"It Will Be" ... The Largest Resort on Earth. MCP's Glaser Sits Down for a QA

With the news that Mountain Capital Partners’ acquisition of La Parva in Chile could, with the combination of MCP’s already acquired Valle Nevado, create the largest ski resort in the Southern Hemisphere—and possibly on earth—I had to circle back with MCP’s Stacey Glaser, the company’s head of strategic planning.

Via email we traded questions and answers today. Or rather, I sent her questions and she sent me answers. She has answers; I’m questionable.

Read on:

Powder: These resorts [La Parva and Valle Nevado] appear to be wholly above treeline. Is that correct?

Glaser : Correct.

Powder: What kind of lift technology does La Parva have?

Glaser : 10 surface lifts, 2 quads, 1 triple, 1 double.

Powder: Is the village [La Parva] ski in ski out?

Glaser : Yes (most of it).

Powder: What has been the reaction of the workers at La Parva?

Glaser : They have been very excited, both for what's happening now (as they prepare to open next month) and in the future.

Powder: What has been the reaction of the community?

Glaser : The community response was immediately both positive and welcoming. The La Parva team and community are a tight-knit family, and we're grateful for all the support they've already shown us.

Powder: What do you think a Power Pass will offer once it’s set up with La Parva?

Glaser : We're still finalizing this. As of today, Power Pass and Power Pass Select/12-Day Power Pass guests receive 7 days at Valle Nevado during the 2024 winter season plus 10–15 percent off the lowest available lodging package price at Valle Nevado. We’re currently working on the details for La Parva—we do expect there to be a 2024 benefit for Power Pass guests.

Powder: What has been the reaction of the ski industry?

Glaser : It's been similar to what we’re seeing everywhere (including within our own company): there's a lot of excitement! This is our fourth ski area addition in just over 12 months (to see our resort acquisition timeline, click here ), so I also interpret a sense of “what's next?”

Powder: The resorts are already linked from what I’ve read?

Glaser : Valle Nevado and La Parva share borders, and guests can ski both resorts with an easy-to-access interconnect system of lifts and trails.

Powder: What links the two resorts—a gondola only? Other lifts? Runs? Can you ski from one resort to the other?

Glaser : The gondola at Valle Nevado (Andes Express) provides easy access, but guests can access La Parva from additional lifts (El Ancla and Valle del Inca) as well. These access points take guests to the top of La Parva's highest lift, Tortolas. You can very easily ski from one resort to the other.

Powder: What does a daily lift ticket at La Parva cost now? Will that increase once MCP finalizes the transaction?

Glaser : For adults (13 to 65 years) it’s priced at $74.000 (CSP). There are no plans to increase this price.

Powder: Will this truly be the world's largest resort?

Glaser : It will be in the future. With La Parva and Valle Nevado under one company, we’ve created the largest lift-served resort in the Southern Hemisphere and one of the largest in the Americas. Furthermore, we now operate two of the three ski areas of the renowned Tres Valles, which represents the largest skiable terrain in the Southern Hemisphere.

Powder: Will the name change to one all encompassing name?

Glaser : TBD, although that’s something we’re discussing. While both ski areas share many similarities, they are unique and cater to different skiers. These distinct qualities are important and we don’t want to dilute that. I don't have a timeline for this decision.

Powder: Has the American–Chilean integration gone well. You'll say yes, but is there anything interesting or funny that happened in these negotiations that you can share?

Glaser : Valle Nevado was our first international resort and there's been a solid learning curve as we understand not only the complex international business, but also the unfamiliar laws that deeply impact how we operate. You are right that my easy answer is "yes," integrations have gone well, but here's a funny story that inspired some creative solutions: last September, several leaders traveled to Valle Nevado the first time and the morning of our arrival, Valle Nevado received about 2 feet of snow. When we landed in Santiago (which is typically about a 90 minute drive to the ski area), we were thrilled—until we came to a stop (multiple stops, to be precise) on the road. The road to Valle Nevado is narrow and steep (I think there are around 60 switchbacks to get there) and heavy snowfall makes driving conditions incredibly challenging. This experience not only inspired new investments into parking and snow removal (some details on that are listed below) but also prompted us to bring the Valle Nevado team to our home office in Durango during our winter. There, we organized a meeting between Valle Nevado and the Colorado Department of Transporation to talk about how they manage the Million Dollar Highway [US 550 connecting Ouray and Silverton, CO] during winter months.

Powder: Does this acquisition point to more South American resorts for MCP?

Glaser : Do you know of any others that are for sale? I can't comment on prospective acquisitions.

Powder: Any funny stories out of this whole process?

Glaser : Something “funny”—and wildly inconvenient—happened the morning after we closed. Everything worked like clockwork right up until James Coleman and our head of finance were enjoying breakfast the following morning. Somehow, they both left their cell phones unattended at the table and someone walked away with them. Replacing phones is never convenient but doing it while traveling internationally and immediately following one of the most important milestones in company history was not on the agenda (nor was spending three hours at the local police station).

Powder: What do the Chileans do with skiing that Americans don't and vice versa?

Glaser : One of the biggest differences that I've personally seen is how we treat powder days. In the US, when we see snow in the forecast and on the snow report, we change plans so we can make first tracks. In Chile, when they see snow in the forecast or on the snow report, they change their ski plans to come another day when it's sunny. This, of course, is a generalization—there are plenty of people in the US who prefer crisp corduroy to powder, and there are lots of people in Chile who love powder days like we do—but this has been a noticeable difference.

Powder: What is a ballpark figure for a week-long ski trip to South America?

Glaser : Or course, this depends on when you ski, but for 2 people skiing mid-season, you're talking about $8,000 (US dollars) or $4,000 apiece. Give or take. This accounts for airfare, lodging, food, etc.

Powder: What is the patrol situation like? You have 205,000 acres. That's a hell of a lot of land to follow the safety-first rule on.

Glaser : Keep in mind that between the two ski areas, there's about 5,000 acres of skiing within the resort boundaries. The additional 200,000 acres that can be accessed is backcountry—guests ski that terrain at their own risk. The resorts do a lot of education around this and patrol conducts avalanche control in key areas, too.

Powder: Does MCP think it might change any base area things at La Parva or Vallee Nevado?

Glaser : Our priority—and this is true in the US and Chile—is skiing first. We know guests visit our resorts primarily to ski, so when it comes to improvements, we prioritize the skiing experience (which includes removing or minimizing any barriers to that). For the upcoming (2024) winter at Valle Nevado, we're expanding the snowmaking infrastructure and adding snow guns to allow the ski area to open more terrain, faster, in the early months of winter and, later in the season, keep trails open longer. We’ve also invested in additional parking and snow removal to make it easier and faster to get to the mountain. This year, we brought Power Kids to Valle Nevado, which means guests 12 and younger get a free season pass (there’s a $25 issuance fee) that’s valid everyday during the 2024 winter (and it was valid during the 2023–2024 season in the US). This also means that 2024–2025 Power Kids in the US get free skiing at Valle Nevado for the 2024 winter.

Regarding base area improvements: last month I attended an event for Brazilian tour operators (guests from Brazil account for about half of their overnight visits), and they were particularly excited about a new ski-in, ski-out restaurant in the base area that's opening this winter. Other improvements at Valle Nevado include an increased rental fleet and new amenities (updated TVs, new mini-fridges, bedding, etc.) in their slopeside lodging.

For La Parva, it’s too early to definitively say what we're going to do right away—be it on the mountain or the base area—but we know that we will consider our favorite improvements first: new lifts, trails, and snowmaking.

Powder: What is the first thing MCP will do with one or both resorts?

Glaser : Outside of providing support where it's needed as both resorts prepare to open next month, our next major area of focus is expanding the interconnect product options: we’re finalizing how season passes at La Parva, Valle Nevado, and in the US will all work together. We’re also working on lift ticket options that will work at both Chilean resorts.

By far, the most frequent questions we're seeing are from guests in Chile asking how they can access both their home and neighboring mountains this winter. Providing that access helps us fulfill our purpose, "Give People the Freedom to Ski." We’re eager to finalize this and communicate it—and enjoy it ourselves, too.

Powder: Thank you, Stacey, for all those answers.

Glaser : You’re still questionable, Cam.