Catamount is the worst in the EAST !!!!

gmcunni said:

it was a kinder gentler AZ back then

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Tell that to GSS.

marcski said:

Tell that to GSS.

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Isn't Catamount your local hill marcski?

wa-loaf said:

Isn't Catamount your local hill marcski?

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It is, we have passes. Weren't there the past 2 weekends. I've also never seen an unmanned lift there, but we don't take the Magic Carpet. I lift my girls and put them on the chairlift with me. We also do the seasonal lease thing, so I've never been inside the rental shop.
Also, how does one fall off of a Magic Carpet? I mean...all you're doing is standing still??

I re-read the OP. O.k. he says since there was no lift attendant to put the kids on, they were not standing straight so they're skis were crooked and they hit the edges of the carpet and fell off. But, the OP also said he took them to the Magic Carpet and that his kids are beginners. So, isn't he the one that should have been picking up his kids if they fell?

marcski said:

It is, we have passes. Weren't there the past 2 weekends. I've also never seen an unmanned lift there, but we don't take the Magic Carpet. I lift my girls and put them on the chairlift with me. We also do the seasonal lease thing, so I've never been inside the rental shop.
Also, how does one fall off of a Magic Carpet? I mean...all you're doing is standing still??

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My son thinks it's funny to throw himself down on the magic carpet--I've had to talk with him about that before.

Some kids lose balance when they're first getting onto the conveyor belt. Or if they start moving around and catch a ski on the edge of the belt. It happens. I've run the carpet before... not rocket science. And I didn't not have anyone loading the bottom of the belt while I was at the top--it wasn't standard procedure. If someone falls, you stop the belt, help them out if necessary, then restart.

There's a certain element of learning involved, too. When do you intervene and when do you not in trying to teach someone how to use the equipment. If you always pick them up, when will they learn how to do it themselves? And if someone is a stark beginner, where is the parent or instructor then?

I have never been to the carpet area at Catamount but I have skied there before, albeit 6 years ago. Yes, it was pretty basic as far as the lodge and amenities go (though not as basic as Southington, IMHO). I didn't deal with rentals as it's cheaper in the long-run to own your own equipment. I have no complaints and would go back.

To the OP, I know you said you spoke with someone while you were there, but you should consider sitting down and putting your experience into writing to the mountain itself. Again, it gives them a chance to consider the situation and improve upon it. Then you can be sure that the information gets into the hands of the right person as well, as there are no guarantees that whomever you spoke with passed the word along to the right person/people. There is some confusion in what you have stated regarding whether or not the carpet was manned at all--lack of an attendant loading is not all that unusual in my experience, and the operator is responsible for ensuring the exit ramp is in good shape, but it's no excuse for blatant disregard. It's not grounds for being the "worst in the EAST", but it is certainly something to pause and consider. If it's an isolated event, then it is. If it's more chronic, then letting management know of it will allow them to rectify the matter. Much more effective in the long run. Good luck!

this thread:

dmc said:

In my typical fashion...

I've pinged Catamount and asked them to come give their side of the story..

Hopefully will make for some good internet...

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Their* silence is deafening. No denial from MGT = claims must be true.


* please note the proper use of "their"

It must be raining again. :-x:angry::-x

JBSki - how far did you travel to take your kids skiing at Catamount? Are there closer options? Just curious.

I have a 5 and 8 year old, and when I take them skiing, I consider myself the primary person responsible for their safety. I also wouldn't dream of skiing with them simultaneously before both were relatively capable. It was one at a time for a while with my kids. Two young kids flopping around is just too much for anyone's enjoyment.

My kids also have their own gear. You can easily find used gear for cheap if you plan ahead. Or season rentals are a good option to see if they like it. Getting set up for day rentals is a drag no matter where you go. You have to make a ski day as efficient as possible for your kids' maximum enjoyment so also stay close to home; they don't need much to learn.

Finally, set your expectations accordingly. I suspect based on your initial rant, you were stressed out overall, and all these relatively minor issues built up. As mentioned before teaching your kids to ski is A LOT of work so you better be prepared for it.

So....sorry about your bad experience, but I think you could have been better prepared for it. Sounds like you took on too much.....

gmcunni said:

Their* silence is deafening. No denial from MGT = claims must be true."

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Or this:
Adoptive admission means an act or declaration by a party indicating the approval of statement made by the other. Adoptive admission infers the acceptance of the truth of the act or declaration made by the other party.
In order to constitute an adoptive admission the following conditions must be satisfied:
(1)that statement was made to the defendant or made in his/ her presence;
(2)that the defendant heard and understood the statement;
(3)that the he defendant would, under all the circumstances, naturally have denied the statement if he/she thought it was not true; and
(4)that the defendant could have denied it but did not.
In People v. Zavala, 168 Cal. App. 4th 772 [Cal. Ct. App. 2008] the court observed that “for the adoptive admission exception to the hearsay rule to apply, direct accusation in so many words is not essential. To warrant admissibility, it is sufficient that the evidence supports a reasonable inference that an accusatory statement was made under circumstances affording a fair opportunity to deny the accusation; whether the defendant's conduct actually constituted an adoptive admission becomes a question for the jury to decide”.
http://definitions.uslegal.com/a/adoptive-admission/

legalskier said:

Or this:
Adoptive admission means an act or declaration by a party indicating the approval of statement made by the other. Adoptive admission infers the acceptance of the truth of the act or declaration made by the other party.
In order to constitute an adoptive admission the following conditions must be satisfied:
(1)that statement was made to the defendant or made in his/ her presence;
(2)that the defendant heard and understood the statement;
(3)that the he defendant would, under all the circumstances, naturally have denied the statement if he/she thought it was not true; and
(4)that the defendant could have denied it but did not.
In People v. Zavala, 168 Cal. App. 4th 772 [Cal. Ct. App. 2008] the court observed that “for the adoptive admission exception to the hearsay rule to apply, direct accusation in so many words is not essential. To warrant admissibility, it is sufficient that the evidence supports a reasonable inference that an accusatory statement was made under circumstances affording a fair opportunity to deny the accusation; whether the defendant's conduct actually constituted an adoptive admission becomes a question for the jury to decide”.
http://definitions.uslegal.com/a/adoptive-admission/

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1) JBSkier reported the issue to the lift attendant and the Manager
2) lift attendant said he would call it in, manager apologized for JB's problems
3) MGR offered hush money in the form of free vouchers
4) see #3

i declare a mistrial! take the defendant into custody, off with his head.

gmcunni said:

take the defendant into custody, off with his head.

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Sentence now, trial later!!

gmcunni said:

1) JBSkier reported the issue to the lift attendant and the Manager
2) lift attendant said he would call it in, manager apologized for JB's problems
3) MGR offered hush money in the form of free vouchers

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Correction...an anonymous person on the internet alleged this to have happened. We already saw that the original story appeared to be misleading...how knows how much else of it is as it appears.

threecy said:

Correction...an anonymous person on the internet alleged this to have happened. We already saw that the original story appeared to be misleading...how knows how much else of it is as it appears.

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We all are though in one way or another.

threecy said:

Correction...an anonymous person on the internet alleged this to have happened. We already saw that the original story appeared to be misleading...how knows how much else of it is as it appears.

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don't correct me. you're* an anonymous person on the intent, why should we believe you.

* proper usage, again!

gmcunni said:

don't correct me. you're* an anonymous person on the intent, why should we believe you.
* proper usage, again!

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You should use a question mark to end an interrogative sentence, though.

ctenidae said:

you should use a question mark to end an interrogative sentence, though.

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doh !

Catamount Awesome but getting old

I personally love catamount. Tied with B erkshire East for best mountain in Massachusetts in my mind. I would throw Jimminy in but it is a little to same same for me and they killed brodie and took away riptide glades so I am mad and biased
Plus for me catamount has great terrain variety. Steeps, some moguls, a beginner area, close neet terrain parks and banked turn features.

Negatives, infrastructure getting old, base area kind of ramshackle looking. grooming so, so.

For kids I don't know Butternut would probably be better. But it does have a distinct beginner area and lots of terrain park features for when they get older. I also don't know about their ski school.

Worst in the East I don't think so. But be specific about what you don't like and again stop acting like a troll. Whoops I just fed the troll.

Free lift tickets?

Free? That is the ultimate olive branch for a ski area no?

My .02, I really just wanted to post in this very important thread.

I will get to Catamount next season....that $27 midweek liftee is pretty tempting.....and what I saw on "The Mountain Report" looked pretty nice.

skizilla said:

Worst in the East I don't think so. But be specific about what you don't like and again stop acting like a troll. Whoops I just fed the troll.

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personally, i don't think JB was trolling but you make a good point. how good a place is really depends what you need as an individual or family.

Catamount was in the Snow East Magazine top 10 last season so obviously it isn't just you (and me) who have enjoyed skiing there.

http://www.snoweastmagazine.com/articles/Reader Survey 2010/SE ReaderSurveyOverallWinners2010.pdf

skizilla said:

I personally love catamount. Tied with B erkshire East for best mountain in Massachusetts in my mind. I would throw Jimminy in but it is a little to same same for me and they killed brodie and took away riptide glades so I am mad and biased
Plus for me catamount has great terrain variety. Steeps, some moguls, a beginner area, close neet terrain parks and banked turn features.

Negatives, infrastructure getting old, base area kind of ramshackle looking. grooming so, so.

For kids I don't know Butternut would probably be better. But it does have a distinct beginner area and lots of terrain park features for when they get older. I also don't know about their ski school.

Worst in the East I don't think so. But be specific about what you don't like and again stop acting like a troll. Whoops I just fed the troll.

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Agree with you about the quality of the terrain at Catamount. Good pitch and bumps, jsut not a lot of terrain overall. And Butternut would've been way better for beginner kids, but the OP would have surly found Butternut way too busy. Place is an absolutely zoo on the Sunday of a holiday weekend.