Carinthia at Mount Snow to become 1 HUGE terrain park

[MommaBear]

You then enter that point in the season before the daily spring softening cycle when it's still cold and bumps might get ugly. If that's the case and the bumps are truly "dangerous" (a patroller who is whacky about bumps should be the one to determine this ), rope the run and just wait for a better day when it softens or you score some lucky late season snow. If they're skiable by a proficient ripper, be sure there's signage that indicates the sketchiness and just roll with it.

Ski at your own risk...says that right on the ticket, right? :grin:

 

[Greg]

Ski at your own risk...says that right on the ticket, right? :grin:

Yes, within reason.

 

[vcunning]

As a Mount Snow regular we DEFINATELY are very lucky to have such open communication with the management! And to top it off, all of them that I've met in person are actually really nice people too!

Yep, I agree. I've found the management to be not only nice, but fun, passionate and always wanting to hear your opinion. They show up on the lift lines (I think I rode the lift with the GM 3 or 4 times this year) and you see them helping out all the time. MamaSpice is frequently in the lift lines, scanning tickets with a big smile. Heck, even their owner was out making snow earlier in the year.

 

[Vinny]

At the risk of getting blasted, I have to admit that I don't like the move. Maybe because I'm an old fart non-freestyle skier. I understand that's not, nor should be, a targeted market group, but still it effects everyone differently.

We really enjoyed skiing Carinthia to add variety, instead of staying just on the Main and North Faces. The biggest disappointment is that it was the most protected area on really cold windy days. I look at it as shrinking the mountain.

 

[drjeff]

The underlying thing is that withh all the new technology snowmaking firepower at Mount Snow and now the Huge terrain park, they're really giving the skiing population that drives up either the I-87 or I-91 corridors less of a reason to drive further up North. From a business standpoint, this makes a ton of sense, since I'd bet that the typically younger freestyle park/pipe crowd will be MORE likely to keep heading to the hill their usual amount this coming winter then the "cruiser" crowd.

I can though fully appreciate the concern about loosing some of my favorite Mount Snow high speed GS turn cruising terrain though to to the parks/pipes.

 

[arik]

We do have more then a few on Racing and Trees. On the tree subject a boundry to boundry policy would be nice.

I wonder if a boundary to boundary policy would really be safe at Mount Snow. I have seen areas with snowmaking pipe that is elevated off gulleys and people could get their skis caught under the pipe and their body over. Also some areas have very dense trees/branches. Not to be negative but...

It is cool to see chnges and investment at Mount Snow even if I am not a parkrat.

 

[Newpylong]

The underlying thing is that withh all the new technology snowmaking firepower at Mount Snow and now the Huge terrain park, they're really giving the skiing population that drives up either the I-87 or I-91 corridors less of a reason to drive further up North. From a business standpoint, this makes a ton of sense, since I'd bet that the typically younger freestyle park/pipe crowd will be MORE likely to keep heading to the hill their usual amount this coming winter then the "cruiser" crowd.

I can though fully appreciate the concern about loosing some of my favorite Mount Snow high speed GS turn cruising terrain though to to the parks/pipes.

Where is there good cruising on Carinthia? Stugger's is about it, but even as a blue its pretty flat. Nitro is quite possibly the most boring run around. The only decent part of Titanium is Upper and that's natural snow.

The only run I would miss woul dbe Iron Run, and I can't see them wasting too much time with installing features on that. So I think it will be safe.

If sacrificing that area brings them the badly needed income and market share of the obviously expanding young market, I am all for it. I think it's a revolutionary move and the terrain is absolutely perfect for it over there.

At least now the Canyon area will be free of them... Lower Canyon was a great cruiser.

 

[drjeff]

Where is there good cruising on Carinthia? Stugger's is about it, but even as a blue its pretty flat. Nitro is quite possibly the most boring run around. The only decent part of Titanium is Upper and that's natural snow.

The only run I would miss woul dbe Iron Run, and I can't see them wasting too much time with installing features on that. So I think it will be safe.

If sacrificing that area brings them the badly needed income and market share of the obviously expanding young market, I am all for it. I think it's a revolutionary move and the terrain is absolutely perfect for it over there.

At least now the Canyon area will be free of them... Lower Canyon was a great cruiser.

It's purely personal enjoyment for me with the carinthia cruisers. I'd often lap mineshaft -> stuggers where the mineshaft headwall would bring me back to my old days of Super G racing the way I'd take it, then milk the speed across the flat and the top of stuggers and once stuggers starts heading downhill over the rollers on the bottom 1/2, thats about as nice a piece of GS terrain for me as there is Also on windy/busy days, my wife and I would often spend most of our hill time lapping stuggers via heavy metal.

Like I've said from a business standpoint, I think this has the potential to be a homerun, from a personal enjoyment standpoint, well I'm not as thrilled.

Atleast though, Un Blanco Gulch will be going back to it's original name, "Canyon" It will be interesting though to see how it works out with South Bowl now also being the primary race hill, that it will be this winter after a little buffing. Peak is treating Mount Snow like the hidden gem that she's been the past few years, I I really like that!

 

[vcunning]

It's purely personal enjoyment for me with the carinthia cruisers. I'd often lap mineshaft -> stuggers where the mineshaft headwall would bring me back to my old days of Super G racing the way I'd take it, then milk the speed across the flat and the top of stuggers and once stuggers starts heading downhill over the rollers on the bottom 1/2, thats about as nice a piece of GS terrain for me as there is Also on windy/busy days, my wife and I would often spend most of our hill time lapping stuggers via heavy metal.

Like I've said from a business standpoint, I think this has the potential to be a homerun, from a personal enjoyment standpoint, well I'm not as thrilled.

Atleast though, Un Blanco Gulch will be going back to it's original name, "Canyon" It will be interesting though to see how it works out with South Bowl now also being the primary race hill, that it will be this winter after a little buffing. Peak is treating Mount Snow like the hidden gem that she's been the past few years, I I really like that!

With Un Blancho Gulch gone, we're gonna lose our secret entrance to Overbrook. That was so sweet last year. Not many could figure out how to get there.

 

[drjeff]

With Un Blancho Gulch gone, we're gonna lose our secret entrance to Overbrook. That was so sweet last year. Not many could figure out how to get there.

I'm planning on "borrowing" some of Mtn Ops heavy equipment and chainsaws at some point before winter sets in to help keep it our hidden gem

 

[vcunning]

I'm planning on "borrowing" some of Mtn Ops heavy equipment and chainsaws at some point before winter sets in to help keep it our hidden gem

Careful

 

[Vinny]

It's purely personal enjoyment for me with the carinthia cruisers. I'd often lap mineshaft -> stuggers where the mineshaft headwall would bring me back to my old days of Super G racing the way I'd take it, then milk the speed across the flat and the top of stuggers and once stuggers starts heading downhill over the rollers on the bottom 1/2, thats about as nice a piece of GS terrain for me as there is Also on windy/busy days, my wife and I would often spend most of our hill time lapping stuggers via heavy metal.

Like I've said from a business standpoint, I think this has the potential to be a homerun, from a personal enjoyment standpoint, well I'm not as thrilled.

Atleast though, Un Blanco Gulch will be going back to it's original name, "Canyon" It will be interesting though to see how it works out with South Bowl now also being the primary race hill, that it will be this winter after a little buffing. Peak is treating Mount Snow like the hidden gem that she's been the past few years, I I really like that!

Ditto on lapping Mineshaft/Stuggers as well as Mineshaft/Iron Run, although probably not near as fast as Jeff. It's some of my wife's and my favorite skiing on a windy day.

Although it takes away some nice skiing for us, I agree that it's the right and smart thing to do from a biz perspective. Hopefully Peak won't forget "the rest of us" and keep improving the non-freestyle areas.

Also, it's interesting how well kept this "secret" was. There was no mention of it up until the announcement.

 

[hardline]

i find it very interesting that people seem to be ok with this at mt snow but when they did this at mountain creek last year. people where crying bloody murder. ski areas are getting smart to the fact these young park rats will someday have families and trying to develop brand loyalty now. its just good marketing.

 

[drjeff]

i find it very interesting that people seem to be ok with this at mt snow but when they did this at mountain creek last year. people where crying bloody murder. ski areas are getting smart to the fact these young park rats will someday have families and trying to develop brand loyalty now. its just good marketing.

I also think that what the new ownership has done so far at Mount Snow, and what they're planning to do in the very near future (more fan guns, lots more snowmaking water, new/upgraded lifts) is going a long way too. Mount Snow/Peak did a great job last year at putting alot of "swagger" back into Mount Snow and its regular customer base saw this and appreciated this, and IMHO that is giving the customer base alot of confidence in the moves their making. If they were doing this big of a conceptual change about how the mountain will operate without all of last years upgrades and this summer planned installations, we'll then I'd bet that they're be alot more of us Mount Snower's screaming bloody murder about this (and there have been some on the Mount Snow passholders site screaming bloody murder).

Bottomline for me, if Peak continues to make snow early and often like they did last year and use the same opening/closing policy they did this year, as much as I'll miss some of the wide open high speed cruisers I'm so accustomed too and enjoy over at Carinthia, I'll likely be ahappy camper come the end of the '08-'09 season.

 

[millerm277]

i find it very interesting that people seem to be ok with this at mt snow but when they did this at mountain creek last year. people where crying bloody murder. ski areas are getting smart to the fact these young park rats will someday have families and trying to develop brand loyalty now. its just good marketing.

Well, Mtn Creek took the part of the mountain that was "for skiers", and the only actual lodge and made them for terrain parks. Leaving non-park skiers/riders, with Granite, which is the absolute last area to open, and has a fixed-grip quad, and with Vernon.....which has a "gondola" that is horrible for skiers to load, and a triple that barely moves. Also, they didn't open the Sojourn Lift/Trail (wouldn't suprise me if the lift didn't pass inspection), so you can't just head over there for a couple runs now.

 

[Greg]

Bottomline for me, if Peak continues to make snow early and often like they did last year and use the same opening/closing policy they did this year, as much as I'll miss some of the wide open high speed cruisers I'm so accustomed too and enjoy over at Carinthia, I'll likely be ahappy camper come the end of the '08-'09 season.

Sounds reasonable. It's all about balance.

 

[tree_skier]

The drawbacks as I see them are.
1. Losing stuggers and iron run, the 2 best trails there. although the halfpipe killed lower iron run and with half of stuggers roped off for damn features sort of killed it also.
2. Losing the option when weather closes the upper mountain.
3. reopening the entrance to overbrook (my little stash)
4. putting more skiers on the main face, as we all know the same 100 park rats standing around 10 at each feature take very little lift line but putting all of the skiers from carinthia to canyon will double that line.
5. Wasting the fan guns on a park when they could be better used on south bowl/ridge/hop/plummet/anywhere on sunbrook.


Boundry to boundry acknowledges there are manmade and natural obstuctions. You need to miss them or you could be hanging by a sapling over a stream. It would give me one less way to be hassled by the redcoats.

 

[drjeff]

The drawbacks as I see them are.
1. Losing stuggers and iron run, the 2 best trails there. although the halfpipe killed lower iron run and with half of stuggers roped off for damn features sort of killed it also.
2. Losing the option when weather closes the upper mountain.
3. reopening the entrance to overbrook (my little stash)
4. putting more skiers on the main face, as we all know the same 100 park rats standing around 10 at each feature take very little lift line but putting all of the skiers from carinthia to canyon will double that line.
5. Wasting the fan guns on a park when they could be better used on south bowl/ridge/hop/plummet/anywhere on sunbrook.


Boundry to boundry acknowledges there are manmade and natural obstuctions. You need to miss them or you could be hanging by a sapling over a stream. It would give me one less way to be hassled by the redcoats.

On the boundry to boundry thing, I prefer the militaries view of things, "don't ask, don't tell"

 

[hardline]

Well, Mtn Creek took the part of the mountain that was "for skiers", and the only actual lodge and made them for terrain parks. Leaving non-park skiers/riders, with Granite, which is the absolute last area to open, and has a fixed-grip quad, and with Vernon.....which has a "gondola" that is horrible for skiers to load, and a triple that barely moves. Also, they didn't open the Sojourn Lift/Trail (wouldn't suprise me if the lift didn't pass inspection), so you can't just head over there for a couple runs now.

i think you are missing the point. i don't know your age but these parks are a great way for a company to establish brand loyalty with the up and comming money spenders. plus its not like you lose the terain. there was only one day this season i was in a lift line and that was because they where having a party in the south lodge. all season long was ride down get on and repete. even on staurday nights i had three kid with me and there was nobody around.
back on topic. one of the things we do when we are doing branding is do analysis of where the companies income is going to come from in 5 years, 10 years, and so on. its called consumer/customer development and its the way you need to run a big company.

 

[BeanoNYC]

3. reopening the entrance to overbrook (my little stash)

Hey! That's MY little stash. Hands off...