Wildcat on the block: Wildcat Sold to Peaks Resorts

[dl]

I don't have anything to substantiate this but has anyone heard anything? Just received an email from a friend who said that Peak Resorts is looking at buying Wildcat. I had heard they looked at it last year but didn't see a lot of value as there is no real estate play (i.e. condos, hotels, future development) to be made. Was surprised to get the email today and am wondering if it's old news that's made its way around or something new is happening.

 

[billski]

Note to management, past present and future: don't mess with Wildcat, Catapult, Lynx or Alleycat trails! :evil:

 

[thetrailboss]

Wildcat has been on the market for quite some time. The family that owns it is getting tired. One hell of a location, but it hurts them because there is no potential for real estate development at all. Add aging infrastructure to the list and a bad market and you've got an explanation as to why it is a hard sell.

 

[Highway Star]

Note to management, past present and future: don't mess with Wildcat, Catapult, Lynx or Alleycat trails! :evil:

Huh.....I heard that they were going to widen all the trails and install several hundred fan guns.

 

[deadheadskier]

Great place. Too bad they can't put in even a modest hotel at the base to have some lodging component and an additional revenue stream.

In addition to no developable real estate, I don't believe they have the ability to expand any terrain either.

Maybe the State of NH will buy it and add it to it's park system. A Cannon/Wildcat pass combo would be sweet!!!!

 

[drjeff]

Wilcat's biggest problem, always has been and likely will be, will be that it "suffers" from having 1st class terrain at a resort that is considered by many of the masses(you know all those folks that show up and REALLY make $$ for the ski area) to be at best a 2nd, if not 3rd class resort when compared to the other offering within an hours drive of Wildcat. And that's too bad, since there's some phenomenal terrain there, a lift that argueably is one of the best in all of New England interms of access lots of verts/terrain in 1 quick ride, and on a sunny day, the views from the mountain are top 5 in the country

 

[Angus]

a couple of years ago, a formal prospectus was available - to qualified prospects - which somehow I saw - don't remember how! As I recall, the price was not astronomical and probably reflected the realities of this mountain. Given the economic climate, I'm sure the price has dropped. Maybe with the new hotel opening at Great Glen they can expect more visitors. You're right Bill - please don't change. This is our "go to" spring skiing destination. Peaks could do something with Attitash and Wildcat that could be pretty cool for the Attitash folks - might drive more people to the mountain which wouldn't be so cool for me though!

 

[deadheadskier]

What really surprises me about the N. Conway area is that the resorts don't team up and offer a 4 Mountain Pass. It's a pain to drive to N. Conway, though it will improve some with the Route 16 expansion through Rochester. None of the areas up there are spectacular enough individually to be a major draw for season pass buyers or frequent day trips. However, the 4 areas combined offer pretty much everything a skier/rider could want. I think combining that type of pass with the area's summer appeal would be a real draw for potential vacation home buyers from Boston.

 

[St. Bear]

Maybe the State of NH will buy it and add it to it's park system. A Cannon/Wildcat pass combo would be sweet!!!!

What's that I hear? It's a choir of angels.

 

[thetrailboss]

What's that I hear? It's a choir of angels.

No, it's threecy's head about to explode at the thought of another ski area going into the state's hands. :wink: :lol:

 

[polariso]

Thankful

Im thankful Wildcat will never become a real estate development. Could use some upgrades but as long as the quads running ill make the trip.

 

[Edd]

I don't have anything to substantiate this but has anyone heard anything? Just received an email from a friend who said that Peak Resorts is looking at buying Wildcat.

I've heard a similar rumor but also have nothing to back it up.

 

[Geoff]

Maybe the State of NH will buy it and add it to it's park system. A Cannon/Wildcat pass combo would be sweet!!!!

Yeah, and monkeys might fly out of my butt.

 

[billski]

Wilcat's biggest problem, always has been and likely will be, will be that it "suffers" from having 1st class terrain at a resort that is considered by many of the masses(you know all those folks that show up and REALLY make $$ for the ski area) to be at best a 2nd, if not 3rd class resort when compared to the other offering within an hours drive of Wildcat. And that's too bad, since there's some phenomenal terrain there, a lift that argueably is one of the best in all of New England interms of access lots of verts/terrain in 1 quick ride, and on a sunny day, the views from the mountain are top 5 in the country

As Cannon mountain likes to say, "we're a SKI AREA not a RESORT. (much to the disappointment of the Wildcat owners....)

 

[Edd]

I've always fantasized about a Wildcat/Cannon pass and have mentioned that on this forum. That's the only pass drivable to me that could get me to jump from the New England pass.

 

[EPB]

Purchasing Wildcat seems somewhat concurrent with Peak's day business oriented business model. It looks like Mount Snow is the only resort that they currently own that they plan (or are able) to build out. From what I understand, Attitash sold off their develop-able land in the 1980's; I also haven't heard of any Crotched development plans. The rest of their business looks like day trip hills near bigger urban centers in the Midwest.

Owning Wildcat and Attitash could open up a great deal of skiing related opportunities for people looking to make a weekend trip or vacation in the Mount Washington Valley. Harsh weather conditions wouldn't be as big of a deterrent to making a commitment to Wildcat if you could ski Attitash on the same ticket. Aggregate season pass holders would likely increase too. Peak's infatuation with snow making could lead to great early and late skiing opportunities at Wildcat. The list goes on.

Having an owner with deep pockets and a focus on the skiing product could lead to some interesting opportunities at the Cat. As a few have already mentioned, I hope it wouldn't come at the expense of Wildcat's classic terrain. One positive indication is that their permitting effort might be better served trying to expand their boundaries, upgrade the lift/snowmaking system, or build new buildings on the property.

 

[riverc0il]

Great place. Too bad they can't put in even a modest hotel at the base to have some lodging component and an additional revenue stream.

Sorry, only one monopoly is allowed to operate bed base in the WMNF....

:-? :evil:

Not sure I agree with you EPB on Peaks and Wildcat being a good fit. All of Peaks other eastern areas have real estate attached (including Crotched, limited as it is though Crotched is a unique Beast in and of itself focused more on Peaks' mid-west warehouse style, night/park skiing, and feeder area skiing). As far as the mountains themselves, Crotched, Attitash, and Snow all work well with the "buy a ton of pole cats, line em' up, and BLOW BABY BLOW!" philosophy. Wildcat's trails really don't support that method. Cat does have four season.

I think the closeness aspect of the Cat and Attitash would cause too much internal competition. It would not be a synergy but rather a reduction of efforts competing against each other. Snow, Crotched, and Attitash all power their own markets and none of them compete with the higher. Crotched can promote Attitash as the big mountain to graduate to and Attitash can promote Crotched as the local place to night ski during the week. That works. Wildcat vs Attitash just does not work with the same ownership, IMO.

 

[EPB]

Not sure I agree with you EPB on Peaks and Wildcat being a good fit. All of Peaks other eastern areas have real estate attached (including Crotched, limited as it is though Crotched is a unique Beast in and of itself focused more on Peaks' mid-west warehouse style, night/park skiing, and feeder area skiing). As far as the mountains themselves, Crotched, Attitash, and Snow all work well with the "buy a ton of pole cats, line em' up, and BLOW BABY BLOW!" philosophy. Wildcat's trails really don't support that method. Cat does have four season.

I think the closeness aspect of the Cat and Attitash would cause too much internal competition. It would not be a synergy but rather a reduction of efforts competing against each other. Snow, Crotched, and Attitash all power their own markets and none of them compete with the higher. Crotched can promote Attitash as the big mountain to graduate to and Attitash can promote Crotched as the local place to night ski during the week. That works. Wildcat vs Attitash just does not work with the same ownership, IMO.

The Sunday River-Sugarloaf dynamic certainly hasn't been kind to the Loaf over the years. So in that regard, proximity might be a problem after all.

As far as real estate goes, I was under the impression that Crotched had real estate, but I was unclear if the mountain actually profits form it. I know Attitash sold off much of its trail side real estate in bulk to fund the Summit Triple back in the 1980s (the "mountainside" land between Attitash and Bear Peak). The recent Bearfoot Creek real estate development wasn't Attitash's gig. The developer is from Massachusetts and has a 978 area code phone number on his sign on the side of one of the Bearfoot Creek trails. Aside from perhaps a real estate development in the 1970s on the skiers right of Attitash, the mountain has only sold condos/time shares at the Grand Summit during the Les Otten reign. A good portion of the develop-able land around the Attitash and Bear Peak ski boundary isn't owned by the resort. It had been rumored that the owner of a large portion of land beyond Bear Peak would buy the resort from ASC and develop real estate. Obviously, that has yet to happen. To my (insider direct) knowledge, there are no plans for Peak to develop real estate Attitash in the near future. They did have plans to build a golf course on the Fields of Attitash, but those plans have been shelved for now.

... I was just salivating at the thought of skiing the summit area of Wildcat in early to mid May. The corn skiing there is great. I do have to agree that most of the trail network doesn't seem particularly well suited for a Peak-esque snow making expansion.

PS I grew up skiing at Attitash, that's why I happen to know. Id also love the idea of a joint Attitash/Wildcat pass.

 

[Edd]

PS I grew up skiing at Attitash, that's why I happen to know. Id also love the idea of a joint Attitash/Wildcat pass.

It's sort of a nice idea. I have a feeling that's not how this is gonna turn out....hope I'm wrong.

 

[riverc0il]

The Sunday River-Sugarloaf dynamic certainly hasn't been kind to the Loaf over the years. So in that regard, proximity might be a problem after all.

Not really a fair comparison there. The River and Loaf was a package deal to Boyne, if I remember correctly. But regardless, these two areas are not exactly close to each other like Attitash and Wildcat are. Additionally, both are premier top tier destination resorts. No offense to those of you that enjoy Attitash, but its not in the same league as Wildcat (for terrain and skiing experience) nor Sunday River or Sugarloaf (for everything). Loaf and River work well together, River early season, Loaf late. The two mountains have two completely different ownership pools. I just don't see Loaf and River working against each other, I think they both have something special going for them and work well in conjunction. Just my opinion, but I just don't see that for an Attitash/Wildcat card.