The C-Lot becomes a mini Woodstock every April during Spring Splash.
There is nothing like a Dead show,
and there’s nothing like the end of ski season party in the C-Lot at The Mary Jane. Part Woodstock, part Ullr festival and pure anarchy, Winter Park Resort has nothing to do with this bacchanal except to step out of the way. While the official “Spring Splash” just down the road at the Winter Park base gets all the press, Mary Jane skiers know that the real deal is in the Utah Junction parking lot at the Challenger chairlift, hereafter referred to as “C-Lot”. The jockeying for parking spaces begins as early as three days before the final Sunday of the season. Bands vie to play on the ad hoc flat-bed bandstand in front of ski boot stomping revelers… And NOBODY GETS PAID! Back in April ‘05 the bands played until Tuesday, and many locals were AWOL until Thursday. This year we were additionally blessed with almost four-feet of powder that fell from Thursday through Saturday only to be crowned with a bluebird powder day for Splash.
Winter Park’s homegrown romp-grass band Hunker Down
provided the perfect soundtrack for last call at the Mary Jane.
and they played until the sun went down!
Photos from Spring Splash ‘09
The snow just kept falling, this was taken Friday morning (4-17-09)
Front row permit holders celebrate the snowfall in the C-Lot, 4-18-09
The Mayor of Mary Jane and family (plus Mike the Madhatter) in C-Lot, 4-18-09
Skiers and snowboarders crowd around the pond at the Winter Park base for Spring Splash '09
The obstacle course before the pond.
The C-Lot party is a "dress" affair.
It wouldn't be Splash without the Bouncy House making an appearance in C-Lot.
Think about how brilliant a business decision this is:
Mammoth Mtn., CA. sold a limited number, (38,000) of next year’s (09/10) season passes, at a fixed price of $576.oo each.
·“it includes unlimited skiing and riding at Mammoth and June Mountains as well as other benefits throughout the season including, but not limited to, discounts on lodging, private events featuring early lift access on select days, and the opportunity to buy discount lift tickets for friends.” *source SAM Magazine.
There was a purchase deadline of May 1st. All the passes are gone!
Now, Mammoth has $21,888,000.oo of operating capital up front. That’s nearly TWENTY TWO MILLION DOLLARS!!! Now they can:
·Take that amount off of any line-of-credit
·Cover operating expenses during the off season
·Pay down loans
·and at the same time, build a loyal customer base, create a public relations coup that could last a life-time and so much more.
There’s more:
·If a “Guest” outside the local population base purchased this pass and still comes out for their usual 10 days or so of skiing, they end up paying roughly $57.60 p/day.
·They have invested/committed to a ski trip for next season
·They have a built-in incentive to bring friends along…
·They help fill empty rooms, vacant resort outlets, make retail purchases
·and spend money they might not have spent otherwise!?!
Great to see another ski resort grasping the current economic climate and what’s in the best interest of its loyal customer base, its staff and the bottom line. Way to go!
Is it really that brilliant?:
Yes. A friend of mine from Atlanta, Georgia has been taking annual ski trips, with eight of his friends, for the past fifteen years. Until last season, they always visited a different ski hill each year, stayed two weeks and skied ten days out of the fourteen.
Then came along the Epic Ski Pass offered by Vail Resorts. A full season pass for under $640.oo dollars, good at four different mountains, including Heavenly, California. They bought them and that’s where they went this past season. One day during the trip, the lift-lines were long. They put their heads together and considering the money they had saved on the passes, they hired two private instructors to “cut” lift-lines.
When I spoke with my friend again this week, they had already purchased the same pass for next season. $599.oo, unlimited, unrestricted, full season pass. Pick your dates, pick your times. Brilliant. They’re planning on taking two trips next season, one to Colorado and the other to ski Heavenly.
So if a ski hill has a single day window ticket price of $80.oo (x) 10 days (x) say a 15,000 person local population base, they could realize $12,000,000.oo in guaranteed revenue up front at $800.oo p/pass. That’s TWELVE MILLION DOLLARS!!! Times 20,000 riders = $16,000,000.oo. Times 30,000 riders = $24,000,000.oo.
And just think how far that would go toward “good-will” with your loyal customer base, both locally and beyond!?!
Hope it comes to a ski hill near you, someday soon.
14+ Inches of fresh powder beckons skiers and snowboarders from the Elk Camp Chair at Snowmass, Colorado.
Following a week of unseasonably warm temps and no snow, Old Man Winter returned with a vengence to the Colorado Rockies. Over fourteen inches of powder came down on Snowmass refreshing and replenishing the snowpack that had suffered during the early appearance of Spring. Road conditions on 82 from Glenwood Springs to Aspen were horrendous but those willing to brave the dicey drive were rewarded with untracked powder and uncrowded runs. The first few chairlift rides were chilly with near blizzard conditions but by 11 a.m. the clouds parted, the wind died down and skiers and snowboarders were suddenly granted a surprise bluebird powder day.
The morning starts off blustery but turns to bluebird before noon.
While the Cirque remained closed for the day the ski patrol did open the areas below the Cirque Headwall including AMF and Gowdy’s by 11 and the Hanging Valley Wall shortly thereafter.
The clouds begin to part as skiers begin the trek out to the Hanging Valley Wall, Snowmass.
Fresh snow blankets the mountains surrounding Snowmass, as seen from the top of Elk Camp.
A straightliner does his best Brett Barrus impersonation at Snowmass, Colorado.
The C-Lot becomes a mini Woodstock every April during Spring Splash.
