yardsale;c-48909 wroteI wonder where Tracy was on this. The few times I met her, she was as corporate as they come, which was disappointing after having experienced Kelly's leadership. I bet she green lighted this with no push back at all. She wants to climb that ladder and get back to the Rockies. What a mess.
It's a problem when the GM is a corporate wonk who doesn't really love the place of which s/he is GM and merely looks at his/her current position as a stepping stone to the place at which s/he really wants to be.
With large corporations moving into new regions and not understanding the vibe, this is becoming more common.
Crotched Mountain was Peak Resort's first foray into the New England market and they made a few mistakes until they learned the local vibe. By contrast, Vail's first property in the east was Stowe, the most western of the eastern ski areas which they ran for several years before adding Okemo and Sunapee. Had Sunapee or Crotched been their first, they might have done better in adapting their product to the eastern market.
Remember when POWDR took over Killington following the demise of ASC, they screwed up badly failing to realize that the mystique of Killington was greatly enhanced because of the early/late season products. Mike Solomano really brought Killington back to its former glory.
There are growing pains. Vail may get there yet.
