Basecamp podcast: Jay Peak GM Steve Wright on a new era at the Vermont resort

Powder laps at Jay Peak Resort. (Jay Peak Photo)

The saga is finally over. 

It’s been more than six years since the EB-5 visa program scandal rocked the Vermont skiing community. But finally, Jay Peak has answers about its future. It was revealed last month that Pacific Group Resorts, Inc. (PGRI) made the highest and best final bid to buy Vermont’s Jay Peak Resort following an auction with multiple bidders. The prevailing bid was a reported $76 million. 

“With the success of this auction, we are one step closer to concluding the receivership of Jay Peak Resort,” Michael Goldberg, the court-appointed receiver for Jay Peak, said. “It has been six long years during which the resort has made tremendous progress under the leadership of general manager Steve Wright and his team.”

Wright joined Basecamp hosts Mike Specian and Eric Wilbur to discuss the sale and what it means for Jay Peak’s future, as well as what the re-opening of the Canadian border means for the resort this upcoming season. 

Listen:

Highlights from this edition of the Basecamp podcast

On the reaction of the community following the sale:

Wright: It has been very supportive. I consider the community both our season pass holders and homeowners and stakeholders. And also, in its literal definition, the surrounding communities. We’ve had overwhelming support since we were put into receivership back in April of 2016. It’s been unwavering and that’s really what buoyed us during certain times where we really needed the the buoyancy. So the feedback has been great. There are lots of interested parties asking questions about transferability of passes and reciprocity of visitation on tickets and lodging and things like that. And all of that’ll get worked out. But this was the best, really, of all possible outcomes, and both the staff and our community is excited about that. 

On the Canadian border re-opening post-Covid: 

Wright: Which closes off 50 percent of our audience with one side of us completely closed. And then Vermont had the most restrictive travel policies, probably of any state in the country without question. In the U.S. It hurt for sure. We recalibrated, we did things differently. We trimmed where we could and still provided a pretty good experience. But it wasn’t the same experience. So we’re excited to get back to what’s a more typical season here and to welcome lots of folks here to enjoy it. 

The podcast can be streamed at skijournal.com/podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple, Spotify and Amazon.

New England Ski Journal TV: Jay Peak