Sno Mountain Skier Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/sno-mountain-quiet-as-ski-season-approaches-1.1220205#axzz1bENf75Cv Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ride Delaware ? Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 I was expecting a great write up on all the progress they are making when I saw the title. Year after year they have struggled to live up to expectations. Despite their past history of having trouble paying bills, they always seem to have profitability right around the corner. I haven't been to Sno, and although I would one day like to, I don't have the overwhelming desire to do so. I want to see the ski area survive, but it seems to be a pipe dream. If anything, the resort is in much better shape now than 5 years ago. It would be much more appealing to a new owner. Let's just hope they can get it all together to open up this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KCSKI Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 Relax..and before this turns into a feeding frenzy let me kill it early. Just spoke to my boss up there.....Sno Mtn isn't going anywhere..seems to me like the paper had a slow news day and because of one or two days of inactivity, probably during the monsoons we all have been going thru, someone decided to do another "Sno is Doomed!" article. Meh, every year it happens..and...every year the place does better. As far as the rest of it...I'm not going to speculate, but obviously the lights are on and stuff is getting done..although..not today as it's raining..again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ride Delaware ? Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 Good to hear, but shouldn't someone have been there to at least answer the phone? I guess we will see what's really cooking in about 6 weeks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KCSKI Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 Good to hear, but shouldn't someone have been there to at least answer the phone? I guess we will see what's really cooking in about 6 weeks... See on the slopes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 I'm chiming in purely to add that it's a shame Sno does not do better business. I might be biased because I used to have a season pass there, but I did always really enjoy skiing there. The snow quality was excellent. I'd much rather have better snow quality than faster lifts. I think it's just that a lot of people who live around there aren't really interested in skiing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Law Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 I'm using the horn for every post now.......this place is going to die, its only a matter of time. Federal tax liens and business's coming after you for 60k is how it always starts. The mtn always says nothing is wrong we just turned off all electricity for three weeks to help al gore save polar bears but inevitably it all ends with the mtn closing, maybe not this year or next (depends on how deep the pockets are) but Sno is on death row for sure. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ride Delaware ? Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 I would have to agree... I feel like every year they make more money, but every year they also have liens... I know it's a private company, but the only way to tell for real are to see the books. I hope they make it, but it hasnt looked good for awhile... Key the Johnny Law fail horn lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Geezer Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 Relax..and before this turns into a feeding frenzy let me kill it early. Just spoke to my boss up there.....Sno Mtn isn't going anywhere..seems to me like the paper had a slow news day and because of one or two days of inactivity, probably during the monsoons we all have been going thru, someone decided to do another "Sno is Doomed!" article. Meh, every year it happens..and...every year the place does better. As far as the rest of it...I'm not going to speculate, but obviously the lights are on and stuff is getting done..although..not today as it's raining..again. I'd like to believe what you're saying here, but the part about the power being shut off since Sep 29th says otherwise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Geezer Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 Latest update: Sno Mountain tweet says it will open Link: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/sno-mountain-tweet-says-it-will-open-1.1220362#ixzz1bFIcLKNB My take: Twitter is free to use for advertising, but paying one's bills requires actual money. I sincerely hope they can open. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinnyv11 Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 Was planning on hitting sno this year. Not sure if I'll have to now. Wife has friends in the Scranton area so sno and elk could be an easy one two combo for a weekend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ride Delaware ? Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 Was planning on hitting sno this year. Not sure if I'll have to now. Wife has friends in the Scranton area so sno and elk could be an easy one two combo for a weekend. Sno would be a good change of pace, but if it was between Elk or Sno, theres no debate... Both have slow lifts, but elk has more T2B trails and better snow... Go to Elk both days unless you want variety lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vinnyv11 Posted October 19, 2011 Report Share Posted October 19, 2011 Sno would be a good change of pace, but if it was between Elk or Sno, theres no debate... Both have slow lifts, but elk has more T2B trails and better snow... Go to Elk both days unless you want variety lol Lol. I hear you. I'm trying to treat skiing like golf for now. Where I try to hit new places as much as possible. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Santa Clauss Posted October 20, 2011 Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 Let's just hope they're on vacation.. :'( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shadows Posted October 20, 2011 Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 dont the two dots above the 'o' in 'sno' really mean 'snah'? i guess it could be 'snew' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trackbiker Posted October 20, 2011 Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 I'd like to see Sno make it but getting the power cut off is not a good sign. I think the delays in getting the water park open really hurt them. I think another operator experienced at running a ski area will eventually buy the place because it has a great snowmaking system and some potential regardless of the location. I'm not a huge fan of the trail layout but I like the good conditions and lack of crowds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ride Delaware ? Posted October 20, 2011 Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 Have there ever been crowds? Even at Montage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtomicSkier Posted October 20, 2011 Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 Have there ever been crowds? Even at Montage? Don't think so. The times I've been there it was empty. Like...ski right onto the lift at 11am on a Saturday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schif Posted October 20, 2011 Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 Weekends used to be decently busy. Moderately sized lines at all the lifts. It used to be crazy when I was in middle school and I would go up on ski club friday nights. There wasn't a seat to be had in the lodge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KCSKI Posted October 20, 2011 Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 Just some pics of a deserted Sno Mountain on a typical weekend: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KCSKI Posted October 20, 2011 Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 Pretty boring place actually: Guys, listen......I work there every weekend and every weekend it's pretty much jammed to capacity. If you haven't been there in a few years don't base your assumptions on old information. Come up and try it out, and like I said in a previous post, you have a problem or issue, let us know..or find me and I'll pass it along. As far as the latest "Sno is Doomed" issue....well lets just see what happens in a about 7 weeks. I know where I'll be, freezing my ass off once again checking tickets and keeping the lines moving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KCSKI Posted October 20, 2011 Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 Oh what the hell...I'm bored this morning. Hope I don't get yelled at for "Flooding" the board!: Average about 9 of these things on a Saturday...55 x 9=495 extra people to deal with. SRO in the lodge every weekend. Another boring Saturday night at Sno Talked to the parents of these kids..loved Sno so much that they bypassed every other resort from Maryland. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitar73 Posted October 20, 2011 Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 i find it really puzzling why montage mtn struggles.....it's always crowded there (which is the main reason i tend to not go there anymore), so it's not like they aren't selling tickets. they must really poor at managing their funds, or someone's skimming from the top. given that this is near scranton, i think the latter is more than plausable..... just my two cents. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ride Delaware ? Posted October 20, 2011 Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 I think that's a drastic statement, but there is definitely more going on that we can't see from our view in the general public. My guess is they over leveraged themselves or used their cash reserves for operation towards improvements. I can't imagine how much cash they dropped on the new snowmaking system and building the waterpark, some parts (some expensive parts) twice. Like I said, I'm not trashing on the place, and I think we can all agree that they have been busier in the last 5 years, but we all find it very odd that year in and year out they seem to be having some issue with liens. I hope it's all ironed out after this year. Oh, great pics!!! No better evidence than pictures, or financial statements lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KCSKI Posted October 20, 2011 Report Share Posted October 20, 2011 Here I am with 4 bikes to get done and, believe it or not 2 snowboards to wax/sharpen and I'm wasting spending time here. LoL..oh well. What I am about to type is my own answers and I am not speaking at all for Sno Mountain, I'm just speaking from a businessman's POV to answer guitar73's question above. First of all there is no money issues. If you read the Citizens' Voice article in the Wilkes-Barre paper dealing with all this they are forced to admit that they DID check on vendors and everything is current..no back bills or anything like that, with the exception of the insurance issue. Hell, I've had problems with my carriers over the course of 18 years in business resulting in either being dropped, or I dropped them because I was sick and tired of having their hands on my wallet while holding a gun to my head looking for more money. Insurance companies suck, plain and simple...pay a ton of $$ and then when you need something they either drop you or raise the rates and refuse to pay a claim. I don't know if that is what is going on at Sno, but I can understand it. Remember, and I stated this before in another post. Sno Mountain bought a 5 million dollar pile of junk from the county. Nothing worked, and I know as I was a liftie the last 2 years it was called Montage. If there was corruption or "Skimming"..you bet your ass that is where it took place. Not now. It's a private company, and..in the rush to get things up to speed, yes, I'm sure some bad decisions were made. How many of you remember the wristband debacle the first year? In an effort to speed things up Sno went hook, line & sinker for those things, they were sold a bill of goods that were more suited for a warehouse inventory control system than a ski resort...and got burned. Even when they broke the contract they still got sued, and the company that sold that crap to us walked away with a settlement..so,...chalk that up as a learning experience. The pump house had to be rebuilt, new snow guns put in..infrastructure had to be replaced....this stuff doesn't come cheap...millions worth of stuff has been done to the mountain..and the water park, which reminds me of the old movie "The Money Pit"..only added to the strain. So, yeah...I'm sure money got tight at times..hell, it gets tight here. The economy sucks. Ski resorts are no different, and some have changed their operating method after getting kneed in the balls over a dumb expendiature. Blue Mountain discontinued it's Mountain Bike stuff...not enough $ brought in to keep it running...something I approached Sno about but now come to realize it's a losing proposition. What is Blue building? A water park. As far as anything else..I'm sure it will get worked out. The only thing that bothers me over the whole thing is the attitude of people sometimes. Around the area it seems people are not happy unless they see something fail, or are quick to point out the bad stuff. How 'bout we all look at the positive stuff that has been done over the years and give the mountain some credit. I can see the improvements, so I'm sure all of you can as well...the ones that have actually been there that is and not the people parroting what others are saying. All of us employees last year, from the lifties to Ski Patrol, SAT..and rentals all looked at each other and said "Wow..we're a ski resort again" after getting run over by the crowds on the weekends, so..something at least is going right. Will Sno screw up in the future? Yup. So will CB, Blue, Elk and everyone else. Will things continue to improve at Sno? Yup. As they will at the other resorts. See 'ya in December! I Oh, great pics!!! No better evidence than pictures, or financial statements lol Thanks! Well at least I'll provide the pics for everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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