Mike Bernstein
New member
Tony Crocker":26oqfobf said:
"Ski Manitoba" doesn't exactly conjure up images of snow capped peaks. Reminds me of a poster in my high school science teacher's office: Ski Terre Haute.
Introducing Mountain Rider's Alliance
- Thread starter soulskier
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"Ski Manitoba" doesn't exactly conjure up images of snow capped peaks. Reminds me of a poster in my high school science teacher's office: Ski Terre Haute.
Marc_C
Active member
My number was from a hypothetical booking on Kayak.com for the second full week of March, departing on Saturday and returning the following Saturday - "anytime" was selected for flight times. Fares ranged from a low of $865 to $1200 with the mean in the upper $800's - low $900's. The historical low fare window showed that some got the same ticket for $465, but they give no details on the purchase, including duration.Tony Crocker":1h78lrik said:
Marc_C
Active member
Nope. Ignore the Wasatch Front in the equation. Eagle Point is half the distance and time to the SLC ski areas for the 2 million people in the Vegas metro area and only about 1.5 hrs for the 100K people in St. George, Mesquite and environs, who have only one other nearby option. Pretty much the same as the MRA press release about Manitoba - "...90 minutes from Anchorage and within 3 hrs of a population of 325K..."Patrick":1q4sggge said:
A whopping 325K.
The demographics of Vegas and Anchorage are very different. Surely a far higher proportion of Anchorage would be interested in an MRA-type area than Vegas. May not be more people total but it has to be much less disparity than the raw 7-1 population ratio.
I'm not predicting success, but Christchurch (regional population 500K) and the NZ club fields are the closest analogy in my mind. Mt. Hutt is a commercial area with a top-to-bottom high speed six, closer to the city than most of the club fields. Mt. Hutt and Alyeska are similar in scale and lift served terrain (Porters too, though its lifts are all T-bars) but Alyeska is vastly superior in snow. I presume Manitoba Mt. has a similar snow conditions edge over the NZ club fields.
I'm not predicting success, but Christchurch (regional population 500K) and the NZ club fields are the closest analogy in my mind. Mt. Hutt is a commercial area with a top-to-bottom high speed six, closer to the city than most of the club fields. Mt. Hutt and Alyeska are similar in scale and lift served terrain (Porters too, though its lifts are all T-bars) but Alyeska is vastly superior in snow. I presume Manitoba Mt. has a similar snow conditions edge over the NZ club fields.
Patrick
Well-known member
Tony Crocker":h0d43jbu said:
The demographic of Vegas, that sounds like a pitch from NHL's boss logics for expansion/move into the Sun Belt states. Phoenix's franchise (ex-Winnipeg) and Atlanta are in danger of moving to Canada. What is bigger Atlanta (6 million) or Quebec City (600k metro)? According to the purely numbers argument is that Atlanta would be a no brainer. That the argument that NHL's big wig has been going in the last 15 years. Atlanta lost one team to Calgary in the early 80s and looks like it might lose another team to Canada (Winnipeg or Quebec City). If the tables were turned around like when Winnipeg, Quebec, Minnesota (they got another through expansion) or Hartford lost their team, there are more than a few teams that would have moved back north. Someone will say that Atlanta has more professional sport team/more competition...same analogy for Vegas in term of activities options (physically and not) versus Anchorage.
Tony Crocker":h0d43jbu said:
Great analysis Tony. That's the way I see it and I believe there is a niche to fill. Lucky Luke's 4th multiweek trip to Terrace demonstates that, because I believe he's not alone.
Marc_C
Active member
That was the entire point in comparing Vegas-Eagle Point with Anchorage-Manitoba - the larger population base of Vegas flattens out the difference in interest levels, and there is a ski area much closer to Vegas, similar to Alesyka and Anchorage. And as noted, Eagle Point was empty on a beautiful Saturday at the height of the season.Tony Crocker":215o9yig said:
I think the then weak Canadian dollar = $1.50US had much to do with those moves in the 1990's. With the currencies near par it makes much more sense for those franchises to be in Canada.
Lucky Luke is even more of an outlier in ski preferences than Patrick and I are. Mt. Manitoba will succeed or fail based upon the interest of the Anchorage population.Patrick":3k5fbx4n said:
Not that good an analogy. Both Brian Head (still 3 hours from Vegas) and Eagle Point are third (maybe fourth?) tier ski areas in terms of scale and terrain. The serious Vegas skiers probably spend most of their time at Mammoth or in the Wasatch, both within weekend though not daytrip drive distance. Anchorage skiers will have the choice of Alyeska, Manitoba, earned turns in the backcountry or spending the same big $$$ to go somewhere else that we have to spend to go there.MarcC":3k5fbx4n said:
The hockey discussion is split out here: viewtopic.php?f=10&t=9469
soulskier
New member
soulskier
New member
Building Dreams, Boulder Weekly, March 3, 2011
http://www.boulderweekly.com/article-45 ... #dComments
http://www.boulderweekly.com/article-45 ... #dComments
One of our NASJA members has some involvement with MRA. He believes Dave Scanlon is the ideal local project manager. He is highly regarded in the local community and supposedly has many practical strengths that many of us on this forum have not seen in soulskier's posts. The project may take a few years to become reality, but I hope it's up and running if/when I next come to ski in Alaska.
I do still worry about how few skiers I see at Alyeska and hope MRA and I have not overestimated the size of the local Anchorage and Kenai ski market.
I do still worry about how few skiers I see at Alyeska and hope MRA and I have not overestimated the size of the local Anchorage and Kenai ski market.
soulskier
New member
MRA has confirmed dates to present Manitoba Mountain ski area restoration project for the communities on the Kenai Peninsula
http://www.mrablog.com/manitoba-mountai ... entations/
http://www.mrablog.com/manitoba-mountai ... entations/
EMSC
Well-known member
I won't go so far as Marc C, but I do recall some posting on FTO at some point that there would be a beginner terrain pod at MRA mtns so folks can learn?
I also wonder if you are chopping 1/3 or more of your visit days right up front by only using surface lifts (snowboarders, even good ones don't particularly like surface lifts yet alone super long ones like these... not to mention 'average joe' level skiers on surface lifts). I'm OK with surface lifts, but even I will tire at ONLY surface lifts all day long... Guess I'm just surprised that at least the lower mtn doesn't have a double or etc... Even places like Castle mtn have upgraded from it's tbar over the past decade...
Though I do appreciate the graphic. Provides a lot of info.
I also wonder if you are chopping 1/3 or more of your visit days right up front by only using surface lifts (snowboarders, even good ones don't particularly like surface lifts yet alone super long ones like these... not to mention 'average joe' level skiers on surface lifts). I'm OK with surface lifts, but even I will tire at ONLY surface lifts all day long... Guess I'm just surprised that at least the lower mtn doesn't have a double or etc... Even places like Castle mtn have upgraded from it's tbar over the past decade...
Though I do appreciate the graphic. Provides a lot of info.
Patrick
Well-known member
Marc_C":2uoageg6 said:
Nope, Alaska already has one of those.
EMSC":2uoageg6 said:
When I was a kid, most intermediate ski areas didn't have chairlifts. Give it time. Manitoba ski area didn't have any chairlifts I believe when it existed. Now I'm hearing arguments against anything that isn't a triple for beginners and ski instructors.
EMSC":2uoageg6 said:
Definitely...