Breaking - Killington sale announced

[skifaster]

Paying for parking at a ski resort is beyond lame, its disgusting.
People pay enough at a resort, to have them pay for parking is criminal.

Jeez. I personally think my $240 preferred parking pass is a superb value. If you go to a resort like Vail, free parking is a 10-minute bus ride from the lifts. The real estate where the former parking lots sat was far too valuable to waste on day trippers.

Exactly and that is one reason that resort SUCKS. There are so many better areas.

[Highway Star]

where is everyone gonna park?

Wally's.

Killington has a way to go before it becomes a trophy home hot spot again.

Again?

Lol....if it ever was...was probably closer at one point.

Closer? Like the trophy homes were close, but then they disappeared? Huh?

Goddamnit you dumbass......closer as in "more like" a viable place for a village, exclusive real estate, etc. But it never really was even before ASC, as was adroitly pointed out by Ed. It's always been a little rough and wild.

[Geoff]

Glad you are all ok with paying for parking. It's lame, and makes a resort way too corporate. I supposed its ok when the Forest service starts charging to use there trails and their access.
It's just another way to bleed customers. It is all part of the lift ticket. Just because others charge doesn't make it right.

You're saying that about Killington???? Killington has been corporate for the last 20+ years. Preston Smith took S-K-I Limited public in 1984.

If you don't like it, go buy a share in the MRG co-op and become a vegan hippie.

[Bubba]

Help me understand.....why the negative spin on the village. I have been to Whistler and Tremblant. If they build a village like those two. It will give people many more restaurants, movies, niteclubs and shops. There will be more opportunity to spend their vacation dollars and give Killington a sense of identity, which has been lost over the years. People who have investments in real estate in the area will see their property values rise. Where is the negative?

Because a lot of the people here don't have the money to spend at the places that are typically installed in these villages, and don't like the clientel that they typically bring in.

Good for the ski area, bad for us.

I still don't get that. Whistler, Vail, Copper, Keystone...elsewhere....Villages bring money, support on-mountain improvements, provide added lodging, food, etc. Why is this bad for you?

[BoozeTan]

Glad you are all ok with paying for parking. It's lame, and makes a resort way too corporate. I supposed its ok when the Forest service starts charging to use there trails and their access.
It's just another way to bleed customers. It is all part of the lift ticket. Just because others charge doesn't make it right.

You're saying that about Killington???? Killington has been corporate for the last 20+ years. Preston Smith took S-K-I Limited public in 1984.

If you don't like it, go buy a share in the MRG co-op and become a vegan hippie.

ya and smell bad too.....

[Bubba]

...Stratton was the first new yorker hot spot....hell, my parents met there in the 70's!

Did they have any children that lived?

[Highway Star]

Glad you are all ok with paying for parking. It's lame, and makes a resort way too corporate. I supposed its ok when the Forest service starts charging to use there trails and their access.
It's just another way to bleed customers. It is all part of the lift ticket. Just because others charge doesn't make it right.

I for one am NOT ok with manditory pay parking or shuttle parking. I even told spinmaster flat out (very strongly, in person) that I would not ski at an area that did not offer some reasonable amount of FREE parking near the lifts.

Early on a weekend and on weekdays there has to be some amount of low hassle, free parking available. Drive up, and you're within a quick walk to the lift and lodge. Stowe has this dialed - you can park nearby any of the major lifts or lodges, for free. Sugarbush South sucks in this respect - you have to walk uphill quite a way to get to the lift, at any time.

At Killington, even with the loss of a few of the lots there will still be places to park. KBL lot should still be active (sure as hell better not be 100% pay), Vale lot, Skyeship and Bear. Plus Pico eventually. Killington is so spread out with multiple access points, that while parking near the village might be tough, other viable options should still exist. If weekend HERBS have to be bused in from other lots, tough sh*t for them.

[skifaster]

ok, listen or read again what I stated. For K to start charging everyone for parking is ridiculous. The preferred parking area is ridiculous also, it should be first come first served.
I guess all you guys will have no problem, good for you. I personally think its ridiculous, and ridiculous on your part to think its ok to have to pay for parking.
It's all part of your lift ticket.

[pcgrantham]

ok, listen or read again what I stated. For K to start charging everyone for parking is ridiculous. The preferred parking area is ridiculous also, it should be first come first served.
I guess all you guys will have no problem, good for you. I personally think its ridiculous, and ridiculous on your part to think its ok to have to pay for parking.
It's all part of your lift ticket.

I agree, I've never paid for parking at a ski resort.

[Bubba]

ok, listen or read again what I stated. For K to start charging everyone for parking is ridiculous. The preferred parking area is ridiculous also, it should be first come first served.
I guess all you guys will have no problem, good for you. I personally think its ridiculous, and ridiculous on your part to think its ok to have to pay for parking.
It's all part of your lift ticket.

For the most part, it's part of your lift ticket. There is, however, preferred parking up front at KBL for people willing to pay for it. Think about it - they've taken a very small percentage of total parking (what, a couple of hundred spaces max? I don't think it's even that many!) and have begun charging people for the right to park there. Everyone else still has the vast majority of free spots over 5 base lodge areas. Why does this bother you?

[BoozeTan]

paying to park is sh*t....and the preferred parking area is ridiculous. Have fun paying to park in bay 1 while I park in bay 2 right below the gondola and have a shorter walk than you do after paying for VIP parking....

[Geoff]

Help me understand.....why the negative spin on the village. I have been to Whistler and Tremblant. If they build a village like those two. It will give people many more restaurants, movies, niteclubs and shops. There will be more opportunity to spend their vacation dollars and give Killington a sense of identity, which has been lost over the years. People who have investments in real estate in the area will see their property values rise. Where is the negative?

Because a lot of the people here don't have the money to spend at the places that are typically installed in these villages, and don't like the clientel that they typically bring in.

Good for the ski area, bad for us.

I still don't get that. Whistler, Vail, Copper, Keystone...elsewhere....Villages bring money, support on-mountain improvements, provide added lodging, food, etc. Why is this bad for you?

The explanation is quite simple:

Whistler, Aspen, Steamboat, Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resort et al are destination resorts that don't offer dirt cheap season passes. They care about maximizing dollars per skier day and they don't achieve that with 30 minute liftlines and lousy skiing surface caused by hordes of drive-to customers skiing on $350 season passes. Their customers buy $75 day tickets and book their slopeside lodging through the resort-controlled 800 number and web site. Skier yield is more like $150/day.

Vail/Beaver Creek is something of a special case. If you're on a beer budget, you buy a Colorado Pass and ski with the masses at A-Basin, Keystone, and Breckenridge with very limited (10 days) access to Vail & Beaver Creek.

[Geoff]

...Stratton was the first new yorker hot spot....hell, my parents met there in the 70's!

Did they have any children that lived?

I had season passes at Flatton in the 70's (through 1976). Maybe I did your mother?

[Highway Star]

paying to park is sh*t....and the preferred parking area is ridiculous. Have fun paying to park in bay 1 while I park in bay 2 right below the gondola and have a shorter walk than you do after paying for VIP parking....

Well then, it isn't so VIP then, is it?! The spots aren't any better than what's available for free!

What sucks is when they close off both bay 1 and 2 for PP, and then block off the entire KBL lot before it's filled 100%, and divert people to Vale lot for busing/walking, before using the road to park people. That blows, and is just poor management. No excuse!!!

A small amount of paid parking on the weekend is reasonable, IMHO, as long as it's not overly annoying and an insult to everyone else.

[Highway Star]

...Stratton was the first new yorker hot spot....hell, my parents met there in the 70's!

Did they have any children that lived?

I had season passes at Flatton in the 70's (through 1976). Maybe I did your mother?

Doubtful.......she probably would have been out of your league.