Ever Hear Rumors that the USFS is the Reason Why Ski Areas Close Early? POWDER Magazine Provides the Real Answer

[thetrailboss]

https://www.powder.com/news/forest-service-ski-closing-day

The answer may or may not surprise you.

 

[jimk]

99% of the time it's strictly a business decision. Thanks for sharing.
After reading the article you linked, I spent another 45 mins looking at other Powder Mag articles from their site.

 

[thetrailboss]

99% of the time it's strictly a business decision. Thanks for sharing.
After reading the article you linked, I spent another 45 mins looking at other Powder Mag articles from their site.

Right? So glad to see Powder is coming back!

 

[Smellytele]

Well usfs making them choose a closing date before the season doesn’t help.

 

[thetrailboss]

Well usfs making them choose a closing date before the season doesn’t help.

That’s not the normal case. Read the article.

 

[BodeMiller1]

At Cannon it's all about the bears, not the bengamens. Cannon seems to have a hard closing date before the season begins. The labor swapping to golf courses, landscaping and such is more true than ever. After covid and the coming political winds.

 

[machski]

At Cannon it's all about the bears, not the bengamens. Cannon seems to have a hard closing date before the season begins. The labor swapping to golf courses, landscaping and such is more true than ever. After covid and the coming political winds.

Cannon has the added labor swapping to Franconia State Park summer operations as well. The fact the GM of Cannon also runs the State Park is a major reason they hard stop.

 

[snoseek]

It's a damn shame because they could be an absolute late spring competitor with using the upper quad and tram to access. Same goes for fall. Cannon could compete for lengthiest season with that set up and whatever trail they went with.

 

[Newpylong]

It's a damn shame because they could be an absolute late spring competitor with using the upper quad and tram to access. Same goes for fall. Cannon could compete for lengthiest season with that set up and whatever trail they went with.

There are certainly many other areas with setups better suited to holding snow later than Superstar, but the venues as a whole are just not the same. With the main base area at higher elevation right at the bottom of Superstar it's hard to beat. It also helps that Killington can cash in on F&B to the extreme as well.

 

[chuckstah]

I remember when Cannon went for early/late season, but it's been a long time. I remember skiing opening day on Halloween with the setup mentioned above, as well as a May first closing day still top to bottom. I remember thinking this setup is way better than K. Both had a summit lodge near the skiing, but the snow retention and up/ download was way better. This was very early 90's it believe.
The current SS setup is definitely better these days, but Cannon snow retention blows it away.

 

[BodeMiller1]

Cannon has the added labor swapping to Franconia State Park summer operations as well. The fact the GM of Cannon also runs the State Park is a major reason they hard stop.

New Hampshire runs the state like a business. And it's worked out well.

 

[4aprice]

I always understood that a lot of the western resorts have their employees on contract's with beginning and ending dates. Don't know what they do when they come on at the end and extend the season a week or 2. I don't really ever have a problem when they whittle down the number of open resorts in April as it seems the ones that stay open still have good snow and no crowds. Little Granby operates on an even more limited schedule Dec through March (date of Easter may have a little to do with exact date) but with WP, LL and A Basin around the skiing will outlast me, not the other way around. As a side note, not a big one for the race to be the first one on the snow each year. Usually willing to wait and let the first (skier) wave pass before heading out to start season.