Are things grim at Sunday River (and other places)?

[billski]

While the Tuesday Boston Globe article just told the pedestrians what we already knew, I thought one of the reader's comments was quite provocative, peppered with a lot of first hand facts, giving it some limited credibility:

"I live 10 miles from Sunday River. The FedEx driver has said it is a ghost town. They say with the lack of snow it is all ice and that is why 2 people were killed last week at Sunday River and we may get 1-3 inches of new snow today. Not much to salvage this week. My oilman said the rentals are empty and the foreclosures are rising fast. Christmas week and Martin Luther King weekend were lousy too. This article doesn't tell it like it is. Many say this could be the worst ski season in years. The only ones coming here are season pass holders and they don't spend."

 

[frozencorn]

Lots of places need snow, that's for sure. Not sure about SR, but I spent the weekend at Wildcat, and while it was mostly groomed out (Lift Lion got more fun as the weekend went on), I've never seen that place do as well with so little snow. It's telling though when Stowe comes out with an out-of-nowhere three-day, $99 lift ticket during vacation week.

 

[billski]

Lots of places need snow, that's for sure. Not sure about SR, but I spent the weekend at Wildcat, and while it was mostly groomed out (Lift Lion got more fun as the weekend went on), I've never seen that place do as well with so little snow. It's telling though when Stowe comes out with an out-of-nowhere three-day, $99 lift ticket during vacation week.

You startled me so bad, I had to go look. Do you mean $199? I'll admit, I don't keep a close eye on the pulse during President's Week.

 

[Vortex]

I call bull shit. Lodging is down. Aw who is not? The two accident are seperate situations. One I am very aware of, but won't comment in repsect for the family.


I have 51 days in at the River so far this year. The groomers are skiing fine. The only gladed areas open are tin woodsman/ lost princess and eureka. Really not full gladed areas imo. Most of oz is ungroomed but has snow made on it.

All the groomers have had significant snow made on them. The River like many resorts blow a ton of snow and leaves some rollers/whales and then grooms them out just before vacation week or peak weekends. This weekend was no different. Black hole was the balls this weekend,

Most skiers who have been at at resorts that have good snowmaking capabilities have good conditions on the groomers. The woods are bare, no much we can do. All the reports I heard have been groomers good, but that is it. Snow brigns out the vacation crowd.

The fed ex driver. Wow the condition on rt 2 and 26 must be indicative of how Vortex and black hole are skiing. That is what I call going for a local on the hill.

The folks I talked to said Saddleback and Sugaloaf both had nice groomers over the weekend. The pass holders are the ones who go to dinner every weekend and go the the bars. The places were busy this weekend. Vacationers are not coming out as much, they are waiting for snow. These weeks are also partial black out pass weeks, so silver and bronze pass holders are not out. The day ticket skier gets a better value due to shorte lines. Aw that is marketing. Many places so the same thing.

The loss of life is very sad. Just be aware as much as possible. you can't contol everything.

 

[frozencorn]

You startled me so bad, I had to go look. Do you mean $199? I'll admit, I don't keep a close eye on the pulse during President's Week.

No, I indeed meant $99.

http://twitpic.com/12u49r

 

[Edd]

The comments about SR do not square with what I've seen in recent weeks. The on-piste areas have been in good shape. They just need some natural to open the woods back up. I do only go on weekdays, however.

 

[Vortex]

Thanks for the post Edd. I am a homer, but that is just unreal..

pisses me off, know others could be influnced to not go by someone who has no freekin clue. Pretty much the entire mountain has been re-surfaced in the last week and a half. I am sure K and Mt snow did the same. People can complain about large resorts, but in thin snow times, they are a good choice due to the snow making. i guess my hour wait for dinner over the weekend was due to the lack of business in town.

 

[thetrailboss]

I think when someone uses a FedEx driver as a source then that says something about the credibility of the article. But I did not see that quote in the article. Am I missing something?

The ski areas need snow, but a lot of people are locked into vacations during peak times and to be honest, with the exception of Thanksgiving, the resorts have pretty much nailed the holiday periods pretty well. MLK Weekend was quite busy and this past weekend was busy as well at SB.

The trails can be icy, but it is New England and they are icy many times.

And FWIW the article has a picture showing one of the Stowe Spruce Peak runs FILLED with skiers. Looks like business is just fine.

 

[wa-loaf]

Thanks for the post Edd. I am a homer, but that is just unreal..

That just comes from a commenter at the end, not from article itself.

 

[Vortex]

I checked it was actucally a comment to the article, not the article itself. Some folks just should not be allowed a keyboard.

 

[thetrailboss]

OK. I was wondering where that reference came from. Otherwise, the article didn't say anything that we didn't already know--the resorts need snow, but when it snows in the city, folks ski.

 

[Vortex]

As I read bills' thread it seemd to me as if the comment was part of the article. It was not. Credibility my ass.

 

[drjeff]

Gotta call a bit of Mass Media propaganda BS "journalism" on that one too! Mount Snow had real solid crowds over the weekend, and GREAT snow surfaces on the snowmaking trails, and even a few natural snow trails too! The complex where my place is in has about 240 units and from riding the shuttle to the mountain all weekend (which makes a complete loop of my complex) they were in the 75-80% occupancy range(which is a BIG number given that a typical winter weekend will be at 40% of the units occupied) and just about all the inns/hotels I drove by on Sat/Sun had quite full parking lots, if not the "no vacancy" sign signing out front. The grocery stores were quite picked over shortly after lifts closed each day and the restaurants/bars had quite full parking lots too! The kids program that my 2 are in had bookings all week of 200+ kids per day (and that's just 4 to 6 year olds!) and some adult never ever's that were up with us over the weekend actually couldn't get into the adult group learn to ski package on Saturday, even though when they called reservations early last week to book ahead they were told not to worry about it because those never sell out! (Fortunately they were taken care of and had a GREAT 1st weekend of skiing! )

Speaking purely about Mount Snow now, I know from seeing things 1st hand just about every weekend since they've been open this year that they've had solid weekend crowds all season long

 

[frozencorn]

Also, try getting into someplace for dinner in N. Conway after 5 p.m. on weekends. And agreed on the photo. Not sure whose call it was to pair that picture of crowded slopes with a piece on how business is hurting.

 

[soposkier]

white heat skiied great on saturday. Mountain was in great shape for not having any natural after the nonsnow event.

 

[Puck it]

Cannon seemed empty yesterday. Did not wait in one line for a lift.

 

[Geoff]

Killington was the way it usually is under POWDR on a blackout weekend. Snowshed & Rams Head lots were jammed. The Vale lot wasn't full. There were only a few cars parked on the road below Superstar. The Bear lot was empty. The K1 gondola had a big line. The new lift at Bear had a line. I imagine Rams Head sucked. Other than the high yahoo factor on the groomed advanced trails compared to a typical weekend, the terrain I skied wasn't busy. Mahogany Ridge wasn't bad. You could get a beer and find a chair.

The skiing surface is adequate considering that it really hasn't snowed since New Years. Groomed manmade hardpack, not ice. Things that were resurfaced recently were somewhat better than that. The natural snow trails are in sorry shape. If we don't get a lot of snow over the next 6 weeks, my favorite spring skiing locations aren't going to make it beyond the first week of warm weather in early-April.

 

[SIKSKIER]

By my every weekend observation,Cannon has had very good ticket sales/skier visits.This past weekend(Sat&Sun) were not overly crowded for a holiday weekend but were above normal.Cannon has totally resurfaced almost all their terrain in the past 3 weeks since the big rain event.The trails are in great shape with the exception of all glades and Mittersill remaining closed.I would guess Cannon will be profitable this year.

 

[thetrailboss]

Gotta call a bit of Mass Media propaganda BS "journalism" on that one too!

The Globe has done this before...deterring people from leaving the city so that the $$$ stay there with advertisers, etc. They've done it before by saying, "the foliage sucks, so don't go north."

Maybe it is cynicism, but I just have noticed that the Globe doesn't always tell it as it is.

 

[billski]

As I read bills' thread it seemd to me as if the comment was part of the article. It was not. Credibility my ass.

I must use a different language than the the rest of the world! How could I have said it any clearer?

"I thought one of the reader's comments was quite provocative"