killington cancelling lifetime passes

[Hystyk28]

I know this will not sit well with those who hold the pass, but I don't see how you would think it would transfer. I am sorry that it happened to ya, if that holds any water.

[millerm277]

I know this will not sit well with those who hold the pass, but I don't see how you would think it would transfer. I am sorry that it happened to ya, if that holds any water.

Agreed, I see no reason why they should continue the pass, the terms of the pass are fulfilled, it is not their responsibility to honor things associated with another company. I would be happy that you are at least getting the passes for the next two years.

[Bubba]

I know this will not sit well with those who hold the pass, but I don't see how you would think it would transfer. I am sorry that it happened to ya, if that holds any water.

Agreed, I see no reason why they should continue the pass, the terms of the pass are fulfilled, it is not their responsibility to honor things associated with another company. I would be happy that you are at least getting the passes for the next two years.

True, but they could've waited until they announced something positive before doing something negative. On the other hand, they could be operating with the philosophy that they want to get the bad out of the way immediately and work forward from there. Time will tell, but it's not a good first step for sure.

[Dr. NO]

According to someone I know, the letter came from Allen Wilson saying that as of the sale, the transferable bond passes will no longer be valid as they were purchased from Killington LTD which no longer operates ski lifts in the State of Vermont. It says Powdr bought the assets of Killington but not the company. It goes on to say that they will give people a full pass next year and a blackout type pass the year after. The matter has already been referred to counsel for review.

I would suggest that Powdr/SP take into account that pissing off their loyal customers and the locals will cause them a lot of grief and cost lots of money as they go forward with the permitting process.

Not a good way to get started, that's for sure!

Got more to read, and I for one will be glad to join in on a class action against the new owners. They stated, via the late Wilson, that they would provide a 2007-2008 pass and a limited 2008-2009 pass. They also stated no summer lifts would be available.

What exactly is Killington LTD? Did not Sherborne go to SKI LTD along with the passes? AND, I do believe it states that it is with the agreement with the STATE OF VERMONT to operate the lifts. If they have not renegotiated the agreement, then the bonds are still valid. THAT is why they had to provide bond holders with FREE access in the summer, because the lifts were in operation.

Should be interesting to see how this goes. The AG office will be very busy soon with all of this.

I must say that I have at least 7 years on my use, and with 2 more, it was well worth it. Must also say, this is a kick in the teeth for people who made a commitment to ski Killington. If the fight fails, move NORTH and look toward the Bush, MRG and Stowe for our commitments.

[XtremeJibber2001]

Well, based on the wording of that, it is perfectly within their rights to cancel the passes, as they are based on an investment in a company, that now has nothing to do with Killington.

I was thinking the same .... it was the terms pass holders agreed to when purchasing the path.

No doubt it sucks, but that's how things work sometimes. Hope it woks out for the best for the holders of the bonds.

[Vertical Bill]

In 1997 I bought a transferable bond pass from Scott Smith, Press's son. At the time I found out that there were about 240 of them. These were the original passes that the founders created for themselves and were unlimited in transfers so they were much more expensive then the one time transfers.

I can say if this holds I will have lost significant money on this. It would not have been so bad if ASC had not discounted the passes so heavily in recent years reducing the payback each season.

I believe there are a lot more of the one time transferables out there but have no idea how many and how many have been transfered.

I spoke with a Attorney and he is looking into what can be done for a bunch of bond holders. He suggested filing a complaint with the S.E.C.. I think filing complaints with the Town and State also makes sense.

It is surprising to me that Vermont, A consumer friendly state, would allow the transfer of the lese on the lands without requiring the new leasholder to make good on the pass aggrements. It is not like these passes are make it or break it for Killington to make a profit. I suspect a number of these owners will just stop skiing at Killigton. I own a condo in Killington and one in Whistler and buy a Whistler Pass every year. It was because of my K pass that I could aford to do that. I think it might be time to sell my Killington spot and spend my winters in Whistler like I did last year.

[Dr. NO]

Yes, we got the letter. It's actually 1 full year, and another with black out dates.

Doc NO and shortski always used to maintain that the agreement on the pass was such that whoever ran the lifts had to honor the pass.

I'm not a lawyer but I'd certainly like to hear the opinion of an attorney on whether that has any merit.

I'd bet that this was vetted by lawyers so they're probably within their rights. On the other hand, they're making a stupid first step forward that will do nothing but cause animosity among a core block of customers. Anyone know how many of those passes are out there?

I know Rick and several other businesses on the access road have the transferable bonds/passes. Sales have been down with the cheap Bronze passes, but this really takes the bottom out. I have to pull my bond out to verify wording, then probably do a SS and contact the VT AG office and work on clarification.

[Finn]

surprise surprise.....as someone else said the new co wants to make $$$$$$$$$$$$.
Sad to here about the life time passes though.
No wonder the mgrs of ASC got big bonuses.

[newpylong]

All I can say is that this royally sucks and if I had such a pass and it was taken away from me I would be absolute sh*t. Unfortunately I am sure this decision has been largely reviewed with their attorneys and they are perfectly in the law on this. Personally, I would honor such passes as a gesture of good will and respect for loyalty. Unfortunately, not everyone works like this and they aren't going to pay for something they legally don't have to!

I stopped making the trip to Killington for the most part in the last few years and just stayed in the area (Mount Snow) directly because of past decisions that were made that I never forgave. I can see people doing the same thing over this. I hope its not meet the new boss same as the old boss...

I hope you make progress getting them honored though...

[rogman]

I wouldn't waste too much money on lawyers. Chances are they read the fine print fairly carefully before doing this. Since they chose to go down this road, then it is in their best interest to get it out of the way fast. The value of these bonds have been depressed because of the low season pass prices. Once they announce the higher season pass prices, their value would have gone up. Better to kill them while their monetary worth is depressed. I suspect they will announce the regular season pass prices soon (at a higher rate), basically getting all the bad news out at once. They will then follow that with some good news, a lift, capital improvements, free popsicles for the kids, something... anything. Still sucks, though.

[Ski-N-Sail]

In 1997 I bought a transferable bond pass from Scott Smith, Press's son. At the time I found out that there were about 240 of them. These were the original passes that the founders created for themselves and were unlimited in transfers so they were much more expensive then the one time transfers.

I guess they found a way to pay the new President, Chris Nyberg's salary.

240 canceled bond passes x $1,000 for a season pass = $240,000.

Even at half of that it still pays for Spinmaster and one of his lackeys.

[MrsG]

"It goes on to say that they will give people a full pass next year and a blackout type pass the year after."

Sorry to those that are affected by this . . . especially those that recently purchased these passes . . .

. . . if there is any good news from the letter - if you're looking for good . . . it is that they may be offering a "blackout-type" pass as an option to all!?!?!?!

[millerm277]

I stopped making the trip to Killington for the most part in the last few years and just stayed in the area (Mount Snow) directly because of past decisions that were made that I never forgave. I can see people doing the same thing over this. I hope its not meet the new boss same as the old boss...

Agreed, although....in all honesty, unless they close or make every trail Superstar width, I'll continue to go, but I'll make a point of spending as little on-mountain as possible. There are many bad decisions that have been made in the past to save a few bucks/make things a bit easier, none of them have been worth it in the long run.

[Dr Z]

From some of the grumblings that I've heard about the new guys this is the first shot with others in the magazine ready to go.

With a start like this, it doesn't bode well for the future. I have often wondered if this change in ownership would end up bitting us in the a$$.

For some reason I didn't have a warm and fuzzy feeling when this all started.

Time will tell.

[Hystyk28]

I own a condo in Killington and one in Whistler and buy a Whistler Pass every year. It was because of my K pass that I could aford to do that. I think it might be time to sell my Killington spot and spend my winters in Whistler like I did last year.

waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!! Life is tough, I'll have to stay at Whistler instead...some people.