The West isn't the deal it used to be.
The East appears to be having a good season while the West is not, according to Marketwatch, which pins the blame for rough times in the Rockies on the sour economy. Snowshoe’s current marketing efforts attest, “Your trunk is free,” took a bold swipe at the airlines– the gateway for the big Western resorts– who are charging $15-25 per piece for the privilege (formerly the right) to check one’s luggage. Not surprisingly, visits to Colorado’s Summit County are down a woeful six percent.
Speaking of woes, Snowshoe’s parent company, Intrawest dodged a bullet back in the fall. Facing an October 23 due date on its $1.75 billion loan, the company was able to get the loan refinanced by its creditors. Meanwhile, Intrawest’s own parent, Fortress Investment Group, has has been suffering the slings and arrows of Wall Street. So maybe Snowshoe, which, like the other Eastern Intrawest resorts, had a fine early season, will bail out Fortress?
We’re looking forward to the release of the skier numbers after the season has ended this Sunday.
