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  1. #1

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    MRG/Sugarbush Cooperation

    I'm sure this subject has been discussed a million times. So here goes a million and one.

    My best friend is an MRG shareholder and season pass holder. I'm a Sugar Direct card holder (and previous SB season passholder). My friend never wants to come ski with us at SB, because he has already "paid" for his day at MRG. I feel the same way in reverse. Isnt there some way smart guys and computers can work out some kind of sharing and/or discount policy so that we can ski together a few days a year?



    Couldn't MRG agree to accept my Sugar Direct Card free or at a discount some number of times a year? Couldn't SB agree to accept an MRG season pass at free or at a discount some number of times a year? Or isn't there some even better solution? Doesn't somebody have an old roommate who majored in economics at MIT who can figure this out?

    RopeTow

  2. #2
    Ahhh RopeTow, sounds like you are looking for the economists at MIT to discover a money tree.

  3. #3
    Hawk's Avatar
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    I was told that there have been discussions in the past but I am not sure why it never worked out. I would think that because the price of the tickets are so different it would be hard to figure out the revenue sharing. Also if I was an MRG skier, why on earth would I want the whole SB crowd at my hill. Lines are long enough on the weekend. Imagine what they would be like if it were part of the SB pass. YIKES!!!!

    I would suggest you buy a Mad Card. They sell them before Christmas for $100 and you get 3 days of skiing. That is a great deal. Your MRG friends are out of luck as far as a low cost ticket to Sugarbush unless they have connections.
    Trouble with you is the trouble with me,
    Got two good eyes but we still don’t see!

  4. #4
    REI offers discount tickets to Sugarbush. I can't remember how much a discount, but we've picked them up for friends and it was good enough deal to remember it existed.

  5. #5
    There is www.SkiTheValley.net Ski The Valley Passport that is the chamber's. Best deal around for those who want to choose where they want to ski. Include MRG, SB and Ole's on a single ticket and midweek freebies tossed in. Heaven and Earth moved just a little during this negotiation.
    Susan Klein, Director, MRV Chamber of Commerce

  6. #6

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    Mar 2009
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    This is all theoretical, but here are two concrete suggestions to make skiing at the two great ski areas in our valley cheaper, easier and more fun:

    1 Why don't MRG and Sugarbush (and other vendors/merchants,too, if they are interested) team up to issue a "Valley Card" providing discounts on lift tickets and other products and services in the Valley. The Valley Card would function like a Sugar Direct Card, would have a credit card feature (like the current Sugar Direct card) and would be useable across the Valley for discounts. Most importantly, it would allow for hassle-free ski-on to any lift in the valley. The amount of the discount would be controlled by each area (SB/MRG). The upfront charge for the "Valley Card" would be determined by the participating merchants and net revenues from sales of the Valley Card could be split among the participating merchants based on subsequent useage of the card. In theory, the Valley Card could be programmed to charge distinct daily rates for weekends and non-weekends and holidays, etc at each of LP, ME and MRG or for access to any two or three areas.

    2 Another alternative would be for MRG and SB to offer a "Super Season Valley Pass" for a slight premium over each one's current pass rates. The SSVP would allow the purchaser unlimited skiing at a primary area (SB or MRG) and either limited and/or discounted skiing at the "secondary" area. For example a "limited" feature might permit a certain number of free weekend/holiday days at the secondary area and perhaps a greater number of free non-weekend, non-holiday days at the secondary area. Alternatively and in addition, a "discount" feature would allow an MRG "Super Season Valley Pass" holder to use his pass (like a Sugar Direct Card) to purchase individual day discount tickets at SB (and vice versa). The amount of the discount at each area would be within the control of that area's management and proceeds from the sale of discount tickets would go to the area selling the (discount) ticket.

    Both concepts would require MRG and SB to use compatible electronic and computer technology for their passes, but this ought to lead to savings in the long run.

    Why not?

    Co-ordinated passes could make our valley a cheaper and friendlier, more inclusive place ot ski and it would offer an additional incentive for homeowners and renters to choose the MRV over other New England destinations. In theory, Ole's, hotels, ski shops, restaurants and other merchants could also participate.

    RopeTow

  7. #7
    Hawk's Avatar
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    All good ideas Rope tow. I won't argue with you on that. I just think that it's hard to get stuff implemented up here with so many different and widely vaying opinions.
    Trouble with you is the trouble with me,
    Got two good eyes but we still don’t see!

  8. #8

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    Thanks for the props, Hawk.

    I hear you about all the difference of opinion. Not to be too philosophical, but I don't think our economy is going to be too good for quite some time. I think discretionary spending (ie, leisure activities like skiing) are going to be under some pressure for some time. I think the winners in this new economy will be the creative entrepreneurs who create additional value for their customers and earn their loyalty and aggressively attract new business. I think the entrepreneurial leaders in the valley would be smart to spend some time figuring out how to get past differences of opinion and find new ways to provide value to their guests. Just to be clear, I can't imagine MRG and SB can't find "win-win" (or "win-eric") solutions to make the valley an even better place to visit and stay and spend.

    Rope

  9. #9

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    Here's Eric Friedman's (MRG) take on the situation which I picked up on the Alpine Zone website. Sure wish they would figure out a way to do even more together...

    Question: Could you please comment on the relationship between Mad River and Sugarbush? You are competitors but also seem to work together very well for the benefit and growth of the valley. What happened to the pass reciprocity between MRG and Sugarbush? Will this limited reciprocity ever come back?

    Eric Friedman: Let me start out by saying that I love Sugarbush and ski over there all the time. My kids have had season passes there and my sons are good friends with John Egan’s kids and ski together quite a bit. While we might joke around and there is certainly some “competition” between the areas we really do get along just fine and try hard to work together to encourage destination visitors to the Mad River Valley generally. Since Win Smith took over at Sugarbush they have been incredibly supportive of MRG and the Co-op. In fact Win even sponsored one of the chairs on the historically restored Single Chair. Although we are a little unhappy that he just recently married one of our favorite Co-op shareholders and has dragged her over “to the dark side”.

    We like to think of Sugarbush as our “Little Sister who lives just down the road”. Remember folks MRG was here first! Note our full page ad in the Valley Reporter we placed to celebrate their 50th anniversary – We always one-up them with these things as it was our 60th that year!


    Mad River Glen and Sugarbush offer a combined ski experience that no other resort area in New England can match. 3 great mountains (Lincoln Peak, Mt Ellen and Mad River Glen) on one massif along the spine of the Green Mountains each offering a distinct experience.


    Combined we offer the best and most diverse terrain anywhere in New England and together we share the beautiful, authentic and pristine Mad River Valley. Yes we do work closely together in many ways especially via the Mad River Valley Chamber of Commerce. We have reciprocal employee skiing privileges, training exchanges for our freestyle and race teams, we have a joint presence at the Boston Ski Show and have had a joint ticket product to encourage destination visitors to come to “the valley”. We get together to support many great causes/events like the Warren July 4th celebration, the Randonnee Race, broom ball fundraiser, and most recently the clean-up and fund-raising effort after Tropical Storm Irene. We also help each other out in many ways most importantly on the departmental level. Our maintenance folks communicate, the office/ticket staffs talk to one another and the ski schools and patrols have a tremendous rapport. We all know that “we are all in the same boat” in many ways. We were very appreciative last year when we had mechanical issues with our Sunnyside Double Chair the SB crew could not have been more helpful and were ready to help us out in any way they could and we’d do the same for them in a heartbeat. The bottom line is we could not ask for better neighbors.

    Mad River Glen and Sugarbush have never had pass reciprocity beyond the employees. It is something both sides have considered but the problem is that we simply have very different business models that make it very difficult for us to come together on some issues, pass reciprocity being chief among them. As many of you know when the skiing is good folks flock to MRG like pilgrims to a holy shrine. Sugarbush’s pass base is so much larger than ours we could never handle the influx on good days. I think we both think that it I hard to say “never say never” but a reciprocal pass program would be highly unlikely.

  10. #10

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    The only thing I would disagree with Eric on is dragging my beautiful new wife over. Her snowboarding daughters did that before we reconnected. That said she constantly says "when are we going over to MRG?" As Eric said, we are fortunate to have two great areas in this Valley, and we really don't look at MRG as a competitor but rather our older sibling and friend and we do indeed work together on many things.

  11. #11

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    Win -- You and Eric do deserve -- and get -- huge credit for everything you do together, for skiing in the valley, and for the valley in general.

    Its just that we could be even better here (how's that for a new slogan) if that MIT engineer could figure out a way to let the regulars ski any lift in the valley with a minimum of hassle. I don't think I'm even suggesting unlimited skiing for season passholders at all three mountains...just a hassle free system (like the Sugar Direct system) where I can get on any lift in the valley and my card will be charged an appropriate amount, without having to get in line and purchase an additional day ticket.

    I was at a small dinner gathering last night and described my ideas to a group of MRG skiiers and they said, yeah, theoretically that would be great, but good luck getting the hard core at MRG to embrace it.

    So for the time being its just a dream...to get in my car any given morning and head to the lift that seems just right for the day, park, boot up and hop on.

  12. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by mickrio View Post
    I would think that because the price of the tickets are so different it would be hard to figure out the revenue sharing. Also if I was an MRG skier, why on earth would I want the whole SB crowd at my hill. Lines are long enough on the weekend.
    And conversely, why would sb want to give mrg passholders access to sb when the conditions over there arent good. That would eliminate a significant factor in many choosing passes at sb over mrg.

    Seems simple but when you get into the details, it doesnt work.

  13. #13
    Hawk's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by mickrio View Post
    I would think that because the price of the tickets are so different it would be hard to figure out the revenue sharing. Also if I was an MRG skier, why on earth would I want the whole SB crowd at my hill. Lines are long enough on the weekend.
    Hmmm......I vaguely remember someone with this exact same responce on this. LOL
    Trouble with you is the trouble with me,
    Got two good eyes but we still don’t see!

  14. #14
    Hawk's Avatar
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    Jeeze, now I am responding to advertising robots. We need some snow. LOL
    Trouble with you is the trouble with me,
    Got two good eyes but we still don’t see!

  15. #15
    spamorama.

    hope you are all doing some kind of dance/prayer/sacrifice for frozen precipitation thursday/friday. i'm about ready to go postal.

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