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Started at 53

Making fresh tracks
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If you are interested or happy to pay lower prices for limited skier numbers, then just about anywhere in B.C. not named Whistler fits the bill.

I was referring to our “new home mountain” which is DV being we just signed a contract on a lot to build a home. I should think that we will be Utah Locals, and to be honest, happy to pay a premium to keep skier numbers limited at DV they way they have been up to this point.
 

SKI-3PO

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The MCP survey has been basically unchanged for several years now. And each of the new resorts added in the next year were mentioned on the survey in the prior year.
 

PisteOff

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I think you can expect to see Deer Valley added to the MCP. It is, after all, a KSL property now. That's not really going to change Deer Valley in the short term.
 

dbostedo

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I think you can expect to see Deer Valley added to the MCP. It is, after all, a KSL property now. That's not really going to change Deer Valley in the short term.

I don't know that Deer Valley is more likely than the others, depending on what happens to the other pass products. For instance, if Winter Park and Steamboat drop off of their current pass products because of the Aspen/KSL thing, then they could be likely adds as well. Will they "mess" with DV in addition to those? I don't know.

And if Aspen drops out, will they add several new places? They would have lost Whistler and Aspen in consecutive years in that case... I'd guess they'd have to do something "sexy" to maintain sales.
 

Muleski

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Just saying.......I would expect KSL/HCC and Aspen SkiCo to "possibly" be doing their own thing and if so, it's not going to look at all like an Epic pass.
Quite likely completely out of the MCP, unless they change the deal {for the areas....not the skiers} and they see some big upside. There are just a lot more changes to this whole thing, and this business of consolidation on the horizon. I think we'll see some areas all in, and joining forces, and others not. If the KSL/HCC plan is to form an even bigger group of high end destination resorts, they'll no doubt evaluate whether something like MCP makes sense. And if they think so, I imagine they strike a very favorable deal.

What I highly doubt is the "buy your pass at a KSL/HCC property and ski free at all of the others." Unless they are very expensive passes {and they are priced right now all over the place}. Probably more of better deals/discounts at the sister resorts.

The only thing that's certain, IMO, is a lot of thinking, modeling and decision making on this. But frankly more focus on moving some properties, acquiring some others, and I would assume perhaps another partnership or two. many changes in the industry on the east few years, more on the horizon.
 

Tricia

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I know three people that are happy to pay higher prices for limited skier numbers, namely me, Betsy and @Lorenzzo

I can see us very possibly being season pass holders next season.

17 days of daily tickets is about the break even point at DV.
How many of "you" are there?
 

Tricia

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Having now spent time together I'd say 3.
I kinda meant "globally" ;)

I can CONFIRM 3, but like UFO’s, I know others are out there.... somewhere.......:rolleyes:
Well then, how many other life forms like you are out there and willing to pay for the exclusive pass? I don't expect a factual answer but its a question that the marketing people must be asking.
alien011.gif
 

Pat AKA mustski

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I read your post and went off to my personal e-mail to find my first ever survey from Mountain Collective at 8:07 tonight. I'd be very interested in your thoughts / observations on what they were REALLY looking for !
I have skied 2x this season- once at Mammoth and once at BBMR. I have a Cali4nia pass. I received survey requests immediately after each visit.

I was referring to our “new home mountain” which is DV being we just signed a contract on a lot to build a home. I should think that we will be Utah Locals, and to be honest, happy to pay a premium to keep skier numbers limited at DV they way they have been up to this point.
Congratulations!
 

New2

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Where I'm going with this is too suggest that KSL, and HCC are going to assemble this portfolio of resorts with some degree of logic and strategy. They will hang together. It will make sense. In doing so, they are going to selling move some properties, and you can be sure they will acquire others. If the end game is "high end, destination", then something like Winter Park may not fit. June may not fit. I do not think that they would keep June, if they could make a decent deal, and I strongly suspect that "keeping it out of Vail's hands" is not on the radar screen. If it made sense for both VR and this group they will make deals. I am certain of that.

I definitely agree that they would sell June if they could make decent money selling it. But it doesn't seem likely to me that anyone is going to offer them any more than liquidation value (if there is any) for June. At that price, I think VR might be interested in order to try to increase California market share. And I don't see a California-specific HCC/KSL strategy that ignores market share.

Not sure about the "monopoly power" of AspenSkiCo. They own the four physical areas in the Roaring Fork Valley, and Aspen and Snowmass. They operate as one organization, and they are generally considered to be the gold standard for ski area operators in the country, if not the world. I must be missing the monopoly angle. Talk to ANYBODY who's worked for them in a senior level job, and you'll hear the they are just better in every respect.

In terms of season pass sales, my understanding is that Aspen is very much acting with monopoly power. They, of course, have much better data available than I do... but my impression is that they're selling season passes to locals and folks who own real estate in the area (and who have no real option other than Sunlight, which--let's face it--doesn't count much as "competition"). And that's how they've been able to keep season pass prices so high--they're not selling them to casual tourists who could go anywhere, and they're not selling them to Front Range folks without a second home closer. I'm definitely not arguing that they're anything other than the strong operators, gold standard that you describe. But if they're thinking that $2,000 season passes and relying on an exclusive clientele is going to work at the California resorts, Blue, Tremblant, Snowshoe, Steamboat, or Winter Park... I think they're heading for trouble.
 

Muleski

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I don't think there is any suggestion of $2K season passes across the board for the new company. Also remember, Aspen SkiCo is also NOT part of it. Now the "monopoly" in Aspen is largely due to geography. Aspen simply does not draw the number of Front Rangers that the rest of I-70 does, or even Steamboat does. There are a LOT of hardworking families in the RFV who ski all season, some every day, at one of the Aspen mountains. Many have passes paid for by their employers. Many feel that it's an important investment in recreation, a "tax" of living there. No different that Stowe's $1800-2000 season passes last year before the Epic Pass rolled into town. If you ski 100+ days a season in Aspen, it works out to be pretty reasonable. Our whole impression of what a reasonable cost of a seasons pass should be went off the tracks in the days of ASC, and the early consolidators. Didn't really help ASC, as I recall.

There has been a lot of frenzy in the industry that "We must do this", and also many who say, why? I think that a Jackson Hole pass is in that same ball park. If you buy a pass for Snow King as well, it's probably a fair amount more. Same thing. Only game in town. Sun Valley? Same. I guess I don't think of that as some monopoly.

I would say that Aspen SklCo faces almost no competition, so they price at what their market will tolerate. And anybody with a weekend vacation home in Aspen has plenty bills, on top of the pass. They obviously sell. My info is that SkiCo really doesn't see any of the CO areas as competition, certainly not to the point where it would influence their business practices.

Plus the skiers kind of like the lack of crowds. It's tremendous. Maybe an expensive Aspen pass is good for a lot of bragging rights, too.

In case I'm not clear, the chances, I hear, of one common pass, at one set of price points for all of the KSL/HCC properties is pretty darn slim. Maybe ZERO, in fact. They have no need to do it. They are NOT playing follow VR, or anybody else with this.

No need to go around in circles in Epic style on this.
 
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oswaldr2

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[QUOTE="Muleski, post: 180407, member: 207"Also remember, Aspen SkiCo is also NOT part of it.[/QUOTE]

Any reason why all the articles that came out in spring called Aspen and KSL a "merger" if they are not part of the deal?
 
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