Peak Resorts to Acquire Hunter Mountain $35M+

Adk Jeff wrote

Harvey wrote

The numbers are a bit astonishing IMO. 300k skiers visit per year (I was sure it was more) and a 22% profit margin.  You knew Hunter was profitable but wow. And Peak wants to raise that margin, gulp.

I agree, those numbers jumped out at me.  Are you sure about the 300K skier visits?  Here's what struck me:
$27 mil revenue, 300K skier visits = $90 per skier visit

For Gore or Whiteface, the numbers roughly shake out like this:
$10 mil revenue, 200K skier visits = $50 per skier visit

How is it that Hunter is generating so much more revenue per skier visit?  I know they have some lodging (not sure of the specifics), but is that lodging really throwing off $12 mil per year?  Plus Hunter's lift tix are less expensive than Gore / WF, so where's all that additional revenue coming from?  Those numbers make Hunter look like a freaking gold mine.

Have you ever seen how packed the bar is?  Last time I was there for a Psia event they were 3 deep at the bar and that was a 9 am on a midweek morning.  The bar alone at Hunter probably nets more than Bellerye's whole operation.

Coach Z wrote

Have you ever seen how packed the bar is?  Last time I was there for a Psia event they were 3 deep at the bar and that was a 9 am on a midweek morning.  The bar alone at Hunter probably nets more than Bellerye's whole operation.

So... was it all PSIA participants then? Because I have MANY more weekday ski days than you at Hunter and your assessment of the bar is demonstrably false. Usually at 1pm I can get a cold beer without waiting midweek. And the selection is fairly good too. Not Plattekill good because there's no Ommegang, but not bad either. And after I get that beer, I can sit at a table which is still open, or on a barstool. Midweek.



Seriously though, on any normal day this is 100% a LIE.

So either you were there on a holiday, a weekend, there was a crazy special event, the entire bar staff was sick or you just want to perpetuate stereotypes about Hunter because you're a WF snob that considers anything south of Lake Placid or west of Vermont inferior.

It was a Friday I think but the bar was slammed in the morning

And it's anything South of Glen's Falls is inferior.  I'm good with Northern VT

Coach Z wrote

anything South of Glen's Falls is inferior.

I don't think you believe that.

Coach Z wrote

Have you ever seen how packed the bar is?  Last time I was there for a Psia event they were 3 deep at the bar and that was a 9 am on a midweek morning.  The bar alone at Hunter probably nets more than Bellerye's whole operation.

Last time I skied Hunter I was in high school.  I'm 53 now (I know, you're shocked, I look so much younger).  Nothing against the Cats, there's just no reason for me to go there when I can be at Gore, WF and a good chunk of VT in less time.

Coach Z wrote

And it's anything South of Glen's Falls is inferior.

This reminds me of my long departed grandma.  For whatever reason, she just couldn't master the name "Glens Falls."
She constantly called it "Glen Falls."  For future reference Coach, no apostrophe.

I'm with Jeff the skiing edge of the world pretty much ends at the southern edge of the Blue line.  There is not one ski area of interest to me south of that.  That would put Killington the edge in VT.  Southern VT is flat and lacks snow.  Not interested.

The places I ski if not at WF are Pico / Killington, sugarbush, Stowe, Jay, Smuggs, Gore.  Nothing south can come close to matching these.  If you like less snow, less vertical and more crowds by all means ski down South.

Jeff all my posts are done on an iPad.  I absolutely hate the iOS spell checker but if I turn it off it's more typing.

Coach Z wrote

I'm with Jeff the skiing edge of the world pretty much ends at the southern edge of the Blue line.  There is not one ski area of interest to me south of that.

The world is a big place! Las Lenas, Portillo and Plattekill are ski areas that come to mind that south of Killington and worth skiing. Alta, all of Utah, Tahoe, Arizona! There must be others.

JasonWx wrote

I forgot about the mountain jam..That is huge, it's all A list country stars. It attracts thousands...

 
You have the Taste of Country and Mountain Jam festivals mixed up.  Either way, they both brings thousands of people to Hunter in June.   The news reports have mentioned these annual events will still happen as planned.  :)

Last I looked Colo/Utah are south of VT..

And so is Chile, I hear the skiing there is pretty good as well.

JasonWx wrote

Last I looked Colo/Utah are south of VT..

I meant in the Eastern US

Harvey wrote

Coach Z wrote

I'm with Jeff the skiing edge of the world pretty much ends at the southern edge of the Blue line.  There is not one ski area of interest to me south of that.

 Plattekill are ski areas that come to mind that south of Killington and worth skiing.

Driving distance factored out would you really pick Platty over Gore, WF or the NVT areas I called out?  The only think I could think of would be it might be better than Killington on a busy weekend but even then if you know Killington well you move around to avoid the crowds if they are fully open.

I have a strong preference to big Vert and higher altitude.  It just gives you better skiing and you spend more time skiing and less on lifts or in line.  And northern location gives you more snow and a longer season.  Life is too short to settle for mediocre skiing or bad beer.  I'm spoiled once you live where I do going south I more than an hour just doesn't make any sense.

Holy fuckin high horse

skiing is just skiing AND there's no such thing as bad beer

campgottagopee wrote

Holy fuckin high horse

skiing is just skiing AND there's no such thing as bad beer

Agree with Camp here. Skiing is fun on small mountains and big mountains. And it's kind of rich to act like Whiteface is this monster of natural snowfall when they average what? EDIT: a claimed 200" a year? And it feels like they've gotten a lot less, lately...

Coach Z wrote

Driving distance factored out would you really pick Platty over Gore, WF or the NVT areas I called out?  

If there was 1 foot of new snow at each......yes

I'll take skiing 1000ft untracked all day over powder hr elsewhere. WF it just blows away into never never land anyway

Funny how a Hunter Mtn Sale thread morphs into, A lets break Coach's Balls...

I hope it gets cold soon or will soon be trading cookie recipes...

campgottagopee wrote

Holy fuckin high horse

skiing is just skiing AND there's no such thing as bad beer

Says the guy who skis on a hill and drinks bad beer by the case

I rest my case....

JasonWx wrote

Funny how a Hunter Mtn Sale thread morphs into, A lets break Coach's Balls...

Like that's never happened here before...