Observations of other Boyne resorts, and how they could help SR...
Just finished 2 weeks on the road with the Freestyle crew. We had comps at both Loon and Sugarloaf.
It was really interesting to see the differences between all 3 resorts. Some observations:
Loon.
- Seemed like there was a lodge or warming hut at the bottom of every lift.
- Tissues and maps at every lift line
- First experience with the magic carpet quad load. Pretty sweet.
- Good terrain.
- Suprisingly, the 2 days we were there it was relatively uncrowded. Have been there in the past when it is a nightmare with people.
- The Bunyan Bar in the Governors lodge is really nice. Octogon lodge is pretty cool too.
Sugarloaf.
- Absolute nightmare with liftlines and lift problems this weekend. It's pretty amazing how one lift being down can mess with the whole mojo of the mountain.
- Bullwinkles is awesome
I'm sure MB has some to add.
In short, I would encourage the SR team to make a venture out to the other locations. There is good stuff going on out there.
On the flip side, can't wait to get home to SR this weekend. CANT WAIT!
-Astro910
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Wheeler on -
What is your definition of "Near future".... cause for the next 10+ days we are looking dry like the desert.
This could be a mini golf weekend for sure.
Hey MB,
you can have the "Big" blue ball
I want the red one.
Mike Dann said:It's gonna happen soon keep the faith !!! I picked a good season to race though, don't feel like I 'm missing anything while waiting around. I see an 18" dumping in the near future at least thats what the Magic 8 Ball says.
Hawk said:I am so sick of this season. If it doesn't snow soon I am going to write the thing off and go somewhere warm. That would be a first for me. :-(
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Permalink Reply by Wheeler on
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Might be a pain in the butt, but, The Bethel Inn allows daily fee users.
Neige said:My suggestion is that Sunday River offer a “day use” fee at the Grand Summit Fitness & Health Center that skiers could pay to use the facilities on a per use basis.
It would be nice at the end of the ski day to swim in the pool, relax in the hot tub and shower as a way to unwind.
Both Boyne New England sister resorts already offer this amenity – I’ve used them both recently at Loon and Sugarloaf.
At Loon, you pay $20 and can access the facilities at the Viaggio Spa in the Mountain Club Hotel.
At Sugarloaf, you pay $12 and can access the faculties at the Sports & Fitness Center.
There would be no capital expense for Sunday River since all the infrastructure is already in place at the Grand Summit.
- A day use fee would be incremental revenue, as well as pure profit, since the facility is already staffed and existing overhead costs are already being incurred.
- Sunday River already offers skier amenities for an additional fee such as First Tracks, preferred parking and the South Ridge Ski Suite.
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Permalink Reply by Beasley on -
As a Summit owner, I'll confirm all the reasons why they should not allow non-guests to use the pool. Even though guests can change in their rooms and walk to the pool inside, the small locker rooms are barely adequate for the few who choose to use them. If non-guests came in from outside, they wouldn't have anyplace to put their gear.
Of course, if they charged $20 a swim, I don't think many people would take them up on it.
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Permalink Reply by Beasley on
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We went to Big Sky last year, and loved it. I would say, though, that the base area is minimal. We were there on an off-week, but we had to either make reservations at a pricey place or settle for wherever we could get a table.
As a "destination" resort, Big Sky is often reached by airplane and ground transportation, i.e., people without cars for the week. The shuttle bus off-mountain only runs once an hour at night, so you have to plan your dinner arrangements carefully if you're leaving the village. Unlike SR, most of the on-mountain hotel rooms don't have kitchens, so everyone is eating out every night, putting a lot of pressure on a limited number of restaurants. The lunch choices were pretty unappealing, and, with the exception of the Yeti Dog place, kind of overpriced as well.
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Permalink Reply by TwinTipTele on -
Big Sky is not a well managed resort. Honestly, it shocks me every time I go there how poorly managed it is. Things like base area amenities, etc aren't as obvious to me because I'm a day-skier there, but things like not replacing/fixing the gondola are. The only thing that rocks about Big Sky is the terrain - the snow isn't that great, the lifts aren't ideal, the grooming is fairly inconsistent, the locals suck, the lift lines aren't managed well (on the two days a month there are lines anyway), the zipline is lame, limited tree skiing... Skyline is a good bus system, but not great... It's cold...
Whatever, it is pretty sick. But, Sunday River is a better managed resort... You guys may lack in terrain (steeps, technical terrain, difficulty), but that is somewhat offset by killer snowmaking, killer grooming, and the other things that are within your control. Best skiing in Boyne? No way. Best managed resort? Maybe. SR is truly maximizing it's potential. Now if only we could get Big Sky to do the same...
-TTT
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Permalink Reply by Semi-Pro on -
Yeah...it’s very clear that all Boyne resorts have their own look and feel…I like it that way as I feel it gives them a way to brand their own product. It would be a shame if they all had to confirm to a McDonalds or Wal-Mart type of corporate facade.
Sidebar about Loon, go there on a busy weekend and the line for the go-go (gondola) will so freak you out for sure! And keep in mind, none of them have a FRB!
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Permalink Reply by MonkeyBrook on -
Lot of good mini golf holes on the SR course.....looking forward to a good rounds Friday-Sunday
Wheeler said:
What is your definition of "Near future".... cause for the next 10+ days we are looking dry like the desert.
This could be a mini golf weekend for sure.
Hey MB,
you can have the "Big" blue ball
I want the red one.
Mike Dann said:It's gonna happen soon keep the faith !!! I picked a good season to race though, don't feel like I 'm missing anything while waiting around. I see an 18" dumping in the near future at least thats what the Magic 8 Ball says.
Hawk said:I am so sick of this season. If it doesn't snow soon I am going to write the thing off and go somewhere warm. That would be a first for me. :-(
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Permalink Reply by MachSki on -
I'm thinking pay to play in pools etc at SR will probably have to wait until the new spa is built over at Jordan (see the updated 5 year plan). As for Big Sky, we stayed at the Summit which with NE Passholder discount was a great deal. Just the wife and I, took a Studio room and it was huge with a full kitchen and an enormous bath. The huge Hut Tub Pool was awesome, couldn't really swim, but after a day on the slopes, you didn't have to fight for hot tub space. SR should get one of those at one of the hotels. We ate out once and enjoyed cooking in room the rest.
TTT, you mentioned replacing/fixing the gondola. Were you referring to the old gondolas from the base (I thought swift current replaced those) or the summit tram?
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Permalink Reply by MonkeyBrook on
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We loved everything about BS, granted only 5 days of skiing....I would bet with time we would find things that werent as great....we stayed at the Summit too, big 3 BR and loved the hot tub pool.
As for the Jordan-Summit pools, we are members of the JCC and know a bunch of folks that are members of the SCC.....
PS: I bet other resorts have a more varied selection of photos of the day....was today's picture a goof on MB?
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Permalink Reply by CartMan! on -
What's wrong with it?? I kinda like her technique.
MonkeyBrook said:PS: I bet other resorts have a more varied selection of photos of the day....was today's picture a goof on MB?
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Permalink Reply by TwinTipTele on
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Swifty didn't replace the gondola... they ran parallel to each other (sort of) until recently... I think about 2008. When the gondola broke, they removed it.
They also don't run Swifty in the summer any longer (even though they used to run it for the bike trails up there) because it is on it's last legs and they know it can't handle running year round.
The tram runs fine - the only problem with it is that it's tiny (that's what she said).
-TTT
MachSki said:I'm thinking pay to play in pools etc at SR will probably have to wait until the new spa is built over at Jordan (see the updated 5 year plan). As for Big Sky, we stayed at the Summit which with NE Passholder discount was a great deal. Just the wife and I, took a Studio room and it was huge with a full kitchen and an enormous bath. The huge Hut Tub Pool was awesome, couldn't really swim, but after a day on the slopes, you didn't have to fight for hot tub space. SR should get one of those at one of the hotels. We ate out once and enjoyed cooking in room the rest.
TTT, you mentioned replacing/fixing the gondola. Were you referring to the old gondolas from the base (I thought swift current replaced those) or the summit tram?
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Permalink Reply by MachSki on
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True on the tram though the summit terminal area I doubt would have allowed for more. Your view on Swifty sounds like mine on the Barker Quad!
TwinTipTele said:Swifty didn't replace the gondola... they ran parallel to each other (sort of) until recently... I think about 2008. When the gondola broke, they removed it.
They also don't run Swifty in the summer any longer (even though they used to run it for the bike trails up there) because it is on it's last legs and they know it can't handle running year round.
The tram runs fine - the only problem with it is that it's tiny (that's what she said).
-TTT
MachSki said:I'm thinking pay to play in pools etc at SR will probably have to wait until the new spa is built over at Jordan (see the updated 5 year plan). As for Big Sky, we stayed at the Summit which with NE Passholder discount was a great deal. Just the wife and I, took a Studio room and it was huge with a full kitchen and an enormous bath. The huge Hut Tub Pool was awesome, couldn't really swim, but after a day on the slopes, you didn't have to fight for hot tub space. SR should get one of those at one of the hotels. We ate out once and enjoyed cooking in room the rest.
TTT, you mentioned replacing/fixing the gondola. Were you referring to the old gondolas from the base (I thought swift current replaced those) or the summit tram?
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