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Mount Snow: Inside Track

mbedle

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Carinthia line about 10:30 am yesterday was terrible. Singles line snaking up the hill towards the last roller. Long wait times. Heavy Metal not running. Mount Snow sadly couldn't find two people in all their staff to run Heavy Metal. Pretty sad!

Pretty sure it takes more than 2 people to run the lift, plus people trained to operate the lift.
 

Jcb890

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Pretty sure it takes more than 2 people to run the lift, plus people trained to operate the lift.
Lifts on the North Face (Fixed grip) are generally run by 2 people - 1 up top and 1 at the bottom.
Sometimes there will be a 3rd to sit inside and operate controls if need-be while the other one helps hold chairs back for folks getting on, but generally that guy/gal at the bottom does both jobs.
 

drjeff

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Lifts on the North Face (Fixed grip) are generally run by 2 people - 1 up top and 1 at the bottom.
Sometimes there will be a 3rd to sit inside and operate controls if need-be while the other one helps hold chairs back for folks getting on, but generally that guy/gal at the bottom does both jobs.
Northface has been 3 folks running the lift more often than not in the recent past. Occasionally they'll add a 4 for line management in really busy times.

Bluebird typically has 5 to 6+ at the base with line management and ticket scanners and 1 up top. Canyon, Nitro and The Grand Summit tend to have 3 to 5 at the base and 1 up top.

Pretty much the only lifts that just have 2 staff operating them are the magic carpets. When you factor in all the lifts Mount Snow has, even with out the mechanics, you're talking the need for well over 50 people to safely operate all them, and in the early season where the numerous foreign staff haven't arrived to work yet, and/or haven't received their proper training, while on the surface it may seem like it should be quite easy to find a few folks to spin another lift or 2, the reality is that it isn't so easy

My hunch is that this weekend they'll try and spin most everything short of possibly Ego Alley and Sundance triples to get as many lift ops staffers up and running now that presumably they've had their training. Then the following weekend, the start of Christmas week, is when they'll really have everything wide open on the lift ops side

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Pez

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I spoke with the kid that ladled out my chili for lunch yesterday and she said that they’ve been a bit understaffed the last few days. She told me this week the people coming over to work from other countries will be coming in so they’ll have more staff very soon.

Good day yesterday. I’m out of shape!


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Newpylong

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Lifts on the North Face (Fixed grip) are generally run by 2 people - 1 up top and 1 at the bottom.
Sometimes there will be a 3rd to sit inside and operate controls if need-be while the other one helps hold chairs back for folks getting on, but generally that guy/gal at the bottom does both jobs.

Aerial lifts are supposed to have 3 per code. 2 bottom 1 top. Though of course 2 occurs...
 

drjeff

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I'd just like to wish the Bluebird a happy 8th birthday today! While it certainly has had some ups and downs and created some other issues, especially with the loading of 6 folks and the line queue design, without a doubt in my mind it has been a game changer lift for Mount Snow as well as bringing in the bubble era to the Northeast
 

Jcb890

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Northface has been 3 folks running the lift more often than not in the recent past. Occasionally they'll add a 4 for line management in really busy times.

Bluebird typically has 5 to 6+ at the base with line management and ticket scanners and 1 up top. Canyon, Nitro and The Grand Summit tend to have 3 to 5 at the base and 1 up top.

Pretty much the only lifts that just have 2 staff operating them are the magic carpets. When you factor in all the lifts Mount Snow has, even with out the mechanics, you're talking the need for well over 50 people to safely operate all them, and in the early season where the numerous foreign staff haven't arrived to work yet, and/or haven't received their proper training, while on the surface it may seem like it should be quite easy to find a few folks to spin another lift or 2, the reality is that it isn't so easy

My hunch is that this weekend they'll try and spin most everything short of possibly Ego Alley and Sundance triples to get as many lift ops staffers up and running now that presumably they've had their training. Then the following weekend, the start of Christmas week, is when they'll really have everything wide open on the lift ops side
Really? Perhaps I missed the 3rd attendant at the bottom, but I was seeing 2 sometimes. More often times 3 like you said, but have seen 2 I believe. Sometimes the Bluebird is a bit of a mess even with 5-6+ people running the show, but I guess they do a decent job overall.
Honestly, Sunday it worked really well with only 1 side for lining up and not doing much ticket scanning, LOL. IMO, scan folks at the front of the line, or don't do it at all. Trying to scan while people are lining up, adding singles, etc. just slows things down it seems.

Think they'll open Sunbrook up this weekend? That seemed to be the scuttlebutt on Sunday was that after Founder's day or for Founder's day they were hoping to have most of the mountain open. I'm sure this rain didn't help and then it looks like more rain Friday into Saturday which is a bummer!

I spoke with the kid that ladled out my chili for lunch yesterday and she said that they’ve been a bit understaffed the last few days. She told me this week the people coming over to work from other countries will be coming in so they’ll have more staff very soon.

Good day yesterday. I’m out of shape!
Ain't that the truth (bold)!
I spoke with one of the kitchen staff up at the Bullwheel and he was saying basically they're still in early-season mode until Founder's Day, then they have a new menu, etc.

Aerial lifts are supposed to have 3 per code. 2 bottom 1 top. Though of course 2 occurs...
Typically it is 3, but I haves seen 2 once in a while. It is typically fine, but I understand the requirement for more than 2.

I'd just like to wish the Bluebird a happy 8th birthday today! While it certainly has had some ups and downs and created some other issues, especially with the loading of 6 folks and the line queue design, without a doubt in my mind it has been a game changer lift for Mount Snow as well as bringing in the bubble era to the Northeast
The bubble HS6 is great at Mount Snow. On those really cold and windy and/or rainy days the bubble comes in pretty handy.
 

drjeff

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The snow report this morning specifically states that Sunbrook will make it's season debut on Friday. Just going to let the whales they made drain a bit and then push out likely on Thursday.
 
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Jcb890

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The snow report this morning specifically states that Sunbrook will make it's season debut on Friday. Just going to let the whales they made drain a bit and then push out likely on Friday
Nice! Sunbrook is sometimes a nice way to escape the crowds. Too bad the lift is sooooo slooowwwww.
 

jaywbigred

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Random question: anyone know anywhere in the Mt. Snow area where there might be a photos-with-Santa (or similar Santa experience) on Saturday (12/21)? I know there was one at the Dover library a few weeks ago, but we missed it. And there is one in Wardsboro, but its today (a Tuesday??? come on people!!).
 

drjeff

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No superpipe this season. Just a mini pipe and some additional features in that general area this year.

I think the reality is that short of a very small percentage of the skiing/riding population, the usage of a Superpipe isn't worth the return on the investment that it takes to produce and maintain it over the course of a season
 

FBGM

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No superpipe this season. Just a mini pipe and some additional features in that general area this year.

I think the reality is that short of a very small percentage of the skiing/riding population, the usage of a Superpipe isn't worth the return on the investment that it takes to produce and maintain it over the course of a season

No surprise there. Waste of snow and money. Will never see a super pipe again now with Vail. The parks in general will
Be much smaller next year. They are currently to big, rushed and sloppy, and are taking up
To much good real estate. Especially with that new lodge. I’d expect parks to be 2 trails at most next year with rest going back to normal ski trails and a big push for that lodge to be a normal people lodge not for the jibbers.
 

mbedle

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No surprise there. Waste of snow and money. Will never see a super pipe again now with Vail. The parks in general will
Be much smaller next year. They are currently to big, rushed and sloppy, and are taking up
To much good real estate. Especially with that new lodge. I’d expect parks to be 2 trails at most next year with rest going back to normal ski trails and a big push for that lodge to be a normal people lodge not for the jibbers.

Didn't seem to matter at Okemo - they still have a super pipe.
 

drjeff

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They were blowing snow in the pipe when I was there Wednesday. Must just be filling it in?

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They're going to have a mini pipe in the area (that has always had more usage when they've built one) as well as some additional park features in that general area, so they need snow to create those. It's not like that now open area is going to remain featureless, just going to be of a different size and probably somewhat of an extension of the features already in that general area
 

drjeff

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it makes sense for okemo and mount snow to have a heavy investment in parks. they need something to lure young people, and the boring flat groomers aren't it.

and the flatness is objective fact:
http://3dskimaps.com/mtsnow/
http://3dskimaps.com/okemo/

Those parks at Mount Snow sure do help sell them a bunch of passes and day tickets all season long.

While I may wish that some of that terrain was left featureless to carve some arcs in, the business side of me fully gets the importance they are for bringing people to the mountain, and that does benefit the entirety of my home mountain for sure in the big scheme of things
 

Jcb890

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If anyone here has the pulse on Mt. Snow locked down, it's definitely FBGM. Always with the accurate and reasonable takes.
 
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