The Great Conadian Heli-Skiing company has what we think is the perfect season pass for time of economic uncertainty Their platinum pass costs $100,000 and is good for all you can ride heli access plus a single room in the lodge whenever you want it. The pass is transferable, but only one person can use it at a time.
We’re thinking if we can get nine friends go in on it together on this. . .
[Link: Great Canadian Heli-Skiing via Dallas News]
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Smuggler’s Notch, and Vail Resorts (Vail, Breckenridge, Beaver Creek, Keystone, and Heavenly) have joined the protest and banned Burton’s Love and Primo boards for use while employees are on duty.
Vail-owned areas prohibit employees from using the Love boards, or any other inappropriate, offensive or suggestive equipment while on duty, said Amy Kemp, senior corporate communications manager for the company.
Guess that’s means no Playboy bunnies in the snowboard school lineup.
[Link: Burlington Free Press and Associated Press]
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Seems like getting a whole lot of money is much easier than getting a little in this credit crisis. Intrawest, the company that owns Whistler Blackcomb and other resorts had a $1.7 billion debt coming due yesterday and luckily they were able to refinance it just in time.
We are very pleased to have reached an agreement with our lenders, particularly given the challenges of the global credit markets,” said Bill Jensen, chief executive officer at Intrawest. . . “The support Fortress and our lenders have shown underscores their confidence in Intrawest and will enable us to continue to execute on our long-term strategic plans. . . . Intrawest has great assets, a sound business model and a solid track record. We are preparing for another successful winter season and look forward to providing our resort guests and homeowners with the exceptional level of service they have come to expect from our resort properties.”
Just wait until the Vancouver Olympics roll out of town. Then we’ll all see how “sound” and “solid” Intrawest looks. Enjoy the next couple years. . .
[Link: Canada.com]
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Fortress Investment Group, the private equity fund that purchased Intrawest in 2006 for $2.8 billion has reportedly approached potential and existing lenders about a refinancing of $1.4 billion of Intrawest’s senior debt according to a story in the Financial Times.
Fortress controls Intrawest via a $1.37bn equity stake. With Intrawest’s debt trading at less than 70 cents on the dollar, Fortress has approached potential and existing lenders to discuss a refinancing involving $1.4bn in senior debt. Fortress is putting in $100m of additional capital to preserve its equity’s value. . . . People familiar with Fortress, which operates hedge funds and private equity vehicles, say there is a low probability Intrawest will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Low probability? We guess that’s a good thing, right?
[Link: Financial Times]
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The 200-foot-long tunnel that takes Lake Mary Road under The Eagle Express lift at Mammoth Mountain collapsed on Friday, according to a story in the LA Times .
Mammoth Lakes officials are say the cause of the collapse has not been determined, but the incident doesn’t appear to be a random event. A bike path has been under construction along Lake Mary Road and a second tunnel was being dug about 20 feet on the downhill side of the original tunnel at the time of the collapse.
No was was injured in the collapse, but it has closed Lake Mary Road in both directions. A detour has been set up to allow traffic up to the Lakes Basin. Kind of nice that this happened now and not when the mountain is open and the loaded with snowboarders.
[Link: LA Times]
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The Coca-Cola Co has just signed a deal with Intrawest to be the “official beverage” at 10 of their resorts.
Coca-Cola North America and its bottle partners in the United States and Canada will continue to be the official beverage providers at 10 of Vancouver, Canada-based Intrawest’s destination resorts: Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort (Florida); Snowshoe Mountain (West Virginia); Winter Park Resort, Copper Mountain and Steamboat Ski Resort (Colorado); Mountain Creek (New Jersey); Stratton Mountain (Vermont); Panorama Mountain and Whistler Blackcomb (British Columbia); and Mont Tremblant Resort (Quebec).
All we wanted was a Pepsi, just one Pepsi and they wouldn’t give it to us.
[Link: Phoenix Business Journal]
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Whistler’s Ride of Your Life competition to see who will be the first to ride their new Peak 2 Peak gondola has one winner so far: 90-year-old George Huxtable says he “can’t wait to ride the new Peak 2 Peak Gondola” according to a story on Canada.com.
“I haven’t stopped jumping up and down since I heard,” said Huxtable, who rarely misses a day of the skiing season. “I have skied since I was four years old and I have been on every contraption that man has invented to go up the mountains easily and then fall down.”
There is room for 19 more for that first ride into the abyss. For nomination forms and contest rules go to www.whistlerblackcomb.com/gondola. Us, we’re staying on the ground. They say it’s totally safe, but we’re not interested in it being the last ride of our life. George, on the other hand, seems to have no problem with that possibility.
[Link: Canada.com]
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Oren Tanzer, the guy responsible for one of the best snowboard programs in the world just got a promotion. Now Mr. Tanzer is the Director, Youth Action Sports Marketing for Mammoth Mountain Ski Area.
Oren’s leadership in the youth action sports area of Mammoth’s business has allowed us to be a leader in this very important market segment,” said Howard Pickett, Chief Marketing Officer at Mammoth Mountain. “By aligning Oren and his team’s efforts closely with marketing and sales for the rest of the mountain, we intend to take both the terrain park business and the entire resort to the next level of success in the destination travel industry.”
Congrats, Oren. It’s all marketing anyway, right?
[Link: First Tracks Online]
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We’ve never been impressed with the on-hill facilities at Oregon’s Mt. Bachelor resort and it looks like we’re not alone. Powdr Corp. the company that owns Bachelor recently fired Matt Janney, GM; Carly Carmichael, director of marketing; Mark Perry, the food and beverage director; and Ernie Pool, director of operations.
The mountain needs to find more creative ways to handle recurrent issues with maintenance and weather-related shutdowns and communicate those challenges with the public, said Herwig Demschar, chief operating officer for Park City, Utah-based Powdr Corp., which owns Mt. Bachelor.
We’re certain of one thing: Mt. Bachelor can’t get worse.
[Link: Bend Bulletin via TWBiz]
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We love snowboard parks, but the truth is they are dangerous. Period. Here is a prime example from the New Jersey Herald.
A North Brunswick man was in critical condition Sunday night after being involved in a snowboarding accident at Mountain Creek Resort on Saturday afternoon, police said.
Erkan Kose, 25, was snowboarding at Mountain Creek South when, according to police, he overshot a snowboarding jump, landing on the left side of his head and shoulder. He was not wearing a helmet at the time of the incident and was unconscious and non-responsive at the scene, police said.
[Link: NJ Herald]
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