Peak Resorts: The New ASC?

[BenedictGomez]

less than stellar - must be talking about OH and PA? I thought this season was pretty good in VT, NH, MA and ME

+1000

No; from a revenue generation standpoint, (which is what they're talking about) the season was definitely "less than stellar", they're 100% correct.

When the weather was bad, it tended to be poorly timed to holidays, which are responsible for a huge chunk of a ski area's intake.

That, and even the weekends in January and some of February had Murphy's Law timing. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, would all be good weather, then brutally cold weather would poor down from Canada just in time for the weekend. That had to happen at least 3 or 4 times.

 

[Quietman]

less than stellar - must be talking about OH and PA? I thought this season was pretty good in VT, NH, MA and ME

Christmas weekend was a rainy mess, New Year's weekend was cold, MLK weekend was a rainy washout, and Presidents day weekend was frigged. That's a big chunk of the days that the "masses" ski.

 

[deadheadskier]

, then brutally cold weather would poor down from Canada just in time for the weekend. That had to happen at least 3 or 4 times.

I agree with holiday weather issues with rain , but "brutal" is an exaggeration on temps. You said this often throughout the winter as a reason for not heading North.

I found the forecasts on temperatures missed on the low end often this winter. If they forecasted single digits, it usually ended up in the teens.

Skied every weekend until March this winter. Never once had issues with it being too cold.

 

[dlague]

I agree with holiday weather issues with rain , but "brutal" is an exaggeration on temps. You said this often throughout the winter as a reason for not heading North.

I found the forecasts on temperatures missed on the low end often this winter. If they forecasted single digits, it usually ended up in the teens.

Skied every weekend until March this winter. Never once had issues with it being too cold.

Agreed! But even with Christmas we went to BW and had a great day. We skied New Year's Eve and Day and had great experiences. Skied MLK weekend and did not have a problem. We skied cold days and snowy days as well. So we need perfect seasons now for it to be great? I got 51 days this year and had a blast.

 

[BenedictGomez]

I agree with holiday weather issues with rain , but "brutal" is an exaggeration on temps. You said this often throughout the winter as a reason for not heading North.

I found the forecasts on temperatures missed on the low end often this winter. If they forecasted single digits, it usually ended up in the teens. Skied every weekend until March this winter. Never once had issues with it being too cold.

That's an easy thing to say when you live in New Hampshire and it's a jog to the resort. When you live in Pennsysvania, New Jersey, Maryland, southern New York, etc.... i.e., the places where a nice chunk of the ski resorts weekend revenue that we're talking about comes from, most people are not going to drive 12 to 15 hours roundtrip on a weekend where the on-mountain highs are forecast to be 5 to 10 degrees with below zero windchills. And that weather, that exact weather, happened about 3 or 4 weekends in the timeframe I mentioned. On one of them, I went up to Lake Placid, and the cold definitely kept crowds away - even on a Saturday I found Whiteface empty. Great for lift lines, bad for the bottom line.

So we need perfect seasons now for it to be great?

You're forgetting the entire point of this thread. It's not about discussing how "hard core" we are, it's about the Wall Street perspective of what effects the SKI bottom-line, both positively and negatively.

 

[joshua segal]

From an economics point of view, AZers are not the measure of what constitutes a good season.

It poured on Dec. 24 and half of Dec. 25. Peak Resort's Crotched Mt. did an excellent job recovering, but the quantity of guests did not pick up for more than half of the vacation period. In Southern NH, it rained Sunday of MLK weekend. MLK Day was nice skiing. The customers didn't show up. Feb. vacation week featured great skiing - but it was historically cold combined with the epic quantity of snow Boston kept people away in droves. Bottom line: Knock out the historically 3 busiest times of the year and the profits will shrink!

Under the circumstances, I'm surprise that Peak did as well as they did. I heard (don't know if it was true) that Peak Resorts "cash cow resorts" in the mid-west got off to a very late start due to a lack of early season snow-making weather.

 

[deadheadskier]

That's an easy thing to say when you live in New Hampshire and it's a jog to the resort. When you live in Pennsysvania, New Jersey, Maryland, southern New York, etc.... i.e., the places where a nice chunk of the ski resorts weekend revenue that we're talking about comes from, most people are not going to drive 12 to 15 hours roundtrip on a weekend where the on-mountain highs are forecast to be 5 to 10 degrees with below zero windchills. And that weather, that exact weather, happened about 3 or 4 weekends in the timeframe I mentioned. On one of them, I went up to Lake Placid, and the cold definitely kept crowds away - even on a Saturday I found Whiteface empty. Great for lift lines, bad for the bottom line.

Well, if I lived where you do and I was concerned about the weather up North, I'd ski the Poconos or Catskills for the day / weekend.

 

[yeggous]

Well, if I lived where you do and I was concerned about the weather up North, I'd ski the Poconos or Catskills for the day / weekend.

And if I lived where he lives I'd move.


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[deadheadskier]

And if I lived in where he lives I'd move.


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:lol:

 

[steamboat1]

Nah, nah nah nah nah. Where I live is better than where you live.

Whatta bunch of a-holes.

And to think one even thinks he moderates this site.

Sad.

 

[ScottySkis]

And if I lived where he lives I'd move.


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Come to Catskills or you never know.

 

[freeski]

Come to Catskills or you never know.

If you live in the east and do not live north of the Mass VT/NH border you are in error.

 

[deadheadskier]

If you live in the east and do not live north of the Mass VT/NH border you are in error.

After this past weeks business travels through CT & MA, getting stuck in countless traffic jams and seeing the overwhelming evidence of crime problems, I got home and told my wife should I ever switch jobs, I want nothing to do with working south of the border you mention.

Glad some people are happy living in those locales, but it's way too crowded for me.

 

[Zand]

After this past weeks business travels through CT & MA, getting stuck in countless traffic jams and seeing the overwhelming evidence of crime problems, I got home and told my wife should I ever switch jobs, I want nothing to do with working south of the border you mention.

Glad some people are happy living in those locales, but it's way too crowded for me.

You realize there more to MA than just metro Boston, right?

 

[deadheadskier]

I'm quite aware. I'm from central Mass originally.

 

[ScottySkis]

400,00 people live in Oran he county. Lees in the Catskill

 

[deadheadskier]

Catskills are great.

 

[Zand]

I'm quite aware. I'm from central Mass originally.

I'd bet that where I am (and probably where you're from) has less traffic and the same amount of crime than where you live now. I drive 25 mins to work and back everyday at rush hour both times and the only time I hit any kind of traffic is if I get stuck behind a school bus.

 

[deadheadskier]

Zand, growing up where I did and traveling for a sales job, I've literally been to 95% of the towns in the state of MA. I am there all the time.

I've enjoyed living in VT, NH or ME much more during my lifetime.

I've said I'm glad people like it down there. Good for you.

 

[BenedictGomez]

From an economics point of view, AZers are not the measure of what constitutes a good season.
Bottom line: Knock out the historically 3 busiest times of the year and the profits will shrink!

Exactly.

Well, if I lived where you do and I was concerned about the weather up North, I'd ski the Poconos or Catskills for the day / weekend.

The Catskills got it almost as bad. As for the Poconos, I really only ski there a few times per season - not a gigantic fan.

And if I lived where he lives I'd move.

I do love skiing. But not so much that I'm going to move just to be near the mountains.