Jay Peak and Burke Mountain Resorts have announced they will be offeringcombination season passes valid at both areas. The joint offerings will be available across many of theresorts’season pass and ticket categories, and will grant holders both access to the two mountains, aswell as a number of shared special benefits. The new passes go on sale July 9.
â Offering a variety of combination passes to both Jay Peak and Burke Mountain is the natural first-stepin aligning the two areas’ticket programs,’said Steve Wright, Jay Peakâ s vice president of sales andmarketing. â Such products are a great way to get skiers and riders who may have never visited one ofthe resorts, to experience a different mountain.â
The combination passes will come with a special value book that includes $200 worth of discounts validat both mountains. Both resorts will be reaching out to customers who may have already purchased aseason pass to offer the combo option. In addition to offering guests new season pass options andbenefits, visitors to both resorts will be greeted next winter with a host of upgrades.
Jay Peak has already begun work on its $30 million summer improvements project. Renovations totransform the Sky Haus summit tram station into a 120-seat restaurant, and the Austria Haus into aVermont-styled country store are well underway. Plus, construction of the new Mountain LearningCenter at the Stateside area of the resort will begin at the end of the month. Two new chairlifts will alsobe online by the time the snow starts to fall.
Jay Peak president Bill Stenger, who along with business partner Ari Quiros purchased Burke Mountainin May, said the focus of the Burke improvements will be concentrated on the resortâ s snowmakingsystem.
â Right now the plan is to increase the output of the (Burke) snowmaking system by 50%,’remarkedStenger. â We want to have 75 to 100 new snow guns online for this coming winter season.’Such anincrease will allow Burke to open more terrain earlier and lay down more snow, weather depending.
Stenger said he hopes to have the purchase agreement for the new snowmaking equipment finalized bythe end of the month.
With the increase in snowmaking coverage and capacity, Burke guests should get a full season of ridingthe new Mid Burke Express chair. Though installed and operational for the 2011-12 winter, trails fromthe quad were limited because of last yearâ s challenging weather. The new lift makes all 250+ acres ofthe resortâ s winter terrain accessible by high-speed quad.
Tim McGuire, Burke Mountainâ s General Manager, said the resorts’partnership continues to generateexcitement surrounding the change. â We're already seeing meaningful and immediate impact from thisnew ownership group and these sorts of signs indicate more positive steps to come.â
July 3, 2012 (Jay, VT) jaypeakresort.com skiburke.com Photo: Burke Mountain snowmaking