Ever been the only customer?

[Mapnut]

These threads keep suggesting related topics.

I can think of three occasions, all long ago when I was a student and could ski weekdays without spending paid vacation.

1. Enchanted Mountain, ME, a weekday in January probably 1971. I went with friends who liked going there because there was never a liftline. Boy were they right! There were just the 4 of us. Conditions were lovely. I drove up there again with friends from college a year later, but it was closed. For good, I think.

2. Pine Top, RI, probably 1973. Conditions were OK but the T-bar was slow and the trails were flat; we only took a few runs. I can't guarantee that other people weren't there earlier or later the same day.

3. Saddleback, probably 1971, after a sleet storm that was so bad Sugarloaf was closed. Sugarloaf was our original destination, not having listened for a snow report, but we continued on to Saddleback hoping its higher altitude had resulted in snow. No such luck, but they had ground up the crust and opened two trails alongside the upper T-bar (no summit T-bar in those days). It was pretty awful; two runs were enough. I don't remember for sure that no one else was there, but we didn't see anyone while we were skiing.

 

[BushMogulMaster]

Never the only customer, but I went to Magic Mtn in 2000 with my dad and my brother, and I think we were 3 of about 10 people there. And about 5 of the other 7 people were mountain ops and management staff skiing with us.

 

[Vortex]

Jerry G myself snowseek and my son were the only ones at Sunday River on April 27th (Friday) this year for about 2 hours. Lift attendant said there are 7out there. Next run he said you guys are it have fun.

 

[loafer89]

I night skied with my wife at Woodbury in February of 1996 and it was brutally cold (-6F) and we where alone and self loading the chairlift:-o

 

[threecy]

I've been the only customer before and I hate it! It makes me want to leave - I had to see a ski area spinning lifts etc. for just one or two people.

 

[kingdom-tele]

just about any week day at burke

 

[downhill04]

Never been the only customer, but had an hour to myself one morning at Sunday River. To this day I have no clue how I managed it.

It was an April mid week powder day (4-6”). A few friends and I were staying at the grand summit. We partied pretty hard the night before and I was the only one awake. I looked out the window and saw the lifts turning so the attendants could clean the new snow off of them. I threw my gear on and skied down to the Tempest quad. I skied right onto the lift and the only thing the liftie said was “good morning”. Then I skied strait down to the white heat chair. The liftie there says “how did you get here? We don't open for another half hour.” I told him they let me ride the Tempest quad. Then he says “Well if they let you up here, go ahead.” So I made 2 runs on white heat and 2 more on shock wave before I saw another person load on the white heat quad.

That was an AWESOME feeling to have those 2 trails all to myself on a powder day. My hung over friends were kicking themselves for not getting up when I did

 

[St. Jerry]

Yes, at Gore Mountain. It was mid-week in early December 2003, pouring rain, and 35 degrees. It was just me and some old lady there. She left and I then I had the mountain to myself, though I only stayed until after lunch.

My other near "only customer" was Christmas week 2003 in Solitude Utah. I was staying up at the mountain and because of two feet of new snow overnight (after two feet the prior day), the road up to the resort closed due to avalanches. They opened up one lift for the people staying at the resort, but only 10-15 people were skiing that morning (too much snow for most). not a bad day!

 

[BushMogulMaster]

Never the only customer,

Actually... I take that back. I was the only customer at Sugarbush one day. Temperature was about -10 at the base, and exactly -30 at the summit (no joke, no exaggeration). GMX was the only thing running until around 2:30 when they sent two ops to Summit Quad. I was the only person on the mountain, and we had gotten about 10" the night before. So I had pow bumps all to myself, quite literally. It was definitely wind packed, and I could only take 3 runs before I was nearing frostbite on every part of my body. But it was still cool being the ONLY skier on such a huge mountain!

 

[Ski Diva]

just about any week day at burke

I agree. I was at Burke one weekday this winter (can't recall the date, but think it was in February), and once the race team left from the Burke Mountain School, I think there were about 10 of us remaining on the whole mountain. And it IS kind of creepy. I kept thinking, boy, if I get hurt I could lie here undiscovered til God knows when!

 

[sledhaulingmedic]

No. But as an employee I've been working several times, both at Magic and Bear Creek, where we closed with one or two or even no customers.

Blue Hills there were many nights there's be no customers left at sweep.

One time at Waterville about 20 years ago, it was raining and the three of us were the only customers after 2:00. They were supposed to be open to 4:00, but when we skied into the lift line at 3:35, the lifty had pulled the rope and just sat in the shack laughing at us.

 

[eastcoastpowderhound]

Mid March 2006 at Shawnee Peak...it was the last Thu night of the race league, dumping pretty good...after everyone took their two race runs they went into the lodge for the awards dinner. My buddy and I were the only two riding the lift from about 7:30pm until the last chair at 9pm...there was only about 6" of fresh but last winter was so crappy it was the deepest snow I'd skied in the east all season. By the time we got off the hill all the food was gone, we missed the awards, and missed getting our tee shirts...but everyone else missed the goods...and there was still beer flowing at the bar.

 

[kingslug]

It was raining at Hunter so we hit Belleayre. Only customer for the day.

 

[snoseek]

twice at cannon mt. pretty cool having the tram ops tell me to let them know when i'm ready! no beverage rule on the tram was lifted.

 

[St. Jerry]

I was the only skier at Stratton. It was mid-week in late April 1985. Only two trails and two lifts open.

 

[dmc]

I've had Hunter West to myself before...

 

[Terry]

I have had a few nights at Shawnee Peak where I was the last one out there at the end of the evening. It is sort of an eerie feeling, but also fun knowing that you can just crank out any trail full blast and not worry about traffic!

 

[tmcc71]

twice this season at Wachusett

One rainy March day at Wachusett I got there at about 3. They were spinning the lifts for just me. I finally felt guilty and asked if they were staying open for me and it seems they were. I had two hours to myself. One night in January we recieved 12 inches of snow in a short period of time. By 8 pm nobody but myself, ski patrol and rangers were skiing. It was brutal cold and windy, but still the best skiing i have ever encountered. Especially on a pair of Head monsters. Man those skis are versatile.

 

[ERJ-145CA]

On March 16, 2007 I was the only skier at Campgaw Mountain in NJ. It was the St. Patricks Day snowstorm and when I got there there were a couple of snowboarders but they left soon after. I was the only one for about 1 1/2 hours and then another skier showed up right before I was leaving. It was snowing so hard I think most people didn't want to drive.