The Vail and Alterra Duopoly - Which remaining Indy mountains sell?

[Hott Butt Mud]

Predicting Sun Valley/Snowbasin are sold off by the Holding Family to Vail


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I've been told that Sun Valley/Snowbasin are being Ikon holdouts at the moment and are one of the key backers of the Mtn Collective Pass. Sounds like they are tough negotiators and are in no rush. However, they would fit in well with Ikon Pass product and my guess is they become a partner next year, but not sold out right.

[Bunion 2020]

Not sure that most EC resorts are in the duopoly. Yes, Stowe, Okemo, and Sunapee are now VR and Tremblant is Alterra but many big guns like Killington, Stratton, Sunday River, Jay, Sugarloaf, Loon, Sugarbush, MRG, Cannon, Waterville Valley & Smugglers Notch are not. Will some of them sell out? Rumor has it that Jay will go next summer as it gets out from under the EB-5 scandal but to whom? Realistically, Alterra needs another area on the EC but Jay is not easily accessible (nor is Tremblant) so I'm not sure that would be a smart move on their part.

Full disclosure, I bought an Epic pass this year because they offered me one for $99 (retired military) but I have no allegiance to them. I will still ski 50+ days at Magic this year.

I know nothing about the skiing in the East. I do find this intriguing though.

Boyne operates:

Big Sky Resort, Montana
Brighton, Utah
The Summit at Snoqualmie, Washington
Cypress Mountain, British Columbia
Boyne Mountain, Michigan
Boyne Highlands, Michigan
Loon Mountain, New Hampshire
Sugarloaf, Maine
Sunday River, Maine

On September 19, 2007, Boyne announced their purchase of CNL Income Properties leases for The Summit at Snoqualmie, Washington, and Loon Mountain, New Hampshire, from Booth Creek Resorts. This purchase made Boyne the largest ski resort operator in North America in terms of number of resorts, and second in number of skier visits at almost 3.8 million visitors.

Boyne Resorts also holds or held numerous patents on snowmaking technologies and has unveiled its latest technology in the Boyne Low E Fan Gun throughout its eastern resorts.

In 2016, CNL Income Properties sold all six of the ski resorts they leased to Boyne to Och-Ziff Capital Management. On March 31, 2017, John Kircher purchased Crystal Mountain from Boyne and left the company. In March 2018, Boyne Resorts purchased Sunday River, Sugarloaf, The Summit at Snoqualmie, Loon Mountain, Brighton, and Cypress Mountain Ski Area from Och-Ziff Capital Management after years of leasing the properties.

Seems like a nice target.

[LostCosmonaut]

The ORDA areas are probably going to stay state-owned for foreseeable future. Even if they did go private, I doubt Gore and Whiteface would be very attractive because of the restrictions on development in the Adirondacks.

[AlexC]

Alterra needs a western Canadian resort. I could see them going after Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, which would give them Fernie, Kicking Horse, Kimberley, and Nakiska out west; and Mont Ste. Anne and Stoneham out east. The latter two are within a stone's throw of Quebec City and I'd bet have a sizeable season pass base. Nakiska is the closest ski resort to Calgary, so it could be of interest, though I don't know what kind of crowds it attracts. Fernie attracts lots of Calgarians - definitely more than Kicking Horse - so it could also be of interest.

I could also see one of the three Vancouver North Shore resorts be a target.