Eastern Closing Thread 2018

[abc]

Good list!

Looking at the Vermont dates, April 15 is not a crazy date for Stowe to close but is in the mix (was that discussion here or another thread?)

A recent email from EPIC happened to give their other dates:

Closing Days - Get In Your Last Turns of the Season!
How many more days can you rack up on the mountain? Get there before they close for the season!
Park City: April 8
Vail: April 15
Stowe: April 15
Heavenly: April 22
Breckenridge: April 22
Whistler Mountain: April 22
Blackcomb Mountain: May 21​

So that bolsters my view that Stowe closing on Apr-15 is not "a Vail thing", nor from the above dates does it seem that EPIC closes especially early as some sort of Vail-wide rule.

Again, based on this year's two trips I went on to Vail and Park City, to specifically to check out who bought us and what's in store for Stowe, I'm watching like a hawk for the first negative signs of change, but this closing date doesn't seem to be one of them.

”The list” is 1) all out west, 2) on an extraordinarily poor snow year for much of those resorts on the list. (Stowe did NOT have an extraordinarily poir snow year) So, I don’t see any relevance of “the list”.

Whats more relevant is historical closing dates compared with closing dates after Vail took over.

For Stowe, this is just the beginning of Vail ownership. So this year’s early closing (compared to historical) may or may not be due to the new owner. All we can say is the new Vail ownership did NOT extend their closing date beyond traditional dates.

Some of the other mountains on the very list had been in Vail’s hand a few more years. Particularly Park City and the Tahoe mountains (missing from the list: Kirtwood and Northstar) Would be interesting to compare closing dates pre vs post Vail ownership.

 

[machski]

”The list” is 1) all out west, 2) on an extraordinarily poor snow year for much of those resorts on the list. (Stowe did NOT have an extraordinarily poir snow year) So, I don’t see any relevance of “the list”.

Whats more relevant is historical closing dates compared with closing dates after Vail took over.

For Stowe, this is just the beginning of Vail ownership. So this year’s early closing (compared to historical) may or may not be due to the new owner. All we can say is the new Vail ownership did NOT extend their closing date beyond traditional dates.

Some of the other mountains on the very list had been in Vail’s hand a few more years. Particularly Park City and the Tahoe mountains (missing from the list: Kirtwood and Northstar) Would be interesting to compare closing dates pre vs post Vail ownership.

The west is different, many resorts on federal land have defined operating periods and cannot operate outside of those. Vail itself falls into that.

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[benski]

Some western ski area probably would have much more trouble making money late/early season since so many of there customers fly there. None come close to the New England ski areas in local density. I know they blame it on some bird but not all are effected so maybe it's more about making a profit. A lot also don't open in November.

 

[skimagic]

I have heard Stratton is state-mandated closing as opposed to other mountains who can dictate their own.

Not sure if that's true about Stratton or not though.

I rode up with a Stratton guest relations member. He did say that Stratton MTN has one of the highest bear densities in the state. There are dens off test pilot.its likely then that the state put a restriction on when sun bowl, and kidderbrock went in. Stratton did give away 1,000 acres of bear habitat when sun bowl was built and did a study. I'm not sure what their permit says but liftsare running next weekend.

I saw a bear and cub on challenger trail at mtsnow last spring. Pretty cool, it wasn't interested in the skiers, just beelined towards Olympic.

 

[cdskier]

For Stowe, this is just the beginning of Vail ownership. So this year’s early closing (compared to historical) may or may not be due to the new owner. All we can say is the new Vail ownership did NOT extend their closing date beyond traditional dates.

Agreed. Will be interesting to see what happens in future years. For now it looks like they are closing a week early and I'd tend to think Vail is the reason, but we certainly need to see if that trend continues to know for sure.

 

[Hawk]

I skied Stowe on Saturday and there is a ton of snow. Much more than Sugarbush especially in the woods. When they close next weekend they will still have most of their terrain available. If they are going to close so early then they should consider doing less snowmaking to save that money also. They are leaving feet of snow on the trails when they close.

 

[Zand]

Just went up to wachusett to pick up boots from the shop. Signs out front say reopening Saturday and Sunday. Temps look spring-like this weekend too. Coverage still looks great and this week looks cold up to Thursday

 

[cdskier]

I skied Stowe on Saturday and there is a ton of snow. Much more than Sugarbush especially in the woods. When they close next weekend they will still have most of their terrain available. If they are going to close so early then they should consider doing less snowmaking to save that money also. They are leaving feet of snow on the trails when they close.

This got me curious a bit to look at snow totals...if the snow reports are to believed, Sugarbush has one of the lowest (if not the lowest) snowfall totals in VT this year while Stowe has the 3rd highest behind Jay and Smuggs.

Some resorts that I looked at either didn't list the info on their website or already wiped it out as they are closed for the season, but here's the current totals from places I did find (I didn't look at every single resort in VT). Interesting numbers... So what did SB do to anger Old Man Winter so much this year?

SB - 167
Stratton - 171
Magic - 174
MRG - 181
Burke - 188
Mt Snow - 191
K - 220
Bolton - 222
Stowe - 259
Smuggs - 292
Jay - 363

 

[slatham]

This got me curious a bit to look at snow totals...if the snow reports are to believed, Sugarbush has one of the lowest (if not the lowest) snowfall totals in VT this year while Stowe has the 3rd highest behind Jay and Smuggs.

Some resorts that I looked at either didn't list the info on their website or already wiped it out as they are closed for the season, but here's the current totals from places I did find (I didn't look at every single resort in VT). Interesting numbers... So what did SB do to anger Old Man Winter so much this year?

SB - 167
Stratton - 171
Magic - 174
MRG - 181
Burke - 188
Mt Snow - 191
K - 220
Bolton - 222
Stowe - 259
Smuggs - 292
Jay - 363

Yes I watch several areas very closely (Brom/Magic being "home" mountains, Sugarbush has family, and Stowe has the "stake"). Sugarbush was in a very weird and unusual (unprecedented?) snow hole when compared with Stowe and SoVT. While Stowe typically gets more than Sugarbush, it's not typically 92" (which is 55%) more than Sugarbush. Its also hardly ever, over the course of the winter, more than Bromley and Magic.

But SoVT delivered this year, especially this spring. Case in point was last Saturday - 6-8" at Brom/Magic, 3-4" at the Bush, 2" at Stowe.......

 

[cdskier]

Yes I watch several areas very closely (Brom/Magic being "home" mountains, Sugarbush has family, and Stowe has the "stake"). Sugarbush was in a very weird and unusual (unprecedented?) snow hole when compared with Stowe and SoVT. While Stowe typically gets more than Sugarbush, it's not typically 92" (which is 55%) more than Sugarbush. Its also hardly ever, over the course of the winter, more than Bromley and Magic.

But SoVT delivered this year, especially this spring. Case in point was last Saturday - 6-8" at Brom/Magic, 3-4" at the Bush, 2" at Stowe.......

Driving up Friday evening kind of epitomized the season. It was snowing pretty good driving up Rt 100 but as soon as I got out of the Granville Gulf area it pretty much just stopped snowing all of a sudden.

 

[Teleskier]

I skied Stowe on Saturday and there is a ton of snow. Much more than Sugarbush especially in the woods. When they close next weekend they will still have most of their terrain available. If they are going to close so early then they should consider doing less snowmaking to save that money also. They are leaving feet of snow on the trails when they close.

Not sure it's all snowmaking. They had massive snow dumps in the woods. I was chest deep in powder (good) semi-lost in new untracked territory alone (bad) in the Stowe woods a couple of weekends ago, where the high winds kept taking the snow from the woods and 'refreshing' the trails with fresh powder run after run, day after day (high winds weren't fun but the constantly refreshed powder on main trails was awesome).

 

[chuckstah]

I'm at mount Snow today and the word is daily thriugh the 22nd. And it's a great day. Dumping snow.

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[kingslug]

Praying for warmer weather this weekend..or all that good stuff at Stowe will be closed..

 

[sull1102]

I'm at mount Snow today and the word is daily thriugh the 22nd. And it's a great day. Dumping snow.

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Looks like they're now selling tickets for next week too. Someone pointed out that the CT schools go vacation next week so they might actually get a pretty good crowd.

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[Teleskier]

Praying for warmer weather this weekend..or all that good stuff at Stowe will be closed..

It feels like the forecast is changing hourly. As of right now, we might get Friday at warm temp but skiing in the rain, where Sat and Sun look winter cold where they'll keep the bumps closed.

Stratton may have more luck being closer to the southern warm front.

 

[MadPatSki]

Eastern Closing 2018 : Calendar creep closures – Week 3
https://madpatski.wordpress.com/2018/04/10/eastern-closing-2018-calendar-creep-closures-week-3/

Here is this week's list. The title says it all, regardless of the amount of snow on the ground, many ski areas will be calling a season this weekend. Go skiing.

 

[kingslug]

Mansfields weather changes so much..most of the reports dont show the peak temp. Would hate to see it ice up..but it gets friggin cold up there..but could also dump...we..shall see...ill be there.

 

[flakeydog]

This year is essentially been below average to average until mid-march according to the Snow Stake at Mt Mansfield. Contrast this to last year which was higher than average and 2015-16, a total crap year.

 

[Glenn]

It feels like the forecast is changing hourly. As of right now, we might get Friday at warm temp but skiing in the rain, where Sat and Sun look winter cold where they'll keep the bumps closed.

Stratton may have more luck being closer to the southern warm front.

I'm hoping for dry weather Saturday to get some turns in at Stratton. NWS Albany isn't giving much of a timeline for the rain. Reading the forecast discussion earlier, it sounded like it was more of an afternoon/evening event. We'll see.

 

[kingslug]

Yup..forecast is rain this weekend...then I'll ski in the friggin rain...and my wife...will complain...