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why isnt shawnee 100% open yet


skier89

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i think they were open 100% this time last year

idk i might be wrong

 

They were this time last year... guys you need to think buisness. Most resorts (even Killington) only maintain snowmaking operations until presidents weekend because they rent extra compressors during the good well... "typically" good snowmaking months. At this point in time during the season with skier visits deminishing, its not wise to keep spending thousands of dollars in snowmaking. Its buckle down and ride with what you got. Considering how bad this year has been, you need to give all of the resorts a break. There is always next year (hopefully :unsure: )

Edited by parkbuilder
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Wouldn't the mountains have extra funds now because they budgeted money for snowmaking previously and then didn't spend it. So theoretically they should still have whats left of their original snowmaking budget. Even if they don't go above and beyond that, just blow until you spent what you wanted to spend and try to extend your season.

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JMO here but you'd think they would blast as much as possible to make up for the lost revenue in the beginning of the season

 

Just a little attempt to try and explain a few things. First off, it is impossible to make up for the lost revenue from the beginnig of the season. The vacationers that were coming for Christmas (who account for a LARGE portion of revenue) aren't here and they're not coming anymore this season. Every financial decision at a ski resort, just like any other business, is based on ROI- Return On Investment. If we were to light up the mountain now for three days and spend a hypothetical $15,000 on energy costs, that $15,000 would have to show some sort of monetary return , which at this point in the season is not likely to happen. Think of the snow on the ground as if it were money. If a ski resort closes April 1, which most in the Poconos do, and there is three feet of snow on every trail, that is basically money laying on the trail. An ideal situation would be to close April 1 and have all the snow melt on April 2, which means that you made the exact right amout of snow for the season. Some larger ski areas with large real estate holdings don't have to worry so much about earnings from ski resort operations because it is more of an amenity for their real estate owners. They make the bulk of their money from these real estate transactions. However, stand alone ski area like Shawnee and others, really have to watch operational costs and expeditures in order to stay alive. The only way to try and negate the affect of the early season lost revenue is to cut costs and watch expenses.

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Just a little attempt to try and explain a few things. First off, it is impossible to make up for the lost revenue from the beginnig of the season. The vacationers that were coming for Christmas (who account for a LARGE portion of revenue) aren't here and they're not coming anymore this season. Every financial decision at a ski resort, just like any other business, is based on ROI- Return On Investment. If we were to light up the mountain now for three days and spend a hypothetical $15,000 on energy costs, that $15,000 would have to show some sort of monetary return , which at this point in the season is not likely to happen. Think of the snow on the ground as if it were money. If a ski resort closes April 1, which most in the Poconos do, and there is three feet of snow on every trail, that is basically money laying on the trail. An ideal situation would be to close April 1 and have all the snow melt on April 2, which means that you made the exact right amout of snow for the season. Some larger ski areas with large real estate holdings don't have to worry so much about earnings from ski resort operations because it is more of an amenity for their real estate owners. They make the bulk of their money from these real estate transactions. However, stand alone ski area like Shawnee and others, really have to watch operational costs and expeditures in order to stay alive. The only way to try and negate the affect of the early season lost revenue is to cut costs and watch expenses.

 

Adam your so smart :blink:

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My thinking was that they could remain open later if there was more snow there basically...

I know the temps will go up and the crowds will go down, but the late they can remain open the more chance of profit they can get.

A 12" ice block doesn't melt as quickly as a 2" ice cube.

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later in the season=less profit. cos of utilities to run lifts, patrollers, instructors, lifties, food cost, other employees, for barely any skier visits a day. last year at blue after march 15th, i barely saw anyone at all during the day. sometimes id see a few people while riding the lift. those kinds of crowds are a loss, not profit.

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i still think that mts. owe it to their pass holders to blow the extra amount.

 

 

Its nice to think that, I agree.....but the cold truth is, in the end, its all about money, how much the mountain made, and how much they spent.....the more they come out on top the better it is for them, and if they got nothing else to fall back upon such as real estate or whatever, then the choices to do everything have to be considered and thought about that much more in detail.......besides this late in the season, the chances of a good return on money spent now is slim, its lucky any mountain is even blowing snow, if they are its only to touch up spots, mostly around the load/unload areas and few select other places. hell its also expensive to blow snow, its more then just hooking up a hose or two, flicking a switch and wham bam there ya go.....I am not to sure how it is either with Shawnee Mtn. but most resorts have a peak time to blow snow in which when they do it is cheaper then normal price, and then off peak, which to say the least is when they pay full price to blow snow, this time period usually ends either near the beginning or middle of Feb. If someone knows how it works at Shawnee please let me know, I am curious, just going by past experience here on this

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My thinking was that they could remain open later if there was more snow there basically...

I know the temps will go up and the crowds will go down, but the late they can remain open the more chance of profit they can get.

A 12" ice block doesn't melt as quickly as a 2" ice cube.

 

Yea but march/april if you get one of those randomly warm days in the 50's or 60s it will wipe out more snow in a day than will melt in the whole month of january. Plus the sun gets much warmer in march that contributes a lot. If you look at the sunny versus the shady side of a halfpipe in march the sunny side is a foot or more shorter.

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