a business that was driven into the ground by debt like K was.

So you want them to go further into debt making improvements to attract customers who think like you? Sorry, that's what killed ASC and POWDR/SP is smart to pass on those customers.

Saddleback? How is that a comparison of apples to apples? Killington is close to several major metro areas and has a large customer base to draw from. Saddleback is in the middle of nowhere in Mooseland...like Avis, they have to try harder just to draw enough customers to operate. Not a knock on Saddleback, I'm sure I would love the place.

Killington does not have the issue of how to draw customers to a far off land and whether you like it or not, a smart business does not spend money on things it does not need.
 
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JimG.

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You're argument is flawed on so many levels I don't know where to start. You[re confusing people's opinions with right vs. wrong. Don't even start questioning people's loyalty, that's a recipe for disaster. Everyone is loyal for one reason or another, just because you don't agree, it doesn't make them any less.

First, doesn't everyone want to see something tangible before they can justify spending? That's usually how these things work, it's not like we're buying up someone's IPO here. Killington is an established institution and its clientel expect results.

"A business driven into the ground by debt like K was". Killington wasn't in debt, the American Ski Compant was. Killington was always a cash cow.

"So you want them to go further into debt making improvements to attract customers who think like you? Sorry, that's what killed ASC and POWDR/SP is smart to pass on those customers."

How silly of me to think that only skier's like us look for improvements. In reality, Joe Blow and Jane Doe rather ride a rusty, grease dripping triple than a High Speed Quad. I also hear they like skiing on grass too. Not. If they think that jacking season pass prices up and painting a lift is going to draw enough people to get their margins up, this company is not going to last long. This is not Utah, there isn't 400 inches of snow here to draw people.

I am/was loyal because Killington used to be a skier's mountain. First to open, last to close, solid snow inbetween. While it is early to tell, the new owners seem content on turning the place into a Stratton (higher margins on fewer skiers). This is fine, but I will not be spending my money there, as I have stated.

I think you're so imbedded in the argument at K that your perspective is skewed; Killington didn't have solid snow cover this past season? And it opened later/closed earlier than other resorts? Please.

And remember, even if those problems were real, is that POWDR/SP's fault? Whatever Killington is today is because of ASC, not POWDR/SP.

But you're not going to give POWDR/SP a chance. You've already condemned them to death and failure. And you're going to blame them for everything bad that ever happened at Killington just because they've owned it for a few weeks.

Sorry, that's ridiculous.
 

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I think you're so imbedded in the argument at K that your perspective is skewed; Killington didn't have solid snow cover this past season? And it opened later/closed earlier than other resorts? Please.

And remember, even if those problems were real, is that POWDR/SP's fault? Whatever Killington is today is because of ASC, not POWDR/SP.

But you're not going to give POWDR/SP a chance. You've already condemned them to death and failure. And you're going to blame them for everything bad that ever happened at Killington just because they've owned it for a few weeks.

Sorry, that's ridiculous.

What's ridiculous is how many words you're putting in my mouth. The first thing I wrote in this thread was this: "From reading what the new owners are saying, expect a big bump in prices, and nothing but under the hood improvements for next year. My money is better spent elsewhere... like Mount Sneaux. I'm going to give them a few years before I seriously think about renewing a pass there."

So yeah, I am not going to give them a chance NEXT year. They haven't released pass prices in a timely fashion and I haven't seen anything that excites me, so I won't be getting a pass. Am I not loyal or evil because of that? Maybe...

Never said I was blaming new owners for past follies, but I don't see anything I like from them either. Do you call every opinion not in line with yours ridiculous or what?
 

JimG.

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What's ridiculous is how many words you're putting in my mouth. The first thing I wrote in this thread was this: "From reading what the new owners are saying, expect a big bump in prices, and nothing but under the hood improvements for next year. My money is better spent elsewhere... like Mount Sneaux. I'm going to give them a few years before I seriously think about renewing a pass there."

So yeah, I am not going to give them a chance NEXT year. They haven't released pass prices in a timely fashion and I haven't seen anything that excites me, so I won't be getting a pass. Am I not loyal or evil because of that? Maybe...

Never said I was blaming new owners for past follies, but I don't see anything I like from them either. Do you call every opinion not in line with yours ridiculous or what?

No, I don't think that anyone's opinion that differs from mine is ridiculous. I used the word once. It happened to be used for an opinion you expressed. That's how I feel. Our opinions differ and I genuinely feel yours is ridiculous. Still do. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Me too...my opinion is that your opinion is ridiculous. Obviously you think mine is too.

So, you're going to stand on the sidelines for a year or more and see what happens. Fine. You're going to be a spectator and not a participant. Fine. After that, and only after the improvements and perks you feel necessary are made, you may deign to bless Killington with your presence again. Should they roll out the red carpet? Or, maybe they make changes you don't care about but other people love and they become wildly successful. Would you ski there then?

I'm going over the edge here, being way too dramatic. I'm not trying to pick a fight either. But the attitude really bugs me and I find it typical more often than not today. Pay me alot of money and I'll show you good work. Make your product do things it was never designed to do and I might buy it. People's expectations are way out of line with reality. Everyone wants the benefit without the work.

No more fighting. Sorry if I offended you.
 

madskier6

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I have to agree with Jim G on this one. I understand the other perspective (i.e. show me the benefits and then I'll buy) but I don't think it necessarily applies in this case. People like going to K for a variety of reasons but one of the big reasons is because it has a lot of terrain variety and good snowmaking generally. Won't that be true again this season?

While Powdr/SP will undoubtedly raise prices on season passes, we have to remember that any price increase is from an unnaturally low price offered by ASC. No operator in their right mind would NOT raise prices. This is to correct the pricing levels that most observers believed could never be sustained in the long run. People are so used to the low ASC pass prices that they have come to think of it as an entitlement and as the benchmark for all season passes.

I could see how one might not want to buy an expensive season pass in Powdr/SP's first year because you want to see how they operate the resort. I don't understand why you wouldn't nevertheless make day trips or hit a long weekend there if you otherwise have liked Killington over the years. As I said in the first paragraph above, if you liked K for its terrain variety and good snowmaking, those attributes should still be available this year no matter who owns the resort.

Why should people that otherwise like to ski at K now abandon skiing there just because they raised pass prices and are not honoring the lifetime passes? It's a ski area not a social club where you have to feel all warm and fuzzy about the clientele and the atmosphere. If the skiing is good (and I see no reason why it won't be consistent with past years) why not go there a few times?

I also have a hard time understanding why a skier won't go to a place just because they don't like (or can't afford) the season pass prices. I have been skiing for over 38 years and it's only in the last 6 or 7 years that I have bought season passes. I always thought they were too expensive unless you're a local. Nevertheless, I skied at plenty of places numerous times over the years buying day tickets or multi-day discount passes. Join a ski club or something similar to save some money. Don't stop going to a ski resort just because you don't have a season pass there.
 

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You didn't offend me at all.

But I've been skiing there since 1987 (so I am not just an All4oner) with a pass almost every year. In my opinion, many factors have led the place to gone down the toilet and move it further from the very reasons I started skiing there. I will still visit on a free voucher or a day ticket here and there, but I can't in my right mind substantiate paying as much as they are going to want for the time being. I don't see how that is ridiculous at all really...
 

JimG.

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You didn't offend me at all.

But I've been skiing there since 1987 (so I am not just an All4oner) with a pass almost every year. In my opinion, many factors have led the place to gone down the toilet and move it further from the very reasons I started skiing there. I will still visit on a free voucher or a day ticket here and there, but I can't in my right mind substantiate paying as much as they are going to want for the time being. I don't see how that is ridiculous at all really... but whatever.

Good...the topic really interests me and I don't want to lose opinions to a fight.

My fervor about this really centers on the loyalty issue...and I don't mean to imply you are disloyal. I am loyal to a fault. If you have skied there for 20 years and put up with all the things that have bothered you for so long, why would you leave now when (at least from my view) there is a new management company in place and things may improve? You have a vested interest there.

I'm more likely to stick it out for the first year or two and if nothing changes in that time, then go away forever. This is where our views really differ I think.
 
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