Whitewolf here we come! Alpine + Squaw. Dreams can come true.

[umby]

I am pretty damn excited for this. I just moved out to SF and struggled with the decision of getting an alpine or squaw pass. I ended up going with Squaw, and with this news I get both! I picked a great year to move out west

[skier666]

Well, since Whitewolf is not in the cards as of right now, and lets say they never did use it for connection...considering even with Whitewolf, its not totally connected....

The talk about Sunbowl to Alpine...isn't that pretty far? It would have to take you to the top of Estelle etc...to gain access to Alpine?

[StevieG]

Yep looks like Alpine passholders caught the break by retaining Homewood benefits and got access to Squaw at a lower price. Will Alpine hippies move en masse to Homewood so they can continue to avoid Squaw bro-brahs?

[dookeyXXX]

Thanks The Dad! (never quite understand who puts these email letters together...my guess is that it was a committee...but they never seem to cover all the obvious bases clearly).

As a passholder I would have liked all those things buried in the FAQ to be in the first (or second, at least) paragraph of the letter.

But that's just me and I guess this is the age of the Internet where they still want us to give them added hits on their web site.

And HiGrade, not exactly sure what you're so pissed about. But if it's corporatization, you can always go ski at Mt. Rose, Diamond Peak, Sugar Bowl, Donner Ski Ranch, Boreal or Soda Springs....

[old goat]

I can't get too excited about this--less competition is never a good thing. It will be nice to get a refund on my alpine pass (I bought both) but in the long run can only mean higher prices. Probably not good for employees either. KSL's business plan is to offer more intermediate skiing for the resort crowd--buying Alpine certainly does that--and to develop a private club with year round recreation and amenities. Neither of those goals does much for anyone here. As far as storm days, judging by the lines on KT last year the line this year will probably run all the way to Alpine anyway. My biggest hope is that they'll leave the Alpine sidecountry alone--no lifts up hight T and Estelle, but I don't expect they'll be asking my advice.

[freshies]

whitewolf is private (owned by Lou) and would require extra lawyers, money, permits, etc. Plus its not-gaper friendly terrain. rumor is they will run a gondi between sun bowl and beaver @ some point. whitewolf will most likely not be included in this. squaw and alpine will remain separate for now and they plan to run a shuttle between the two this winter if you want to ski both same day, etc. thats pretty cool.

i'm psyched they plan to keep them separate for now and that our Squaw pass is good @ Alpine (and vice versa).

Bigger rumor is that this strengthens their bid for the Winter Olympics in 2022. (If that happens I’m renting my shack for 10K Euro a night and moving to Chamonix for the winter).

only downside is that the powder morning decision matrix and angst meter has quadrupled! Squaw or Alpine? KT or Scott? Chammy or River Ranch? Pros with attitude vs. Hippies on Teles?

See ya this winter!

[Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer]

whit(If that happens I’m renting my shack for 10K Euro a night and moving to Chamonix for the winter).

Most logical thing I have seen posted in this thread! PS - Having been in Cham this summer, I just have to say that place in unreal....











Must win lottery and move to France, must win lottery and move to France....

[The Dad]

Bigger rumor is that this strengthens their bid for the Winter Olympics in 2022. (If that happens I’m renting my shack for 10K Euro a night and moving to Chamonix for the winter).

Although how it could strengthen that bid is a mystery to me. It's not like this creates more terrain.

[mmmm...pow!]

But of course I'll be buying a pass, too.

Is there any realistic way KSL can own Alpine without ruining it?

[HiGrade1]

And HiGrade, not exactly sure what you're so pissed about. But if it's corporatization, you can always go ski at Mt. Rose, Diamond Peak, Sugar Bowl, Donner Ski Ranch, Boreal or Soda Springs....

i'm pissed cuz i don't want Alpine to become a total gaper douchebag fuckhead shitshow like it is at squaw! I actually enjoy short lift lines and riding with relatively few other people on the mountain..... so the thought of a bunch more idiots showing up at little ol alpine and crowding the place up gets me heated..... is that really that hard to understand?! c'mon i know you're smarter than that.....

[The Dad]

HiGrade, what barrier is keeping them away from Alpine now? And how will the merger remove it?

mmm....pow, the simple answer is that the best deterrent to turning Alpine into another Squaw is having it owned by people who already have a Squaw.

[snapt]

And how will the merger remove it?.

Uh squaw passes giving access to Alpine?

[The Dad]

Because people who bought Squaw passes couldn't afford Alpine passes before?

[thefrush]

Is that a serious question?

[onehotchili]

got my employee announcement letter from Alpine. sounds like there will still be 2 ski team programs for now.

glad i am spending the majority of next season at a different resort....

[dookeyXXX]

Honestly, anybody worth their salt knows that AM opened the floodgates for becoming--as HiGrade so eloquently put it-- "a total gaper douchebag fuckhead shitshow" back in 1996 when they, in fact, encouraged "a bunch more idiots showing up and crowding the place"...

[HiGrade1]

i'm guessing that's when u showed up?!




nothin personal as i don't know you....... but ya left yourself wide open for that one......

[splat]

Change is inevitable. I just can't see a downside, especially when any interconnecting lift(s) will open more terrain between the two, thus spreading the crowds out over more acreage. That would make weekdays even more awesome. The only down side I could possibly foresee is future monopolistic pricing. But in this economy, I don't see that happening any too soon.

[The Dad]

Is that a serious question?

Yes. Rhetorical, to be sure, but nonetheless serious.

glad i am spending the majority of next season at a different resort....

Traitor. And just when girlie-girl switches to race team to follow you again?

[Sinecure]

Per usual, Splat captured it in very few words.

[bodywhomper]

Although how it could strengthen that bid is a mystery to me. It's not like this creates more terrain.

Easier to move forward on resort-area develop and decisionmaking amongst the ski resorts, which may be part of the olympic committee's decisionmaking for location selection (though, I thought it was mostly about hookers and monetary bribes).

Also, KSL will make a bundle more if it happens.

[onehotchili]

Traitor. And just when girlie-girl switches to race team to follow you again?

i'll still be doing race... as of now, just some place else.

having said that, i am still looking at doing some tele days at AM... need to keep my "foot in the door" at AM/Squaw....

[TahoeJ]

Am I the only one who sees just as many gapers at Alpine Meadows as Squaw? Although, to be fair, I usually hit both places during the week and avoid them on weekends, so maybe that's where the distinction comes in.

[The Dad]

i'll still be doing race... as of now, just some place else.

Which is essentially the same thing, at least from her perspective.

[thefrush]

Yes. Rhetorical, to be sure, but nonetheless serious.

Ok, well even if every Squaw passholder for the past 50 years COULD afford an Alpine pass (which is ludicrous), I'd guess <99% of Squaw passholders didn't have an Alpine pass. Now they all do.