Crotched Monday 12/29

[xwhaler]

Had the day off scheduled long in advance and a CM voucher to burn so headed west....nice hour ride. Started the day pushing our son around on his lucky bum skis. Worked much better today compared to Saturday. No fighting with us getting his ski pants on and we got a solid 15 mins shuffling around on skis. A true success for a 23 month old!
Lapped the Rocket for a couple hrs before switching with my wife. Easy to get in a ton of vert at Crotched on that lift...didnt stop either!
Solid hardpack throughout...skiers left of Plutos Plunge was the best today. Mix of LSGR, death cookies, and bad ice it was not a day I would ask to repeat from a conditions standpoint. But it sure beat work and sun was shining.
Ran into frapcap towards the end of my session.....good of u to have the alpinezone stickers on display to help me out! Sorry i couldn't do more laps but wife was itching to get out.
Galaxy and Super Nova being pretty flat were easier to lay an edge into. Satellite Summit short mix of loose sugar snow and ice. No lines, decent lunch in the Onset Pub (kid friendly!) and a cheap MSC voucher made for a good day.
Real helpful ski tune tech who gave me a fresh edge/wax while I had lunch.
Fanguns all set up ready to pound away starting tonight. Crotched should be in much better shape by weeks end.

 

[joshua segal]

Nice report. I was there too. I couldn't have said it any better.

 

[Quietman]

Was the snowman still standing at the base of the West double? :grin:

 

[podunk77]

I'm trying really hard to develop a love for Crotched because I've begun looking in that area for what might become my retirement home. I think my problem is I've only skied it at night when conditions were poor and everything's skied off. I'll need to give it a try in better conditions. Anyone know if they've done anything to their lighting as a result of neighbors' complaints last year?

 

[joshua segal]

.... Anyone know if they've done anything to their lighting as a result of neighbors' complaints last year?

Yes. If you look at the lights on the section of the mountain that was opened when the Rocket was installed. You will see small visors to help focus the light downward. IMO, given the equation of light diffusion, I don't see any difference, but it allowed them to check off a bureaucratic box that allowed CM to continue their current schedule.

If you're coming up, PM me and we can talk. I've made CM my "retirement home".

 

[Savemeasammy]

^The glow from my house seems the same. It doesn't bother me, though

Do people actually ski until midnight or 3 in the morning - enough that it's actually worth being open? It seems like a gimmick better suited for a mountain which is much closer to a major city...


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[xwhaler]

^The glow from my house seems the same. It doesn't bother me, though

Do people actually ski until midnight or 3 in the morning - enough that it's actually worth being open? It seems like a gimmick better suited for a mountain which is much closer to a major city...


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As I was sitting having lunch yesterday I was wondering this same thing. I could see staying open until midnight expecting most folks to get off the hill by 10 and then watch the band in the bar. 3am seems a bit much though. They have been doing it for a few yrs though so I guess there is some justification for it.

 

[joshua segal]

^The glow from my house seems the same. It doesn't bother me, though

Do people actually ski until midnight or 3 in the morning - enough that it's actually worth being open? It seems like a gimmick better suited for a mountain which is much closer to a major city...

I've never stayed out past 11PM, but here is what I can tell you based on a number of inputs:
1. The web-cam page of the CM website shows a "capture frame" every 15 minutes for the previous 24 hours. There are rarely any skiers in the shots after 1AM.
2. The mountain is very conscious of litter. First run of the day following a "good Midnight Madness" features 2-inches of fresh beer cans under the chair (I.e. the Rocket). A couple of lifties walk the line and pick it up, usually by 10 AM.
3. The iciest sections of the mountain (Satellite Summit and Moonwalk/Milky Way) are groomed at 9PM, so skiers are not skiing on the "dregs" after 12 hours of wear-and-tear on the snow.
4. The bar closes at 1AM (I think) and I am told that with the program, usually a band, the bar is pretty crowded, as is the parking lot.
5. While "Midnight Madness" may well be "more suited to a mountain nearer a major city" as Savemeasammy suggested, the catchment region for a sub-one-hour drive includes greater Manchester/Nashua, Keene and northern MA which represents in excess of a million people.

 

[Tin]

The bar closes at 3. Or at least has stayed open until 3 on a few occasions. The latest I skied was until 2am the night after Nemo. Was pretty amazing. The few times I've been there late there is a whole second crowd that I've seen get there around 1030/11.

 

[xwhaler]

I wonder who it is though...most likely college kids but St A's and Keene State are the only 2 that come to mind that would be willing to drive there. Keene has Granite Gorge in their backyard too so unsure if they end up there?

 

[frapcap]

Glad we could meet up!
The day was pretty well described- hard, firm, and fast. Friend of mine took a spill and concussed himself in the first hour so I missed out on the fresh grooming, but still had a good first day out.
It looked a lot like spring skiing.

 

[Tin]

Planning to be up Sunday.

 

[joshua segal]

It's quite amazing the changes in snow cover now that the guns have been running for over 24 hours. The conditions have improved tremendously and I suspect by the weekend the open trail list will be augmented by Velocity, UFO, Equinox, Magnitude and Zero-G (and maybe more).

The Snow Man by the base of the West Double is still there!

 

[joshua segal]

The bar closes at 3. Or at least has stayed open until 3 on a few occasions. The latest I skied was until 2am the night after Nemo. Was pretty amazing. The few times I've been there late there is a whole second crowd that I've seen get there around 1030/11.

I've never been up that late to check, but while the bar might be open, I believe that the local laws have "last call for alcohol" at 1 AM. And during and after Nemo was one of the few days that the snow after 18 hours of constant use, had fully held up to the traffic.

 

[deadheadskier]

I don't really get running midnight madness much beyond midnight. It would seem that after the bar closes the profit returns would be diminishing and quite frankly, the employee experience demoralizing.

If they called last call for lifts the same time as last call for alcohol, how much revenue would they lose?

My understanding is the program was born at their Ohio ski areas,........which are located far closer to many more people, have far warmer evening temps and the bars close at 2AM

 

[yeggous]

I have been there until 3am a few times. It allows me a full day of skiing after work on Friday. The marginal cost of running the lift two more hours is minimal compared to the advertising advantage. Lift tickets feel like a much better deal when I have the option of skiing that late.


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[Quietman]

Bar closes at 1. Skiers drop off in big #s after 1:30. The ticket cost is is $42 for (9pm-3am) and $45 for (5pm-3am), so even if you leave at 1 or 2am, its a reasonable deal. Bottom line is its only payroll and utilities cost for the hill at that last hour or 2, other overhead is already covered. Perception is that midnight season passes holders can ski for 10 hours on Fri & Sat nights for $199, but nor many make it past 1:30am. Still, the only area in NE that offers this, and has for the last 5 years.

 

[deadheadskier]

I have been there until 3am a few times. It allows me a full day of skiing after work on Friday. The marginal cost of running the lift two more hours is minimal compared to the advertising advantage. Lift tickets feel like a much better deal when I have the option of skiing that late.


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My point is, did you only go because they were open until 3? Would you not have gone had they closed at 1? (too my knowledge a full three hours later than any other night skiing option in New England)

Don't get me wrong. It's cool that they go for it and offer a fun product so late. I just doubt they profit much after 1AM

 

[joshua segal]

My point is, did you only go because they were open until 3? Would you not have gone had they closed at 1? (too my knowledge a full three hours later than any other night skiing option in New England)

Don't get me wrong. It's cool that they go for it and offer a fun product so late. I just doubt they profit much after 1AM

True story: A ski area used to have night skiing from 7 to 11PM and it was profitable. They noticed that almost no one skied from 10 to 11PM so to shave some cost they changed to 7 to 10PM. People were no longer willing to drive knowing it was only for 3 hours. People often are willing to pay for potential more than reality.

 

[Quietman]

True story: A ski area used to have night skiing from 7 to 11PM and it was profitable. They noticed that almost no one skied from 10 to 11PM so to shave some cost they changed to 7 to 10PM. People were no longer willing to drive knowing it was only for 3 hours. People often are willing to pay for potential more than reality.

Exactly!!!