Pico Will Not Operate 7 Days A Week

[marcski]

It's definitely a bad decision. They could stay open bare-bones, on early mid week days. Not run some lifts. But still open and spin and serve their customers and the community. Powder/Sp (and ASC to an extent as someone else mentioned above) need to see Pico for what it is. It's not competition for Killington, they should market it toward a family friendly/local "escape" from the madness of K-mart.

The only postive is that i'm sure they'll get a few good thursday crowds after a mon, tues or wednesday dump!

 

[Sky]

I see the point that running the place for three skiers is wasted $...and therefore irresponsible (financially).

But looking from the bottom up...who will they get to work the place as a part time employee for a part time (ski season) job? Area mamnagement, lodge and restaurant mgt, patrol, lifties, etc.

Could be interesting.

This feels similar to 6? years ago when Sugarbush broke free. True they were open 7 days a week....but they certainly went through their growing pains!

 

[snowman]

I don't see much bitching in this thread, just some discussion on the pros and cons.

And I'm not doing the same??!? I'm citing the pros, and stating the people saying it's a con, throwing out words like "demise", are just bitching and moaning for the sake of bitching and moaning.

 

[Greg]

I think this is a bad move. Even if most people only ski weekends and it is a decent deal, I think pontential pass holders will read this as bad news. Pico has long been under the shadow of Killington. It seems Powdr is indeed treating Pico like ASC treated Haystack in that they can not sell to the competition such a fine nearby mountain but they also can not afford to sink money into it and operate a full expense. Yet another brilliant financial decision by the new ownership but this may be tightening up the purse strings a bit too much, especially for nearby property owners. One must wonder when Killington and Powdr are going to release some news that skiers will be generally happy about as they seem to piss off more and more of their former customers every week. I applauded some previous decisions but one must wonder just how much fat you can cut off and still be viable. Especially with this upcoming season being such an open market place due to increased pass prices at the big names and decreasing value from some of the major players. Though for a weekend only skier this is a good deal for what Pico is.

The only reason they would have for being open tues, wed would be to facilitate an extensive school trip skiing program, which they obviously do not have, or can more than facilitate over at K. Sitting there spinning a lift, lighting a lodge and running deep fat fryers for 3 skiers is financially irresponsible. In this new "green era" it is ecologically irresponsible as well. I'm surprised they didn't spin it that way. My local area closed mon-tues for a couple years and then went to mon-tues daytime hours only to facilitate more schools wanting to come and housewives who like to ski during the week. I had no problem with either as I knew it was/is helping the area still be in business the following year. When was the last time any of you skiied Pico on one of the Tuesday and Wednesdays they will be closed? Exactly. Stop your bitching!

At first glance, I thought to myself, "oh boy, another chapter in the book of Killington PR disasters." Indeed, given the news out of Killington as of late, this is undoubtedly going to be looked at in a negative light. However, had none of that other stuff happened, and this announcement was spun more as a necessity to be able to offer a reasonably priced pass (which if looked independently of everything else that has gone down is truly a helluva deal) most Pico fans would be psyched about the news. Like snowman says, I only skied one Tuesday and one Wednesday last season, short of night skiing. Those are probably the least likely ski days for most of us. I'm sure Powdr looked very closely at midweek skier visits and made the decision accordingly. Finally, Pico skiers will be psyched for Tuesday or Wednesday storms so they can get a bonus powder day on Thursdays.

I guess my only concern is the slippery slope potential, e.g. Fri-Sun only next season, and NELSAP the next. I've never skied Pico, but I would hate for it to end up as another Haystack. But at the end of the day, there's not a lot we're going to be able to do about it. Powdr has set the precedent that they will be running a pretty tight ship. Let's just hope they are getting all the bad news out now and better announcements are on the horizon.

 

[threecy]

It's definitely a bad decision. They could stay open bare-bones, on early mid week days. Not run some lifts. But still open and spin and serve their customers and the community.

They already do the bare bones thing midweek.

Think about this realistically - they probably aren't making any money there midweek non-holiday. They have PLENTY of terrain minutes away open those days.

If anything, with all of the talk of global warming and waste of energy/fuel/etc., SP/Powdr should be praised for conserving energy! Running two high speed lifts for a few dozen skiers is VERY wasteful.

 

[snowman]

It's definitely a bad decision. They could stay open bare-bones, on early mid week days. Not run some lifts. But still open and spin and serve their customers and the community. Powder/Sp (and ASC to an extent as someone else mentioned above) need to see Pico for what it is. It's not competition for Killington, they should market it toward a family friendly/local "escape" from the madness of K-mart.

The only postive is that i'm sure they'll get a few good thursday crowds after a mon, tues or wednesday dump!

You're missing the point entirely and don't understand the ski industry. They don't see it at competition, they see it as excess capacity at K or in the K geographical region. Most major resorts shut down certain lifts and certain lodges on the slow days of the week as it's pointless and a financial drain to have them open. Pico is even more of a problem to them though, as it's self contained and requires you to have a large amount of redundant services. There is no such thing as "bare bones". You have to have someone in the kitchen, you have to have someone selling tickets, you have to have staff in the rental shop, by insurance mandate they have to have atleast 2 pro patrollers on duty, and on and on. On top of that, the ecological impact of having all those services lit, along with with a HSQ which sucks power far more than a regular quad. I'm sure on slow weekdays at K there have been certain lifts shut down since the beginning of K. They will just open one or more of those up on a heavier tues, wed and absorb the excess capacity required in the valley, without having to have all those extra people and lights working.

You did hit on one thing I had thought of though: Yes, a mountain of powder 2 days after everywhere else has skiied out will make for a really good Thursday. It's also a huge plus to be able to drape snowmaking hose all over a trail knowing you don't have to deal with skiers for a couple days and allows the grooming staff to move some snow around in daylight, which is a lot easier than at night. :smile:

 

[riverc0il]

Agreed Greg regarding this would be a total non-issue had not so many other hammers already fallen that disappointed people. Though the powder day Thursday idea may not hold up depending upon weather patterns. Powder in the East generally starts consolidating and getting manky unless the weather is well below freezing and the sun exposure minimum. Might line up well for a day after the day after pow day but the weather pattern would have to be in Pico's favor. I don't think any 2k vertical ski area has completely gone Nelsap yet but I would hope this would not be the first step in a backwards slide to a notable first on an unfortunate list.

 

[snowman]

.

If anything, with all of the talk of global warming and waste of energy/fuel/etc., SP/Powdr should be praised for conserving energy! Running two high speed lifts for a few dozen skiers is VERY wasteful.

As I said. I have no idea why they didn't spin it this way. Didn't think of it or figured they would get called the kings of BS'ers? Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

 

[Greg]

If I had rental property at the base I'd be pissed.

Why? I have to imagine most renters are up on weekends for the most part.

Other then that it is a cheap pass option for people who work M-F mostly.

Well, remember, this is a Thurs-Mon pass, not a weekend only pass. If I was a local, I'd grab a midweek K pass and a Pico pass. $700 is not bad for 7 day a week access to at lease one of the areas.

 

[snoseek]

Why? I have to imagine most renters are up on weekends for the most part.



Well, remember, this is a Thurs-Mon pass, not a weekend only pass. If I was a local, I'd grab a midweek K pass and a Pico pass. $700 is not bad for 7 day a week access to at lease one of the areas.

i guess your right about the $700 angle but why let such a good part of the k experience sit vacant two days a week. does the world really need to accomedate the 9-5 m-f anymore than it already does? people do ski midweek, and maybe instead of turning them away, they should fight for their business. it's been sucessfully done before.

yeah i guess i'm kind of bitching, i'm o.k. with that however.

 

[Newpylong]

Exactly. Stop your bitching!

Okay mom, lol.

 

[tirolerpeter]

Pico Mid-Week

The only reason they would have for being open tues, wed would be to facilitate an extensive school trip skiing program, which they obviously do not have, or can more than facilitate over at K. Sitting there spinning a lift, lighting a lodge and running deep fat fryers for 3 skiers is financially irresponsible. In this new "green era" it is ecologically irresponsible as well. I'm surprised they didn't spin it that way. My local area closed mon-tues for a couple years and then went to mon-tues daytime hours only to facilitate more schools wanting to come and housewives who like to ski during the week. I had no problem with either as I knew it was/is helping the area still be in business the following year. When was the last time any of you skiied Pico on one of the Tuesday and Wednesdays they will be closed? Exactly. Stop your bitching!

Fortunately for me, this entire issue is moot since as of this past March I now live in UT. But, as a former A41 passholder I, like any number of retirees, businessmen with flexible schedules, and college students used to ski Tue - Thu exclusively. We left the week-ends to those poor souls who were limited by their work schedules and their families. So, for any number of people, it is not about bitching at all. It is about losing a nice mountain at a time that works well for them.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

Why? I have to imagine most renters are up on weekends for the most part.



Well, remember, this is a Thurs-Mon pass, not a weekend only pass. If I was a local, I'd grab a midweek K pass and a Pico pass. $700 is not bad for 7 day a week access to at lease one of the areas.

Why? = Because most people who want to take a weeks ski vacation and rent a slope side condo want the option of skiing at that mountain everyday of the week. No Tues. Wed. skiing at Pico (IMO) will make a weeks vacation there less inviting.

True it's not a weekend only pass, but weekends are when most working pass holders do most of their skiing. I know there's people who don't work M-F, but most people do. For those who do $300 ain't bad.

 

[Vortex]

If they let you ski K on Tues and Wed with the Pico pass without buying a ticket this would have set better. I have to go read K's board, but I thought Tom H Spimaster stated the Pico rumours were false. Wagons are getting ready to move I think.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

And I'm not doing the same??!? I'm citing the pros, and stating the people saying it's a con, throwing out words like "demise", are just bitching and moaning for the sake of bitching and moaning.

The ski areas are in the business of making money. Like in any other business consumer dollar votes decide who stays open and who will meet their demise.

I don't know, but I have the feeling that Pico has been a loser from a financial point of view for awhile. Maybe closing it for 2 days mid-week will help it stay open rather then hurt it.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

If they let you ski K on Tues and Wed with the Pico pass without buying a ticket this would have set better. I have to go read K's board, but I thought Tom H Spimaster stated the Pico rumours were false. Wagons are getting ready to move I think.

It would sit better with Pico pass holders for sure, but how would Kmart pass holders who pay out $1,000 feel abut Pico pass holders $399 skiing their mountain Tues. and Wed.?

 

[Vortex]

It would sit better with Pico pass holders for sure, but how would Kmart pass holders who pay out $1,000 feel abut Pico pass holders $399 skiing their mountain Tues. and Wed.?

interesting way to view it. either way..... I'm glad I'm at the river. If I had property there I would be fuming. Not my battle or fight.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

If I had property there I would be fuming.

Me too, a major kick in the crotch for those who own there.

 

[Greg]

If I was a local, I'd grab a midweek K pass and a Pico pass. $700 is not bad for 7 day a week access to at lease one of the areas.

Well, according to this article, K passes are good at Pico making this point moot.

 

[JimG.]

Here comes the big wooden spoon looking to stir and...

a few of you have already taken this and seen some of the reasons for the decision. Greg, threecy, and snowman.

My take is simple...POWDR taketh away cheapo K passes and giveth back cheapo Pico passes. And to make it clear what the operational differences are, the cheapo hill is open less and has less services. That seems totally logical to me.

Pico is never crowded, so if they are bombarded with people who buy the cheap pass it will only make it more profitable for POWDR to open Pico, not less. And the capacity is certainly there. Want to step up to the real world, pay the going pass price of $700-$1000 and ski right around the corner at Killington.

So now the cheap pass option is back in play and everyone should be happy. NOT!

This is fun.