The Hermitage Club 1-25-14

[gmcunni]

I guess I just don't see the value, at least in southern VT. For that kind of money you could do multiple vacations out west, or anywhere else, for like 20 years, even with a family of 4.

I'm basing that on around $150k. $50k initiation + $5k/year x 20 years.

that's only 1 year's bonus for some NYC folks

 

[C-Rex]

that's only 1 year's bonus for some NYC folks

True. But that's what I'm saying. If you have the money why not just get out of New England?

 

[drjeff]

True. But that's what I'm saying. If you have the money why not just get out of New England?

- Can't get the kids out of school regularly enough for multiple trips out West each year (I saw a bunch of families with kids in the Hermitage's ski/boarding programs there yesterday)

- The kids have their friends, who are easier to bring to VT than out West

- The Hermitage Club is shorter travel time away from NYC + Boston than Western resorts are

- etc, etc, etc - Their target market is basically selling a very nice, exclusive 4 season experience for families to appreciate with one another and other members

- The Hermitage Club is selling a year round plate full of events, not just a vacation

 

[skifree]

True. But that's what I'm saying. If you have the money why not just get out of New England?

If you have the money you can do both. Not my cup of tea . That's why I don't belong to a country club or by a season pass .

 

[lerops]

I guess I just don't see the value, at least in southern VT. For that kind of money you could do multiple vacations out west, or anywhere else, for like 20 years, even with a family of 4.

I'm basing that on around $150k. $50k initiation + $5k/year x 20 years.

Agreed, the initial fee is really steep. But if you are buying no-blackout season passes for a family of, say, 4 in one of the other area mountains, you are not really that far away from the $5k.

It looks too elitist and expensive for my taste, but they seem to have priced it smartly.

 

[laxski]

I skied there Sat also from 11-4 trails were Perfect Packed Powder early and had about 4 inches of fresh by close.We were a group of 12 guests of a friend lunch at the Hermitage and then dinner later that night.It was an amazing day riding the lift up and seeing only your tracks and then creating new ones and only seeing the people you were with on each trail.I'm a Mt Snow pass-holder for 15 years and used to ski the Stack it is a fun mountain.I do not have the Coin to become a member but it sure nice skiing awesome conditions All Day.The members can go right up the road to Mt Snow if the ever get board or even out west.

 

[jack97]

The members can go right up the road to Mt Snow if the ever get board or even out west.

imo.... if you made that type of money, you didn't have the time to be a good skier. so the haystack terrain may suit them.

however skiers/riders who got born into wealth, that's another matter. They may actually have free time.

 

[bobbutts]

Seems like the skiing passes the test with flying colors.
Good conditions and no crowds on Saturdays is a nice selling point.

 

[MadMadWorld]

Hermitage is a great idea I just don't know if it has long term viability or if it's just a fad.

 

[C-Rex]

All valid points. I can see why someone would do it, but that someone wouldn't be me. Not to say I wouldn't love to hit it up one day with a friend that had a membership. Uncrowded trails and lifts really make the experience so much better. Not to mention the low traffic not scraping everything off in a few hours.

 

[Savemeasammy]

I never skied haystack, but it seems reasonable to me that if people really enjoyed skiing there, it would ski be operating as a regular ski area.

Yawn...

Rich people: it is ok if you mingle with the rest of us. We aren't THAT bad...!


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[MadMadWorld]

I never skied haystack, but it seems reasonable to me that if people really enjoyed skiing there, it would ski be operating as a regular ski area.

Yawn...

Rich people: it is ok if you mingle with the rest of us. We aren't THAT bad...!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It can't sustain itself as a regular ski area that's the problem. Way to close to Mount Snow and it doesn't offer anything different. It's pretty much the same type of terrain as Mount Snow.

 

[drjeff]

It can't sustain itself as a regular ski area that's the problem. Way to close to Mount Snow and it doesn't offer anything different. It's pretty much the same type of terrain as Mount Snow.

Similar style of terrain as Mount Snow, but far less consistant vertical and not nearly the pitch (for more than a few hundred vertical feet TOPS)

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[lerops]

According to Wiki, there was a failed attempt (Haystack Club) in 2010-11. Interesting.

 

[drjeff]

According to Wiki, there was a failed attempt (Haystack Club) in 2010-11. Interesting.

Different rich owners back then that more than anything fell victim to the height of the financial crisis and real estate market crash that prevented it from getting off the ground.

Now they've got a RICH owner who is prepared to wait a bit too see his return on investment

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[deadheadskier]

Who is the owner?

 

[marcski]

Different rich owners back then that more than anything fell victim to the height of the financial crisis and real estate market crash that prevented it from getting off the ground.

Now they've got a RICH owner who is prepared to wait a bit too see his return on investment

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At this point for him don't you think its more of a legacy thing for him than him seeking a ROI?

 

[drjeff]

Who is the owner?

The current owner is Jim Barnes. He made his BIG $$ by selling a company that he founded to Waste Management for about 500 million a few years ago!

The prior owners, who couldn't make it work, were a crew from the Keene, NH area who were/are in Real Estate development. A couple of their prior projects they did were the Greenspring and Kingswood developments at Mount Snow, both of which are very successful, high end townhome projects that were developed (and in the case of Kingswood, still being developed) over the last 20 or so years. Part of their business plan was to utilize the existing owners in these developments, who were already aware of the quality projects that they have built in the past, as a starter/target audience for their vision for Haystack. The unlucky timing with the financial crisis's effect of greatly tightening the credit markets (thus making it almost impossible for them to borrow the $$ they needed to make the large amount of capital improvements that Haystack needed) and the concurrent real estate crisis effecting not just the prices for some of the new construction at Haystack, but also the ability for existing owners of their other properties to sell their units so they could buy properties at Haystack, doomed their efforts 5 or so years ago

 

[drjeff]

And the pictures I promised from my day at The Hermitage Club!

Headed up the Hayfever Triple for our 1st run with the some of their fleet of Techno Alpin fan guns ("The minions" as my wife called them) lining the Needle trail - Note the HUGE crowds on the lift and trails!

The 40,000 sq. ft. Timber framed base lodge under construction, set for a November 2014 completion. You can see, off to the far right, the top of the very soon to open "Stag's Leap Quad" which runs from near the main gatehouse as you enter the Hermitage Club up to the main base area, with a mid station near where the old lower mountain lodge used to be, which will allow for lapping of the lower mountain (they were making snow down there on Saturday) and access to the upper mountain. Load testing was apparently going to happen this coming week

The Barnstormer (summit) triple was as "crowded" as the Hayfever triple was!

An example of the tree area clearing that they did in the "Secret Passage" tree terrain. Pretty indicative of all the on the map tree terrain I saw. Just awaiting about another foot or so of snow to make it safely skiable

My wife on the Rocker trail. They had made snow on it the day before, and since they were letting the whales drain before grooming them out, patrol had put a "warning: variable conditions" sign at the top of the trail! :lol:

The Witches triple was just as "crowded" as the Hayfever and Barnstormer triples!

My wife trying to find some open snow through the "massive" crowds on Gandolf under the Witches triple at about noon time

The Fever Pitch run off the summit. A legit pitch expert runs that was covered with fun snowmaking whales!

 

[Newpylong]

It looks like they have made some serious investment in snowmaking... thanks for the pictures.