Crotched 3/10/2010

[deadheadskier]

Date(s) Skied: Wednesday Evening, March 10th, 2010

Resort or Ski Area: Crotched Mountain

Conditions: Hard pack, crust, loose granular

Trip Report:

Well, I gambled and lost. I was hoping that maybe, just maybe because of how warm it was today, I'd still find some soft bumps tonight. Not so.

I arrived at 6:45, booted up and grabbed a burger to chow on the lift for dinner. Peaks seriously ought to be embarrassed as this was far and away the WORST cafeteria burger I've ever had. I've had better microwave burgers from gas stations. Clicked in to head to the Quad for 7PM. The moment I clicked in and felt the crunch underfoot I knew whatever bumps I found were going to be hard as rock. Only ones I found were under the Pluto lift, two lines wide. They actually had some decent lines, but it was like skiing on sand paper on top of concrete.

So, spent my two hours practicing my credit card air in the park. deadheadskier = biggest pussy ever these days in the air. I will say an 18 year old deadheadskier would love Crotched's park. They have some MONSTER hits in there. I mainly just went off the lips for the landings of the table tops, which was fun.

Crotched has a pretty good end of day deal mid-week. $19 for the 7 to 9 hours, which works out well for me as I'm 'on duty' with work each day until 7. The hour and twenty minute drive home is a bit of a bummer, but I might just hit this up for a Powder night if the opportunity presents itself in the future. Kind of surprised they're still open for night skiing now midweek. If there were 50 people there, there wasn't 51.

Overall, happy I got ought as I won't be back on snow again until the 21st.

 

[andyaxa]

Thanks Deadhead!
Sorry to hear about the bumps. Thinking of heading up tomorrow for a few runs on some new sticks arriving today.
I hear ya on the food. We usually pack for the family. I wonder if they raised quality and lowered prices a bit if they wouldn't get some of the lunch-baggers like us to buy at the hill more often.

 

[hammer]

Peaks seriously ought to be embarrassed as this was far and away the WORST cafeteria burger I've ever had. I've had better microwave burgers from gas stations.

They used to be better, not gourmet, but better...and I always liked putting the jalapenos on them.

 

[deadheadskier]

Thanks Deadhead!
Sorry to hear about the bumps. Thinking of heading up tomorrow for a few runs on some new sticks arriving today.
I hear ya on the food. We usually pack for the family. I wonder if they raised quality and lowered prices a bit if they wouldn't get some of the lunch-baggers like us to buy at the hill more often.

perhaps. I'd pay $6.95 for something decent over the $4.95 garbage I tried.


I'm a brown bagger myself 75% of the time. Ragged actually has some decent food, which I've enjoyed from time to time when I didn't feel like packing a lunch in the morning. I recommend the pork sandwich in the bar up stairs.

 

[bvibert]

deadheadskier = 2nd biggest pussy ever these days in the air, behind bvibert

Fixed it for ya, you couldn't possibly be worse than me. 8)

 

[deadheadskier]

Fixed it for ya, you couldn't possibly be worse than me. 8)

oh you'd be surprised. I tried to pull the dumper air last night and could only manage a fart.

 

[bvibert]

oh you'd be surprised. I tried to pull the dumper air last night and could only manage a fart.

I probably wouldn't even attempt the jumps that you were taking. Most of the time when I got to hit a kicker I instinctively absorb it like it's a giant bump...

 

[jaywbigred]

Peaks seriously ought to be embarrassed as this was far and away the WORST cafeteria burger I've ever had. I've had better microwave burgers from gas stations.

Oh man, I said the SAME thing this weekend on the deck at Mt. Snow (also Peaks)!!!!

"This may be the worst hamburger I've ever head...and that includes the ones out of the vending machine in my freshman year dorm."

Great minds think alike!

And it was an awful, awful burger. About 2/3 of the way through, I took the meat out and just at the bun with ketchup, etc... on it. They should be ashamed.

 

[mckay]

I think the food area at Crotched is terrible. It looks pretty much exactly the same as a typical mall food court, only with a rug and only one place to get food, and the food is mostly awful. I live 25 minutes away and I know people who will go to Pat's instead of Crotched, even though it's an extra 15 minutes and the trails are better at Crotched, solely because they hate the "lodge" at Crotched. Personally, I'll take the better trails, but the lodge at Crotched is that bad.

 

[deadheadskier]

I agree. Most soulless lodge I've seen in the east. I'm guessing Peaks figures that the majority of the clientele for Crotched is kids from Manchester who don't care all that much.

That they offer an equally substandard food product at Mt. Snow is cause for concern.

 

[Newpylong]

I agree. Most soulless lodge I've seen in the east. I'm guessing Peaks figures that the majority of the clientele for Crotched is kids from Manchester who don't care all that much.

That they offer an equally substandard food product at Mt. Snow is cause for concern.

The lodge was put in because after the mountain was closed for 20 years the entire place had to be rebuilt basically from scratch outside of one double. It was put in like that because it was big and functionable. It's a place to boot up, get warm, and grab some food - not get married in.

 

[deadheadskier]

- not get married in.

missed opportunity there.

I will certainly give you that it's functional. No doubt about it. Probably all that's needed in that they're not selling 'vacations'. That said, I appreciate a good lodge. I think never evers have this idea in their head of a ski lodge as rustic, warm building with lots of character and exposed wood; not an airplane hanger.

Wachusette is a day area. Light years better lodge.

 

[polski]

I figure burgers that have gone cold from sitting under a "warmer" for who knows how long are going to suck no matter where you are. I seem to have more tolerance for lukewarm chicken or pork but I pass on burgers unless they're hot off the grill.

I must say I can't see myself making a ski area destination decision based on the lodge. I go to ski. Oh, I like a nice lodge and/or pub but time spent there is incidental. (Something of an exception: A good deck like Gen. Stark's Pub's on a sunny spring-skiing afternoon.)

 

[andyaxa]

Aesthetics don't really matter that much....it is all about the trails but if we were to talk about the feel of a place one thing about the "Hangar" at Crotched I do like is the light and space. Looks like a warehouse but I like light. I love the feel of Pats, but it's too dark. Ideally I would take a combo of the two. While up in Quebec for Feb break we had skied a couple days at Mont Sainte Anne and were on our way dogsledding when we found this little place. http://www.skirelais.com/le-relais-ski-snow-hebertisme-hiver.php Small hill, only about 7-800 ft verical but the lodge was great. Unfortunately a nor'easter was blowing about 80mph and the place was closed down, so we didn't do any skiing.

 

[mckay]

I think aesthetics matter a lot. Why would the people who pumped millions into reopening crotched not even try to make a nice lodge? I could live with the hangar feel if they at least put windows on the mountain side. They've got this huge metal lodge, right up agains a terrain park, but unless you're sitting right up against one the few windows you can't see anything. Just really, really dumb, in my opinion.

I will say that I love the fact that they do not have any bags in the lodge. The downstairs, where you buy tickets and get your boots on is great.

 

[polski]

I think aesthetics matter a lot. Why would the people who pumped millions into reopening crotched not even try to make a nice lodge? I could live with the hangar feel if they at least put windows on the mountain side. They've got this huge metal lodge, right up agains a terrain park, but unless you're sitting right up against one the few windows you can't see anything. Just really, really dumb, in my opinion.

I will say that I love the fact that they do not have any bags in the lodge. The downstairs, where you buy tickets and get your boots on is great.

As someone mentioned above, it's definitely functional. (and as I've mentioned before, love the ski-boot-friendly steps from downstairs to the cafeteria level.) I also imagine it was pretty economical to build, which had to be important for a ski area rising from the dead. Ugly hangar lodge at open ski area >>>> rustic lodge at NELSAP site.