Vail Purchases Okemo, Sunapee, Crested Butte, and Stevens Pass

[BenedictGomez]

I hate to break it to you BG, but PLENTY of "rich" people drive Suburban's and/or full sized Escalades.

Have you ever been in a Suburban? I only wonder because it's odd to compare it to an Escalade, which yes, plenty of "rich" people drive.

 

[moresnow]

Have you ever been in a Suburban? I only wonder because it's odd to compare it to an Escalade, which yes, plenty of "rich" people drive.

A Yukon at the Denali trim level is pretty plush. A Suburban with the Premier trim would be a step down.

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[MommaBear]

I hate to break it to you BG, but PLENTY of "rich" people drive Suburban's and/or full sized Escalades. Here's why.... Rich people often have kids. And often 2,3, or 4+ kids. Kids take up space, and especially when it comes to sports, have stuff, which also takes up space.

Suburban's and Escalades have a ton of room behind the 3rd row of seats. Far more than a Cayenne has (my wife drives an Audi Q7 which is the same platform as the Cayenne is on, and I can 100% tell you that when the 3rd row of seats is in use, there's not much more room for more than 3 or 4 medium sized boot bags behind the 3rd row) Suburban's and Escalades are superior size wise for hauling a bunch of gear, or in non ski season say a good chunk of a kids soccer or lacrosse or softball team around one's home town.

Plus, if you haven't been in one recently, they're nicely appointed. And for a "rich" person often a 3rd or maybe 4th car

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Exactly why we had a Suburban - 3 kids plus multiple friends, ski gear, baseball gear, lacrosse gear, camping gear. Tons of space for kids and gear. My husband will be happy to find out we are "rich"! :beer:

 

[sull1102]

To give you an idea, that Suburban is for rich people nowadays. It starts at $50,200...a new BMW X5 starts at $57,200... Land Rover Discovery $52,100... the numbers are no longer that far apart and yes those are the base base base model numbers that you will never ever see on the dealer lots, gotta have at least some options these days. A "middle class" suv nowadays would be more along the lines of the Explorer coming in at $32,140 and yes that is a very different vehicle capability wise and class wise the Explorer is a solid size down being a jumbo sized crossover.

 

[WWF-VT]

Mass and Boston are two very different things, otherwise you stated my very point perfectly. The drive to Stowe is much more difficult than many other options. Boston as a city has good options 90 minutes away and very very good options under 3 hours away. Stowe you are pushing over 4 hours, not many are doing that every weekend. Look at season passes, people that own condos and townhouses etc etc, there are FAR more CT and NY folks than MA overall and Eastern MA even more so.

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FWIW I live just outside Boston and my trip to Sugarbush averages 3:15 and Stowe is about the same drive time for me. 80% of the non-resident owners at my condo complex are from MA. Sugarbush and Stowe are an easy drive on 89 through NH and VT.

 

[sull1102]

And now Vail's goal is to stop you just 90 minutes into the drive at Sunapee or a little bit up 89 at Okemo.

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[deadheadskier]

Stowe is only 30 minutes further from Boston than Ludlow. Sunapee would be a day trip alternative, not a substitute for Stowe.

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[cdskier]

FWIW I live just outside Boston and my trip to Sugarbush averages 3:15 and Stowe is about the same drive time for me. 80% of the non-resident owners at my condo complex are from MA. Sugarbush and Stowe are an easy drive on 89 through NH and VT.

Yea...I'm a bit confused why he argued that the drive to Stowe is "much more difficult" and "over 4 hours". Google maps also shows around what you're stating from Boston to Stowe along with the majority of the drive being on interstates.

I'd also agree that the majority of the condo owners in my complex at Sugarbush are from MA. I don't see why we'd have a huge number of MA people in SB but further north you'd have less from MA and more from NY. That makes little logical sense.

Sure people from Boston also have a lot of choices in NH and ME that are as far or even closer than Stowe, but that doesn't mean they're not going to Stowe.

 

[sull1102]

220 miles to Stowe vs 150 to Loon from the South Shore area is a big difference. Also if you arent factoring traffic on a Friday night and all the loveliness that comes with it you certainly should. I was never saying no one from Boston goes to Stowe, felt it was pretty clear I was saying more people go to NH and ME than go to Stowe, really not that crazy of an idea seeing as basically the entire industry east of the Connecticut River survives on the Boston market alone and always has.

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[gregnye]

One last thing before I stop ranting about Vail

I really hate the feel of most of Vail Resorts Websites. They are just so corporate and have no personality. In particular the one for Vail, Breckenridge and Keystone.

What I look for in a ski website is not just a list of the trails open, but a summary of the conditions produced by some sort of spokesperson or weatherman. While some resorts are overly enthusiastic (Killington) or straight up lie (Cannon) about conditions, it is better than having no write up at all.

I never could find a condition writeup on most of Vails websites, except for A-basin. I guess they just expect you to come anyway and they couldn't be bothered to hire someone to write something other than a number of how much snow they got. And no, I don't want to follow them on facebook to see the conditions.

 

[jaytrem]

I never could find a condition writeup on most of Vails websites, except for A-basin.

A-basin isn't actually owned by Vail, probably explains that.

 

[Harvey]

No, they are taking areas that already do pretty well and buying them out, overrunning the local communities with increased crowds and people from out of state and the super-rich.

Vail can't actually increase the total number of super rich can they?

 

[cdskier]

Vail can't actually increase the total number of super rich can they?

Sure. They have warehouses full of super-rich people that they're stock-piling. Then when they buy another mountain they drop off loads of them at the Chevy dealers closest to the mountain to buy all the Suburbans and release them on their merry way.

 

[Harvey]

^^LOL'd for real.

I am so totally uninterested in these East/West conglomerate ski passes. Cheap to buy and expensive to implement and use.

Agree. I saw a bunch skiers this year, who weren't chasing the best snow, because it wasn't on their pass.

 

[abc]

Agree. I saw a bunch skiers this year, who weren't chasing the best snow, because it wasn't on their pass.

Define "best". Then define "best snow".

People have different likes. And cost is one of them. Within a geographic region, there're multiple mountains having similar snow pattern. The one on "their pass" gets the same snow as the one that are not. Unless you've only got an Epic pass that is (for last year).

 

[benski]

I really hate the feel of most of Vail Resorts Websites. They are just so corporate and have no personality. In particular the one for Vail, Breckenridge and Keystone.

okemoisepic.com

 

[gmcunni]

okemoisepic.com

Well played

 

[mbedle]

Sure. They have warehouses full of super-rich people that they're stock-piling. Then when they buy another mountain they drop off loads of them at the Chevy dealers closest to the mountain to buy all the Suburbans and release them on their merry way.

OMG - that was the best post yet.... lol

 

[WWF-VT]

And now Vail's goal is to stop you just 90 minutes into the drive at Sunapee or a little bit up 89 at Okemo.

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That's never going to happen for me....I only stop at Exit 9 in NH to get gas

 

[fbrissette]

OMG - that was the best post yet.... lol

+1