Rutland Herald Article on Holiday Weekend Skier Traffic

[Bubba]

http://www.rutlandherald.com/article/20 ... 1/BUSINESS

[sLoPeS]

good stuff.......now that they've made money, lets see um make some snow on superstar!

[JerseyGuy]

At Killington Resort, the largest ski area in the East, skier visits over the holiday weekend were well ahead of last year.

"We doubled our skier visits for today (Monday) versus last year," Killington spokesman Tom Horrocks said.

Interesting. No surprise they did much better than last year on Monday -- this year was beautiful everywhere; last year featured pouring r*in -- but did Tommy Boy actually tell the reporter that "skier visits over the holiday weekend were well ahead of last year", or did the reporter simply make that assumption because everyone else said they beat last year's numbers?

I only ask because several people here have already noted that Saturday was pretty quiet at the Big K.

[Stormchaser]

At Killington Resort, the largest ski area in the East, skier visits over the holiday weekend were well ahead of last year.

"We doubled our skier visits for today (Monday) versus last year," Killington spokesman Tom Horrocks said.

Interesting. No surprise they did much better than last year on Monday -- this year was beautiful everywhere; last year featured pouring r*in -- but did Tommy Boy actually tell the reporter that "skier visits over the holiday weekend were well ahead of last year", or did the reporter simply make that assumption because everyone else said they beat last year's numbers?

I only ask because several people here have already noted that Saturday was pretty quiet at the Big K.

I skied untracked to nearly untracked lines all morning on Saturday in the Snowdon bowl, and skied right onto the lift each time at the bottom. Rams head had a line almost 8 deep by 11 am...musta stood there nearly 60 seconds to get on that lift.

[joesixpack]

I would challenge anyone to suggest that the place is busy anytime. Lift lines are much shorter with the exception of the gondola lines on cold, windy, and inclement days. Weekends are nice to ski without the busy crowds of the past but unless the cost of business has dropped this is an ominous sign for the future.

Couple this with vacancy signs posted on nearly every lodging facility all season long from the access road to Quechee to Rutland, numbers compared to last year may be better, but looking back to the ASC days, the area is really slow.
Reading about restaurants like the Grist Mill reporting the big dip in business is very telling.

So while their are pockets of diehards who ski more frequently than most, reading that day traffic is up from Boston and Providence tells the whole story. Day trips suck for us weekend skiers. The entire business community surronding Killington must be feeling the hit that that those of us with discretionary income to spend are afraid to spend.

My idea of a sale is when you purchase a product or service even though you may not have the money (credit) because the price is too good to pass up. The deals have not been good enough for cheap bastards like me (as the "beautiful people" have referred to me as) to open the wallet up.

[skiingsnow]

My idea of a sale is when you purchase a product or service even though you may not have the money (credit) because the price is too good to pass up. The deals have not been good enough for cheap bastards like me (as the "beautiful people" have referred to me as) to open the wallet up.

Are $42 lift tickets cheap enough for yah??

http://www.killington.com/winter/plan/l ... index.html

[JerseyGuy]

My idea of a sale is when you purchase a product or service even though you may not have the money (credit) because the price is too good to pass up. The deals have not been good enough for cheap bastards like me (as the "beautiful people" have referred to me as) to open the wallet up.

Are $42 lift tickets cheap enough for yah??

http://www.killington.com/winter/plan/l ... index.html

No, PowdrKillington isn't desperate at all.

Skier visits, revenues, and profits look just peachy this year.

All is well... move along... nothing to see here.

[skiingsnow]

SKIER VISITS ARE UP FROM LAST SEASON.

Get That Through Your Head Already. Last Season Was Super Slow, Compared To Prior Seasons, This Season Is Slow Compared to Other Seasons Before Last Season, Busier Than Last Season.

They are only selling 100 $42 tickets a day, for 2 days, they aren't out there selling thousands of these things.

[JerseyGuy]

SKIER VISITS ARE UP FROM LAST SEASON.

Get That Through Your Head Already. Last Season Was Super Slow, Compared To Prior Seasons, This Season Is Slow Compared to Other Seasons Before Last Season, Busier Than Last Season.

Proof, please. Seriously... put up or shut up, already. We all know you have a direct pipeline to K-Marketing, so use it.

Post your numbers right here, Skippyloo.

[RENO]

I think it's a lost cause with some people and K. Even if they decided to give JG a free pass for life he would shred the place. Even in the Pres Smith (the GOD of Killington ) years there were ticket deals. Hopefully they'll have more of these deals in March because I'll be taking advantage of them to bring friends and family up so I don't give a sh*t what anybody thinks or why they're doing it. All I know is they'll be skiing/riding for 1/2 price...

[skiingsnow]

SKIER VISITS ARE UP FROM LAST SEASON.

Get That Through Your Head Already. Last Season Was Super Slow, Compared To Prior Seasons, This Season Is Slow Compared to Other Seasons Before Last Season, Busier Than Last Season.

Proof, please. Seriously... put up or shut up, already. We all know you have a direct pipeline to K-Marketing, so use it.

Post your numbers right here, Skippyloo.

Observation for one. Anyone can see the parking lots are fuller, we have broken out the L word: Lines at some lifts, even on some weekdays, comparing pics of parking lots last season to this season, so its not all memory.

2nd: Killington has said, they are ahead. Thanksgiving was over 30% busier. Anyone and everyone can see that. Tons of cars at Snowshed and Ramshead, both of which were empty last season cus nothing there was open, and K1 lots fuller too... They just said a while ago ahead 2-4%. You discounted it because they couldn't give an exact number. Obviously 2-4% isn't a ton, and I would imagine the day he said it they didn't have the numbers from that day to figure out an exact % of increase, or that they don’t have the exact numbers up to that very day the year before to give an exact number. They have reported a 100% increase in skier visits for that holiday Monday, which last season was r*in and ice and this year good.

My mystical pipeline from marketing says marketing was telling the truth the first time they said the above.

[JerseyGuy]

Observation for one. Anyone can see the parking lots are fuller, we have broken out the L word: Lines at some lifts, even on some weekdays, comparing pics of parking lots last season to this season, so its not all memory.

"Anyone can see"? This chat room is loaded with posts with many different Killington skiers NOT named "SkippySnow" who have been commenting, over and over again, how light the skier traffic seems to be this year -- even compared to last year.

2nd: Killington has said, they are ahead.

To date? For the whole season? Where? Again: proof, please.

Unless, of course, you're hand-picking select date-specific quotes from Tommy Boy and extrapolating them out to cover the entire season. No, you wouldn't do that, would you?

Thanksgiving was over 30% busier. Anyone and everyone can see that. Tons of cars at Snowshed and Ramshead, both of which were empty last season cus nothing there was open, and K1 lots fuller too...

Awesome. You've covered three or four days of an eighty-plus-day season and counting -- of course...

They just said a while ago ahead 2-4%. You discounted it because they couldn't give an exact number. Obviously 2-4% isn't a ton, and I would imagine the day he said it they didn't have the numbers from that day to figure out an exact % of increase, or that they don’t have the exact numbers up to that very day the year before to give an exact number.

Assuming that's a legitimate number -- and given the half-truths, mis-truths and outright self-serving lies that have come out of K-Marketing over the past couple of years, that's a hell of an assumption -- those "numbers" are a month old. Are they paid skier visits? Do they include season passes, which Tommy Boy admitted before the season were DOWN compared to the previous year?

You're still providing no real numbers... because you don't know. Just say it! You don't know! No one does, but given the fact that Killington is rapidly discounting tickets, it's readily apparent that they are gravely concerned about the rest of the season and are trashing their own "yield first" policy in order to get as many warm bodies on the slopes as possible.

(By the way... of COURSE they have exact skier visit numbers. You don't really think they're not aware of where they REALLY stand at any given moment, do you?)

If their skier visit numbers were really all that and a bag of chips, do you honestly think they'd be giving away the farm to bump up skier visit numbers... especially if the skier visit numbers were already as strong as you'd like to think they are?

They have reported a 100% increase in skier visits for that holiday Monday, which last season was r*in and ice and this year good.

Yay! So did everyone else! And, again, that's one day. One.

My mystical pipeline from marketing says marketing was telling the truth the first time they said the above.

Huh. Either you're lying, and this statement is worthless, or you're telling the truth, and you've just admitted that you really ARE a shill for Killington.

So which is it?

[skiingsnow]

JerseyGuy, I dont have the time nor the desire to argue with you.

Skier visits are up. I skied there a shitload last season and I've skied there a bunch this season. I see the difference. I know the difference.

People have been comparing this season to seasons before Powdr. Only a time or two has anyone compared this year to last. And only comparing a day or two this season to last in some of these few cases.


They are discounting tickets due to the economy!!

Do you really think selling a total of 200 $42 tickets is helping them "solve" their skier visit "problem"?? Come on, even you aren't that stupid... Are you?


I don’t have any pipeline to marketing, not even a mystical one.


You put up or shut up!! You know nothing! You know what some other people said, and you have a few ski visits. You know nothing about it. Not a thing. Prove its down or shut the hell up. Discounting during this recession isn't proof of anything.

[AtomicWoody]

I think Killington is getting the message and I am encouraged. We bought 8 $50 tickets for this weekend and hope to get more in two weeks. Keep it up Killington ! We had no trouble finding motel rooms.

[JerseyGuy]

JerseyGuy, I dont have the time nor the desire to argue with you.

Of course you do! You spend forty-three hours a day on and off the snow shilling for Killington. You are Killington's (self-)appointed Interweb Defender. This is who you are, remember?

Skier visits are up. I skied there a shitload last season and I've skied there a bunch this season. I see the difference. I know the difference.

"Who you gonna believe -- me or y'alls lying eyes?"

People have been comparing this season to seasons before Powdr. Only a time or two has anyone compared this year to last. And only comparing a day or two this season to last in some of these few cases.

No, Skippy, people have been comparing this year with last year AND years past. Repeatedly. Sticking your fingers in your ears, squeezing your eyes tight and shouting "LALALALALA" when you stumble upon those posts don't make them go away.

They are discounting tickets due to the economy!!

Well, duh. The question is whether or not they're discounting the tickets due to the national economy or their own economy.

Do you really think selling a total of 200 $42 tickets is helping them "solve" their skier visit "problem"?? Come on, even you aren't that stupid... Are you?

No, ya dumbass... they're selling 2,200 reduced price tickets spread out over the next seven days. And, YES, that WILL help them solve their skier visit problem, one week at a time.

You make this so easy for me...

I don’t have any pipeline to marketing, not even a mystical one.

So you were talking out of your ass in your last post. Got it.

You put up or shut up!! You know nothing! You know what some other people said, and you have a few ski visits. You know nothing about it. Not a thing. Prove its down or shut the hell up. Discounting during this recession isn't proof of anything.

Discounting during this recession isn't proof of anything. You know what? I think I'll just let that little gem lie there, without further comment, as another shining SkippyLoo quote.