VAIL SUCKS

[Zand]

Yeah I was going to say NH and Maine are pretty much just havens for MA and RI. No reason for people in CT, NY, and points SW to drive past Vermont especially to places like Loon and Waterville which arent much different than something in the Catskills or southern VT.

 

[drjeff]

If one just looks at the interstate highway layouts, much easier for the Boston and CT market to use the 93/89 or 91/89 routes to get to Stowe.

Not as "easy" for the NY market, unless they're already going over to 91 and up that way to get to Stowe, as for many of the masses the proximity of a ski area to a major highway that isn't too far from the beginning of their trip is a significant determining factor, and for the masses, that is a much bigger factor for many than for us AZ enthusiasts.

No real shocker that the NY crowd stays away from the NH resorts.... Who in their right mind would actively want to drive across my home state of CT to get there and back?

As for some of the customer data that resorts have about their guests. I remember talking with Kelly Pawlak when she was GM of Mount Snow about this (Now President of the National Ski Areas Association) and even 5 years or so ago, they had the data down that they (Mount Snow marketing then) knew what specific towns their core customer base was from and was doing target add buys for billboards, etc in specific places, since they knew that 1 town over was a Stratton town or an Okemo town, etc

 

[drjeff]

Yeah I was going to say NH and Maine are pretty much just havens for MA and RI. No reason for people in CT, NY, and points SW to drive past Vermont especially to places like Loon and Waterville which arent much different than something in the Catskills or southern VT.

Some of the CT crowd (along the 395 corridor and the 84 corridor North and East of Hartford) are NH regulars as it's easy access to 495 and then either 3 or 93 and about the same time as many VT areas. For example from my house in Northeast CT, it's roughly 3 hours +/- 15 minutes to Mount Snow, Stratton, and Okemo, which is basically the same time to Loon/Waterville/Cannon

 

[2Planker]

BW has already said that they're gonna make a run at Last in NH this year

 

[snoseek]

BW has already said that they're gonna make a run at Last in NH this year

Loon will be their only competition and loon sits alot lower.

 

[abc]

Loon will be their only competition and loon sits alot lower.

Why not Cannon?

 

[2Planker]

Some of the CT crowd (along the 395 corridor and the 84 corridor North and East of Hartford) are NH regulars as it's easy access to 495 and then either 3 or 93 and about the same time as many VT areas. For example from my house in Northeast CT, it's roughly 3 hours +/- 15 minutes to Mount Snow, Stratton, and Okemo, which is basically the same time to Loon/Waterville/Cannon

That's why we love NH. Nothin' against southern NE and NY'ers But we are def way less crowded than S & Cent VT

Our RI house is right on CT stateline and it's 3h 20mins to Conway

 

[KustyTheKlown]

That's why we love NH. Nothin' against southern NE and NY'ers But we are def way less crowded than S & Cent VT

Our RI house is right on CT stateline and it's 3h 20mins to Conway

point generally taken, but loon on a Saturday can be just as bad as anywhere

 

[snoseek]

point generally taken, but loon on a Saturday can be just as bad as anywhere

Truth. I wouldn't dare

 

[snoseek]

Why not Cannon?

Cannon could but they don't usually play that game.

 

[2Planker]

point generally taken, but loon on a Saturday can be just as bad as anywhere

Hate Loon due to the insane crowds, Haven't been in 10+ years.....
N Conway Chamber Pass covers 5 places including BW.
Will also hit Saddleback and SR in Late March

 

[snoseek]

Cannon 5 minutes ago. Mittersill actually.

And the empty but open lift. This is why I like nh and don't get me wrong I'm a huge fan of vermont skiing as well.

 

[deadheadskier]

Cannon has a hard stop by roughly Patriots Day. They need to close down the mountain and then those staff immediately head to Flume Gorge to open it for the season. The year round staff move back and forth between ski operations and the local state park operations.

 

[eatskisleep]

BW has already said that they're gonna make a run at Last in NH this year

It’s too bad BW is so flat. A nice top to bottom bump run would be great for late season.

 

[deadheadskier]

Vail Resorts Sold a Record Number of Passes. Now Their Ski Areas Are Facing a Logistical Nightmare.

Employees fear the corporate behemoth bit off more than it could chew, while pass holders cry foul about overcrowding and reduced hours

www.skimag.com

 

[Smellytele]

That's why we love NH. Nothin' against southern NE and NY'ers But we are def way less crowded than S & Cent VT

Our RI house is right on CT stateline and it's 3h 20mins to Conway

Besides loon which is just as crowded

 

[skef]

anecdotally, hardly anyone from ny skis loon/nh.

Anecdote: When I was at Loon on (I think) January 28, standing in the longest line I've been in this season (tens of minutes, for the Seven Brothers lift, to get out of the Octagon pod in the post-lunch crush), I ended up next to a couple of NY bro's who were there for the first time, having switched to Ikon passes after a terrible (crowded) previous season at Mount Snow on Epic. They resourcefully used the wait time to down some beers.

 

[pinion]

Vail Resorts Sold a Record Number of Passes. Now Their Ski Areas Are Facing a Logistical Nightmare.

Employees fear the corporate behemoth bit off more than it could chew, while pass holders cry foul about overcrowding and reduced hours

www.skimag.com

This article has split a nuanced situation into easily understood pieces and tell a cohesive narrative about what Vail is getting wrong, and I applaud Ski Mag for being one of the only outlets to pull that off so far.

Still no mention of NH resorts, and I have a feeling that everyone in the state they interviewed said something along the lines of "dude, Vail fucking sucks" so it was not fit for print

 

[thetrailboss]

Vail Resorts Sold a Record Number of Passes. Now Their Ski Areas Are Facing a Logistical Nightmare.

Employees fear the corporate behemoth bit off more than it could chew, while pass holders cry foul about overcrowding and reduced hours

www.skimag.com

I think I've read this comment in here before:

“A lot of those regional directors and people in Broomfield weren’t really familiar with the intricacies of operating a ski resort in the Midwest or the East Coast, which need snowmaking early and often to maintain a proper snow surface,” the employee said. “They were used to snowmaking conditions like you find in Colorado, where you just make snow up until the Christmas holiday and then you stop because it’s supplemented by natural snow.” As a result, the employee said, Vail’s new acquisitions have seen a slower opening schedule.

And holy shit....

Critics, however, point out that warm weather didn’t stop many of its rival resorts. “When the independent resorts have 50 percent of their terrain open, the Vail resorts have 20 percent of their terrain open,” said the former Peak employee. “They’re all in the same climate.” In Ohio, for example, Boston Mills didn’t open for the season until January 7, while Snow Trails in Mansfield (about an hour’s drive away) was open before Christmas. And though Stevens Pass opened on December 15, by mid-January about 60 percent of the terrain was still inaccessible—an unusually high percentage compared to other Washington resorts, which had most of their serviceable terrain open by then.

 

[Kingslug20]

Only time i ever entered NH was to ski Tux.
Now NH people are coming over to Stowe..