Meet Alterra Mountain Company

[Uncle Louie]

So, maybe a limited number of days at the Aspens.....we can hope.

This is what I suspect (and hope for)

 

[Itinerant skier]

Makes me think of a bulk Chilean wine producer's third-tier in-restaurant-only brand.

That's because it is:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altria

Altria is a conglomerate that owns several tobacco companies and wine labels, including Chateau St. Michelle among other interests.

Glad the MCP oriented folks will gain in the east, but sad that my MAX pass will lose those properties.

 

[PisteOff]

Aspen was never confirmed to be a part of any offering that they would create.

Aspen is owned by Henry Crown & Company under the Aspen Skiing Company. Henry Crown & Company is only a minority investor/owner of Alterra Mountain Company. As such, the four Aspen mountains will continue to be run independently by Aspen Skiing Company (Henry Crown & Company) and not by Alterra.

I'd also file this under the "Family First" category. It's smart. It allows them an exit strategy that leaves them no worse than when they entered the deal without exhaustive legal wrangling to extract themselves and their primary holdings. As so many others have already pointed out, there is likely more to come here. It will certainly be interesting to watch.

 

[fatbob]

I've been skiing Deer Valley the past few days. IMHO its a very underrated mountain. Its not all about the groomers, trust me.

Oh I can believe that - most ski areas have stuff that can be fun that they aren't necessarily known for. And spashing big on the radar doesn't mean better. But if the Gathering had been Deer Valley + Park City more or less enthusiasm?

Not that I have anything against resorts in the portfolio - just I don't know whether its an attractive enough mix vs Epic or the Mtn Collective. Maybe doesn't matter as I'm not the target customer and the real treat is getting an Aspen-lite ops experience at these other places.

I guess I'm a sceptic but mountains have their own vibe and there are local geographic, demographic and historic factors contributing to it. Heck even Squaw and Alpine which now to all intents and purposes are the same place are VERY different. I'm just not sure how you transplant the Aspen vibe into Squaw (make itr less bro -bra while still implying plenty of shenanagins?) or Deer Valley (make it a little more egalitarian and perhpas acknowledge boarders are people too?)

 

[Jilly]

I agree the name is a bit blah. They might name the pass something else though, in the same way that Vail's pass isn't called the Vail Pass.

It'll be interesting to see what the pricing of their "all resorts, all you can eat" pass is. I speculated about a premium competitor to the Epic Pass in a previous thread, and fully expect it to play out that way. Fully loaded Epic Pass is approx. $850, and I doubt the Alterra equivalent will be under $1000. To push it much past that I suspect they'll need have to throw in some days at the Aspen resorts. Also, Vail has a real jewel in Whistler which also gives them a hedge against poor US conditions - a factor that has only been magnified of late. So Alterra really needs a resort in Western Canada (would tie in nicely with CMH too), and a good one at that. Any predictions?

Not sure what the situation is with RCR...That would give them some and Mont Ste Anne, in Quebec.

 

[fatbob]

Other thought - nothing in this says global domination unless there is serious talk of anyone being in for Compagnie Des Alpes etc. But European and Japanese alliances could be a major factor ultimately and at the moment the deals (despite or maybe because of the Epic race farrago) seem to be casual afterthoughts. I guess there isn't enough traffic both ways for anyone to care too much.

 

[Started at 53]

....... Deer Valley (...... and perhaps acknowledge boarders are people too?)

Are they????

 

[fatbob]

I skied Park City briefly over the holidays and was slightly taken aback by the number of boarders - then I remembered that's the $ of all those families shut out of DV because one of them boards

 

[Tricia]

Oh I can believe that - most ski areas have stuff that can be fun that they aren't necessarily known for. And spashing big on the radar doesn't mean better. 1.) But if the Gathering had been Deer Valley + Park City more or less enthusiasm?

Not that I have anything against resorts in the portfolio - just I don't know whether its an attractive enough mix vs Epic or the Mtn Collective. Maybe doesn't matter as I'm not the target customer and the real treat is getting an Aspen-lite ops experience at these other places.

I guess I'm a sceptic but mountains have their own vibe and there are local geographic, demographic and historic factors contributing to it. Heck even 2.) Squaw and Alpine which now to all intents and purposes are the same place are VERY different. I'm just not sure how you transplant the Aspen vibe into Squaw (make itr less bro -bra while still implying plenty of shenanagins?) or 3.)Deer Valley (make it a little more egalitarian and perhpas acknowledge boarders are people too?)

1. I'm sure we would have a very different list of attendees if we'd chosen Deer Valley/Park City for the gathering.
2. Squaw and Alpine have a very different vibe, for sure. I'm not sure that Aspen will bring much of a different tone in general, but I do think they will bring a different employee experience, which may bring a little different (better) customer experience. In the end, Squaw will always be Squaw. That's not changing
3. Hmmmm, I think Deer Valley is like Aspen Mountain in a way, but without a town as its center. Not so much like Snowmass, Buttermilk, or Highlands.

 

[StoicDude]

Interesting deal for sure, but I highly doubt this will be anywhere close to the Epic offerings.
The Squaw gold pass is already more than the full Epic pass and it lost he Sugar Bowl access.
Mammoth passes are even more expensive than Squaw passes.

As for ski lesson and food prices, Squaw is not far off from Epic resort offerings.

High end experiences ( if you look at dollar amount to mean high end) are plenty at Northstar and Heavenly.

This site is mainly compromised of advanced/ expert skiers skiing 50+ days a year, but we are not the people that make the big money for the resorts.

Competition is always good, so it will be interesting to see how it all goes.

 

[Tricia]

As for ski lesson and food prices, Squaw is not far off from Epic resort offerings.

High end experiences ( if you look at dollar amount to mean high end) are plenty at Northstar and Heavenly.

• As for ski lessons - I believe Squaw/Alpine charge about the same but the breakdown for instructors is more favorable for the instructors, but I could be wrong.
• High end experiences - I think you'll pay the same for lunch but the quality is/will be better. Instead of 18.00/epic burger, you'll get an 18.00 real meal.

 

[peterm]

Interesting deal for sure, but I highly doubt this will be anywhere close to the Epic offerings.
The Squaw gold pass is already more than the full Epic pass and it lost he Sugar Bowl access.
Mammoth passes are even more expensive than Squaw passes.

As for ski lesson and food prices, Squaw is not far off from Epic resort offerings.

High end experiences ( if you look at dollar amount to mean high end) are plenty at Northstar and Heavenly.

This site is mainly compromised of advanced/ expert skiers skiing 50+ days a year, but we are not the people that make the big money for the resorts.

Competition is always good, so it will be interesting to see how it all goes.

Right now the Epic pass is more expensive since its price is infinite dollars

Pre-season, I believe the Squaw passes were significantly cheaper than their current prices although I don't recall exact numbers. I think the Silver pass was roughly on par with the Tahoe Local Pass, i.e. in the $550 to $600 range. Can you remember what the Gold pass price was?

 

[soulskier]

I wonder how much this logo cost them to create?

 

[LKLA]

I wonder how much this logo cost them to create?

Probably as much as this one:

 

[Jilly]

Colour is extra!!

 

[Started at 53]

Colour is extra!!

Your colonialism is showing

 

[DanoT]

Your colonialism is showing

IMO, it is you revolutionists who don't know how to spell. After all, it is called the English language.

 

[Jilly]

Grandmother, great aunts and 4 aunts all school teachers......colour, neighbour...Queen's English....just think Meghan's going to have to learn to spell like that!!

Your colonialism is showing

IMO, it is you revolutionists who don't know how to spell. After all, it is called the English language.

 

[PisteOff]

Probably as much as this one:

 

[Blue Streak]

The name sounds like it could be for a prescription drug - but for what?
Alterra - for when the moment is right. Do not take if you are currently taking ....
Side effects may include....