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Sale rumors...


paul45

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On 1/30/2024 at 12:25 PM, JFskiDan said:

i think the state hates the fact they own Denton Hill, and are just super happy they have found someone to "try" to run it, however, i just feel like this isnt going to go well, but thats just my gut.  Unless you are Vail, or Alterra with deep pockets and multi mountian passes, buying/running a ski resort in our area, with limited season and huge operating costs with snowmaking, is a loser.  

I think they will throw money at Denton with the best intentions, then throw more money after it to improve ROI, and then it will be scraped again.  (fyi, im not against the state throwing money at anything ski related)

Then again, ORDA runs Whiteface/Gore/Belleayre just fine. True it's a govt agency not a private company but they're making it work.

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9 hours ago, Jersey Tomato said:

Then again, ORDA runs Whiteface/Gore/Belleayre just fine. True it's a govt agency not a private company but they're making it work.

I'm not sure that comparison carries much weight TBH. ORDA is just that...a govt funded agency that manages not only the ski areas but all of the Olympic sites etc. it exists because they held the Olympic games...twice and annually holds major events. Denton is a backyard hill in Potter county PA....aka the middle of nowhere. The only event they hold, I'm guessing, is maybe a pie eating contest in the lodge?

I'm driving the distance for the ORDA resorts because the all around experience will be infinitely better. Philly, NY, NJ etc aren't doing that drive for a lesser product that they can get in less than half the distance in the Poconos. 

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10 hours ago, Jersey Tomato said:

Then again, ORDA runs Whiteface/Gore/Belleayre just fine. True it's a govt agency not a private company but they're making it work.

It’s also fairly controversial that ORDA operates those areas. Having the backing of the NY state government means they can invest millions annually into projects that may see frivolous to some (the belleayre gondola for an example). This is creating an issue where the state run ski areas are competing against private businesses. The owners of plattekill are not too happy about that, and rightly so, as people have to drive past belleayre with their shiny new lifts to get to a smaller ski areas whose investments are directly related to how many skier visits they get rather than how much tax revenue the state brings in. 

As for Elk…I feel like there have been rumors about the sale for years but it never happens. It may be more that elk is a fairly big ski area for PA, and other areas of that size are being gobbled up by epic and ikon such as camelback and blue. I would expect blue and camelback to be full ikon within a few years to compete with vails stranglehold on PA. I could see vail being at least interested in elk as their only pocono areas are JFBB which are super small. Ikon is the superior product in the pocono-ish area.

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Not for anything but I think the gondola at Bell made a huge difference in the way that place skis. Now could they have put in a high speed 6 pack? Sure. In fact I'd probably prefer that because you wouldn't need to take your skis off with every ride up. But for pure placement on the hill purposes that lift was a game changer.

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I’m not a gondola naysayer by any means, but when it was announced there was a ton of hate towards it. I would have preferred it to be something like wildcats setup with gondola cabins in summer and a chairs in winter. When the rest of their buildout is complete it will definitely make more sense. 

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2 hours ago, rgrwilco said:

This is creating an issue where the state run ski areas are competing against private businesses. The owners of plattekill are not too happy about that, and rightly so, as people have to drive past belleayre with their shiny new lifts to get to a smaller ski areas whose investments are directly related to how many skier visits they get rather than how much tax revenue the state brings in. 

 

Valid points, but really if you look at Magic, they are pretty much in the same boat as Platty.  i mean, they are buying up other resorts scrap lifts to make a go at things, and Vail pretty much has the deep pockets that ORDA does.  But they market their mountain to their audience.  Be different.  skiing doesnt need more of the same stuff.  

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3 hours ago, rgrwilco said:

It’s also fairly controversial that ORDA operates those areas. Having the backing of the NY state government means they can invest millions annually into projects that may see frivolous to some (the belleayre gondola for an example). This is creating an issue where the state run ski areas are competing against private businesses. The owners of plattekill are not too happy about that, and rightly so, as people have to drive past belleayre with their shiny new lifts to get to a smaller ski areas whose investments are directly related to how many skier visits they get rather than how much tax revenue the state brings in. 

As for Elk…I feel like there have been rumors about the sale for years but it never happens. It may be more that elk is a fairly big ski area for PA, and other areas of that size are being gobbled up by epic and ikon such as camelback and blue. I would expect blue and camelback to be full ikon within a few years to compete with vails stranglehold on PA. I could see vail being at least interested in elk as their only pocono areas are JFBB which are super small. Ikon is the superior product in the pocono-ish area.

Except Lazlo knew the deal at platty when he bought it and so does everyone else in that area.  

He has zero pockets and no investors of merit, its like hickory being pissed at Wyndham. Platty doesn't compete with Bell state or not and it's the states job to make money with its assets. 

Plattekill has to market the difference in experience and profit from that, straight up they lose to bell everytime or Hunter or Wyndham and they all lose to WF/killy which is 2/3 hrs up the road. 

Full disclosure I'd much rather ski platekill but to claim they can't compete due to state coffers is bullshit. It doesn't compete because they have a niche product most snow sports people are less interested in. 

Elk will always be on VR or KSL'S hit sheet all you have to do is look at a map but it's not a great place to run a real estate scam so it will be less tempting. 

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9 hours ago, rgrwilco said:

It’s also fairly controversial that ORDA operates those areas. Having the backing of the NY state government means they can invest millions annually into projects that may see frivolous to some (the belleayre gondola for an example). This is creating an issue where the state run ski areas are competing against private businesses. The owners of plattekill are not too happy about that, and rightly so, as people have to drive past belleayre with their shiny new lifts to get to a smaller ski areas whose investments are directly related to how many skier visits they get rather than how much tax revenue the state brings in. 

As for Elk…I feel like there have been rumors about the sale for years but it never happens. It may be more that elk is a fairly big ski area for PA, and other areas of that size are being gobbled up by epic and ikon such as camelback and blue. I would expect blue and camelback to be full ikon within a few years to compete with vails stranglehold on PA. I could see vail being at least interested in elk as their only pocono areas are JFBB which are super small. Ikon is the superior product in the pocono-ish area.

Then again, Belle was there first- before Platty, Huntah or Windy.

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4 hours ago, Johnny Law said:

Except Lazlo knew the deal at platty when he bought it and so does everyone else in that area.  

He has zero pockets and no investors of merit, its like hickory being pissed at Wyndham. Platty doesn't compete with Bell state or not and it's the states job to make money with its assets. 

Plattekill has to market the difference in experience and profit from that, straight up they lose to bell everytime or Hunter or Wyndham and they all lose to WF/killy which is 2/3 hrs up the road. 

Full disclosure I'd much rather ski platekill but to claim they can't compete due to state coffers is bullshit. It doesn't compete because they have a niche product most snow sports people are less interested in. 

Elk will always be on VR or KSL'S hit sheet all you have to do is look at a map but it's not a great place to run a real estate scam so it will be less tempting. 

Platty also attracts free heelers in winter & MTB in summer. I'm glad they're doing better & love skiing there- I like all the ungroomed terrain cuz it means less crowds on those trails.

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49 minutes ago, Jersey Tomato said:

Platty also attracts free heelers in winter & MTB in summer. I'm glad they're doing better & love skiing there- I like all the ungroomed terrain cuz it means less crowds on those trails.

I love plattekill and would much rather ski there but I'm definitely not the type of customer resorts are after.

I would guess the same applies to you but blue gets my pass money and that's really it.  I'm there all the time and quick to bitch when they make mistakes. 

Now loyalty and ponying up before the season is worth something but if they had their way it would be all single day family with rentals and food because then they make bank.

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2 hours ago, Shadows said:

Imma be that old dude that takes trips to Canada in a bus from the old folks home for cheap drugs. And get off at Jay.

I tried using my phone at Jay and it said I couldn't because I was in Canada. 

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9 hours ago, EdBacon said:

I tried using my phone at Jay and it said I couldn't because I was in Canada. 

T-Mobile is the move. Free roaming on ATT towers, free roaming and high speed data in North America (Mexico, Canada), the Caribbean, and Asia. I often have full bars of T-Mobile 5g when my friends with Verizon have nothing. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I was already coming up with a contest idea where you had to collect beer cans across the mountain and the first person down the mountain with all the beer cans got a free year supply of beer. 

Guess that's not happening now. Shame. 

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6 minutes ago, EdBacon said:

I was already coming up with a contest idea where you had to collect beer cans across the mountain and the first person down the mountain with all the beer cans got a free year supply of beer. 

Guess that's not happening now. Shame. 

How much beer is a years supply?  

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18 minutes ago, EdBacon said:

How much do you drink in a year? We can use you as a unit of measurement. 

I’m a bad example cause outside of the parking lot at blue I really don’t drink much beer.  Mostly jack and coke.  But let’s figure if I only drank beer a case a week so that’s like 52 cases or about 1300 beers.  $2 each that’s some serious value to win. 

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1 hour ago, GrilledSteezeSandwich said:

I’m a bad example cause outside of the parking lot at blue I really don’t drink much beer.  Mostly jack and coke.  But let’s figure if I only drank beer a case a week so that’s like 52 cases or about 1300 beers.  $2 each that’s some serious value to win. 

Yeah. It woulda been sweet. 

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