I didn't start skiing until my teens...but at that point my early skiing years were all at a small place in the Poconos. At the time they had only 1 T2B lift. It wasn't unusual on a Saturday to have 20-25+ minute lines easily. And that was to ski a whopping 600' of vertical! So I just laugh today when people complain about lines being longer than 10 minutes as "long". Even 15 minutes to ski the type of terrain and vertical that you can ski in VT isn't a big deal to me. Granted I still try to work the mountains properly to avoid those lines. But if I do hit them once in a while I just think back to what I used to deal with in the Poconos when I first started skiing.
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Excessive crowds on the Modern day Ski mountain, Lift lines, Traffic lines & Parking issues. What, Where, When??
- Thread starter MidnightJester
- Start date
Smellytele
Well-known member
MRG on a saturday. Jay peak when all that is open is Jet because of wind holds.
Also a 30" day at Stowe when only the triple was open to start. Then every time another lift opened then that line.
Also a 30" day at Stowe when only the triple was open to start. Then every time another lift opened then that line.
As a 40+ year NE skier, I/we skied VT in college, every where (based out of Boston) in the 80's, but then discovered that ME and northern NH were way less crowded than VT. Always locals and MA folks but almost NO ONE from CT & NY....
Still holds true today.
Still holds true today.
Aside from the Boyne mtns and Sunapee you're right. Even the Maine Boyne hills are mostly reasonable (its been a bit for me). Loon is a shitshow but only on weekends. Tuesdays at Loon are the day.
PAabe
Active member
Funny you mention Blue Knob. That place is now one of the best places you can go on a holiday weekend because there is almost never any lines despite having the same lifts as 40 year ago. Unfortunately they seem to have really fallen off the radar. All the old timers, even people who were not big skiers, know of it is as the place you had to be, but most young people haven't even heard of it. Everyone goes to 7 Springs, Whitetail, and Blue Moutain now. It is easy to avoid the lines if you just avoid those busy places during busy weekends and go elsewhere. Hit them in the spring when the skiing is better anyway.
Worst line I have waited in - Okemo, Presidents day. Ski club went there. We made the mistake of going over to Jackson Gore and had two wait in not one but two lines nearing an hour long to get out of there. We should have just taken the bus back to the main base.
Most of the non Epic non Ikon places rarely have unreasonably long lines these days. I'll happily go there.
Worst line I have waited in - Okemo, Presidents day. Ski club went there. We made the mistake of going over to Jackson Gore and had two wait in not one but two lines nearing an hour long to get out of there. We should have just taken the bus back to the main base.
Most of the non Epic non Ikon places rarely have unreasonably long lines these days. I'll happily go there.
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urungus
Well-known member
interesting considering MLK day is not a holiday in Canada
Edd
Well-known member
Could be a strong US contingent of skiers.
Good Point.. I used to go to CAN for President's week 'cause that's when we had vacation and the pricing was not jacked up for the holidays nor was it as crowded as the major VT hills. Went twice to Tremblant and at least 4 times to Ste. Anne/ Le Massif. Tremblant is fun but the better skiing is near Quebec IMO. Plus you have Quebec!
KustyTheKlown
Well-known member
they have some holiday in canad called family day or something that coincides with either mlk or presidents day. and i was there. and it was the worst shit of my life.
edit - monday feb 20 this year, so it coincides with presidents weekend.
Former Sunday Rivah Rat
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The week after MLK. My last VT trip,
Saturday Killington was a complete shitshow. Thats what happens when your with a group too lazy to get up early for first tracks. Got to Okemo early the next day, Sunday, rainy, foggy and still crowded. I will not be back to VT unless it's Jay Peak. Way too crowded.
slatham
Well-known member
We are all over (ski) educated people. We can easily avoid the worse of it, and when we can’t due to various factors (family schedules, etc) we know what we’re getting into and just deal. Or go snowshoeing, or skin, or cross country, or to the bar…..
drjeff
Well-known member
Vail, about 10yrs ago, early March. 18" powder day in the Back Bowls. About as good a day skiing with my family as I ever had and likely will ever have. End of the day, waiting for last chair up out of tea cup to get back to the main side and start some apres.
Line was 45 min. Looked like the epic liftlines photo from the backbowls that went viral last year..
After about a half dozen after lunch untracked laps through inner and outer Mongolia Bowls with the family it was worth every second of that wait!
Line was 45 min. Looked like the epic liftlines photo from the backbowls that went viral last year..
After about a half dozen after lunch untracked laps through inner and outer Mongolia Bowls with the family it was worth every second of that wait!
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Yeah we're going to Sugarbush day after Christmas until day after New Years. Did it last year and had a great time. Crowded, perhaps, but not nearly as crowded as most of the above scenarios. If there's enough natural snow we'll go snowshoeing and xc skiing. We've been know to bring our mountain bikes on early season ski trips. Hoping to NOT bring them!
McFatt
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Last winter president week at Stowe. Took the family for a 5 day vacation. Stayed on Mountain Road (Golden Eagle Resort) about 6 miles from base lodge. It took 1 hour and 40 minutes at 6:30am to get to Toll Road parking lot. Then on a shuttle bus for 25 more minutes to finally get to chairlift. It wasn't even that good up there! Until our last run of the day when we poached the closed Tol Rd trail and skied knee deep green circle all the way back to the truck. Gotta seek out that silver lining. I told him it was ok to say "f*ck vail" after that ordeal. He got the message and we are looking forward to checking some indypass resorts this year.
Edd
Well-known member
Who is “him” and “he” in this story?
DoublePlanker
Member
KillingCrowds about 1992. Christmas week. 4 lift rides total. Starship base 60 minute wait. Killington double chair 45 minute wait. Superstar lift twice.
All ice everywhere including the novice connector trails. Massively overcrowded trails. Long lines at the bar. Didn't go back to KCrowds for many years after that.
All ice everywhere including the novice connector trails. Massively overcrowded trails. Long lines at the bar. Didn't go back to KCrowds for many years after that.
joshua segal
Well-known member
Snowmaking and grooming technology have changed a lot since 1992. And we've all skied lousy conditions from time-to-time, and not only at the start of a season.
No shit, but the title of the thread is where and when have you skiied in excessive crowds so not sure what your point is.
Smellytele
Well-known member
He is a Killington apologist.
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