Elk Wins/Loses Lawsuit

[Ride Delaware ?]

http://m.thetimes-tribune.com/news/judge-rules-against-elk-mountain-in-snowmaking-lake-dispute-1.1488968

 

Sounds like a catch 22. Judge rules that Elk doesn't have rights to the additional 10 acre pond owned by the village and adjacent to theirs, but does have the right to close the gate whenever it so chooses. Closed gate, no water. Open gate, water.

 

I know Elk will never be confused for a snowmaking powerhouse, but they do make plenty of quality snow. I wonder how a reduction from a 14 acre pond to a 4 acre pond will hurt. Does anyone know if they have property to build another pond?

[RidgeRacer]

Sweet. We may see PA's first $1000 season pass price now.

[Ride Delaware ?]

Sweet. We may see PA's first $1000 season pass price now.

 

I'm a huge Elk groupie, but their season pass prices are ridiculous. I know they keep raising them because people keep paying for them, but talk about value? It's just not there. Not when you have resorts up north that have more snow, a longer season, and a bigger mountain, for less than what they charge now.

[rummy]

http://m.thetimes-tribune.com/news/judge-rules-against-elk-mountain-in-snowmaking-lake-dispute-1.1488968

 

Sounds like a catch 22. Judge rules that Elk doesn't have rights to the additional 10 acre pond owned by the village and adjacent to theirs, but does have the right to close the gate whenever it so chooses. Closed gate, no water. Open gate, water.

 

I know Elk will never be confused for a snowmaking powerhouse, but they do make plenty of quality snow. I wonder how a reduction from a 14 acre pond to a 4 acre pond will hurt. Does anyone know if they have property to build another pond?

Elk built another "pond" 2-3 years ago. It's across the road from the entrance to the village. My complete guess is it's about ten acres and 60' deep near the breast. They've been pumping from there to their other regular ponds the last two seasons.

 

I never heard any talk about your statement "Closed gate, no water. Open gate, water"...maybe that will be the deal they could work out to get the gate open again.

 

I'm sure closing the gate hurt the mountain, I don't think it hurt them substantially. The VP I know, still come to ski..however, they don't spend a lot of money, if any, in the bar or restaurant in protest.

[Ride Delaware ?]

I never heard any talk about your statement "Closed gate, no water. Open gate, water"...maybe that will be the deal they could work out to get the gate open again.

Thats not an official statement by any means, but that was the de facto unwritten agreement they were working under up until this point. There wasn't a fuss about it until Elk closed the gate. Once the gate was closed, then the village needed leverage, so they used the snowmaking pond. It only stands to reason that a deal would include this language. However, if Elk can pump enough water out of its other ponds, then it may not need that extra water.

[rummy]

I'm a huge Elk groupie, but their season pass prices are ridiculous. I know they keep raising them because people keep paying for them, but talk about value? It's just not there. Not when you have resorts up north that have more snow, a longer season, and a bigger mountain, for less than what they charge now.

RD, being an old Elk-Aholic, they have the season pass holders hooked on a "quality, high priced spirit". Can't argue with you there. Personally, my fellow Elk Aholics and I have such a great time there the whole season long, that we put up with the annual price increases....as we say, "The first run is reeeeal expensive, but all the rest are free."

 

I've been skiing Elk for 30 yrs and have been a SP holder for about the last 7 yrs, I've seen plenty of changes over the years and even though the changes, like the lifts, are slow, the owner (mainly their friendly, hard-working employees) continues to create a quality skiing experience in a great atmosphere, year after year. And I'd probably buy a SP just for the Weds. when it seems my friends and I are the only ones there, and we are the owners...

[sibhusky]

Having just given the website a gander to see how much we are talking about, I can only believe that they are trying to keep the riffraff out.

[trackbiker]

Can someone please remind me why Elk closed the gate? The people in Village have always been good customers of Elk. Heck, they're about the only people who can hang out at the bar and spend money because they don't have to drive anywhere. Friends had a house in the Village when I was a kid and I went there often. Never knew the property line was the berm in the lake.

[future]

Hopefully this doesn't raise their already high ticket prices. The drive alone is a deterrent for me, increased prices would probably mean less business from me.

[RidgeRacer]

Having just given the website a gander to see how much we are talking about, I can only believe that they are trying to keep the riffraff out.

 

I think their location does that for them.

[guitar73]

Can someone please remind me why Elk closed the gate?

two crotchety old men having a hissy fit with each other

[Ride Delaware ?]

I think it is a combination of price, distance, and terrain that keep the riff raff out. Most of the riff raff is younger folks, who typically like terrain parks, so that is out. Price is higher, although their day ticket price is competitive, so that keeps the riff raff down, and the distance from any large urban center, with other resorts with better terrain parks close to those urban centers, also keeps the riff raff away. Elk, whether it wants to be or not, is the elitist NEPA resort.

[Johnny Law]

I don't get the elk slob job, its a decent hill but it's all straight down the fall line dipsy doodle and your back on the lift. The only one with some legit turns is Tioga to West slope which is all noob style.

 

Blue has better trails in Switchback, Dreamweaver, the knob has even better skiing in general.

 

Elk is just ok and its sure as hell not worth 1000$, there is no mtn in PA worth a 1000$. Buy and epic pass and use the leftover 600 bucks for gas to CO.

[KCSKI]

Hmm..maybe too simplistic a solution, but if closing the gate caused all this to begin with, and yes..I know people with lots of money like to throw that around and mix it with a lot of ego, but woudn't it have been a helluva lot easier just to come to an agreement to leave the gate open, esp in this type of circumstance where it could affect your ability to operate?

 

Scratching my head on this one.

[Ride Delaware ?]

This is all third party speculation, but word on the street was that the owner of Elk had some property adjacent to the mountain that he was considering developing into condos and there was some type of ingress egress issue with that village, and he wanted to market it as Elk's only slopes use lodging. Take it for what it's worth...