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View Full Version : Atkinson--What were you thinking?



notorious
10-15-2006, 06:18 PM
November Men's Journal, p. 112, Stashes,East Coast Backcountry, features Sugarbush, but how does that guy Bell rate a picture over "extreme skiing legend John Egan"? And that doesn't look like Slide Brook Basin to me. At least he's a "Sugarbush diehard" and not a hotshot. Isn't diehard a synonym for no talent over-the-hill?
Did he sign a photo release?

random_ski_guy
10-16-2006, 01:01 PM
Do hardcore skier's of the ridge really read Men Journal anyway? And how about the public at large?

atkinson
10-17-2006, 07:49 AM
If I could ever get out in front of Egan, I'd be able to take a shot like that one I got of Bob. :) He is most definitely a diehard, which means whatever you want it to mean. Bob has a lot of fun and I am pretty sure that is the only measure he uses. It's the one I happen to like too.

I think the picture captures a little bit of Sugarbush's soul from an uncommon perspective. Not only that, but Men's Journal is a very popular magazine, certainly bigger than all the ski rags, which means exposure to a large audience of some skiers and riders and just as importantly, not-yet skiers and riders. Hopefully, some of them will be inspired to vist the Mad River Valley because of what they saw in MJ.

What was the problem again?

Speaking of uncommon perspectives, Bill Stinson took me up soaring yesterday. Thanks Bill!

http://www.vmba.org/images/slidebrook1.jpg

http://www.vmba.org/images/lincolnpeak1.jpg

I can't believe the snow is still there on northfacing trails.

John

Lostone
10-17-2006, 08:12 AM
Great shots!

I tried to take pix like that, but ... I'm not tall enough. :cry: :wink:

smootharc
10-17-2006, 08:21 AM
Great shots!

I tried to take pix like that, but ... I'm not tall enough. :cry: :wink:

...at least on my machine.

Lostone
10-17-2006, 08:36 AM
I think those are the full size of the linked pic, as opposed to a larger size, scaled down.

notorious
10-23-2006, 09:38 AM
Not only is Men's Journal circulation larger than any of the ski mags (by more than 1/3, i.e., 675000 to 400-450000) it is by far larger than the WCAX viewing audience (32600 households (not avg viewers)).
So what is the point?
Well,...for those of us who believe that the future of skiing lies in a return to the core values, adventure, adrenilin, nature in winter, terrain, untracked snow, ...Sugarbush is an undiscovered paradise. There is great backcountry to be found throughout New England. Stowe, Jay, Cannon, The Loaf all have their backcountry charms and devoted fans. But we are the only area that has lift served backcountry. All we have to do is let gravity take us to the road and catch the shuttle. Neato!

So when a large circulation medium publicizes our hill, it's great, that is, if you want Sugarbush to be popular with the core skiing community. It has long irked me that Jay and MRG have the cachet as the serious skier's choices in New England, when we

are the only one with both the terrain and the transport.

So, where is there a large untapped market of skier's interested in this experience? Boston and southern New Hampshire.

However, the Sugarbush marketing dollar has to be spread across so many advertising locales--Metro NY, So Conn, WMass, Albany, as well as Boston, Manchester etc. that the mountain, IMHO, neglects the MetroBoston/SoNH market. I pass billboards for MtWashington Valley and Sunday River on every trip toVT, but never any for Sugarbush.

It is one of my many opinions that spending significant $ in the Burlington area is not as productive as the same $ in Metro/Boston. Why? Because the travel time to MRV from Boston is the same as to Sunday River. The trip to the Bush is easier because the roads are vastly superior. The terrain and experience are vastly superior. So easier travel, better experience...Yet Sunday River draws far more from MetroBoston/SoNH than MRV.

A significant portion of those heading in the wrong direction could be enticed to our mountain with more promotion. After all, Egan is a Boston boy, as are Lostone (Lost-one or Lo-Stone, I never know which it is) Bubba, and Treeskier.

Another of my opinions is that $ spent in the Burlington market, other than students, is spent preaching to the choir. Vermonters know the differences between their mountains and decide on reality based criteria resistent to marketing $. They are either Bush, Stowe, Jay, Bolton, MRG or Smuggs people based on the real differences between these areas.

NECN reaches 3.5 million homes in New England. It provides flatland NE with micro weather updates about skicountry.

So, what is my point?

The most frequent users of this site are attuned to the local publicity which the mountain and chamber generate. And it is good stuff. But the Men's Journal (core reader, male 21-45) mention and more Boston/SoNH publicity will do more, in the long and short run, to generate skier days. And when the publicity is for core value skiing, it's great.

Atkinson is always right.

ski_resort_observer
10-23-2006, 09:56 AM
The Bush used to have a billboard in the Boston area, I think maybe Wellesley. When people called for info or to book a vacation many mentioned it. I was in the area a couple of months ago but did not notice one, assume it's history.

smootharc
10-23-2006, 10:28 AM
Not only is.....etc.

Thought provoking post.

Now if I could just get my wife to say "You're right....as always".... :lol:

Fourwide
10-23-2006, 11:26 AM
I most often drive up the Northway, across on NY 149 to NY/Vt. 4. There are a fair # of billboards on NY 4, a few miles before the Vt. border--definitely Killington and Okemo, perhaps Stowe. No Sugarbush. I'm not in the marketing business, but I do notice those billboards.

atkinson
10-23-2006, 11:29 AM
Always right is a mighty hard standard to live up to and I have never met it. But I appreciate the sentiment, especially after the "What were you thinking?" comment.

John

random_ski_guy
10-23-2006, 11:31 AM
I was just joshing you about Men's Health....my lame attempt at humor I suppose.

I gather from your thoughtful response that you are deeply involved in the ski industry. Otherwise, its unusual to hear such keen interest and concern in seeing the biz grow from what I presume to be a backcountry skier. It seems to me that most ridge skiers are those most interested it letting the sleeping dogs lie... letting the sleeping 'bush be as it is.

Lostone
10-23-2006, 11:52 AM
(Lost-one or Lo-Stone, I never know which it is)

It is both... and others. It is a long story, as is most of my life. But if your life is a short story, you need to spice it up a little. :lol:

And I am always right! And I never lie. If you have any doubts about that, you can ask me.

And you will be sure what I tell you is the truth. Why? Because I'm always right! And I never lie. :wink:


(And I don't have a wife, but if I did... She'd probably disagree with me. ) :cry:

We now return you to your normally scheduled thread. :wink:

HowieT2
10-23-2006, 01:54 PM
Re: marketing
I'm from Westchester county just north of NYC. While in the past I had never seen any brochures from Sugarbush at the local ski shops (I mentioned same to to Win last season) there were when I stopped by just a few weeks ago. So they are making progress.

However, I was disappointed to note that in the NY Times Escapes section last Friday (10/20) there was an article on ski area real estate markets and development, which discussed Stowe's improvements but there was no mention of Sugarbush.

Lostone
10-23-2006, 02:01 PM
That's funny, because Claybrook will be looking fine, this season, while Stowe... I was up there two weeks ago, and they had giant metalwork. :roll:

Anyone else think they bought the article? :roll:

random_ski_guy
10-23-2006, 03:48 PM
I know someone at the top on the stowe project. He indicated that they were worried about the spin the NY times was doing. So from what I gathered, they didn't buy this piece of journalism.

Bubba
10-24-2006, 07:03 AM
A significant portion of those heading in the wrong direction could be enticed to our mountain with more promotion. After all, Egan is a Boston boy, as are Lostone (Lost-one or Lo-Stone, I never know which it is) Bubba, and Treeskier.

NECN reaches 3.5 million homes in New England. It provides flatland NE with micro weather updates about skicountry.








Remember the old buzz line?
"Sugarbush, where great skiers ski" :D

NECN would be a great place to advertise. What a great station. I wish it were available here in the valley.

Do I know you?

atkinson
10-28-2006, 03:58 PM
Notorious,

Sorry, I didn't address your final question. Bob's a lawyer, don't you know? And Bob wrote the over-arching photo release that he signed with the X-Team last year. It also transfers the rights to his soul and any future earnings from his ski model "career", but that's in the fine print. ;)

John