"length of the season...not driver of our brand"--

[Bubba]

"... and in general the high energy atmosphere found here as a result of the guests we host."

The guests they host and the energy they bring exist, to a large extent, because of the length of the season in addition to other factors. Somehow, they fail to connect these two concepts.

[KnuckleDragger]

Chris's comment on season length not being the driver of the brand begs the question "What is the Killington brand?"

Chris Nyberg :
...
Over time the Killington brand position may change, as we repair, rebuild and replace infrastructure and become more efficient. For example, we are implementing programs that are more environmentally responsible and reduce the resorts' CO2 emissions – soon we hope to be known for being an eco-friendly operator. Operating schedules for different portions of the mountain really do not change from recent years, reduction of services in some lodges are balanced with now providing full services daily in Snowshed, and lift ops do not change at all with the exception of Tuesdays and Wednesdays non-holiday (the 2 slowest days every week), at Pico and Skyeship Stage 1.

I read this as:

"We realize that our brand is no longer synonymous with being the biggest and best but we wont admit to that. We really dont know what our brand is or will be at this point but someone suggested maybe we could try to be known as an eco-friendly operator since that seems to be in vogue. Yeah that's the ticket."

Reading further, "Operating schedules for different portions of the mountain have not changed, except of course for the stuff that DID change."

[Keithus]

"length of the season...not driver of our brand"

Nothing is.
The Killington brand seems to be doing an undriven "Thelma and Louise".

[Stormchaser]

size matters

[growing rage]

As a long time K skier I wonder why this powdr Puff management insists on ****ing off anyone who has ever skied K in the past,present or future. Shutting down trails and lodges will save them a few bucks now but will be the straw for many skiers who survived the ASC nightmare. I am a roller coaster fanatic. One thing that ruins a whole trip is to get to the park and finding out coasters I came to ride were closed. A great day at Cedar Point will only cost you about $40 per day. Now picture the skier coming up to K paying $70 plus for a day. He looks at the map and finds half of the trails are closed. I would feel cheated.
PRES. WHERE ARE YOU???????????????

[VTskier1000]

F them! I am so done with that Dump...

1) My condo is up for sale. I have already looked at Sugarbush area condos.
2) I did not purchase a Killington season pass. I purchased a season pass to Mad River & Jay Peak
3) I purchased all my new ski gear online (about $1,000), instead of normally purchasing at The Basin.

Seriously, 10 to 15 years ago Killington was the cool place to ski and has an awesome long season with some of the best terrain... Back then Stowe was stuck in a time warm, Okemo just did not have the terrain, Jay Peak was doing no marketing, and Sugarbush's lifts were dated and the mountains were not connected.

Now everything is different. Stowe is "IN" with great backcountry skiing, Okemo expanded and holds a nice family niche, Jay Peak has a lock on the powder hound segment and offers the best backcountry in the East, and Sugarbush added a super modern lodge and a great attitude to their customers...and Killington is offering the same sh!t with a equal season to their competitors. Talk about being a "betamax", Killington did it to themselves! F them, I spend my money someplace else.

[KnuckleDragger]

Seriously, 10 to 15 years ago Killington was the cool place to ski and has an awesome long season with some of the best terrain... Back then Stowe was stuck in a time warm, Okemo just did not have the terrain, Jay Peak was doing no marketing, and Sugarbush's lifts were dated and the mountains were not connected.

Now everything is different. Stowe is "IN" with great backcountry skiing, Okemo expanded and holds a nice family niche, Jay Peak has a lock on the powder hound segment and offers the best backcountry in the East, and Sugarbush added a super modern lodge and a great attitude to their customers...and Killington is offering the same sh!t with a equal season to their competitors. Talk about being a "betamax", Killington did it to themselves! F them, I spend my money someplace else.

Those are some good points.

[Grandmontes]

Chris's comment on season length not being the driver of the brand begs the question "What is the Killington brand?"

Killington is not a brand, it is a Knoll. It's market niche is location, location, location.

It's location made it the draw of young 20-40 demographic weekend drive get-aways. It's location for weekenders gave rise to the biggest eyesore in all of ski resorts world wide, otherwise known as the Killington Access Road.

The only thing the new Killington can do to change it's market niche is to chase away people by raising prices. Limiting services will have little impact.[/b][/i]

[millerm277]

The other mountains will have a shorter season and/or less available terrain;

Sugarbush and Wildcat went just as long as Killington last year, and I fully expect to see them, Mt. Snow, Attitash, Sugarloaf and Sunday River beat Killington this year.

No one is there in the Spring, which I could not stop saying esp this year as I went up and down with no one around.

It doesn't help when you don't really do anything to try to bring people in. In addition to that, the KBL lot, along with much of Vale was filled every weekend.

It is a vicious cycle where when negativity about attitude, spending, snow-making douse the buzz that was K, but with great sadness I cannot see that buzz coming back.

It could easily, but it's not going to happen with Powdr, unless they completely change the direction they're going. (And, even if they announce a few improvements, it won't be enough in my opinion to sell the village).

Truth is, hard-core skiers are no ones profit-making demographic, and those are the only folks who ski late season.

The question is, is it impossible to make money off us, or is it just that no one tries? Seriously, considering that hard-core skiers are the ones who spend lots of money on passes, and are usually repeatedly spending money on food and drink throughout the season.

Everyone else is going warm weather by April. It’s not that K has not tried to remain true to the long season even the last few years – and I personally think the long-season is cost-effective marketing - but it just seems that less people care to ski later

So do I, and yes...while they draw less people in, they're also typically only operating a lift or two, and a lodge. Not exactly huge expenses, especially considering that the snow for it is usually made during the extremely cold weather midwinter.

and so I can see why some may judge this to be an unworthy marketing approach, esp as no one else has a longer season.

See top statement.

The real money-maker and buzz-maker to me has always been early-season, but maybe it is just too stupid to blow and wash away over and over again – altho again I would judge the buzz factor worthwhile and it does seem rather foolish to not use K’s natural attributes to have a longer season.

Ridiculously early season (October), I understand being dumb, and not cost-effective. But once you hit mid-november, you'd better start making snow at every opportinity. If it's too expensive, then figure out how to make it cheaper....such as moving the start point for it to an easier location to get open and keep snow on (maybe superstar), or by replacing the inefficient guns that are used at that time of the year with something better.

[Stormin_Aussie]

Chris's comment on season length not being the driver of the brand begs the question "What is the Killington brand?"

Killington is not a brand, it is a Knoll. It's market niche is location, location, location.

It's location made it the draw of young 20-40 demographic weekend drive get-aways. It's location for weekenders gave rise to the biggest eyesore in all of ski resorts world wide, otherwise known as the Killington Access Road.

The only thing the new Killington can do to change it's market niche is to chase away people by raising prices. Limiting services will have little impact.[/b][/i]

The Killington Access Road -- THE BIGGEST EYESORE IN ALL OF THE SKI RESORTS WORLD WIDE....
How True.

[b-5]

Chris's comment on season length not being the driver of the brand begs the question "What is the Killington brand?"

Killington is not a brand, it is a Knoll. It's market niche is location, location, location.

It's location made it the draw of young 20-40 demographic weekend drive get-aways. It's location for weekenders gave rise to the biggest eyesore in all of ski resorts world wide, otherwise known as the Killington Access Road.

The only thing the new Killington can do to change it's market niche is to chase away people by raising prices. Limiting services will have little impact.[/b][/i]

The Killington Access Road -- THE BIGGEST EYESORE IN ALL OF THE SKI RESORTS WORLD WIDE....
How True.

Yes I have been saying that 4 years the access road is vermonts slum!
Killington is becoming a third world ski slum...heck thay allready have the third world workers. F-Killingtons new owners..I will be flipping them the bird as I drive past on my way 2 better mtns!

[newpylong]

The Boston market is definitely going to vanish. Loon just expanded. Sunday River and Sugarloaf offer a joint season pass and will have a longer operating schedule.

Yeah, and we will be able to drive a shorter distance for a longer season - Mount Slow... I can guarantee they are going to steal visits.