Maple Valley sold

[AdironRider]

TBH I think if they made it a badass mountain bike park it would take a lot less $ and be more profitable. Mountain bikers don't necessarily care about vertical drop, it's more about the quality of the trails. Takes a little reputation building, but it's a much more realistic goal IMO.

Concerts, weddings, paintball -- all sound more realistic than trying to open up a smallish ski area in SoVT.

Maple Valley closing was an expected "oh well" from most people for a reason. We never went there anyway! We still wouldn't except for a couple folks who say they will.

Meanwhile Saddleback remains closed.

If I recall the MV wasn't really priced much more than the raw land value. I could see some sort of combination type thing, like a small farmstand/sugar operation, with mountain bike trails throughout. I think that would make some money.

I don't see skiing coming back unfortunately.

 

[Glenn]

A lot of folks we talk to in Dummerston have some good memories and stories of growing up skiing there. IMHO, it would be a nice area to open up on the weekends or a week night or two for the more local crowd. It's closer to Bratt and in theory, tickets would be more reasonable vs. Mt. Snow or Stratton.

Maybe it'll be a mix of some skiing and some off ski season activities.

 

[skifree]

turn it into a Carinthia type park area and it will rock.
Talked to many Killington/Mt Snow riders/Park skiers and they would love it.
As much as skiers are tired of park rats they are tired of us.

Also do the off season type stuff. zip line/mtb and concerts

 

[drjeff]

turn it into a Carinthia type park area and it will rock.
Talked to many Killington/Mt Snow riders/Park skiers and they would love it.
As much as skiers are tired of park rats they are tired of us.

Also do the off season type stuff. zip line/mtb and concerts

Not so sure of the realistic truth to your statement. Sure, having a GOOD, not just park, but PARKS can be a draw when done right. However, I don't think the industry wide consumer draw is as vast as it seems at the relatively small number of resorts that have truly great park facilities, or else you'd likely see more resorts really investing in the Snowmaking, park specific grooming machinery, marketing of their parks and attracting the staff to conceive, build, maintain and continue to evolve each park as the season progesses.

Not sure the capital investment from the beginning would see any real appreciable return in a timetable that most investors want to see....

I totally get how a park operation can be a draw and profit source when done right, no argument at all about that. Just not sure a start up, if that's their plan, can pull it off and then be patient enough to slowly see the rewards of the efforts

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[sull1102]

Not so sure of the realistic truth to your statement. Sure, having a GOOD, not just park, but PARKS can be a draw when done right. However, I don't think the industry wide consumer draw is as vast as it seems at the relatively small number of resorts that have truly great park facilities, or else you'd likely see more resorts really investing in the Snowmaking, park specific grooming machinery, marketing of their parks and attracting the staff to conceive, build, maintain and continue to evolve each park as the season progesses.

Not sure the capital investment from the beginning would see any real appreciable return in a timetable that most investors want to see....

I totally get how a park operation can be a draw and profit source when done right, no argument at all about that. Just not sure a start up, if that's their plan, can pull it off and then be patient enough to slowly see the rewards of the efforts

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If Maple Valley was bigger vert wise that would help a lot, as is I think you are looking at a classic spend ten to make one dollar scenario. Unless you got the absolute perfect management with the vision to make it happen, caught lightning in a bottle, rode the wave, and then constantly invested back into the product. That's EXACTLY what Highland over in Tilton NH. That team came in a little over a decade ago bought the NELSAP mountain fixed the lift and focus on nothing but the very CORE product of downhill mtb. They didn't go crazy taking out twenty million loans and now look, they're doing 150% better than anyone dreamed and are poised to explode in popularity as their sport grows. Just goes to show, of everything is PERFECT it can happen, but it is very very rare.

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[slatham]

Potential problem with Carinthia like park is the very large segment of park rats that are attached to a larger family that wants other amenities that MV won't have - including big mountain skiing. The only ski oriented niche I could see them have is night skiing, and very cheap beginner skiing.

The mountain bike idea I think has more merit IMO.