The West...and the East

[Kingslug20]

The West just got buried in feet of snow..and we are having a great spring where snow continues to fall. Considering we both had a lousy opening season i wonder if ski resorts have to consider staying open longer...
Will this be the new normal? Last year it dumped 15 inches at K on 4/17. Stowe this year is covered in snow but closed. It snowed up top st SB Friday. Don't know if they are thinking about this..but I am.
Oh..its snowing a little at Jay

 

[machski]

Well, '18-'19 came out of the gate dumping out here. SR was opening trails on natural alone that I have never seen before or since open without a lot of snowmaking efforts. I recall that year skiing late October at SR off the Locke midstation and we were skiing natural trails on a foot +. So given that year, should we always plan to open mid-late October? If only it worked like that. Same with late season. The year Covid shut us down in '20, that spring would have been off the charts (for reference, the White Mountains got hammered somewhere around May 7th or so with over a foot that year while we all mostly hid indoors at home and April dumped consistently). But for that and this season, there have also been plenty that were either dry or warm and wet with the resorts that do try to stay open barely making it. Then add in all the draws away from skiing/riding folks have (boating and other summer endeavors, school sports, etc etc). I do not see more resorts pushing the season. I think the ones established that do have carved out their niche market but I don't think there is enough to go around. Not saying we haven't had great late season ski trips (or once and a while, even summer ski trips in NA) and we likely will continue to go to our favorites that tend to deliver a great product and have the highest chance of fresh snow. But it is a niche market and we are the rarities out there.

 

[Kingslug20]

Thats the prob...not enough craxy people like us who never want winter to end. Maybe if it trends this way for another 5 years. Just glad I live near places that stay open. Had to buy new boots..and will be able to try them out at K..which looks like they can go to the end of May..

 

[deadheadskier]

Considering the largest operator in the business is trending it's areas towards closing a week or two earlier for the most part, I'd say no, spring skiing is not an expansion point.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

I read that Tahoe got more snow in April than in jan Feb March combined! They had a massive December that limped them thru the core of the season

 

[snoseek]

I would gladly trade 3 or 4 weeks in the early season for 3 or 4 weeks in late season but most skiers don't agree so resorts will continue the Thanksgiving push.

 

[Edd]

I would gladly trade 3 or 4 weeks in the early season for 3 or 4 weeks in late season…

100% agree.

 

[Kingslug20]

Yup

 

[JimG.]

Considering the largest operator in the business is trending it's areas towards closing a week or two earlier for the most part, I'd say no, spring skiing is not an expansion point.

I believe they will regret that decision and that non-Vail resorts will take advantage of it.

Why else would ORDA reopen Belleayre this week and plan to keep Gore and WF open next weekend as well?

If I were a Stowe skier I'd be pissed that Belle closed later then Stowe did. That's ridiculous!

 

[KustyTheKlown]

I believe they will regret that decision and that non-Vail resorts will take advantage of it.

Why else would ORDA reopen Belleayre this week and plan to keep Gore and WF open next weekend as well?

If I were a Stowe skier I'd be pissed that Belle closed later then Stowe did. That's ridiculous!

I drove by stowe yesterday on 100 and Mansfield is still wall to wall coverage on the trails

 

[jimk]

I read that Tahoe got more snow in April than in jan Feb March combined! They had a massive December that limped them thru the core of the season

I heard a similar fact applied to Utah. It was that: more snow fell in the first 3 weeks of April in the Wasatch, than all of the months of Jan and Feb combined. Heard this on a TV broadcast a couple days before the two feet that fell Friday into yesterday.

Apr 23, 2022, the Wasatch Front is white again:


I don't see most ski areas extending their seasons on a regular basis. But I like that some can flex and Very cool that some of the NY state ones did it this spring. I think we're just lucky that the late spring "niche" mtns that Machski talked about exist, so we have some predictable options when there's good late season conditions like what is happening this year. As we all know, good late season conditions can turn bad quickly.

 

[ThatGuy]

The thing Vail seems to not be realizing is that even though its only hardcore skiers out at this point in the season there is still the marketing aspect of it. When all the posts you see are from Ski3 or IKON resorts that drives people to those passes even if they have no intention of skiing late season. Perception is everything.

 

[Kingslug20]

Im convinced...vail is not a skiing company..just don't know what they are.
To produce such hatred so fast... would live to listen in on some of their meetings.

 

[snoseek]

Vail is the Netflix of the ski world

 

[JimG.]

The thing Vail seems to not be realizing is that even though its only hardcore skiers out at this point in the season there is still the marketing aspect of it. When all the posts you see are from Ski3 or IKON resorts that drives people to those passes even if they have no intention of skiing late season. Perception is everything.

Well, at least Vail doesn't try to sell spring passes.

 

[deadheadskier]

I believe they will regret that decision and that non-Vail resorts will take advantage of it.

Why else would ORDA reopen Belleayre this week and plan to keep Gore and WF open next weekend as well?

If I were a Stowe skier I'd be pissed that Belle closed later then Stowe did. That's ridiculous!

Because they can and aren't required to run in a manner sensitive to the highest profit possible like a publicly traded company is. I don't think their choices are the best barometer of industry direction.

End of the day, for the most part skiing in April sucks in comparison to December through March for most skiers. Lots of rain and coral reef days vs sunny corn days. Combine that reality with families getting sucked into spring sports season and even just people moving on to things like Golf and I just don't see the market ever being that strong.

In some ways it's almost better to concentrate the interest towards just a handful of ski areas and have them do it well vs more widespread adoption of the spring skiing business which just dilutes margins.

 

[ThatGuy]

I just wish Vail would aim for Stowe/Wildcat to be open later. Definitely possible if they can keep two shitty trails at Mt Snow open longer than anything else they have.

 

[snoseek]

I just wish Vail would aim for Stowe/Wildcat to be open later. Definitely possible if they can keep two shitty trails at Mt Snow open longer than anything else they have.

Yeah make mt snow the early place and Stowe/Wildcat the late ones.

 

[Kingslug20]

Just don't get why Stowe closes early...enough people would keep going.

 

[deadheadskier]

Money. Same reason as anywhere else