In their conquest to saturate the market and earth’s terrestrial geography, Starbucks is letting their attitude determine their altitude. Dominating all four corners of the busiest street corners of major cities was mere child’s play. There are other places to stick a Starbucks: undersea laboratories, moon landings, or, most recently, alpine slopes. Specifically, Starbucks has opened a shop at the Squaw Valley Ski Resort, at an elevation of 8,000 feet, where patrons can grab coffee while still decked in skis and snowboards
“We worked closely with the design team at Starbucks to create a one-of-a-kind experience that we know our guests will truly enjoy,” said Andy Wirth, Squaw Valley’s president and CEO. “Nowhere else in the world can skiers and riders enjoy a delicious Starbucks coffee without missing a beat on the slopes.”
There is no report whether Starbucks has admitted to plans on putting a similar store on every other slope in the ski resort market. If the gimmick does more than boost initial sales, starbucks may have found more crevices to plant its franchise. From mountain summits to international space-labs, not even the sky is the limit.
The idea came from JT Homes, a base jumper who often drinks coffee while skiing. Perhaps the idea of a Mt. Dew extreme sports center placed halfway down the slope held less appeal?