First to open ?

[Frankontour]

Hey, who do you think will be the first to open in the East for the 2004-05 ski season ?

Last year, we got :

november 9 :
Woodbury (CT)
Belleayre (NY)
St-Sauveur (QC)
St-Bruno (QC)

november 10 :
Killington (VT)
Sunday River (ME)

november 11 :
Bromont (QC)

november 13 :
Bretton Woods (NH)
Okemo (VT)

november 15 :
Jiminy Peak (MA)
Hunter (NY)
Sugar Mountain (NC)
Loch Lomond (ON)
Garceau (QC)
Edelweiss Valley (QC)
Ste-Anne (QC)


I will also consider "La Réserve" (in QC) which opened in october, back in 2002.


The 5 ski areas I consider the most serious in this trial are :

1) Woodbury
2) St-Sauveur
3) Bromont
4) Killington
5) Bretton Woods

May be I'm quite wrong too... especially with Belleayre and St-Bruno that could surprise just like last year !

 

[AlpineZone]

Holy Polls! :shock: :lol:

Anyway, I picked Killington. I believe they are going to do everything in their power to open first this year to further promote the All For One. If they can, Sunday River may try to open in concert with K-Mart for the same reason.

Don't count out BW and Belleayre though. Woodbury is always a player, but does a couple hundred feet of vertical really count?

 

[Frankontour]

I'm in to hike 400' high in late may to reach a 150' high snowpatch at La Réserve

Many skiers hike 2500'+ high to reach a tiny snowpatch under the Lip in july (or august) at Tucks.

So Personnaly, the 150' of Woodbury totally count for me and if I was within 2-3 hours drive from there and they were opening first, I would be there !

Before to make my 1 to 5 list, I took a look to the most recent ASC report and I've seen that their deficit for the financial 2003-04 was similar to the one of 2002-03. 40M$ before the very worst quarter of the year... so it should be something like a 80M$ deficit once again. (annual report should arrive in late october...)

I actually wonder who have the more power in the company... BJ Fair or ASC's creditors. If it's his creditors (or if BJ is not mad) I don't think they will be some serious competitors this year for the 1st opening.

But.... we never know...

Last year, they got the longest season in the east... 1 day of more than St-Sauveur and the last day, there was almost the same amount of grass and snow.

So this year, St-So could also beat K for the longest season in the east. But I don't think that St-So will be the last ski area to close in the East this year. Killington neither. You're gonna see...

 

[Patrick]

Meaning my opinion in the other early season discussion.

Not Killington!!!

 

[LobsterTeleGrrrl]

Killington usually goes to any lenghts to open first. The River is usually next.

 

[Patrick]

Killington usually goes to any lenghts to open first. The River is usually next.

I don't think it has been the case in the last two years. Kiilington has not opened first in the last two years and I don't see that changing this year. I might be wrong.

If you look at Kiilington opening date last year (better yet, go check last year early season discussion on FTO) was nothing exceptional compared to the competition.

 

[Geoff]

Killington usually goes to any lenghts to open first. The River is usually next.

Killington has changed their policy. They now open top to bottom off the K-1 rather than just on the upper mountain. With that policy, opening before November 1 isn't going to be a regular thing. Anybody who wants bragging rights can crank up the guns on a bunny slope and beat Killington to the draw.

Personally, I think this is stupid since Killington is destroying 30 years of marketing for their snowmaking system. After the skimpy snowmaking job they did last year, it'll take a half-dozen years to undo the damage.

 

[JimG.]

I have to agree with Geoff...the top to bottom edict has made the first to open scenario moot . And like alot of other things, it is done because management knows that when they do open, all of us snow junkies will be there drooling =P~ to pay for our lift access. Whether we like the new plan or not, we will all be there when opening day comes regardless :wink: . Bring it on!!!