” New season pass rates are out that support a strategy to improve the customer experience and make money. ”

I have no doubt that new season pass rates support a strategy to make money. But I doubt it will be successful, (since it will lower skier visits) and their is NO EVIDENCE (only promises) that the new rates will improve skiers experiences.

I think the new owners simply want to build & sell condos. Yippee.

Killington is not Vail. Vail is a brand that has been developed over decades as a luxury product. It has light, dry powder, immense bowls and the majesty of the Rockies. Along with Aspen, even non-skiers know Vail as a premier, luxury resort. People expect to pay a premium and they expect premium services to be in place when they visit. This was my experience when I visited Vail. It was expensive, but it was worth it.

Killington cannot simply raise prices, invest a relative pittance of $3 million, call itself premium and expect to become Vail. Nyberg has said profitability will lead to future investment. Is he a real business person? You have to invest before you profit. You cannot declare (and price yourself as) a luxury resort without having the facilities IN EXISTENCE. And in reality, more than just having facilities, you have to build the brand before it’s recognized as luxury.

Imagine 2 limo services for weddings. One is called “A” - a vintage white Rolls Royce that has been impeccably maintained. They get celebrity weddings and cater to rich people, renting the car sparingly. The chaffeur is British, the champagne they serve to the couple is perfectly chilled, and everyone knows it. They charge twice as much as the competition.

The second limo service B is a stretch Lincoln from the 90s that has 100,000 miles on the odometer. It looks fine, they wash it regularly, it doesn’t break down (too often, (Canyon Quad!)) but it has a couple dents. They charge half the price and do four times as many weddings as the other company.

This is fine. They serve different markets. B may even be more profitable than A, with lower costs and higher revenue.

But what happens when B decides to install a DVD player (minor upgrade) and raise his price to 75% of A’s? Of course customers will desert B for another lower cost competitor (Gore/Whiteface blackout pass: $475 vs. K-ton $599)

And then B’s owner says, “well, I will upgrade my service to justify the high price when this one starts being profitable!” Really? You think that will work?

Matt

“Degrigating” is not a word. Did you mean “denigrate”? That would mean to defame or belittle. However, neither of those meanings makes sense in this context.

Furthermore, why would Killington want your point #2 - discourage weekend day trippers? The mountain generally did not have >3 minute lift lines in the non-beginner areas even on holiday weekends (except K1 gondola). Bronze pass weekenders buy lodging, eat in restaurants, fill up on gas, bring day pass-buying friends and newbies who rent equipment or get hooked on skiing. People who are locals benefit tremendously from this and if they can’t stand a 5 minute lift line, they can can midweek. People who buy vacation homes instead of “weekending” may be richer and patronize more upscale local services like spas. However, in terms of money flowing to local businesses, the local economy is probably richer from 10 weekend visits spread over a season than 1 vacation homeowner, if only because paying for lodging by the day in a hotel/condo is much more expensive than buying a home in the long term.

Henry

Any more sales figures for the first couple months of the year?