Here’s a great episode of The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast, featuring Boyne Resorts CEO Stephen Kircher. It’s not just on Sunday River, but the resort is discussed a bit obviously. I’d recommend east coast skiers checking out the podcast in general, I’ve really been enjoying the focus on ski resorts and the industry on our side of the country! It’s new, so this is only the 6th episode, they come out weekly.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podca...rnal-and-podcast/id1483400860?i=1000457439830
I finally got a chance to listen to this on my commute this morning. I wanted to comment on it when it was fresh in my mind. A few points for conversation:
- Being a family owned business, I think they've done a pretty awesome job as a whole. I like that they're kind of doing their own thing, especially how he talks about each mountain keeping their individual feel and character.
- It was interesting how Kircher spun the Max Pass to IKON move. Definitely spun it as a really good move. As a New England Pass holder, I'd argue the opposite. You could previously add on the Max Pass for under $300. Now the IKON is at least doubling the cost of that (base pass, bought early season). So I can see how this may be a good thing for the company, and getting new people to their mountain, it's a step backwards for their regular customer base.
- They discussed Vail's moves into the New England market, as far as buying Peak Resorts. This was an interesting one...Kircher says that in other areas this was good for Boyne. (I think he specifically talked about Vancouver and Utah). I'm looking forward to seeing where this one goes. Especially with Wildcat and Attitash being so close to Sunday River.
- I really liked how he talked about snowmaking being a priority in their business. I've always known that Sunday River has really prioritized snowmaking, but really good to know that this philosophy stems from the top down.
- Kircher discussed solidifying summer operations, and their expansion to own the Sunday River golf course. What I found interesting is that they actually stopped their mountain biking and zip line operations this past summer...so doesn't really seem like their putting their money where their mouth is on this one.
- Lastly I wanted to comment on his discussion of lift upgrades being their next large venture across their mountains. Personally, I'd rather ride a slow quad and decrease the downhill crowds than ride an 8 pack with no lines and double the amount about people on the trails. I get where he's coming from on this one, but his comment that "quads are going away", scares me a bit on what they'll be trying to implement. I'm trying to stay optimistic since Sunday River's lift system is definitely in need of some upgrades, but I don't think more 6 and 8 packs are the answer.