[News & Views]
at 15 ski areas in the northeastern U.S. and Eastern Canada for $199. COO Dave Belin calls it a bridge between high-com- mitment season passes and high-cost window tickets, a middle ground for bud- get-conscious casual skiers and riders. While volume and prestige still shape multi-resort pass strategy, with prices climbing again it may pay to keep affordability and flexibility in focus.
ations. The deal would also bring Eldo- ra’s roughly 700 winter employees onto the town payroll, and annexation could add $1 million to $2 million in summer sales tax revenue. As the Colorado Sun ’s Jason Blevins detailed in a July report on the deal, skep- ticism abounds. Locals still remember fighting off Eldora’s expansion plans a decade ago, and some bristle at the idea that annexation could bring more sum- mer traffic to the valley. Others doubt the town’s capacity to run a capital-intensive, for-profit ski area, pointing to its decision in 2023 to shutter its police department. Longtime industry leader Andy Daly called the model “disruptive” in a good way—but warned that without deep cap- ital commitments, Nederland risked fall- ing behind in a competitive market. Federal approval is another hurdle. The Forest Service must agree to trans- fer Eldora’s special use permit, a process that includes vetting the new operator’s finances and technical chops. Supporters say the experienced management team and Powdr’s two-year bridge bolster cred- ibility. Critics, like one 25-year Eldora regular who likened the deal to “Eldora buying Nederland,” fear a “train wreck.” If the deal closes, it will mark Col- orado’s first sale of a major resort to a non-corporate owner since 1997, and a rare case of a multi-resort operator sell- ing to a single-hill buyer. Whether it becomes a model for community-driven resort ownership or a cautionary tale will hinge on Nederland’s ability to manage debt, keep locals happy, and keep Eldora competitive in a market dominated by Vail Resorts and Alterra Mountain Co.
BUDGET PASS BOOM
Starting at 419 Swiss francs (about US$515), the Swiss-born Magic Pass now unlocks year-round unlimited access to nearly 100 ski areas in Switzerland, France, and Italy. The addition of 17 more ski areas for 2025-26 marks the program’s biggest leap since its 2017 launch. Gsta- ad’s recent entry into the cooperative irked some larger Swiss neighbors, who called it price dumping, but illustrates a continent-wide shift toward volume-driv- en, affordable, multi-destination access. Pre-sales for the 2025-26 pass have already topped 300,000 units, according to Seilbahnen International . That appetite for affordability echoes the continued growth of Indy Pass on this side of the pond. The $369 pass (adult base pass rate, general public) capped sales in early March after another record renewal period, and its upcoming low-cost, learn-to offering aims to hook new skiers and riders with three days of bundled tickets, lessons, and rentals for $189. With the Learn-to- Turn Pass, “Indy Pass will attempt to move the needle on skier development by keep- ing it cheap, simple, and widely accessible,” said founder Doug Fish. Indy anticipates strong participation from Northeast and Midwest resort partners. Joining the value lineup is Snow Partners’ new Snow Triple Play card, which offers three total days of access
NEDERLAND’S $200-MILLION ELDORA GAMBIT
In an unconventional mountain resort ownership play, the town of Nederland, Colo., (pop. 1,500; annual budget $3.2 million) is working to buy Eldora Moun- tain Resort from Powdr for somewhere between $100 million and $200 million, according to town estimates. The plan is to fund the deal with municipal rev- enue bonds, paid back entirely by Eldo- ra’s own income and Ikon Pass revenues, while building a $10 million reserve for low-snow years. Early projections show little free cash for the first decade, until subordinate bonds are paid off, but the town hopes to net $2 million to $5 mil- lion a year after that. Powdr, which purchased Eldora in 2016, would stay on for two years during the transition, after which “303 Ski”—a group of former Vail Resorts and Powdr executives—would take over daily oper-
ICYMI: Headline News (from saminfo.com)
MCP to Acquire Controlling Stake in Chilean Resort Company Andacor July 3 Local Groups Agree to End Long- time Opposition to Palisades Tahoe Development Plan July 10 Career Event Seeks Industry Support July 14
Vermont Adaptive, Bart Adaptive to Merge, Expanding Access in Southern Vermont July 17 Leelanau Conservancy to Acquire Sugar Loaf Ski Area (Mich.) July 21 Whiteface Joins Mountain Collective for 2025-26 Season July 22
KOTTKE CONCLUSIONS
The National Ski Areas Association’s (NSAA) Kottke End of Season and Guest Experience Report puts 2024-25 skier visits at 61.6 million, the second-highest total ever and 6.6 percent above the 10-year average. Visits rebounded in the Midwest
Made with FlippingBook Digital Proposal Creator