As he checked out the mountain’s funds, he said, “it became clear that we would have liked to do something significant.”
In the top, that something was leveraging the mountain’s available real estate. “We decided that we would have liked to lure people here by offering a personal experience that they’ll’t get anyplace else,” he said.
If his plan pans out, Harris Sondak, the previous mayor of Alta, Utah, and a professor on the University of Utah’s David Eccles School of Business, said that more ski areas might adopt a public/private model to extend revenue. “Running a ski area is dear, and any recent technique to generate profits is commonly embraced,” he said.
In addition to participating of the mountain private, Mr. Hastings is raising the worth of a season pass to $1,399 from $1,259. A season pass for seniors 75 and older, which was free, will now cost $1,049. The variety of season passes sold, which had been capped, will now not be limited, though the variety of day tickets will.
Much of the ski community, particularly locals, was upset by the changes. “I’m very concerned,” said Aaron Vexler, 48, who has owned a condominium at Powder Mountain since 2012. “They’re severely limiting the terrain, raising prices, and likewise selling more passes. How do you sell more passes and keep the ski area uncrowded?” Others, feeling as if Mr. Hastings is barely enthusiastic about getting cash, gave the brand new owner a nickname, “Greed” Hastings.
