KillingtonZone.com

It seems that K is low on capable employees. How else do you explain the Needles Quad not starting until past 11:30 (assuming it eventually opened) on a busy holiday weekend? Huge line at Stage 2 and the knuckleheads at the bottom weren't sending up empty cars. Freakin' annoying.

Labor shortages at seasonal resorts should not come as a surprise. H-2B visas are limited. Summer resorts are having the same problem.

Anyone know if it’s labor that seems to be holding up snowmaking after the washout Friday? Killington seems to be doing a lot less than other resorts judging by their conditions report. I was surprised to hear outer limits didn’t start until today.

MAYBE without an unlimited supply of foreign low cost labor the ski resorts will actually have to pay a living wage. Oh the horror! That Trump guy (his real last name is Drumpf it was CHANGED even his name is a LIE!!!) is a MENACE! WE NEED an unlimited supply of low skilled workers to drive their wages down so our lift tickets can be cheaper and corporations can make BANK. That guy is EVIL. IMPEACH!

Jeff_CT wrote:Anyone know if it’s labor that seems to be holding up snowmaking after the washout Friday? Killington seems to be doing a lot less than other resorts judging by their conditions report. I was surprised to hear outer limits didn’t start until today.

saw them carting off compressors in the vale lot last week and snowmaker hrs have been cut back. heard of cutbacks in other areas. perhaps it's the not as good as expected holiday fallout at work. btw the snowmakers are not foreign labor.

skiadikt wrote:

Jeff_CT wrote:Anyone know if it’s labor that seems to be holding up snowmaking after the washout Friday? Killington seems to be doing a lot less than other resorts judging by their conditions report. I was surprised to hear outer limits didn’t start until today.

saw them carting off compressors in the vale lot last week and snowmaker hrs have been cut back. heard of cutbacks in other areas. perhaps it's the not as good as expected holiday fallout at work. btw the snowmakers are not foreign labor.

Huh, didn't K just get a big tax cut?

Jeff_CT wrote:Anyone know if it’s labor that seems to be holding up snowmaking after the washout Friday? Killington seems to be doing a lot less than other resorts judging by their conditions report. I was surprised to hear outer limits didn’t start until today.

Did not see a single gun going at Sunday River today. Despite what their snow report said.

Peak Resorts certainly did.
One thing I don’t get... If K doesn’t want to invest in their own compressor farm why would they not buy a bunch of fan guns when they upgraded to the low e over the last few years. It would certainly help once they send all the rental air compressors back.

It appeared there was a maintenance issue with the Needle's Eye chair. I saw mechanics working on it in the morning. It was staffed right from when I got there at 9.

And the reason they weren't sending up empty cars at the time is because there was a line double the length of the ropes at the bottom after 10+ random stops. If you're at mid you can take the Northbrook chair to Superstar if the line is ridiculous while you can only take Skyeship out from the bottom.

We need more HI-B visas to get more foreign workers in here so we can keep costs low because those folks are desperate and will work for less than native Vermonters. Trump (Donnie Drumpf...his real name) is threatening this. He needs to be gone by any means necessary. Russian traitor!

GSKI wrote:We need more HI-B visas to get more foreign workers in here so we can keep costs low because those folks are desperate and will work for less than native Vermonters. Trump (Donnie Drumpf...his real name) is threatening this. He needs to be gone by any means necessary. Russian traitor!

Stop. Take that crap to the Political Forum.

Stop. Take that crap to the Political Forum.

Politics and their policy is inextricably intertwined with the skiing experience. If labor or energy costs are made higher by political policy ski tickets become more expensive. No way around reality. everything is political.

Jeff_CT wrote:Peak Resorts certainly did.
One thing I don’t get... If K doesn’t want to invest in their own compressor farm why would they not buy a bunch of fan guns when they upgraded to the low e over the last few years. It would certainly help once they send all the rental air compressors back.

According to JT the state of VT required Killington to have the latest emissions technology for the diesel engines. Now that we are at final tier 4, and no more stringent technology being law at this point, they may want to buy if that is a cheaper option.

Don't get me wrong my "friend". I do secretly hope Democrat policies to drive energy prices into to the stratosphere succeed. The slopes will far less populated and I will have more room! Eastern skiing is unsustainable and a YUGE environmental waste and should not even exist as a business due to its high energy and environmental costs. I would wipe it all out if I was in control as long as I had enough money to get my taste. I expect once Democrats regain control of congress in 2018 and for the next 100 years Eastern skiing will eventually be extinct as we know it for the common good. All those people driving for hours expending fuel to ski on "snow" produced by extraordinary means is totally wasteful and destructive. It needs to be ended. Maybe not by law because it would not be legal but i think we can make it cost so much that it will not be affordable to the masses.

Big Bob wrote:

Jeff_CT wrote:Peak Resorts certainly did.
One thing I don’t get... If K doesn’t want to invest in their own compressor farm why would they not buy a bunch of fan guns when they upgraded to the low e over the last few years. It would certainly help once they send all the rental air compressors back.

According to JT the state of VT required Killington to have the latest emissions technology for the diesel engines. Now that we are at final tier 4, and no more stringent technology being law at this point, they may want to buy if that is a cheaper option.

They run the compressors from late October to February, and the cold push on Superstar probably doesn't take that much air. That's a little over 4 months, a third of a year. Those compressors are extremely portable, and are used elsewhere the rest of the time. Sounds to me like a picture perfect case for renting.