Industry News
This piece sources information from original reporting conducted by Moonshine Ink
Homewood Mountain Resort in California is changing and they are not hiding it.
Resort owner JMA Ventures has said the mountain will adopt a semi-private model following a 10-year 40% decline in skier visits and a 64% decline in season passholders, as reported by Moonshine Ink. The five to seven year plan will combine with a development plan to add on-site housing to the ski area along with several other additions.
By the time the semi-private plan is all said and done, day ticket sales will be a thing of the past and season pass sales will be limited to only the owners of new Homewood residences and full-time residences of several coming West Shore homeowner associations, SAM Magazine reports. JMA president Art Chapman said the model would be implemented gradually and there would not be any changes to the pass program or day tickets for the next season.
“If we are going to keep the ski area open, we can’t do it as a public ski area that requires a lot of employees and having to rely on fewer skiers,” Chapman told local news outlets. “We are not in the least bit interested in trying to promote Homewood as a competitor to Squaw [Palisades Tahoe] or Northstar,” he said when discussing how heavy weekend traffic going to those neighboring ski areas makes it difficult for commuter skiers to get to Homewood.
The new semi-private model will operate alongside the resort’s five- to seven-year development plan which was approved in 2011, according to SAM Magazine. The plan currently includes 185 homes, a base lodge, and a small boutique hotel for guests of Homewood residence owners. The construction of seven homes at the North Base will commence this summer.
JMA also plans to invest $15 million to replace two lifts: The Madden Chair will be replaced next year with a new gondola, and the Ellis Chair will be replaced with a new detachable quad in a few years, SAM Magazine wrote. Plans are also underway to develop more summer operations such as additional hiking and mountain bike trails. Once all this is said and done, pass prices will likely increase, according to Chapman.
According to local news service Moonshine Ink, community support for the resort redevelopment plan was initially strong in 2011 but has since waned as some residents feel wrong about how the resort is switching from public to now private access. Only those able to afford properties at Homewood will be able to ski there, which is an entirely different tax bracket of skiers.
I’m growing irritated seeing Homewood/JMA management continues to flaunt the statistic there has been a “10-year 40% decline in skier visits and a 64% decline in season passholders”. Do you know what Homewood was doing in 2011? They had a partnership with Alpine Meadows where you could ride both resorts under the same pass per agreements between JMA and KSL. This is also the same year the previous master plan was approved (also a contributing factor to the increased ridership). A quick google search will lead you to articles where they note ridership in 2011 was up 500% and local riders were getting irritated! So they are reporting on a 10-year statistic from their highest year of engagement! Do you know what Homewood has done since 2011 to increase ridership? Basically nothing. Grooming has gotten worse. On site amenities have gotten worse including the suspect burning of the South Lodge (half of the onsite amenities). Weathering and inoperable lift equipment year-over-year (Ellis chair, accessing over 30% of the terrain). They are gaslighting the public making it seem like its an issue with US and our increased desire to ride Ikon/Epic resorts, when they’ve literally pushed us off the lift and out the door to the next best option.
hugs and kisses 🙂
Dang Anon you are bringing the heat! Thanks for sharing that. Seems like Mr. Moderate President Biden is doing all the right things lately. Beating down Putin, getting fuel prices back down, boosting American jobs, taking a pandemic seriously, a massive infrastructure bill, keeping rich people rich, and keeping the border secure. Seems like the only thing keeping you from loving him is the word Democrat? Because he isn’t a liberal or a progressive like you think all Democrats are. Meanwhile Republicans keep pushing towards Q-cult status and going after those important issues like gender and abortions. Siding with white nationalists and Facebook moms who are scared of vaccines. What a bunch of losers! Doesn’t matter to you does it? You’ll side with whoever keeps your taxes low….oh whoops those Trump tax cuts had a downside didn’t they? What a clown.
Still not sure why you think environmentalists are behind anything. They don’t even have a political party like in the more civilized countries. Every rich mofo in America is playing both sides because they don’t have to be loyal to anything but the almighty dollar. You understand that real well don’t you? That’s all you care about, how to make more money and to keep everyone’s hands out of your pocket…especially big government. Those mega rich folks are buying up huge ranches and keeping livestock to keep their taxes ultra low. Moving to states like Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming and then preaching environmental regulations in one state while investing in oil/gas extraction in another. Those are the real winners in America. Why are you wasting your time being a little baby fish in California? All the smart people are leaving that state for greener pastures. Keep crying about needing new ski areas when your snowpack is disappearing year after year. Wake up to climate change. Move somewhere you can buy your own mountain. Geez you are such a clown no wonder you sided with a bunch of red hat fascists. Keep vacationing in tourist infested Hawaii and plopping your fat butt on ski lifts owned by corporate overlords. We will take our private snow cats out in the best powder in America and Canada. Kisses and hugs.
Colin M,
Wake up Dummy boy. Morons like you and fellow Sierra Club supporters are getting in the way of making the world a better place.
https://www.redwoodmaterials.com/
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-could-sign-defense-production-authority-battery-minerals-source-2022-03-30/
Colin M,
Clearly a government pensioned employee.
Not sure if you’re aware but small business crates 64% of new job in America. So cheers to you for crapping on the lifeblood of our Country. We need more class act positive motivated people such as yourself. You are the dead weight holding everyone back. Keep giving your money to the Sierra Clerb.
PS small business topline is at $40m/year. So actually I’m nearly about to crest into a medium sized business. I have lots of interaction with the government, politicians and lobbyists. Its a dirty game how it all works. Just left a meeting with the biggest battery recycling company in the world. I’m very aware of what makes the world turn. Back in the saddle and glad I got you to come out of your hermit dwelling.
Not married. Do have a nice beer belly. Its growing like my bank account.
Lol sure thing Anne
“Sorry I’m educated, and understand how the economy and government work.”
LOL I love when C minus high school graduate small business owners believe that they can scale up their success to managing a massive industry like the federal government. Their ego matches their goatee and fat belly….large and in charge…just don’t tell their wife.
Happy to entertain you. I was 99% sure it was you or Colin.
It is sad the Sierra Club prevents mines needed to produce batteries. It is sad Biden is having to use the war time powers act to get around them. Thank God he’s doing it. Out of all the stupid things that man has done at least he’s getting one thing right.
Slowly overtime you will realize I’m correct.
Sorry I’m educated, and understand how the economy and government work.
AN- I, Wheezus, wrote that as “AnOnYmOuS” to see if you’d react. Didn’t disappoint!
I heard Yellowstone Club bought Homewood from JMA. Any truth to that?
AnOnYmOuS is clearly a stable genius and definitely knows how to solve the problems Wheezus and Colin don’t comprehend.
Let’s all be sheep like Colin and Wheezus. Get in line at our corporate ski resorts. Listen and absorb all the Sierra Club propaganda. Preventing development in Wilderness areas is preventing global warming. China’s emissions have nothing to do it. Give us your money. We will sue to prevent development while driving up housing inflation while we ignore the real contributors to global warming, because that just isn’t in our wheelhouse or part of our mission.
Did anyone else see Biden is using the war powers act to list Nickle, Cobalt and Lithium as essential products to national defense. The enviro’s have gotten so stupid in our country we can’t even open mines to get the raw ingredients we need to make batteries for electric cars. Enviro’s like the Sierra Club, Wheezus and Colin have sued the federal government so aggressively and with so much money we can’t open mines needed to produce batteries.
You know the enviros have gone too far when the liberal green democratic President has to use emergency war time powers to get around enviro’s endless lawsuits that stop progress and the use of public resources for the public good.
While I sit here in Hawaii and watch my bank account grow, I cant help but think about how all the unhappy LIBTARDS wont solve the housing crisis by allowing NEW resorts to be built in wilderness areas in the Sierra Nevadas!!!!111!!11!
This is the model.
We need new ski resorts built at higher elevations.