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Thread: Crystal Mountain Becomes Alterra
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08-22-2019, 07:34 PM #201
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08-22-2019, 07:40 PM #202
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08-22-2019, 07:42 PM #203
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08-23-2019, 01:04 PM #204
Buddy called Crystal today...$1,100 after tax. Wait list is 7-years long at this point but lots of openings expected.
In constant pursuit of the perfect slarve...
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08-23-2019, 01:08 PM #205
Holy shit. I’ve never had any issues Parking there to justify that. At worst you wait 6-7 minutes for the shuttle.
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08-23-2019, 01:24 PM #206
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01-11-2020, 10:47 PM #207
But they can code.
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01-12-2020, 10:49 AM #208
Rumor mil told me the greater Pugetopolis purchased icon passes totaling 3.5x the standard annual Crystal pass purchases over the last decade.
Ikon/Epic passes, being nationally priced, have created some serious market inefficiencies in local areas. It will take a few years for other factors to correct the cost/value gaps.Last edited by XavierD; 01-12-2020 at 11:20 AM.
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01-12-2020, 11:13 AM #209
^^I read historic as cumulative. 3.5x the single biggest year of crystal only pass sales correct?
In other less notable news kiddos would not got to bed and we left 45 min late and timed it perfect to get stuck in the 8am 90 pass closure
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01-12-2020, 11:19 AM #210
Average. I existed the post for clarity.
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01-12-2020, 11:56 AM #211
No, this is key to their strategy: Footholds in upscale metro markets driven by the alure of days at distant resorts that most will never visit. In effect, the Am-holes have bought a crystal pass in droves resulting in $$$ with no investment in infrastructure required. The season pass option will subsequently disappear, first at destination resorts. Unlimited resorts will stop being a thing. The day#/resort will be reduced over time, ultimately # of bend-me-over day tickets will increase. Profit.
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01-12-2020, 12:07 PM #212
I not so sure that is what will happen. Slope side and near slope lodging has gone up drastically at these conglomerate resorts. I think the plan is to offset ticket sale loss with lodging increases. I get emails from Mammoth telling me to check out lodging with a deep IKON pass discount. The result comes out to about $120 more per night than what the same unit cost 5 years ago. And that with the discount. There is more than one way to fleece your customers. I also imagine on slope food sales are way up as gapers can’t ski all day.
The end result is more crowds on the access roads, parking lots, lift corrals, lodges and food venues. At least at a place like crystal you can get away on the slopes.
Y’all got screwed though, especially that the base pass is not blackout. No wonder 3.5x more were sold than previous years. Ski and day (some what) locally and have travel options. There must be flights anywhere out of SeaTac.
Feel bad for y’all. Only skied Crystal two days, and in April, but that place was empty. Ski right on to every lift. And the hike to sidecountry was so fucking good.
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01-12-2020, 12:24 PM #213
I disagree.
Seattleites bought Ikon passes to ski at crystal. While Altera’s strategy is about teasing the idea of iconic vacations, this wasn’t the primary reason it succeeded in Seattle. An ikon base pass is cheaper than a Crystal pass used to be by a few hundred dollars, and comes with some summit days too. This significantly changed the value equation for many Seattle area skiers; and it has nothing to do with vacations. It’s now cheaper to ski at Crystal than Stevens. With the handful of days at Snoqualmie, and relative reduced cost, an ikon pass appealed to lots of historic I-90 skiers too.
Unless folks live significantly closer to Stevens it’s hard to argue there is better skiing on top of the US2 death highway than 25 minutes past sleepy greenwater.
Even with the added bonus of Whistler we didn’t see the same relative growth in epic pass sales to Stevens pass sales. For the non vacationing family/skier Crystal is now a much better deal than it was. It’s gonna take a significant shift in other experience aspects to start moving people back away from Crystal.
As for your other point I’m not sure. I’m pretty sure full season pass sales will continue because average use per pass is still likely less than 15 days; and the folks who ski significantly more than that won’t pay much more (on a large scale). The point of high price day tickets and relatively cheap season passes is to get money up front and insulate the balance sheet from bad seasons. $35 trips through the cafeteria really help offset loss in day ticket sales. See Altera’s planned investment in a much larger base lodge at Xtal. $20 Hamburgers and $9 fries are coming if they aren't here already.
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01-12-2020, 12:48 PM #214
When the epic/ikon started I was bummed a unlimited alpy with limited Hi2 option was not available. Now I hope it never happens.
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01-12-2020, 05:24 PM #215Registered User
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As an Amazon guy, I see far more discussion about Ikon and Crystal this year than last. I also see lots of questions about travel to Ikon resorts. I would say that Ikon outweighed Epic among Amazon skiers. Summit is hardly mentioned unless the questions are about lessons.
Seems to me Epikon is working just the way Vail and Alterra want. Driving a ton of people to Crystal and Stevens while also getting them out to their destination resorts. Summit becomes the least desirable of all the options with crowds to match. At least for the next few years. With the number of skiers we have here, I expect to see more investment in Crystal and Stevens to keep the local skiers buying the passes and loyal. I assume Seattle is a hotly contested battleground for them.
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01-12-2020, 07:48 PM #216Registered User
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man it sounds like this weekend was rough up there. saw this post in the cringey gaper ikon passholders FB group just now...in an odd twist, ikon guy blames overcrowding shitshow on crystal failing to limit day pass sales. calls for ikon-only days. cheap unlimited megapasses predictably overload the infrastructure. vibes to seattle skiers.
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01-12-2020, 08:19 PM #217
Crystal Mountain Becomes Alterra
Took me 4 hours to get to Crystal today. Left my house in W. Seattle at 6:20, rolled into the lot at 10:20.
Last weekend it was a 6:50–>10:30 drive.
Weird thing is; I skied knee deep pow, never waiting for more than 10min in a lift line, had a great day, and will do it again.
It took me 1:40 to get home...
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01-12-2020, 08:31 PM #218
Alterra needs to manage Crystal Mountain Boulevard a lot better, like sanding it before 6 am and getting a cop to stop 2wd no chains cars on storm days.
It's possible they just don't care. In any case, they deserve drainfields of shit about it, really poor performance relative to previous managements.Merde De Glace On the Freak When Ski
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01-12-2020, 09:19 PM #219
I remember WSP doing active chain enforcement being performed at the boulevard, but that was atleast 10 years ago now. Full MRNP style, turning around AWD who didn’t have chains in the car.
They should go back to that. And sand the road before 6am.
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01-12-2020, 10:42 PM #220
Note to self: When you finally get to Seattle, do not do Crystal on the weekend.
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01-12-2020, 10:53 PM #221Registered User
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FIFY - If you are going to Crystal on a powder weekend you need to start really early. Limited parking - people bitch - to me it means less people on the lifts. If you are turned around you started too late. As Nick said earlier, once there and the morning rush, the place basically empties out around noon. With all the young people moving here, high-paid jobs, Ikon and Epic, it's not going to get any easier. Ski mid-week, if not, plan accordingly
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01-12-2020, 11:01 PM #222
Crystal is a great mountain, but its base area and lodges are horrible (cant blame Altera for that). For the casual skier, White Pass is a better call-same drive time from Seattle and you'll get a parking spot.
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01-12-2020, 11:03 PM #223
the primary reason i want to retire is to ski weekdays. wtf is this nonsense?
this country and our obsession with meth.
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01-12-2020, 11:31 PM #224
Not true. The parking at white routinely fills before 1030 on busy weekend days now. The lodge is so full of people now you often can't sit to drink a beer at the end of the day like we used to. A lot changed there in the last 10 years. Its busy as hell now unless you are there midweek.
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01-12-2020, 11:38 PM #225
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