• For more information on how to avoid pop-up ads and still support SkiTalk click HERE.

How has Vail effected Mid Western Skiing?

Cameron

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
Mar 1, 2016
Posts
568
Location
Southwest Ohio
With the latest acquisition news for I am wondering how it will impact local skiing here in Ohio. For long time skiers are Wimot, Afton Alps, Mt. Brighton how have things changed at your home hills? I know they put a ton of money into Wilmot with a lot of upgrades to facilities in infrastructure. Have pass prices risen much? Has the costs of other things gone up significantly? Has the skiing changed?
 

raytseng

Making fresh tracks
Skier
Joined
Mar 24, 2016
Posts
3,347
Location
SF Bay Area
Usually within first couple years you get the big capex spend and everything that was fundamentally broken in your resort that caused it to be financially unfeasible gets fixed/upgrade. But enjoy it, you wont see another big spend for probably another decade.

Meanwhile staffing probably will churn the most and they'll apply financial pressure that pushes the old guard out where new short timers or seasonal workers take their place. They should be pleasant but generic without any real power to change things or true attachment to the resort.
Expect food to also be standard but generic with higher prices for everything, think amusement park or traditional ballpark. Its fine but nothing unique. Everything else extra in cost will get significantly bumped up a lot (e.g. daypasses / lessons / kidcare /activities).
While daypasses may go up, the season passes should still be relatively cheap as its a pack the mountain strategy (although things like season extensions and so on will not happen).
If everything goes as planned to pack the mtn, the mountain is a victim of its own success, you may feel you are competing with your peers for parking/liftlines/tables etc and the opportunity to get ripped off.

Competition for resources is the late stage endgame of capitalism and the state of the world. 7billion ppl. Its a rat race if you're not moving forward you're moving backwards.

All this being said the mountain is still the mountain, and that does not change. It's up to you to be able to find a way to enjoy the same mtn in this new corporate run cookie cutter world
 
Thread Starter
TS
Cameron

Cameron

Out on the slopes
Skier
Joined
Mar 1, 2016
Posts
568
Location
Southwest Ohio
Well employee turnover is already a constant here with low wages for seasonal work. Most positions seemed to be staffed with high school kids or a handful of retirees. Few if any are skiers and the situation is even more grim when it comes to management where none are skiers. Ski patrol is all volunteer and the ski school is underpaid to churn students through 1 hour lessons before turning them loose on the hill.
 

Sponsor

Staff online

Top