Vail AFAIK has wrecked Kirkwood. Up priced everything, cut the season short, and won’t replace decrepit slow lifts that badly need to go.
Of all the things to complain about at KW, those would be the very least of what I would gripe about. Especially griping on the slow lifts, which are better and at least no worse than what it was before purchase. I would say the lifts staying as they are actually saving/preserving Kirkwood. Be careful what you wish for, that would really wreck it.As a buddy of mine once said: "Kirkwood is a 1st world mountain with a 3rd world lift system"