Ikon buys Schweitzer

[m2711c]

Done deal…

https://liftblog.com/2023/06/01/alte...ys-schweitzer/

[Bunion 2020]

Well, better than Vail?????

[hawkgt]

Done deal…

https://liftblog.com/2023/06/01/alte...ys-schweitzer/

never skied schweitzer, be nice for a few days on IKON next winter

[PNWbrit]

Wasn't it already an Ikon pass partner?

[hawkgt]

Wasn't it already an Ikon pass partner?

shit, I think your right, I was planning a trip pre vid days but never been back on the list.

[Ørion]

Guess they figured they need at least one resort in the PNW that (presumably) will have unlimited days

[turnfarmer]

Sorry my crusty old man is coming out.
Where is the FTC. Monopolies/Oligopolies are proven to be bad for consumers.

[Huskydoc]

Guess they figured they need at least one resort in the PNW that (presumably) will have unlimited days

If this was the motivation, it was a weak one. No major population hubs, most people were already linking it into powder highway trips and 5-7 days is plenty when you have other resorts to move on towards

My suspicion is that Schweitzer may not have been in great shape financially

[GoldMember]

If this was the motivation, it was a weak one. No major population hubs, most people were already linking it into powder highway trips and 5-7 days is plenty when you have other resorts to move on towards

My suspicion is that Schweitzer may not have been in great shape financially

Schweitzer was doing fine, financially. It's been busier than ever, has the highest prices in the region, is making out on new real estate development, and has (had) deep pockets in ownership. It's doing just fine.

KSL (parent of Alterra) purchased the Davenport Hotels in Spokane just over a year ago, not long after the Ikon partnership agreement with Schweitzer. You could see this coming. They are working to make this a regional (West Coast) destination trip. With Seattle and Crystal not too far away, this becomes an extended weekend getaway locale that will serve that market. We've already had plenty of Ikon traffic but this will only add further to it. It's a business strategy that will probably work well for the Ikon masses in the great PNW/West Coast to Denver area. For the locals? Not so much...

I'm not real happy to see this but am not at all surprised. We could see this coming a few years ago with the investments MKM were making into the mountain and real estate development. I just hope we don't suffer from the same overselling that other Ikon and Epic resorts have had to deal with. If we do, I'm probably out of there and off to 49 Degrees North as my home hill. It's not as good but it's not as shit-showy as I'm afraid Schweitzer may wind up being.

[Huskydoc]

Schweitzer was doing fine, financially. It's been busier than ever, has the highest prices in the region, is making out on new real estate development, and has (had) deep pockets in ownership. It's doing just fine.

KSL (parent of Alterra) purchased the Davenport Hotels in Spokane just over a year ago, not long after the Ikon partnership agreement with Schweitzer. You could see this coming. They are working to make this a regional (West Coast) destination trip. With Seattle and Crystal not too far away, this becomes an extended weekend getaway locale that will serve that market. We've already had plenty of Ikon traffic but this will only add further to it. It's a business strategy that will probably work well for the Ikon masses in the great PNW/West Coast to Denver area. For the locals? Not so much...

I'm not real happy to see this but am not at all surprised. We could see this coming a few years ago with the investments MKM were making into the mountain and real estate development

I don't follow. They bought a hotel almost 2 hours from the resort catering to -not- the type to consider visiting Schweitzer. And then they bought Schweitzer to gain what advantage with respect to their hotel and other real to estate? By your logic about the getaway crowd they should have bought Bachelor...

[GoldMember]

Don't get me wrong, I don't think they bought the Davenport Hotels just to make a play on getting skiers to Spokane in order to ski at Schweitzer. Those hotels do very well on their own. And I don't think they bought Schweitzer just because they now own some hotels in Spokane. However, it does make a nice little add-on for their hotel business to be able to offer having a ski resort not too far from downtown Spokane, especially for the typically slow months where occupancy at the hotels may not be otherwise up to other seasonal rates. Jan-Mar in Spokane is typically kind of quiet for travel business and Sandpoint doesn't have a lot of room availability so I could see where they may make some package deals that get people here who also would use their ski resort. That said, it's a minor tie-in relative to the base business of both operations.

And, by the way, I do think those visiting the Davenports would very likely be Schweitzer-type skiers. We get a lot of people from Seattle on extended weekends, etc. who would be likely Davenport customers. For the kind of hotels they are, their rates are really pretty damn reasonable.

[Conundrum]

And their mattresses are delightful.

[406]

I found this part interesting:
"MKM Trust, which has been the owner and developer of Schweitzer for the past 18 years, will retain non-ski operations and will continue to lead future real estate development."

So guessing wasn't all that expensive for alterra. With all the easy flights to GEG from CA, that place is going to get slammed in a low snow CA/UT year.

[MyNameIsAugustWest]

^ That's a similar arrangement to what Vail has at Stowe...

[Kevo]

Sorry my crusty old man is coming out.
Where is the FTC. Monopolies/Oligopolies are proven to be bad for consumers.

The FTC was last heard from in the 1980s when they broke up some large telcos. They've since let those broken up telcos merge into oligopolies.

It's so exceedingly rare for the FTC or DOJ to do anything to block mergers and acquisitions these days.

[CrystalMountainSkier]

Sorry my crusty old man is coming out.
Where is the FTC. Monopolies/Oligopolies are proven to be bad for consumers.

~750 ski areas in the US/Canada and Vail/Alterra own around 65 of them.

[GKWood]

What if you look at it in terms of numbers of skier visits? I imagine that would be a lot higher than 10% for Alterra/Vail since they own the biggest/busiest resorts.


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[dangerdad]

This is a moronic use of statistics.
Those 65 resorts capture a massive amount of the industry.

[Mofro261]

Anyone else getting the glossy multi-page come-to-Schweitzer/Sandpoint summer marketing?

[halliday]

I wonder if Im still going to get my three free days with my Loveland (Powder Alliance) Pass?

[GoldMember]

Anyone else getting the glossy multi-page come-to-Schweitzer/Sandpoint summer marketing?

Nah... You're from Seattle which is their prime marketing target. They don't waste the money on the rest of us who are captive to their ploys...

[stuckathuntermtn]

Wish my season pass came with any other mountains. Schweitzer isn't even terribly far from me.
Instead, I just get my rent raised.

[halliday]

Powder Alliance is a pretty good deal. For the cost of a Loveland pass in the spring I get to enjoy good skiing at some pretty good independent places. Not the most rad places but I like the independent ski area vibe and make sure I spend some money while there on swag and food/drinks.

[m2711c]

The ski Cooper pass is worth picking up just for all of the pass partners.

pretty cheap if you get it at the early-season rate.





fact.

[halliday]

$379.00 for a pass before 7/1 is worth it just for the Cooper pass let alone all of the add on independent ski areas. If you travel quite a bit the independent pass hook ups are worth it 100%. Last year I skied Loveland a whole bunch, Cooper, Snowbowl AZ, Brianhead, Sierra At Tahoe (for a huge three day dump), Angel Fire, Snow King, and Mission Ridge just on my Loveland pass. I also keep an Alta gold pass to pay as I ski (50% off) which I paid $90.00 for 23/24. I had an Alta/Bird pass when I worked out of Elko and I knew I could get the days and make it pay. The low key Indi resorts are the ticket, get in early, park up front, ski your ass off, have a few beers, repeat. I don't care about the real estate, or time share buy ins. I just want to get into a motel, ski, eat local, and then come back next chance I get.