SUGARBUSH: The 2005 AlpineZone Ski Area Challenge

[thetrailboss]

JJ Toland, the Communications Manager at Sugarbush Resort, has agreed to take the AlpineZone Ski Area Challenge! This is your chance to get official answers to your ski-related questions direct from a Northeast ski resort representative! Please post some suggested questions in this thread and we'll select ten to present for official responses.

Also please don't be offended if we edit/change your question for grammar, tone, or some other minor thing. In order to get in all of the questions we MAY merge some questions but we'll do our best to keep the substance of your question. If we don't get your question in, feel free to post a follow up after we get the results...we are encouraging the representatives follow the threads. :wink:

As always, please be respectful of JJ and keep it civil. Also, please refrain from asking specifics about skier visit numbers, financials, demographic information, etc. Sugarbush needs to be discrete about certain information.

Ask away!

 

[thetrailboss]

Here are some articles and other items about Sugarbush that might help you. Also, HERE are their responses from last season.

Have fun!

 

[Strat]

Finally!

Been waiting for this for so long...

Question:
What exactly is being demolished, and what will remain at the base of Lincoln Peak for the 2005-2006 season? Also, what is the timetable on any new lift development?

 

[andyzee]

During the 2003-2004 season I purchased the Escape Pass for Sugarbush. I purchased early, I believe it was in April and got a really good deal. I believe it came out to $512 for 12 days plus if you purchased early as I did you got 2 days added to this. This past season, the price of the Escape Pass increased significantly. It actually came out cheaper for me to purchase seperate lift tickets at an off site seller. Also due to this price increase, I only visted Sugarbush twice this past season. Was this a mistake on the part of your marketing department? Are there any plans to come up with a better deal next season?

 

[thetrailboss]

I applaud you for the work that you did at Ellen last season. It seemed like the place had a lot of energy when I visited this season. I will confess to having a bias for that mountain, but I want to know if you have any other improvements slated for this season? Will Hardy still be running that area?

Also, do you find pressure to lower your season pass prices? In a market in which prices are falling, yours seem to be rising to high levels. Is this hurting business?

 

[Greg]

Sugarbush is notorious for putting lifts on windhold when many would question the need. I experienced this myself last season on a Friday after an 18" dump. It was a bit disappointing to only have access to North Lynx Peak and even a Guest Services rep commented to us that the decision by Mountain Ops to shut down most of the mountain was the wrong one. It seemed that opening Super Bravo could have been doable and that would have provided access to much more of the Lincoln Peak area. What is the specific criteria for these windhold decisions? If the wind lays down at noon or 1 PM do you consider opening additional lifts if only for a few hours, or is staff sent home in the morning?

Does it ever seem likely that there will be trails cut or lifts installed in the Slidebrook Wilderness?

Have you ever considered offering a shared season pass with Mad River Glen, or with Stowe again?

 

[awf170]

Does it ever seem likely that there will be trails cut or lifts installed in the Slidebrook Wilderness?

That is nation park right??? Looks like some awsome terrian back there. Riding up the castlerock lift i talked to someone who skiied all of that stuff back there sounds pretty cool(except he said one time he got lost and got out at like 7pm)

 

[thetrailboss]

Sugarbush is notorious for putting lifts on windhold when many would question the need. I experienced this myself last season on a Friday after an 18" dump. It was a bit disappointing to only have access to North Lynx Peak and even a Guest Services rep commented to us that the decision by Mountain Ops to shut down most of the mountain was the wrong one. It seemed that opening Super Bravo could have been doable and that would have provided access to much more of the Lincoln Peak area. What is the specific criteria for these windhold decisions? If the wind lays down at noon or 1 PM do you consider opening additional lifts if only for a few hours, or is staff sent home in the morning?

Ah yes, the infamous 'expense-hold,' er, wind-holds that pretty much always take place on weekdays... :roll:

Really loved those holds when I was a passholder. It seemed as if the number that was important was not the windspeed but the number of paying folks on the slopes. :roll: :idea:

That said, the upper mountain lifts on Ellen are prone to wind problems.

 

[Strat]

Does it ever seem likely that there will be trails cut or lifts installed in the Slidebrook Wilderness?

That is nation park right??? Looks like some awsome terrian back there. Riding up the castlerock lift i talked to someone who skiied all of that stuff back there sounds pretty cool(except he said one time he got lost and got out at like 7pm)

No chance anything's ever going to happen in there, they were only allowed to build the Slidebrook lift if they made a whole bunch of other agreements with the state and the environmentalists - it's all about the bear habitats... most of it is in the GMNF as well, though I think they only own some of the land inside....doesn't matter in this case though because of the other protections - plus, it gives Sugarbush something unique to distinguish them from other resorts - practically lift-served backcountry that the resort runs tours and such in... putting in trails/lifts would kill this asset, and plus destroy a lot of nice wilderness/tree skiing opportunities... by the way, it's pretty hard to get lost in there, especially if you go with the right people...

 

[awf170]

Sugarbush is notorious for putting lifts on windhold when many would question the need. I experienced this myself last season on a Friday after an 18" dump. It was a bit disappointing to only have access to North Lynx Peak and even a Guest Services rep commented to us that the decision by Mountain Ops to shut down most of the mountain was the wrong one. It seemed that opening Super Bravo could have been doable and that would have provided access to much more of the Lincoln Peak area. What is the specific criteria for these windhold decisions? If the wind lays down at noon or 1 PM do you consider opening additional lifts if only for a few hours, or is staff sent home in the morning?

Ah yes, the infamous 'expense-hold,' er, wind-holds that pretty much always take place on weekdays... :roll:

Really loved those holds when I was a passholder. It seemed as if the number that was important was not the windspeed but the number of paying folks on the slopes. :roll: :idea:

That said, the upper mountain lifts on Ellen are prone to wind problems.

sugarloaf is real good at those "wind holds"

 

[thetrailboss]

Does it ever seem likely that there will be trails cut or lifts installed in the Slidebrook Wilderness?

Yeah, as said, when he^& freezes over. They did have plans drawn up, but when they put the Slide Brook Express in, they had to scrap the previous plans and vowed not to develop the area in order to get the chair put in. As it stands now, the chair can't run from like Mid-April through November because of Bear habitat. The BC/OB options are great and they do run tours through the area.

Have you ever considered offering a shared season pass with Mad River Glen, or with Stowe again?

Good question! I figure they'll tell you what they've said to us all along...'we offer a great product, blah, blah,' and not consider this deal. MRG is not up to their standards and Stowe is their main competition.

 

[Strat]

When was it that Sugarbush ever had a joint pass with Stowe?

 

[JimG.]

Good question! I figure they'll tell you what they've said to us all along...'we offer a great product, blah, blah,' and not consider this deal. MRG is not up to their standards and Stowe is their main competition.

Yes, I would not ever look for SB and MRG to do anything jointly. 2 completely different ski areas regardless of geography, and 2 completely different clienteles that do not see eye to eye on anything.

Personally, I think it would be a bad thing and would prefer they stay separate.

 

[awf170]

Good question! I figure they'll tell you what they've said to us all along...'we offer a great product, blah, blah,' and not consider this deal. MRG is not up to their standards and Stowe is their main competition.

Yes, I would not ever look for SB and MRG to do anything jointly. 2 completely different ski areas regardless of geography, and 2 completely different clienteles that do not see eye to eye on anything.

Personally, I think it would be a bad thing and would prefer they stay separate.

who would ever want to ski at either one of those crappy mountains anyway :wink:

 

[Greg]

When was it that Sugarbush ever had a joint pass with Stowe?

Mid 90's, I guess. Called the "Big Pass"...? I'm basing it off frozencorn's comments here.

 

[Greg]

When was it that Sugarbush ever had a joint pass with Stowe?

Mid 90's, I guess. Called the "Big Pass"...? I'm basing it off frozencorn's comments here.

I also found this reference from 1997 to it.

 

[Strat]

When was it that Sugarbush ever had a joint pass with Stowe?

Mid 90's, I guess. Called the "Big Pass"...? I'm basing it off frozencorn's comments here.

I also found this reference from 1997 to it.

Seems like it may have just been a college special, but yeah, cool idea...

 

[thetrailboss]

So anyway...good questions...feel free to submit more and get us back on track :wink:

 

[awf170]

Are there any long term plans to add anything inbetween castlerock and heavens gate chair, like another lift, trails, or glades?

 

[Strat]

Are there any long term plans to add anything inbetween castlerock and heavens gate chair, like another lift, trails, or glades?

Would compromise the church and a lot of great chutes... in this: http://geocities.com/romulus757/images/expansionplans.gif ASC master plan from 1996ish I think, there were plans for a traverse, but that never happened...