VAIL SUCKS

[trackbiker]

Perspective... there are about 190 million skiers/riders in Europe. There are about 50 million who call themselves skiers/riders in the US (Doesn't mean they're active skiers/riders every year, they just call themselves skiers/riders). About 2 million Epic Passes/pass products were sold last year. While some will travel to Europe to use their Epic's next season, guessing it won't make much of a blip on the radar volume wise at Andermatt next season if one logically thinks about it

The problem is that anyone with an Epic Pass will only go to Andermatt. I'll be somewhere else.

 

[drjeff]

The problem is that anyone with an Epic Pass will only go to Andermatt. I'll be somewhere else.

And that might be what 20k? 30K? 50K people at the absolute most over the course of an entire season? Not that big of a deal for a resort the size of Andermatt in reality. My hunch is that until Epic gets more resorts in Europe involved, I would guess that at the end of the season there will be far more Epic Pass scans at Andermatt from people who live in Europe than people who don't live in Europe.

IKON has a much more attractive and plentiful resort portfolio currently to encourage travel to ski/ride Europe for their passholders who don't live in Europe

 

[jimmywilson69]

Listen I think Vail is bad for skiing as anyone, but if you think that them buying into this Swiss places is going to ruin it, then you are crazy. Dr J gave all of the stats. consider that for a minute. this isn't a Mount Snow, Okemo, Stowe type of issue...

aren't most of the popular ski areas in the Alps already overrun with people?

 

[ctdubl07]

For us, this is great news. I can't wait to bring my marauding crew of 6 Americans over. I've been waiting for Vail to make an investment where your pass truly covers your access cost.
Xmas '19 I flew my daughter and wife over to Geneva to meet me and we hit Chamonix for 3 days. About killed me to buy 3, 3 day passes to ski having been conditioned to that point by aggregated passes.
We specifically chose Chamonix becusse it's rediculously easy to get to straight from airport baggage claim. I see same attraction, albeit Zurich to Ander is a bit further but it makes it a really attractive trip for me....maybe Xmas 2023 once more Ops shit is ironed out.

 

[deadheadskier]

Listen I think Vail is bad for skiing as anyone, but if you think that them buying into this Swiss places is going to ruin it, then you are crazy. Dr J gave all of the stats. consider that for a minute. this isn't a Mount Snow, Okemo, Stowe type of issue...

aren't most of the popular ski areas in the Alps already overrun with people?

You say that now, but when Vail replaces fine swiss chocolate in the lodges with $8 3 Musketeers bars, you will see the expected transcontinental Vail rage materialize. I'd say Fondue being replaced by $14 packets of lunchables is on the table as well.

 

[Kingslug20]

Great..replace the best mountain food in the world..with chicken fingers and grilled cheese sandwiches.....cant wait....
They better...not.

 

[drjeff]

Now watching Vail attempt to bring some structure and order to the European typical lift queue chaos, now that could be very entertaining!

 

[machski]

Here's a map. Looks like they merged with Disentis, which is further east. Andermatt, proper, is on the far left of this map. The orange dotted line is the RhB/MGB rail line (the Glacier Express)

Disentis while linked is still separate and an Epic Pass WILL NOT give you access to those lifts. You will need to buy a separate ticket to ski Disentis.

 

[Kingslug20]

Now watching Vail attempt to bring some structure and order to the European typical lift queue chaos, now that could be very entertaining!

Will make for some good you tube vids..

 

[jimmywilson69]

You say that now, but when Vail replaces fine swiss chocolate in the lodges with $8 3 Musketeers bars, you will see the expected transcontinental Vail rage materialize. I'd say Fondue being replaced by $14 packets of lunchables is on the table as well.

There is likely some Swiss Law against that!


Rob Katz be like "We have Swiss Miss Instant Hot Cocoa"!

 

[Kingslug20]

Saw a vid about why Switzerland is one of the hardest countries to invade...apparently this...is false.

 

[abc]

You say that now, but when Vail replaces fine swiss chocolate in the lodges with $8 3 Musketeers bars, you will see the expected transcontinental Vail rage materialize. I'd say Fondue being replaced by $14 packets of lunchables is on the table as well.

So what?

Euros dig American food! It’s a change of taste for them.

And if you count the Americans in McDonald in Europe, you’d also understand why SOME Americans will go over to ski Europe but not eat European food & drink!

I’d say Vail, bring it on!

 

[Kingslug20]

Oh no...oh no..oh no no no....

 

[eatskisleep]

Listen I think Vail is bad for skiing as anyone, but if you think that them buying into this Swiss places is going to ruin it, then you are crazy. Dr J gave all of the stats. consider that for a minute. this isn't a Mount Snow, Okemo, Stowe type of issue...

aren't most of the popular ski areas in the Alps already overrun with people?

It just means they are spreading their staff etc even thinner. They can’t run small hills in NH they will screw this up too. Fix what you have before expanding, stop acquiring new property. They are becoming the slumlords of the ski industry.

 

[jimmywilson69]

Again how many more Americans are going to go to Switzerland to ski this place just because its on the Epic Pass? It will be negligible to the already millions of people skiing in Europe. This isn't like taking a day trip from NYC or Boston to a "new" Epic Mountain. Its an international vacation and we all know that there is a certain income level or at least the willingness to spend on a European vacation because it aint cheap.

 

[jimmywilson69]

It just means they are spreading their staff etc even thinner. They can’t run small hills in NH they will screw this up too. Fix what you have before expanding, stop acquiring new property. They are becoming the slumlords of the ski industry.

I can't argue with this, its true.

 

[drjeff]

It just means they are spreading their staff etc even thinner. They can’t run small hills in NH they will screw this up too. Fix what you have before expanding, stop acquiring new property. They are becoming the slumlords of the ski industry.

Being a partial owner vs a full owner likely means that you won't see the staff/management types changes that Vail has made when they've fully acquired US resorts. It's not like they sent throngs of various mid level management folks from their North American properties down to Australia after they fully acquired those properties in the past

 

[Kingslug20]

They will have less of an impact there.

 

[thetrailboss]

Today’s news:

Vail Resorts To Ban The Sale of Alcohol Across All Ski Resort Properties

So much for après. Vail Resorts announced today that the American mountain resort company will be banning the sale of beer, wine, and booze at all of its

unofficialnetworks.com

 

[Kingslug20]

Time to go on the wagon.