Holiday week bust???

[machski]

In Europe those bubbles are everywhere. I wonder why they are less popular in the east. I speculate the east coast ski areas pay much more for shipping relative to resorts in the alps.

Try no government subsidy and slim profit margins. A new lift often costs too much, add in all the frills, well... In the east, if you get one signature lift you are lucky. Very few have 2.

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[Zermatt]

Try no government subsidy and slim profit margins. A new lift often costs too much, add in all the frills, well... In the east, if you get one signature lift you are lucky. Very few have 2.

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I thought wind may be a factor as well in that bubble lifts are far more sail like than bare metal poles.

I'll fly to Europe and take govt subsidies all day long. It's still cheaper than going to CO for a week vacation with my young kids (who ski for free in Europe) at the current exchange rate. Heated seats, bubble lifts, gondolas, trams....all in a place that doesn't really get that cold.

One other factor, a much greater population density of people who actually live to ski. Take Switzerland with a land area roughly the size of VT and NH with a population of 8 million (2 milllion in VT and NH). What % skis in Switzerland (50%+?) versus VT/NH (10%?)

 

[drjeff]

I thought wind may be a factor as well in that bubble lifts are far more sail like than bare metal poles.

I'll fly to Europe and take govt subsidies all day long. It's still cheaper than going to CO for a week vacation with my young kids (who ski for free in Europe) at the current exchange rate. Heated seats, bubble lifts, gondolas, trams....all in a place that doesn't really get that cold.

One other factor, a much greater population density of people who actually live to ski. Take Switzerland with a land area roughly the size of VT and NH with a population of 8 million (2 milllion in VT and NH). What % skis in Switzerland (50%+?) versus VT/NH (10%?)

Actually with the bubbles down, they do very well in the wind, better than most open chairs!

For example, even before anyone sits on it, the bubble 6's at The Hermitage, Mount Snow and Okemo weigh about 1400lbs a piece. That mass makes them quite stable in some big winds.

I have seen many days at Mount Snow where the open Grand Summit Express quad was on wind hold while the Bluebird which basically runs the same essentially parallel route to the summit just a few hundred feet to the North, is running, and not even at reduced speed either.

The mass of the bubble, combined with how with the bubble down that air flows over, around and under the chairs make them quite good in the wind

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[benski]

From what I remember hearing/reading, many lift systems in Europe are also subsidized by the government which drops the cost for resorts to install them. In some areas they are essentially considered part of public transportation systems.

Why do they subsidize they subsidize the lifts? I can't see many of these lifts being useful to non skiers and sightseers.

 

[Jully]

Why do they subsidize they subsidize the lifts? I can't see many of these lifts being useful to non skiers and sightseers.

No clue, but I could guess that they treat it like a public park sort of deal? If enough people ski and/or sight see, I could see it being seen as worthwhile by the towns/population.

 

[Bumpsis]

Why do they subsidize they subsidize the lifts? I can't see many of these lifts being useful to non skiers and sightseers.

These godless, wealth distributing communists, no good socialists!! Taxing and spending their citizens' money on useless things like ski lifts....
Actually, a lot of those lifts are used throughout the year , supporting a rather robust mountain tourism. It's amazing to arrive at some high mountain chalet and be able to buy a hot meal and wash it down with excellent beer. They all over the Alps.

 

[bdfreetuna]

These godless, wealth distributing communists, no good socialists!! Taxing and spending their citizens' money on useless things like ski lifts....

Actually more fascist for a government to pick and choose industries to subsidize

 

[bdfreetuna]

These godless, wealth distributing communists, no good socialists!! Taxing and spending their citizens' money on useless things like ski lifts....

Actually more fascist for a government to pick and choose industries to subsidize

 

[machski]

Decent sized crowd out today at SR even with temps starting at -15. No wind though made it to tally bearable and with a bunch of ropes dropping in Jordan/Oz, even a lot of fun!

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[Bumpsis]

Actually more fascist for a government to pick and choose industries to subsidize

Well, the word "fascist" doesn't really apply to government subsidies but yeah, the Big Coal is grateful for what it got and waiting for more. Oil people are happy for their helpings as well

 

[bdfreetuna]

This week would be a bust for me anyway due to knee problems. Given the choice between -10 degree temps and alternatively doing some knee exercises, ice, and a brace... I'll try and live to ski a warmer day.

It's going to be a slow season for the books but I'll make the most of it and try to get out on good days on some different mountains.

 

[NYDB]

I think 12/30 will be the busiest day of the week. Moderate temps, all things considered.

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[Bumpsis]

This week would be a bust for me anyway due to knee problems. Given the choice between -10 degree temps and alternatively doing some knee exercises, ice, and a brace... I'll try and live to ski a warmer day.

It's going to be a slow season for the books but I'll make the most of it and try to get out on good days on some different mountains.

Sorry to hear about your knee issues. It sucks and I know it personally, dealing with something similar. Injured my knee 2 years ago - slow healing. Thankfully, I can ski (and bike) but the injury took away hiking and running. It does affect ski conditioning, so when I'm on the hill, can't really ski like I really want to because the legs are not quite there. I'm wishing you the best.

 

[bdfreetuna]

Sorry to hear about your knee issues. It sucks and I know it personally, dealing with something similar. Injured my knee 2 years ago - slow healing. Thankfully, I can ski (and bike) but the injury took away hiking and running. It does affect ski conditioning, so when I'm on the hill, can't really ski like I really want to because the legs are not quite there. I'm wishing you the best.

Thanks man, I'm going to try to stay braced up as much as possible and focus on using my hips for turning... use the knees for the kind of motion they're intended for and only that. Easier said than done. I'm encouraged by what I've learned recently, which implies conditioning other leg muscles and training proper movement can go a long way.

It would suck to lose hiking but honestly I'm about there right now with the way that knee is. I can see hiking with ski poles in my future easily.

When you say you injured your knee 2 years ago.. was that a sudden injury, or, what happened?

This all said -- waiting to see if my buddy with no heat is coming by tonight. If not I think Killington is looking good tomorrow.

 

[Bumpsis]

When you say you injured your knee 2 years ago.. was that a sudden injury, or, what happened?

Involuntary dismount off my mountain bike - I hit an inside of my knee hard enough to do some internal damage that was not immediately felt beyond skin scrape. The very next day, stupidly, I hiked Beaver Brook trail on Mt. Moosilauke. Love that hike but it's a steep mother. Half way down I started feeling the damage. Back at the car, definite inflammation. Micro tears of one of the lateral tendons. Really slow healing. I regained partial hiking ability now but ripping up a 4000 footer and down still out of question. Really miss it.

Have a great time at Killington. With proper insulation it's not that bad. I'm hitting Cannon on Sunday.

 

[Glenn]

Curious to see how mountains did this weekend. I'm sure the day tripper sales are down. Wondering how things went with people who booked and bought in advance?

 

[Zermatt]

Really big crowd at Pico on Saturday and the temps were quite tolerable.

Jay Peak was full of sh*t this morning. All upper mountain lifts closed on claims the air temperature was -28F (not the wind chill). No doubt in my mind it was cold and even colder with the wind....but no way it was -28F. At the time of their tweet it was -28F on the summit of Mount Washington, over 2,000 feet higher. The stations at 3 and 4k feet on Mount Washington were much warmer.

Not sure why they feel like they have to lie to justify closing the upper mountain when there is real-time data (and post analysis from weather models) that prove they are wrong. -10F is plenty cold and much worse with the wind.

Remind me again why Jay Peak doesn't have one of those cool webcams like every place out west (even Mount Snow) that shows their 24 hour snowfall?

 

[cdskier]

Jay Peak was full of sh*t this morning. All upper mountain lifts closed on claims the air temperature was -28F (not the wind chill). No doubt in my mind it was cold and even colder with the wind....but no way it was -28F. At the time of their tweet it was -28F on the summit of Mount Washington, over 2,000 feet higher. The stations at 3 and 4k feet on Mount Washington were much warmer.

To be fair, temps at Mt Washington don't prove anything. I saw a pic from someone at Sugarbush showing -20 on a thermometer at the top of Castlerock. A friend of that person said they saw -24 at one point and a patroller said they had seen -27 earlier in the day. So it isn't out of the question that it was really -28 at the top of Jay at some point. Whether that is a reason to close lifts is another topic though...

 

[Zermatt]

To be fair, temps at Mt Washington don't prove anything. I saw a pic from someone at Sugarbush showing -20 on a thermometer at the top of Castlerock. A friend of that person said they saw -24 at one point and a patroller said they had seen -27 earlier in the day. So it isn't out of the question that it was really -28 at the top of Jay at some point. Whether that is a reason to close lifts is another topic though...

Was that today? If so, I take it back. I thought the atmosphere was fairly well mixed this morning in which case you'd see a normal decrease in temps with height...but the cold pool may have just been centered over Vermont better and Mount Washington missed out.

Saturday morning was the typical end of cold pattern inversion. It was -17 when I left the Champlain Valley and close to zero when we got to Pico 25 minutes later.

 

[cdskier]

Was that today? If so, I take it back. I thought the atmosphere was fairly well mixed this morning in which case you'd see a normal decrease in temps with height...but the cold pool may have just been centered over Vermont better and Mount Washington missed out.
.

Yes, this was today.


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