Storm Skiing Podcast with Vail Inc. Eastern Head Honcho

MarzNC said:
Given how hard it is to get to Taos with the reduced flight schedules, I think Taos is safe for a few more years. Plus TSV wants to keep the winter vibe about the same. They are far more focused on building up the summer business in order to become a true 4-season resort. That's a much more sustainable business model. I want to go do the Via Ferrata. ;)

Taos decided a while back NOT to build a lift up to the steeps above Lift 8. That says a lot about who they want as their regular guests.
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my daughters did the Via Ferrata at JH this summer..Said it was a little boring, but they are rock climbers..
 
raisingarizona said:
If Stowe had been your home mountain before epic and then there after I bet you wouldn’t be so stoked on the changes.
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You may be right but the savings would more than allow me to buy an additional pass at Smuggs, not to mention the fact that I would now have a pass that worked at all other Vail properties. I'm not saying it would be a win overall, but there are some perks that would certainly help soothe my pain.
 
Don’t worry you’ll be able to ski Smuggs and Stowe on one ticket soon enough. Enjoy the old school charm and freezing your ass off on slow lifts while you can ‘cause it’s gonna go bye-bye.

At around 28:00, just after not being able to comment on gobbling up Jay, Stuart asks if they would consider a partnership with ORDA. To that I would say, NO FUCKING WAY!!! His response was that they will constantly be looking for opportunities with the intent on increasing the value of the Epic Pass for their guests. If this ever happens I hope NY and Fail takes all proceeds and disperses it among the 40 other ski areas in our state to ensure that they stay in business.

Skiing at a downhill ski resort is expensive and it should be. The pass price drops didn’t help the other areas, it squeezed them. This reminds me of the $5 rotisserie chicken you can buy at Walmart. When I pasture raise free range, organic birds, I need to sell them for $20. Fuck Walmart. Fuck Vail.
 
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Ripitz said:
Don’t worry you’ll be able to ski Smuggs and Stowe on one ticket soon enough. Enjoy the old school charm and freezing your ass off on slow lifts while you can ‘cause it’s gonna go bye-bye.

At around 28:00, just after not being able to comment on gobbling up Jay, Stuart asks if they would consider a partnership with ORDA. To that I would say, NO FUCKING WAY!!! His response was that they will constantly be looking for opportunities with the intent on increasing the value of the Epic Pass for their guests. If this ever happens I hope NY and Fail takes all proceeds and disperse it among the 40 other ski areas in our state to ensure that they stay in business.

Skiing at a downhill ski resort is expensive and it should be. The pass price drops didn’t help the other areas, it squeezed them. This reminds me of the $5 rotisserie chicken you can buy at Walmart. When I pasture raise free range, organic birds, I need to sell them for $20. Fuck Walmart. Fuck Vail.
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My guess is that any kind of partnership with ORDA would likely be a 7 days of passes kind of thing. With WF as my home mountain I'd rather that not happen but it's a lot different than a full-on acquisition. I think you're spot on about the price drops squeezing other areas. In the short term it's good for consumers but eventually could put many places out of business or make them more susceptible to acquisition. I'll take the short term gains for now and reserve my rage (despair?) for the whole system though. It's not Vail forcing people to buy garbage chicken...I'm more of a we're-all-doomed-and-we're-just-getting-what-we-deserve kind of guy.

Happy weekend!
 
Harvey said:
We called it! Years ago.

nyskiblog.com

Vail Resorts Buys ORDA for $1.2B

Vail Buys ORDA: Resorts (VRMC) announced today that it has purchased New York's ORDA the state of New York for $1.2 billion dollars in cash.
nyskiblog.com nyskiblog.com
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This was a pretty funny story.

It was originally "Z''s idea. Someone was talking in the old forum about Gore installing a bunch of high speed lifts. Z thought it was a ridiculous expenditure and said "what do you think Vail is going to buy ORDA?

It was March 31 the day before April Fools and it got me thinking. I called @jamesdeluxe and he helped me with that piece. You'll notice now it is "tagged" with "April Fools" at the bottom, but that wasn't the case when we published it.

Later that year I was at the SANY (Ski Areas of NY) press event and I saw Jon Lundin, super nice PR guy for ORDA, back then. He said "Harv that piece was a NIGHTMARE! The governor call Ted Blazer and REAMED him a new one. How could you SELL Gore and Whiteface without telling me!"

To this day I think it is Laz's favorite piece we ever published. He mentions it to me at least once a year.
 
Benny Profane said:
Taos will never be mega because Taos has so little room at the base for beds. So, tourists have to drive over twenty miles a day to ski it. Well, the ones who weren't the lucky, and rich, bed winners.
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Do you consider Alta "mega." How about Snowbird? Or could it be that for tourists, it's the combination that makes LCC a "mega" destination.
 
MarzNC said:
Do you consider Alta "mega." How about Snowbird? Or could it be that for tourists, it's the combination that makes LCC a "mega" destination.
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I’ve always thought of LCC as a total package. Both areas and the touring is amazing, the crowding, not so much.

Taos has a free car camping lot btw.
 
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