Private and semi-private ski resorts have been around for decades. There are several private clubs in New York state and the province of Ontario, and The Hermitage and Quechee Club in Vermont, for example. But it's not easy for an existing resort to move in that direction, as Windham Mountain, N.Y., learned as it launched its rebrand as Windham Mountain Club in early October.

The launch aimed to present a new, elevated experience compared to what the resort has offered before. The rebrand led with the tag line, “Say Goodbye to Windham Mountain.” That landed poorly with the resort’s customer base, as it appeared to indicate significant changes, including the perception of moving to a private club model and squeezing out some of the area's most loyal clientele. And that was not part of the plan.

“What was missing is we didn't follow it up with ‘hello’ quickly enough,” said Windham Mountain Club president and GM Chip Seamans. That next step was to detail the change to an expanded semi-private model (Windham has long had a private club at the resort) and to describe the enhancements aimed at improving the experience for all visitors.   

“I think if we had just said ‘hello’ to all the new things, which was the whole idea behind the campaign, that would've saved us a lot of stress,” said Seamans, who has helmed Windham for more than 12 years and is in the early stages of working for his third ownership group during that time. “The idea was to build on that and to say ‘hello’ to elevated dining, ‘hello’ to a better experience, all those things. But it didn't happen quickly enough.”

The resort responded quickly to clarify the details of its plan moving forward, and Seamans said the tone of the campaign will likely change, but the branding will remain and evolve and grow.  

Missteps of the rebrand launch notwithstanding, Windham is not making a dramatic break with its history. The resort is simply leaning into and expanding on its existing club concept. It will continue to sell daily lift tickets and season passes to the general public—albeit in limited quantities and at higher prices—in order to reduce crowds and provide a better on-mountain experience. 

It's Hard to Say Goodbye

Asked whether there were concerns about what the reaction would be prior to launching the rebrand, Seamans said, “The honest answer is yes. We all take pride in our mountain and our community. The reactions helped us realize more than we did how passionate people are about Windham. We heard them loud and clear, and we’re trying to explain best we can where we’re going.”

Seamans was adamant that Windham will remain accessible to the general public in winter, and will continue to support the local community and its vibrant village. He said their customers have appreciated some of the measures the resort has taken in recent years to manage capacity on peak days and improve guest services, which the resort will put greater focus on moving forward.

Still, locals and homeowners expressed concerns on social media that they were being replaced by the more affluent set, and fretted that further limiting capacity—from pre-Covid visits of 7,000-8,000 on a peak day to about 5,000 during Covid and a target of around 4,000 now—would hurt local businesses that rely on a critical mass of resort visitors. But Seamans is confident that local businesses will thrive with the new model.

“This group of new owners has brought massive investment, which is an incredible opportunity for us,” he said. “And I think when the dust settles, hopefully people will see that it really is about making it a better experience. And it will still be accessible to people with season passes and with day tickets, and the community will thrive. We're not cutting those people out. We really believe that the businesses in town will benefit from all of this.” 

One example: Starting this winter, Windham will require a minimum two-day lift ticket when a peak Saturday is included, thus extending non-passholders’ stays. Seamans thinks this will benefit local businesses. “We’re encouraging people to stay overnight and to go to those local restaurants” and stay in local lodging properties, he said.  

The resort currently has a limited bed base of its own, with a 20-room inn located in downtown Windham and about two-dozen condos in its rental pool, so other local lodging establishments could fare well. And Main Street Windham, with its shops, restaurants, and other businesses, adds to the lure. 

 “We're not trying to keep [guests] on property the entire time where they're here for [multiple] days,” said Seamans. “In fact, [the village of Windham] helps us sell it because there are those other things.”

“It shouldn’t be a surprise what Windham is doing,” said Tim Woods, owner of Woods Valley Ski Area in Westernville, N.Y., and Seamans’ predecessor as Windham president and GM. “They have been moving in this direction for years. The new ownership wants to create a more exclusive experience. While there is some degree of risk, they will likely be successful.”

And that success could benefit Woods Valley and other area operators. Another operator who preferred to remain anonymous said, “Look, as [Windham] becomes more exclusive, we will be more inclusive and we will see some gains from this."

Making the Model Work Year-Round 

While the winter business will remain open to the general public, one of the biggest changes in the coming years will be summer operations, which will be developed and offered only to members. 

Construction of a new club with amenities like a pool, tennis courts, and pickleball is forthcoming. Windham Country Club golf course will be undergoing a multi-year renovation led by the Tom Fazio Design Group—the same outfit that designed the private course at the new Wasatch Peaks Ranch in Utah. It will remain open to the public during the renovation, but will become a members’ amenity once completed.  

Some in the industry shared that Windham has the room to cut capacity in the name of a better guest experience in the winter and still have a vibrant resort and community with both members and the general public, but may have trouble reaching a level of vibrancy if summertime amenities and activities are for members only. This would impact the local community more than winter.

Managing Capacity Industry-wide

Managing high-volume peak days has always been a complicated equation, but even more so in recent years. Several factors other than the prevalence of mega passes have contributed to this, including faster and more efficient lifts that increased carrying capacity, sophisticated grooming machines expanding skiable footprints, and wider skis and snowboards that allow people to travel much faster downhill. 

That increased demand on the same footprint puts pressure on a ski area’s capacity. As a result, there has been a negative narrative out there for the general public, made worse by images circulating on social media—expect long lines, lack of parking and, unless you have a pass or money, you will not be able to afford ticket prices, let alone get enough runs in to see value in the whole experience.   

One response to this crowding is exclusive private clubs, made possible by the growth of the rich and super-rich. Crowding issues at resorts have made exclusivity an attractive proposition for wealthy skiers and riders, spawning development of new, private resorts, and prodding existing resorts to offer a higher-end experience.

It doesn’t take a lot of members and/or homeowners for a resort to be sustainable under the premium club model. For example, Hermitage Club in Vermont currently has roughly 400 members with a current initiation fee of $100,000. The sprawling new Wasatch Peaks Ranch in Utah is reportedly selling up to 705 memberships at $500,000 each.  

There are several membership clubs located on-mountain at public resorts that offer private spaces—or separate lodges entirely—with high-end amenities and services, such as Stratton Mountain Club, Vt., and Vail Resorts’ Signature Clubs. And those offerings appear to be popular. For example, you need to get on a waitlist to join the Vail Mountain Club, which costs $275,000 for a full membership.

As for the Windham Mountain Club, it is charging $175,000 for new members to join its members club, up from $125,000 most recently. The club currently has 130 families that are members. They can buy into the new club as “founding members” for the difference of what they paid initially (Seamans said initiation has gone up every year for the last 15 years) and $150,000.  

Of course, clubs aren't the only way to provide a better guest experience. Some ski areas are making smaller moves to charge for exclusive services, such as a personal ski butler, fast lanes, VIP parking, etc. In the name of improving the guest experience, we have also seen tighter capacity control either through ticket pricing, ticket availability, and/or parking.

And in general, resorts have been investing heavily in projects aimed at providing customers a better experience. It’s been a record-breaking year of capital expenditures, improving everything from lifts and snowmaking to grooming fleets, buildings, and base areas. You could say this has been a winning model, as the U.S. has had two consecutive record-breaking seasons.

Worrisome Trends and Questions

When speaking with ski area leaders and industry experts about Windham Mountain Club and the state of the industry generally, they all raised questions about the future, including whether this is all sustainable long-term without also offering current and potential skiers and riders more affordable options. If you look under the headlines, there are some worrying trends to keep an eye on: declining visits to small ski areas, a shift from more affordable group ski and snowboard lessons to pricier private lessons, and skyrocketing costs around labor, energy, infrastructure, and insurance. 

There are several questions for the industry to seriously ponder. Is continued growth of season pass sales the answer to long-term success? How will reduced capacities and higher ticket rates affect future growth? Does that take our focus away from inviting new customers to come play at a reasonable cost? Will small ski areas be able to afford to stay in business? 

While trends in our industry are often cyclical—we can usually go back in the SAM archives and find examples of history repeating itself—these are new challenges for which there is no precedent, at least not to this scale.