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brianthelettuceWould it really use that much of their budget?
switchlip2For example. The homies @weastcoat and @drinksutter and others came to snowshoe and didn’t spend a single penny at the resort
weastcoatShamelessly.
I understand it’s the least profitable part of the hill BUT the money put into it is dime to a dollar even for small, grassroots places like trollhaugen, pine knob, etc. I know ski resorts are businesses but it’s just super depressing when your fun gets tossed out the window.
also park skiers are the most passionate skiers on the mountain. I think if anyone deserves just a little bit, it’s us. You don’t see the rich dentists out there 10-8 every Saturday taking turns. You don’t see the local all-mountain rippers out there the entire day in the pouring rain. You don’t see any other people scrounging for the smallest bits of snow in early season to make rail setups. You’d think you’d give a little bit to the ones who love it the most.
r00kieParks are more of an expense than you think. They require a lot more snow making which is expsensive, more cat hours which is also espensive, paying a crew to be out there, materials for rails and time to build is expensive, the liability insurance of having a park I'm sure is insane. Everyone else doesn't need those expenses. And like you admitted, park skiers cheap out as much as possible. If we want resorts to value us, we need to bring value to the resort. Buy a beer or two in the bar, something guys.
NotaskibumI mean Vail operates some of the best parks in the world.
Breck, keystone, pcmr, snowbasin (ok not snowbasin).
Alterra isn't much better imo. At least in Utah. The park at Brighton is so bad, solitude doesn't even have a park. Snowbird, why would you ever ski their park.
GrandThingsI've gone skiing 7 times this year and have yet to step foot in a lodge.
Abomber22One random thought, families of 4 buy more food, ski area swag, etc than homies drinking home brew and munchies in the lot.
jakeordieThis, but think bigger like buying a 2nd house in the resort town. In the 2000s the parents of park users were Boomers, so it made Vail money to cater to them.....now, not so much.
NotaskibumThe park at Brighton is so bad.
C.R.E.A.MI had a conversation with the owner of a small ski resort in Oregon, we were discussing financial matters but as a patron and someone who feels generally in touch with the ski market, I asked him why his resort didn't have any Jibs or features. He explained that his insurance wouldn't allow it. Features present risk and risk presents liability. His ski resort was fighting off bankruptcy and he explained that the bank that loaned him money placed representatives on his board that were involved in the operational choices being made. Long story short, the guy who was passionate about skiing and opened a resort was no longer in control, since his business wasn't profitable. The bank was driving.
Vail is a huge resort, not fighting off bankruptcy and I am sure writes their own insurance. The point of what I am saying is that what sometimes seems like a straightforward request to pile up some snow and run a cat over it can actually be a stupidly complex decision.
C.R.E.A.MA lot of conjecture here... I'd be interested in hearing from someone who works at Vail on their reasoning.
Off the cuff, here are some fireside thoughts:
If I were a boomer, I would want to live vicariously through my kids. They are also spoiled and used to getting what they want all the time, that would probably include a terrain park so that they can go back to Texas and tell their friends they "sent it like Shawn White".
Here is some insight I can provide.
I don't believe building or maintaining a park costs much. But terrain parks DO present costs in other areas. I had a conversation with the owner of a small ski resort in Oregon, we were discussing financial matters but as a patron and someone who feels generally in touch with the ski market, I asked him why his resort didn't have any Jibs or features. He explained that his insurance wouldn't allow it. Features present risk and risk presents liability. His ski resort was fighting off bankruptcy and he explained that the bank that loaned him money placed representatives on his board that were involved in the operational choices being made. Long story short, the guy who was passionate about skiing and opened a resort was no longer in control, since his business wasn't profitable. The bank was driving.
Vail is a huge resort, not fighting off bankruptcy and I am sure writes their own insurance. The point of what I am saying is that what sometimes seems like a straightforward request to pile up some snow and run a cat over it can actually be a stupidly complex decision.
Thanks for attending my TED talk.
hoodratz47What ski resort in Oregon were your talking to?
hi_vis360it's the way the whole industry is organized
diehard local skiers with season passes (park skiers) make the hill the least amount of money
tourists with money to blow make the hill the most amount of money. This is why they invented the epic pass - to encourage people to travel, because they tend to spend more when they do.
honestly we are going to have to radically re-imagine how ski hills work to fix this problem
brianthelettuceWould it really use that much of their budget?
