K-Mart: Cash cow or money pit?

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newpylong
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Post by newpylong »

I remember on the old gondola getting on at the base station and practically stripping naked for the 25 minute ride to the top. When the doors at Northbrook and Skye Peak would open people would take one step in until they see my all sprawled out in there :P :P :P
KingsFourMan
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Post by KingsFourMan »

The reason for not running the skyship gondola to the peak made perfect sense. They knew they were going to replace the KP double with the K1 gondola and knew that the peak could not handle the traffic of 2 high speed, 8 person gondolas dumping out up there.

And don’t forget, the skyship was pre-ASC, hence the solid decision making.
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SkiDork
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Post by SkiDork »

Mister Moose wrote:
SkiDork wrote:
newpylong wrote:Not putting the skyeship into the top - I know the winds between Skye and K peak are big, but doesn't the upper and lower sections operate independently anyway??? Perhaps they knew in advance that they would be putting the K1 in... but still..
From what I was told (could be wrong, of course) the reason they didn't go to the top with the Skyeship had to do with the peak restaurant not being able to handle it structurally
??? The peak restaurant is the old gondola terminal. Seems odd that it wouldn't be structurally capable.
Obviously, it was the old terminal. For whatever reason, it wasn't strong enough to handle the new 8 passenger model they were proposing.

Or so I'm told.
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Dr. NO
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Post by Dr. NO »

I heard 2 reasons for the change, maybe others.

Upper structure could not hold the mechanics of the new Gondola.

They needed to modify the approach to the area, like they did for the K-1, in order to allow the rise and landing for the final approach into the area.

Also, don't forget that VT has some really nasty new regs regarding buildings above 3 or 4 K feet.
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Snowjob
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Pico

Post by Snowjob »

From what I hear if ASC had there way they would close Pico.

I think Pico doesn't really make any money for ASC, and my understanding is the locals from Rutland, etc. go there. The locals have some amount of influence in what ASC can do with Killington, so ASC can't tee them off by closing Pico.
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Re: Pico

Post by SLASHER »

Snowjob wrote:From what I hear if ASC had there way they would close Pico.

I think Pico doesn't really make any money for ASC, and my understanding is the locals from Rutland, etc. go there. The locals have some amount of influence in what ASC can do with Killington, so ASC can't tee them off by closing Pico.
Why wouldn't they try to sell the place?
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Re: Pico

Post by Bubba »

SLASHER wrote:
Snowjob wrote:From what I hear if ASC had there way they would close Pico.

I think Pico doesn't really make any money for ASC, and my understanding is the locals from Rutland, etc. go there. The locals have some amount of influence in what ASC can do with Killington, so ASC can't tee them off by closing Pico.
Why wouldn't they try to sell the place?
And set up a competitor right next door? I think not.
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KingsFourMan
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Post by KingsFourMan »

I'm sure Pico is a loser for ASC. the only reason K/ASC was ever interseted in Pico was for the interconnect which would be awesome for Killington. Killington's greatest asset by far is it's size and terrain variety and the interconnect would make that aspect even better. imagine a resort that size in the east.

The interconnect would have been completed years ago if not for broke-dick ASC. Pico faithful hope it never happens but ASC neglects Pico like a red-headed step child.
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Post by Bubba »

KingsFourMan wrote:I'm sure Pico is a loser for ASC. the only reason K/ASC was ever interseted in Pico was for the interconnect which would be awesome for Killington. Killington's greatest asset by far is it's size and terrain variety and the interconnect would make that aspect even better. imagine a resort that size in the east.

The interconnect would have been completed years ago if not for broke-dick ASC. Pico faithful hope it never happens but ASC neglects Pico like a red-headed step child.
Funniest thing last year was at the homeowners' shindig in November when the K VP Marketing put on his presentation about the 03-04 marketing programs and presented the new approach for Pico as a "retro skiing experience". I was standing with another K marketing person and I started chuckling, saying they've put no money into Pico for years and now they're marketing it as retro. The K person simply said "Why do you think they call it marketing?". :lol:
"Abandon hope all ye who enter here"

Killington Zone
You can checkout any time you like,
but you can never leave

"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function" =
F. Scott Fitzgerald

"There's nothing more frightening than ignorance in action" - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
KingsFourMan
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Post by KingsFourMan »

Bubba wrote:
KingsFourMan wrote:I'm sure Pico is a loser for ASC. the only reason K/ASC was ever interseted in Pico was for the interconnect which would be awesome for Killington. Killington's greatest asset by far is it's size and terrain variety and the interconnect would make that aspect even better. imagine a resort that size in the east.

The interconnect would have been completed years ago if not for broke-dick ASC. Pico faithful hope it never happens but ASC neglects Pico like a red-headed step child.
Funniest thing last year was at the homeowners' shindig in November when the K VP Marketing put on his presentation about the 03-04 marketing programs and presented the new approach for Pico as a "retro skiing experience". I was standing with another K marketing person and I started chuckling, saying they've put no money into Pico for years and now they're marketing it as retro. The K person simply said "Why do you think they call it marketing?". :lol:
aint it the truth.
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Finn
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Killington and growth.

Post by Finn »

K replaced the old gondola which is now the skyship, as it was falling apart. Yes, it would of been great for the skyship to go to the top.
If I recall there was some reason why K didn't do it, winds or the building terminal itself. Remember the peak building is old.
The sunrise area was originally nice-but people didn't use it alot. The home owners over there did though. Yes it was sweet to go there to beat the crowds, then run to the Back Behind for lunch or the Sunrise restaurant on the weekends.
Northeast passage was where the snowboarders could ride, as they weren't allowed on the rest of the mountain.
Regarding Rams Head, the old chair ran to the top. It was always icy and
windy. I agree, I would love for the chair to go to the top, as you miss alot of fun trails. I went to Rams Head last weekend-the chair mazw was too slow. They only had a few lanes open. Grizzly was puttin people in line.
I would love to see a new high speed quad for the triple chair and a faster chair at snowdon. The snowdon chair is so slow it crawls up there.
K is the cash cow. ASC has much of the money tied up in real estate.
Pico is fun to ski. It's a family mountain very different from K.
they have a nice lounge old but great bartenders: Mike and Wally .
Some of my friends ski there on Saturdays when K is too crowded.

My two cents.
newpylong
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Post by newpylong »

I like your two cents...
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Mister Moose
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Re: Killington and growth.

Post by Mister Moose »

finn wrote:I would love to see a new high speed quad for the triple chair and a faster chair at snowdon. The snowdon chair is so slow it crawls up there.


My two cents.
Hmmm. Stand on lower Bunny Buster on a Saturday and envision doubling the number of skiers per hour deposited on the top of Snowdon....

I'm at the point mountain wide where I'd rather wait a little in a lift line and not feel like it's rush hour on the trail.
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