Vermont Ski Areas Record 4 Million Skier Visits in 2008-09

[billski]

Um, winter ended the earliest I've ever seen, essentially March 1st. It was a decent season, but the snow totals would mislead someone to thinking it was epic, when in reality I'd call it just a bit above average.

Agreed. Although I did have one of the better November/Decembers in recent memory. The good snow was fleeting. 2 feet on Monday, raining by Saturday. Repeat. Ick. Good for me who can get out midweek. Bad for tourons.

 

[billski]

Not really. The spending per person doesn't vary all that much from resort to resort in the drive-to market. The tourons pay for lodging. The tourons pay for restaurant food. The tourons drink in the bar. The tourons buy things in the retail shops. Ludlow and Killington collect more sales tax than Stowe since they get a crap load more people in town. Ditto Lincoln, NH. Ditto Bethel/Newry, ME. Stowe likes to cultivate their "the wealthy ski here" image but it has an awful lot of skier visits from day trippers from Chittenden County who rarely spend much and all those cheap college passes who by definition don't spend anything.

I think total sales/lodging/meals tax revenue is a better barometer than clamoring for skier visit numbers. In the grand scheme of things, it's sales that matter, not bodies through the turnstyle. You'd also like to see the split between sales at the resort and sales from the rest of the businesses in town.

I'm interested to hear whether the beds filled at SMR are new customers or simply the same customers who have now elected to "upgrade" their accomodations. If SMR can fill its beds and the remainder of town can fill theirs, the village of Stowe and the state are really gonna be rolling in tax revenue dough!

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Um, winter ended the earliest I've ever seen, essentially March 1st. It was a decent season, but the snow totals would mislead someone to thinking it was epic, when in reality I'd call it just a bit above average.

Let me rephrase it...cold and snowy in the metropolitan areas..for me personally I ski about the same each season whether it's an epic winter or warm and crappy winter but for most weather is a big factor..think of how many people on here took long break from skiing late winter when New England was in a snow drought..

From my three visits to Stowe this past season....Thanksgiving weekend, the tail end of Presidents week, and Easter weekend...I found the town and mountain to be quieter than normal and bartenders and locals were talking about business being town..It was amazing that I was able to secure last minute discount accomadations on a Saturday night in February in Stowe at the Town and Country..

 

[deadheadskier]

Ludlow and Killington collect more sales tax than Stowe since they get a crap load more people in town.

Link to a resource supporting this claim? I have a hard time believing this with my family having had a home in Ludlow for fifteen years and me living in Stowe off and on for ten. Even though Okemo does twice the skier visits as Stowe, it has probably half the restaurants, retail shops etc as Stowe does.

My point was that next to Lake Placid, more non-skiers travel to Stowe during the winter months than I would guess any other mountain town in the North East. Actually North Conway might trump Stowe. That being said, local Lodging and Meals tax revenues is a better economic indicator than skier visits for such a place.

 

[ski_resort_observer]

If the data was from the entire season then that's something to look at for sure but for only part of the season...pretty worthless IMHO.

 

[deadheadskier]

If the data was from the entire season then that's something to look at for sure but for only part of the season...pretty worthless IMHO.

but you have to admit that 90% of the revenue or close to it occurs prior to March 1st.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

but you have to admit that 90% of the revenue or close to it occurs prior to March 1st.

I don't think so..March is still prime season..rates don't even start to drop until the very end of the month...I think more like 75% of the revenue is before March 1st in Vermont..

 

[Geoff]

Link to a resource supporting this claim? I have a hard time believing this with my family having had a home in Ludlow for fifteen years and me living in Stowe off and on for ten. Even though Okemo does twice the skier visits as Stowe, it has probably half the restaurants, retail shops etc as Stowe does.

My point was that next to Lake Placid, more non-skiers travel to Stowe during the winter months than I would guess any other mountain town in the North East. Actually North Conway might trump Stowe. That being said, local Lodging and Meals tax revenues is a better economic indicator than skier visits for such a place.

http://www.state.vt.us/tax/index.shtml

I looked it up and I think you're right as far as retail, lodging, and food & beverage.
Stowe does around $83 million in meals, lodging, and alcohol. It does around $60 million in retail.
Ludlow does around $32 million in meals, lodging, and alcohol. It does around $51 million in retail.

The gross receipts number for Stowe is $138 million versus $236 million for Ludlow. I don't know exactly what "Gross" counts. Does it include new sales of real estate?

If you look at the monthly numbers, it's pretty clear that the non-ski months in Ludlow create next to no business while Stowe is still at least moderately busy. In February, Ludlow did more retail business than Stowe.

 

[deadheadskier]

http://www.state.vt.us/tax/index.shtml

I looked it up and I think you're right as far as retail, lodging, and food & beverage.
Stowe does around $83 million in meals, lodging, and alcohol. It does around $60 million in retail.
Ludlow does around $32 million in meals, lodging, and alcohol. It does around $51 million in retail.

The gross receipts number for Stowe is $138 million versus $236 million for Ludlow. I don't know exactly what "Gross" counts. Does it include new sales of real estate?

If you look at the monthly numbers, it's pretty clear that the non-ski months in Ludlow create next to no business while Stowe is still at least moderately busy. In February, Ludlow did more retail business than Stowe.

even more confusing for that number is that Stowe's gross receipt of 138 is lower than the combined 143 of meals, lodging, alcohol and retail for the town. Gross has to be measuring something outside of that.

 

[billski]

I wonder if Kemo gets more skiers than Steaux? If not, they sure shop more!

 

[billski]

even more confusing for that number is that Stowe's gross receipt of 138 is lower than the combined 143 of meals, lodging, alcohol and retail for the town. Gross has to be measuring something outside of that.

Where do the resort services (tickets, lessons, rentals, etc.) factor into this?

 

[steamboat1]

http://vermontbiz.com/news/march/70...il&utm_term=0_85838110bc-a9c88694c3-286323177