What do you consider an early season 'opening'?

[Method9455]

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.

That's such a BS backhanded compliment. Oh you applaud their "effort", its clear "people were having fun", but the "average skier" (read, ME) is not going to link turns on 'THAT!" its not even "real skiing!".

You have no idea how pompous you guys come across as.

Who would ever claim that an ice shaving rail jam was "open". No body here is saying that.

Did Mount Snow make snow? - Yes
Did Mount Snow run a real lift? - Yes
Did Mount Snow have lift tickets? - Yes
Was the trail big enough to link turns on? - Yes

They opened.

Luckily I'm "technically" "entitled" to "look at it that way". Thankfully the Bill of Pompous Internet Posting Rights gives me some freedoms.

Your argument boils down to one or more of the following things:
1) There wasn't enough vert
2) It wasn't steep enough
3) There weren't enough trails
4) It was a park instead of just a trail

None of those factors matter. Those are reasons why YOU WOULDN'T GO, not reasons why it DIDN'T OPEN.

By 1-3, you can say there are 30 hills on the east coast that are never "open" because they are short, flat, and don't have any trails. A few more that are just parks. Mount Snow opened, had a very limited amount of terrain open, and charged accordingly.

 

[riverc0il]

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.

Whoa, looks like I pushed somebody's button! :lol:

Let's not take this discussion too seriously folks. Open is technically defined as a mountain saying they are open. They could have no lifts, not change a penny, and tell people to go hike. By that definition, Mad River Glen opened up for a few days. This discussion is not about what is technically correct but what people "consider" open. I will agree to disagree respectfully.

 

[riverc0il]

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

:razz:

But you need more than a rails worth of snow to ski more than a pair of bumps...

Plus you need at least a bare minimum of pitch that skiers can actually make turns so that bumps might actually form.

:razz:

In other words, it ain't open if skiers can't make at least a few bumps.

BTW- Sunday River had bumps from day one. Just sayin'...

 

[Riverskier]

That's such a BS backhanded compliment. Oh you applaud their "effort", its clear "people were having fun", but the "average skier" (read, ME) is not going to link turns on 'THAT!" its not even "real skiing!".

You have no idea how pompous you guys come across as.

Who would ever claim that an ice shaving rail jam was "open". No body here is saying that.

Did Mount Snow make snow? - Yes
Did Mount Snow run a real lift? - Yes
Did Mount Snow have lift tickets? - Yes
Was the trail big enough to link turns on? - Yes

They opened.

Luckily I'm "technically" "entitled" to "look at it that way". Thankfully the Bill of Pompous Internet Posting Rights gives me some freedoms.

Your argument boils down to one or more of the following things:
1) There wasn't enough vert
2) It wasn't steep enough
3) There weren't enough trails
4) It was a park instead of just a trail

None of those factors matter. Those are reasons why YOU WOULDN'T GO, not reasons why it DIDN'T OPEN.

By 1-3, you can say there are 30 hills on the east coast that are never "open" because they are short, flat, and don't have any trails. A few more that are just parks. Mount Snow opened, had a very limited amount of terrain open, and charged accordingly.

WOW! I think you are taking this discussion a little too seriously. I said many times that technically they were open. I think many of us were looking beyond the technical definition of open (having frozen surface and allowing people to slide on it) and discussing what we consider open to be. Take a deep breath and remember this is all in good fun.

 

[Vortex]

That's such a BS backhanded compliment. Oh you applaud their "effort", its clear "people were having fun", but the "average skier" (read, ME) is not going to link turns on 'THAT!" its not even "real skiing!".

You have no idea how pompous you guys come across as.

Who would ever claim that an ice shaving rail jam was "open". No body here is saying that.

Did Mount Snow make snow? - Yes
Did Mount Snow run a real lift? - Yes
Did Mount Snow have lift tickets? - Yes
Was the trail big enough to link turns on? - Yes

They opened.

Luckily I'm "technically" "entitled" to "look at it that way". Thankfully the Bill of Pompous Internet Posting Rights gives me some freedoms.

Your argument boils down to one or more of the following things:
1) There wasn't enough vert
2) It wasn't steep enough
3) There weren't enough trails
4) It was a park instead of just a trail

None of those factors matter. Those are reasons why YOU WOULDN'T GO, not reasons why it DIDN'T OPEN.

By 1-3, you can say there are 30 hills on the east coast that are never "open" because they are short, flat, and don't have any trails. A few more that are just parks. Mount Snow opened, had a very limited amount of terrain open, and charged accordingly.

Good passion. I still don't agree, but good for you. How pompous.I can live with that. Sounds like the old guy v the new guy thing. Relax, but keep your passion. I'll be at the River again skiing this weekend what I want, and you hit the park and rip it. Seriously

 

[Newpylong]

Open or not - all I know is these are two mountains that try to cater to the best of their ability to EVERYONE and they each deserve respect and attention.

Sunday River caters midseason to the masses from Boston - but early/late season they cater to the "hardcore" crowd by doing their best to open as early as possible.

The same can be said for Mount Snow. Mid-season they cater mostly from the CT crowd (with some NY and Boston), but early and late season they try to open and close as best as geography and elevation allows. Obviously they do an excellent job for boarders and freestyle too.

 

[witch hobble]

If they are selling tickets, have some snow, have hired on lift ops, and patrollers are ready to respond, bullwheels rotating = open.

I'm still in no hurry to go get it just yet.

 

[mondeo]

Open or not - all I know is these are two mountains that try to cater to the best of their ability to EVERYONE and they each deserve respect and attention.

Sunday River caters midseason to the masses from Boston - but early/late season they cater to the "hardcore" crowd by doing their best to open as early as possible.

The same can be said for Mount Snow. Mid-season they cater mostly from the CT crowd (with some NY and Boston), but early and late season they try to open and close as best as geography and elevation allows. Obviously they do an excellent job for boarders and freestyle too.

This is why I don't count Mt. Snow as open. What they have isn't attractive to the majority of their customer base. Most places will have parks open to start the season or as their second or third trail, but full parks, not just a rail jam. Big Boulder opening up with Mount Snow's rail park may count as an opening. But it doesn't count for Mount Snow.