Crystal Mountain Becomes Alterra

Well, it sounds like more picnic tables and large umbrellas for the masses! But seriously, I'm thinking Alterra will put window dressing on the problem as long as the public keeps buying the Ikon pass and filling up the parking lot, why spend for CapEx improvements? It's about investor returns for KSL. I do get a kick out of the irony that is the description for Alterra; A hospitality company....

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Originally Posted by XavierD

FWIW, I don’t think Crystal is the potential cash cow compared to other areas. There just isn’t enough skier access. Everyone who skis there needs to drive up 410 and the blvd; which can only support so much traffic. Current lodging, water, and power situation will keep it from ever being a large scale destination resort. Even with expanded parking, shuttle services and a new day lodge you just can’t get that many people into the valley. It will be interesting if the SEA/TAC demand bump is enough to push Altera to significantly raise prices on ikon passes.

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Skiing as currently envisioned esp. in N America is not a cash cow in volume but as a premium good. Access doesn’t matter within reason,demand from the right people does.

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Originally Posted by dunfree

Skiing as currently envisioned esp. in N America is not a cash cow in volume but as a premium good. Access doesn’t matter within reason,demand from the right people does.

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This. Demand for Ikon amongst Am-holes and their techy ilk is close to inelastic so long as Crystal remains unrestricted. I'm sure at this point Alterra realizes that.

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Originally Posted by Huskydoc

their techy ilk

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Tesla.

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Am-holes

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During last nights monsoon commute was nearly sideswiped on I90 by a young Indian kid who was picking his nose whilst aquaplaning his BMW M4 into my lane.

I know they have monsoons in the sub-continent, maybe they're just not used to cars developed at the Nurburgring?

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Originally Posted by MagnificentUnicorn

There used to be many small 1-2 lift mom and pop places all over WA.

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Which ones? Where? Not in the last 30 to 40 years.

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Originally Posted by Rock Knocker

Which ones? Where? Not in the last 30 to 40 years.

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Google lost ski areas of Washington. You’d be surprised. Most more than 30 years ago but lots of little places.

If you vet a list like this http://lostskiareas.wikidot.com you'll see that about 2/3 of that list never ever existed, and most of the rest were rope tows up for a year or two 80 to 60 years ago.

About the only places that really ever existed were Pilchuck and Milwaukee.

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Originally Posted by Rock Knocker

If you vet a list like this http://lostskiareas.wikidot.com you'll see that about 2/3 of that list never ever existed, and most of the rest were rope tows up for a year or two 80 to 60 years ago.

About the only places that really ever existed were Pilchuck and Milwaukee.

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That’s totally wrong. There are several places on that list that were operational into the’70s with surface lifts and chairs. I know people who grew up skiing them.

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Originally Posted by fullStack

That, and to be fair, the ruts on I90 often require a person to have at least a second-level tech support rating and both hands on the wheel. Unless autopilot is engaged, of course.

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Those ruts on I90 are death in the pouring rain. I'd rather have snow. I stay far, far away from them in monsoon conditions.

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Originally Posted by fullStack

autopilot is engaged, of course.

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It's going to cut down on the number of accidents while texting in Gujarati too.

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Originally Posted by Rock Knocker

If you vet a list like this http://lostskiareas.wikidot.com you'll see that about 2/3 of that list never ever existed, and most of the rest were rope tows up for a year or two 80 to 60 years ago.

About the only places that really ever existed were Pilchuck and Milwaukee.

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Status Pass existed for a couple decades as rope tows. Snow Problem there as well.

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Originally Posted by Rock Knocker

If you vet a list like this http://lostskiareas.wikidot.com you'll see that about 2/3 of that list never ever existed, and most of the rest were rope tows up for a year or two 80 to 60 years ago.

About the only places that really ever existed were Pilchuck and Milwaukee.

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You’d be surprised at the number of small areas in the west that still operate, most of them aren’t cool enough for most people to get any attention. I’ve been skiing some of these places while on road trips the last couple years, there’s still $40 lift tickets and $3 beers out there

Oh that's just super.

They better not change the shitter dungeon.

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Originally Posted by fullStack

Long story short, Crystal gets ~300 new parking spots, no new lifts.

https://www.alterramtnco.com/news/20...l-improvements

Fucking fantastic.

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Just great - making the skiing experience even shittier than it was this year. Weekends were a complete shit show this year, obviously the solution is to add more people!

TGR 2 Months Ago: OMFG! ICON BETTER FIX THIS PARKING PROBLEM WTF!

TGR Today: WTF! THEY ADDED MORE PARKING! STUPID ICON!

Outside of the shitter line and Gondy line in the AM, and chair 6 and Northway on powder days, they really don’t have a crowding problem on the hill. Their problem is getting to the hill. At least they are trying to do something about that.


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Selling too many passes caused the parking problems.

Making more spaces to sell more passes doesn't sound like a good idea. IMO.

Haven’t skied Crystal in years. Are Fridays noticeably less crowded than Saturdays? Lately at Mammoth Fri is as bad as Sat.

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Originally Posted by frorider

Haven’t skied Crystal in years. Are Fridays noticeably less crowded than Saturdays? Lately at Mammoth Fri is as bad as Sat.

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Yes.

But far less less crowded than previously.

And peak season Mid week powder days are now equal to weekend powder days maybe 5 years ago.

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Originally Posted by PNWbrit

Selling too many passes caused the parking problems.

Making more spaces to sell more passes doesn't sound like a good idea. IMO.

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It's all a matter of perspective.

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Originally Posted by Toadman

It's all a matter of perspective.

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Clearly selling more passes is all Alterra and our new barely able to ski COO cares about.

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Originally Posted by fullStack

LOL

You know it's more nuanced than that.
A 12 mile backup, when F lot doesn't have a single car in it yet?
It was never about the of number parking spaces.

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More parking spaces won’t reduce the backups, but it will reduce the number of people that get turned away, no?

I thought people were up in arms in January about people being turned away and denied access, not necessarily about the traffic problems on the way there.

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Originally Posted by PNWbrit

Yes.

But far less less crowded than previously.

And peak season Mid week powder days are now equal to weekend powder days maybe 5 years ago.

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I’ll be sure to choose a rain and/or hardpack day. There’s RV parking as I recall, which should reduce my commute time significantly.

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Originally Posted by JTG4

More parking spaces won’t reduce the backups, but it will reduce the number of people that get turned away, no?

I thought people were up in arms in January about people being turned away and denied access, not necessarily about the traffic problems on the way there.

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Nope.

Up in arms about selling too many cheap passes.

I was that guy calling to complain about the way they are prioritizing reservations. Their response was basically acknowledging it was a shitty situation and that the solution was to increase the amount of Ikon reservations allowed each day. I think that is a good idea but the real solution would be to not sell day tickets when passholder reservations are full.

They also said that Ikon (Alterra) was setting the reservation quotas and not Crystal Mountain. I don't see the distinction between the two but maybe I just don't get it.