M.S. Vermont, Feb 5, 2014

[ss20]

Nice. This should make a good base for when I'm there valentine's day. There aren't any deals that day...none...not even a 49$ for 2 deal...everyone stay away

They do have the Valentines deals:
http://mountsnow.com/event/?detaillink=12480
2 tickets for $49

sssssshhhhhhh!!!

 

[Newpylong]

Way too much b*tching in this ski report for a Pow day. Jeez...

 

[2knees]

Way too much b*tching in this ski report for a Pow day. Jeez...

My thoughts exactly...

 

[billski]

Way too much b*tching in this ski report for a Pow day. Jeez...

I disagree. Calling them out on it is appropriate. A little focus on the paying public on a pow day keeps the customers. Read back on my pow day TR's,you'll find this is the first time I've had issues, large or small ski operations.

 

[slatham]

Billski, you sound like you'd enjoy Magic. It was awesome yesterday. Check out pics and vid from Facebook. Also a trip report on AZ as well.

I can confirm it was NSAA - one of the guys was at Magic yesterday and said they got an early look at Mt Snow on Wednesday.

BTW, he was in line like all the rest of us at Magic. And he was very happy to be there.

 

[billski]

Billski, you sound like you'd enjoy Magic.

Hi slatham,
Thanks for the Magic good vibes. As I write this I have four Magic vouchers in my pocket. I've been to Magic every year since they reopened (7 years now?) and was last there in January. Been to a couple of pow days there as well. I only had Wednesday off and Magic had no intention of opening on that day (I asked), so I went elsewhere. Seemed like a good decision at the time. While generally midweek would be a good bet to bring a mass of people, the way it was not managed operationally gives one pause. Take a look at Stowe, another "big" ski area. They bring in hundreds of their execs from AIG (yes, I'll still call it that) every year for their annual playtime. It is handled very discretely and never once have I seen it impact the customer experience. I ski at Stowe several times a year.

 

[Abubob]

Nice full report. I like a lot of details interspersed with "illustrations" and photos.

Correct me if I'm wrong, though, but was the "big" storm on the 5th? Meaning that Mt Snow got maybe a couple inches on Sunday and maybe a couple inches before opening on Wednesday. Wasn't it snowing all day - meaning every run was fresh? Under those circumstances how could you expect any fresh tracks other than what might fill in between runs?

 

[billski]

Meaning that Mt Snow got maybe a couple inches on Sunday and maybe a couple inches before opening on Wednesday. Wasn't it snowing all day - meaning every run was fresh? Under those circumstances how could you expect any fresh tracks other than what might fill in between runs?

There was 4-5" on the ground at 9am. Regardless of the amount, there should have been "fresh tracks" at 9am. I don't consider 6-8' of chop with a half inch to inch fill in to be "fresh tracks." Not anything one could glide through.

 

[Euler]

Mt. Snow was hosting some special guests that day. They gave their special guests a treat. Seems reasonable to me. 4 inches of untracked is hardly an epic powder day...really doesn't seem worth all the angst your expressing.Had it been a weekend, passholders would have been on the hill for an hour before you via the "fresh tracks program". Part of the AZ get-together at Sugarloaf has been early access to the slopes, I think. I think this is much ado about nothing.

 

[billski]

Mt. Snow was hosting some special guests that day. They gave their special guests a treat. Seems reasonable to me. 4 inches of untracked is hardly an epic powder day...really doesn't seem worth all the angst your expressing.Had it been a weekend, passholders would have been on the hill for an hour before you via the "fresh tracks program". Part of the AZ get-together at Sugarloaf has been early access to the slopes, I think. I think this is much ado about nothing.

"epic" was not my choice of words. As I said before, I have no problem with passholders getting first tracks; they wouldn't have pummeled the place so badly. It's definitely worth calling it out, angst it is not. Maybe I'd think differently if I could afford a season pass.

 

[steamboat1]

The early bird should be able to get the worm. If they open lifts early everyone who's there should be able to ride them, not just a select few. This is especially true on a powder day but even on any given day to be able to hit the fresh cord before it's skied out. I'd be pissed to if I was there. I'm a pass holder at a different mountain & they have no such policy to let us ski before others. Only thing they do is have a pass holder only day when the area first opens for the season to keep the crowds down because of limited open terrain.

 

[drjeff]

I say, good for the industry folks, who all too often on a powder day are clearing and line checking lifts, getting snow reports ready, getting the lodge + parking lots ready, etc all while we tear up the powder. By coincidence if a powder day falls during one of their limited annual convention days, good for the folks who devote so much time and effort to let us have fun to enjoy the goods themselves!

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[lerops]

I say, good for the industry folks, who all too often on a powder day are clearing and line checking lifts, getting snow reports ready, getting the lodge + parking lots ready, etc all while we tear up the powder. By coincidence if a powder day falls during one of their limited annual convention days, good for the folks who devote so much time and effort to let us have fun to enjoy the goods themselves!

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Be that as it may, the mountain owes it paying customers a heads-up saying that the industry folks will get the mountain to themselves before it opens. I am sure Mt. Snow (like all others) advertised it as "we got tons of snow, come here, ski/ride in fresh powder".

I think billski is absolutely within his rights to complain here. This tells me something about Mt. Snow.

PS: I dont know, but I really don't think the industry reps at conventions like this are the lifties, lodge employees, etc.

 

[Gilligan]

I say, good for the industry folks, who all too often on a powder day are clearing and line checking lifts, getting snow reports ready, getting the lodge + parking lots ready, etc all while we tear up the powder. By coincidence if a powder day falls during one of their limited annual convention days, good for the folks who devote so much time and effort to let us have fun to enjoy the goods themselves!

I say - stop being such a freaking homer! Your mountain screwed up. Just admit it already.

 

[drjeff]

They did mention the fact that the NSAA show was in town on their snow reports earlier this week

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[drjeff]

Be that as it may, the mountain owes it paying customers a heads-up saying that the industry folks will get the mountain to themselves before it opens. I am sure Mt. Snow (like all others) advertised it as "we got tons of snow, come here, ski/ride in fresh powder".

I think billski is absolutely within his rights to complain here. This tells me something about Mt. Snow.

PS: I dont know, but I really don't think the industry reps at conventions like this are the lifties, lodge employees, etc.

And I'm quite sure from hearing about past, non Mount Snow NSAA conferences that every host resort, East or West does an "early access" day. Would folks be complaining if it was just a groomer day?

There was even per Billski's own admission only 4" or so at the opening bell, not exactly knee deep stuff, and even at the closing bell Mount Snow reported 9" - so the refresh was on all day.

Frankly unless one belongs to say The Hermitage Club or is cat or heli skiing, does anyone realistically expect multiple runs of untracked on trail powder at a ski area these days? If they do, then I'm sure they'd also be interested in buying a bridge in Brooklyn!

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[billski]

I say, good for the industry folks, who all too often on a powder day are clearing and line checking lifts, getting snow reports ready, getting the lodge + parking lots ready, etc all while we tear up the powder. By coincidence if a powder day falls during one of their limited annual convention days, good for the folks who devote so much time and effort to let us have fun to enjoy the goods themselves!

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You've got the logic flipped backwards there Herr Doktor. As lerops so aptly calls it, It's the revenue from customers who pay their salaries, pay the debt, pay the operating expense. It's not a charity and these poor industry folks are earning their living. If they were customer-centric, they wouldn't put themselves first. Nobody forced these good folks to work in this industry. Go enjoy it, on your day off, in line with the rest of us.

 

[billski]

They did mention the fact that the NSAA show was in town on their snow reports earlier this week

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So what's that mean to me? How am I to know that they were going to impact the quality of the "product" I paid for.

 

[billski]

And I'm quite sure from hearing about past, non Mount Snow NSAA conferences that every host resort, East or West does an "early access" day. Would folks be complaining if it was just a groomer day?

Yes.

There was even per Billski's own admission only 4" or so at the opening bell, not exactly knee deep stuff, and even at the closing bell Mount Snow reported 9" - so the refresh was on all day.

Is it your call on what's considered a "good product"? Is it your call on what a "refresh" is? Problem was it was already so trashed at 9am that it made the skiing chopped for everyone. If you go back and read my remarks, you should have noticed that a half inch to an inch an hour does nothing to ameliorate the damage.

Frankly unless one belongs to say The Hermitage Club or is cat or heli skiing, does anyone realistically expect multiple runs of untracked on trail powder at a ski area these days? If they do, then I'm sure they'd also be interested in buying a bridge in Brooklyn!

Now that's reading way too far into it. Please Jeff, go back and read the thread and don't cherry-pick it. Where in the thread did I state that I expected untracked powder all day. It's clear you are being uber-defensive about this and can't call a spade a spade. A good experience for you isn't necessarily a good experience for everyone. You are missing the point that there was no sensitivity for the paying public on Wednesday or are just in denial. Please keep the Brooklyn Bridge Jeff.

 

[billski]

So who got these tracks? Sure wasn't a paying customer!




Switch and bait.

And by the way, please don't tell me you can't do anything with 4" of snow like these boys did.