What do you consider an early season 'opening'?

[abc]

1 lift, 1 trail, whatever the length, whereever on the mountain it's located.

It's OPEN. It's open for skiiing!!!

I'm not a early season WROD skier myself. But I have to say I respect whatever kind of lift served run as "open". Those who wish to ski for whatever reason gets to ski.

It's all in what one wants. If I need to twick my boots, I WILL ski the WROD! Or if I'm a jiber, the park alone will be perfectly adequate. K-mart used to keep Superstar open all the way into June. I could see myself enjoying that...

The main reason I don't usually ski the early season WROD is there're usually too many people on them.

 

[riverc0il]

Open for the season is running at least one lift on the schedule the ski area normally operates during the majority of the season. I do not consider opening for a weekend as first to "open for the season" but it was a legit opening as in Sunday River's case. What is legit? I think at least one lift servicing at least one non-beginner trail (i.e. Mount Snow opened up a jib park, not opened the ski area proper, IMO). The reason I feel this way is if I drove to Mount Snow to ski and saw a Jib Park, I would not buy a ticket and I would leave and I think most non-park skiers and riders would do the same.

It is all an arbitrary designation. But it is good to talk about to keep the marketing folks in check when they start spewing forth their hype. Even when it is deserved (Sunday River), it is still hype and should be read as such.

 

[andyzee]

It is all an arbitrary designation. But it is good to talk about to keep the marketing folks in check when they start spewing forth their hype. Even when it is deserved (Sunday River), it is still hype and should be read as such.

Thank you. Good to see someone gets my point.

 

[bvibert]

I think at least one lift servicing at least one non-beginner trail (i.e. Mount Snow opened up a jib park, not opened the ski area proper, IMO). The reason I feel this way is if I drove to Mount Snow to ski and saw a Jib Park, I would not buy a ticket and I would leave and I think most non-park skiers and riders would do the same.

But if you were a park rat would it be open? Why does it have to appeal to non-park skiers and riders? Just because it's not the type of skiing you prefer doesn't make it any less open in my book.

They blew snow and opened a lift to target a segment of snow sliders, that is open IMHO.

 

[mondeo]

Even if I was a park rat, I don't know that I'd call a bunch of rails an opening. I'd need at least a jump that I could air something out on, something you'd need to hit with more speed than than you can get on a bunny hill.

I'd say at least one intermediate run to open, with at least 25% of the hill's vertical, probably going towards 50% vert for smaller hills. With that, you offer terrain for most of the customer base, even if the majority wouldn't go for that little terrain.

Open for the season to me is opening weekends, closing only due to lack of customers, not for snow preservation - if you can't stay open all week without sacrificing next weekend, you're not open for the season.

 

[riverc0il]

But if you were a park rat would it be open? Why does it have to appeal to non-park skiers and riders? Just because it's not the type of skiing you prefer doesn't make it any less open in my book.

They blew snow and opened a lift to target a segment of snow sliders, that is open IMHO.

Yes, they are open*. But they really are not "open" if you want to do anything but slide in a park and hit some elements. Is that officially open*? Yup. Does it count as being open for the vast majority of snow sliders. No. So toss up an asterisk and call it open* but don't market being "open" to the public at large. Which they are probably being responsible and saying they are open for park riding (I assume they are being responsible with their marketing at least!). But being open for that small of a segment of sliders isn't really open to me.

 

[dmc]

Any advanced lift served skiing before the first week of November...

Basically most ski areas open by mid-Nov

 

[polski]

"Open" is in the eye of the beholder, assuming a lift is spinning, anyway.

 

[Skimaine]

Lift turning is open

 

[RootDKJ]

Sunday River = Open
Mount Snow = Open
Killington = Fail


(Sorry, couldn't resist. :lol

 

[eastcoastpowderhound]

Technically correct on both accounts. Hard to argue really! I still think you have to look at Mt. Snow's and Sunday River's openings in some sort of different context though.

caveat, I wouldn't have spent any time behind the wheel to go to Mount Snow's "opening" while I would have driven 2.5 hrs each way for SR

 

[skiadikt]

Thank you. Good to see someone gets my point.

these are killington's openings over nearly 30 yrs which established their reputation as the much missed "beast". from 1996-97 they were for the most part on rime w/truckin, maybe also with east glade. the 25 yrs prior to that were on upper cascade using mid-station loading on the k chair (similar to sunday river's opening-though sr was t-t-b by saturday afternoon). was killington actually actually open or was it just hype? should they be stricken from the record or perhaps do they get an asterisk?

2000-2001 Oct 29
1999-2000 Oct 25
1998-1999 Oct 22
1997-1998 Oct 1
1996-1997 Oct 4
1995-1996 Oct 17
1994-1995 Oct 3
1993-1994 Oct 1
1992-1993 Oct 1
1991-1992 Oct 21
1990-1991 Oct 27
1989-1990 Oct 10
1988-1989 Oct 13
1987-1988 Oct 12
1986-1987 Oct 10
1985-1986 Oct 28
1984-1985 Nov 3
1983-1984 Oct 20
1982-1983 Oct 17
1981-1982 Oct 20
1980-1981 Oct 14
1979-1980 Oct 10
1978-1979 Oct 16
1977-1978 Oct 24
1976-1977 Oct 27
1975-1976 Oct 30
1974-1975 Oct 19
1973-1974 Nov 5
1972-1973 Oct 20

 

[snowmonster]

If Killington's opening days from years past are being used as the yardstick, then we should ask what kind of conditions they had when they were considered "open" then. If "open" meant lifts spinning with one (or 1/2) trail despite having to download or truck up/down people, then any ski area doing the same now should be open. I guess SR has been open since the 13th.

By the way, when Loveland, Las Vegas and other places out west say they're "open," what does that mean?

 

[Method9455]

You people are ridiculous.

"It's not open unless my favorite trail has 3' of base with dry powder on top, and someone carried my skis from the car to the trail and massaged my back while I stretched out in the morning getting ready to clock in a lot of vert for the day because I'm IMPORTANT"

There is snow. There is a lift. There might even be tickets. It is open.

If you want to put criteria on vert, only park, only jibs - by that standard some places are NEVER open. What happens if you people go to Echo? Is it ever open by your definition? If my mountain only 500' vert max and they open an area the size of mount snow are they "open"? I mean that is a full length trail for them.

People are hating on Mt. Snow because it was small and park only. I get that. They didn't like it and felt left out. But to say they're not "open" when hundreds of people are there enjoying it while you sit at your computer bitching because a "real" mountain (read, Killington) hasn't had its "real" opening is just sad and pathetic. People are having a lot of fun and you come and try to throw a bunch of asterisks around. For what? What does it matter to you? Is the sanctity of the "first to open" award that important to you?

Not to mention was Mt. Snow taking charitable donations instead of money for lift tickets, and if you don't have one it was only $10. How about you show up and donate something to charity while you get two laps in just to get back on snow? Sorry if it offends you to make a few turns on a bunny hill.

And to say Sunday River didn't have a legit opening when it had everything as far as I can tell, free riding, a real base, top to bottom by the end of the weekend, come on. That is just sour grapes.

 

[Method9455]

But if you were a park rat would it be open? Why does it have to appeal to non-park skiers and riders? Just because it's not the type of skiing you prefer doesn't make it any less open in my book.

They blew snow and opened a lift to target a segment of snow sliders, that is open IMHO.

Exactly. Basically a bunch of non-park skiers complaining that they aren't the darling child of the ski industry anymore. Guess what, you are too hard to please. Park rats show up to play on 100' vert with mud spots and 6" base and have a blast. The mountain makes money on them showing up in rain, shine, mud, ice, whatever. There is a reason more and more trails are being converted over to park every year.

 

[Vortex]

I guess I get the park riders point of view. I just don't agree. When a group does a promotion and puts tons of ice and opens up some rails in the parking lot, its not considered open. ie it happens in the summer. The place in perimont nh does this in the summer(Whaleback) and tenney did it as well. Open as a park not as a mountain.

MT snow has done a great job and offered soemthing for a certain sect of the community and good for them. props, more than K brought to the table.

My point is Sunday River opened with skiing and riding and a park was open on day 3. They considered these seperate things. A Park and terrain to make turns on.

K's early opening were always what we looked at as the start of the season when I was a kid. They would close for a day or two after we had a warm spell or NCP, and when it got cold the guns we come back on. Never a thought about what it took or for how long.

 

[Greg]

Exactly. Basically a bunch of non-park skiers complaining that they aren't the darling child of the ski industry anymore. Guess what, you are too hard to please. Park rats show up to play on 100' vert with mud spots and 6" base and have a blast. The mountain makes money on them showing up in rain, shine, mud, ice, whatever. There is a reason more and more trails are being converted over to park every year.

Get over yourself. Bump skiers are the easiest to please. Blow some snow and leave it alone. No grooming, rails, boxes, etc. needed.

:razz:

 

[jarrodski]

Get over yourself. Bump skiers are the easiest to please. Blow some snow and leave it alone. No grooming, rails, boxes, etc. needed.

:razz:

see jump poll and rephrase...

 

[Riverskier]

Come on people. Yes, technically you can argue that anytime a mountain has a frozen surface of any size and lets you slide on it they are open. But lets be realistic. Like Bob mentioned, would you consider a mountain open when they bring in ice during the the summer for a rail jam? I guess if you want to look at it that way you are certainly entitled to. I just disagree. A mountain is open when they offer real skiing, enough length and pitch for the average skier to gain some speed and link turns. Trying to define exactly what qualifies (amount of vert, length or width of trail, difficulty) is pointless and everyone would disagree anyway. However, in my opinion what Sunday River provided this past weekend definitely qualifies and what Mt Snow offered definitely does not. Killington's historic openings certainly count as open as well.

Again, that said, I applaud Mt. Snow effort! Clearly a lot of people were there and having fun. Certainly beats killington's stock piling snow to watch it melt approach.

 

[skiadikt]

Certainly beats killington's stock piling snow to watch it melt approach.