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Apsen and KSL buy Intrawest and more!

Jenny

Angel Diva
This buying stuff is getting kind of interesting - and I know nothing about any of the companies involved; it's just interesting to see all the activity.

When you say interesting, is it good or bad?
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
Not sure. I'll keep an ear to the ground this weekend when I'm up. Know some people that are savvy business people. Will be interesting to hear their take.
 

Little Lightning

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
OMG! This could have huge impacts on Colorado. Intrawest owns Steamboat and manages Winter Park. Will a Rocky Mountain Super Pass include some days at Aspen?
Starting to rethink our passes for next year.

Lots of Eastern resorts also affected.
 

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
Intrawest owns Stratton in Vermont. So yes, this is indeed very interesting.

Does this mean that Stratton will be on the MCP pass?
 

Christy

Angel Diva
Aspen sounds like a good, environmentally conscious company, so hopefully this will mean good things for those resorts.
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
I've heard no changes yet. Deal to be finalized late this year. Sort of like Stowe.
 
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Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
For sure.....it'll be Boyne only may be. It'll be interesting to see what they keep and what they get rid of.
 

Albertan ski girl

Angel Diva
This is quite the development. I'm the first to get excited about the price reduction when multiple resorts come under the auspices of one company. However, this kind of news does make me worry about the future of independent or family owned ski resorts in North America.
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
That's it ASG - most of the ski hills in Ontario and Quebec are family or very companies - Mont Saint Saveur International and RCR (MSA). And to some of them RCR is big. So changing Intrawest to Aspen Ski is big news.

I have an interest in what could happen at Tremblant. It's been needing some help for a while now. But I really can't see ASC and KSL keeping the 2 Canadian resorts. Except if there is a pass that includes them, then visitor #'s will go up as there are A LOT of people in Toronto with Blue Mountain passes.
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
From an announcement from Tremblant:


Season Passes
For the full 2017-18 winter season, each Intrawest resort will continue to honor the resort’s existing pass
products that are currently on sale, including the Rocky Mountain Super Pass + and the M.A.X. Pass.
 

newboots

Angel Diva
This is quite the development. I'm the first to get excited about the price reduction when multiple resorts come under the auspices of one company. However, this kind of news does make me worry about the future of independent or family owned ski resorts in North America.

I worry about this too. Season pass prices have dropped significantly in Vermont after the purchase of Stowe. I expect the large resorts will be okay, with increased ticket sales, food sales, and all the rest. I worry about the smaller hills, though. If little Berkshire East's pass was around $565 this year, and Killington and Okemo will be $900 and $850 respectively, will many locals decide to pay more and drive north past the little mountain that could? What a shame it would be to keep losing these wonderful, no-bull, family ski areas.
 

newboots

Angel Diva
I think that they will always have a place. You drive by 7 hills on the way to Tremblant. Yet they all still in operation. There are a lot of people that don't like the big places. So they will survive.

We have a breeder-feeder 15 minutes away. It's always busy till March break...All 160' of it.

I SO hope you're right. But so many have been lost already. There's an outdoor music venue 3 minutes from my house, where there used to be a ski area.
 

luliski

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
It has been interesting in Tahoe since KSL acquired Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows. On the one hand, the season pass prices went down and allowed one to choose from two great resorts on any given day. On the other hand, day pass prices at Alpine Meadows skyrocketed (Squaw's were already high), and sometimes it has felt like Alpine is treated like the poor stepchild (i.e. on storm days when Alpine is never opened at all). There's some drama between the two resorts and rumors about previous operations.
As a longtime Alpine Meadows skier, I've been happy to have a more affordable season pass and to be able to use my pass for Squaw. I just have to trust that when parts of the mountains are closed, it really is because it's too dangerous to open.
 

VickiK

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Mammoth bought the two biggest ski areas in Southern California, Snow Summit and Bear Mountain, before Vail could make a move on them. To have the large SoCal market buying Epic passes and then bypassing Mammoth in favor of all the choices on the Epic pass would be bad news. I think Aspen/KSL want Intrawest Resorts for the same reasons. A Vail-owned Intrawest in Colorado, with acquisition of Steamboat and Winter Park, would practically corner the market on the biggest Colorado resorts. Vail just bought Stowe, if they also acquired Stratton, they'd would dominate the northeast too. In Canada, with the Intrawest deal, it takes a bit of business away from the Vail Corp too, with Whistler/Blackcomb . Maybe another reason to buy before Vail dominates in Canada. It's like two big gorillas with a smattering a small places left in between.
 

Skier31

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I currently work at Aspen/Snowmass and have worked for Vail Resorts in the past. Aspen/Snowmass is a great company who treats their employees and guests with respect. They consider themselves part of the community and understand their responsibility to the community. While generally I am not a fan of the huge mergers, I think that this was a wise move on the part of Aspen/Snowmass and the resorts that were acquired are fortunate to be part of the Aspen/Snowmass community.
 

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