The 'S' logo has historically been free to use, all of the local businesses use it in ads, that is by design.
There are 15 million people that live within a reasonable driving distance to Stowe, it may not be a destination like Vail, but it sure could wrap some golden handcuffs around folks that want a weekend get away close to home AND a seasons pass valid at 'real' destination resorts.
Summers in Stowe are busier than winters, there are more tourists.
Guess I was long winded and confusing. I grew up spending every weekend of my childhood there. I bought my first ski house there the month after I graduated from college in 1976, and we bought our second in 1985.
We shifted ski gears in 1994, and moved. I sold my parents house there in 1998.
We had friends who were weekenders from everywhere. We lived north of Boston. So I know that the town casts a wide net. Real wide.
What I was getting at was the difference between the town, and the actual
Stowe Mountain Resort, or as I have always known it, "The Mountain Company." My guess is that most on here have never visited. It's much like Sun Valley, or Aspen. It is not like Vail or most VR properties,
My wife and I love Stowe. Our adult kids do. Whenever they were in Stowe to race, I always heard: "I can't BELIEVE that you and Mom left Stowe." We are likely to return as part time residents. I think that it is the most vibrant four seasons resort town in the East, and the most charming. Yeah, driving from our home off the mountain road to buy six screws at the hardware store on an October weekend was tedious, but there was always a lot going on year round. Crowds or not. And crowds are good for business.
However that revenue does not flow to the Resort, does it? What goes on up at the mountain does. And that is a different deal, than Vail "Village" {not to be confused with a real VT village} where they are just coining money in countless ways every day of the year.
Could be right on the golden handcuffs, but the friends of mind who are still vacation owners and season pass holders typically ski at places like Jackson, Aspen, Sun Valley, or trips with CMH, Eleven Experience, etc. Maybe W-B, but they tend to hare a place like Vail.
The organization sitting on the most cash in the business right now is KSL. I think a bit more than $3Bil. It doesn't fit their model. At all.
My question about the logo is that I don't know who owns the copyright. It might hopefully be the Stowe Area Association. I know the history of how it's been used. By everybody. One of the neat things about the town. Very neat and unique. If VR were to buy the resort, and that copyright happened to be owned by the Resort, my bet is that things might change and over time the iconic Stowe would either cease to used, or used by paying some type of fee. It would be licensed.
And that would suck......would be stupid and create a lot of ill will.
I would much prefer to see Stowe under the ownership of somebody like the Crown family, who own Aspen SkiCo. But, we customers don't pick the owners! And having an owner with a lot of capital, let alone the pass possibilities is not all bad!
If there is something underway, when done, I hope it's a really good situation for all of you so invested in the community in so many ways.
Great town. Great skiing. Whenever any of my Western friends dump on Eastern skiing, I always point them to Stowe, late February or early March. Never fails to deliver. The best.
Good luck. I am very interested to watch this and have my fingers crossed.
PS interesting about the golf courses.....
