Improvements you'd make?

[KevinF]

Make Liftline at Stowe a (real) double diamond again.

Just curious as to what you'd change on liftline to make it a "real double diamond"? Last time I saw it (on Monday) it was filled with big icy bumps and thin cover. Good enough?

 

[Conrad]

Put back in more surface lifts at the top of mountains again at places like Jay, Sugarloaf and others that see wind holds on a regular basis.

Right on. I would say my most important improvement would be do put a surface lift at Sugarloaf from the top of Skyline/#3 T-Bar to the summit.

 

[gladerider]

Put security cameras around the racks to prevent equipment theft. I noticed park city had this setup when i was out there this past christmas. I am sure some places already have this but i do not recall any eastern mt with this setup.

 

[MadMadWorld]

Just curious as to what you'd change on liftline to make it a "real double diamond"? Last time I saw it (on Monday) it was filled with big icy bumps and thin cover. Good enough?

It used to be half the width as it is now. They graded it and removed pretty much all of the natural obstacles that making skiing liftlines at other resorts so much fun.

 

[MadMadWorld]

Install new lifts at Smuggler's Notch.

They plan to replace the Sterling double within the next couple of years. The problem with replacing Madonna I with a higher capacity lift is that they wouldn't be able to keep all of it's natural terrain open as much. I can't imagine how often Liftline would be open if they put a high speed quad in there.

 

[Puck it]

Replanting trees and narrowing trails would rate pretty high on my list for Cannon.

Which ones? Front Five are fine the way they are for ripping.

 

[Warp Daddy]

Make Tremblant WARMER :-D get rid of ol sloooow double on the EDGE , rework the nexus of trail junctions at base of the Versant Soleil so it isnt a clusterf....k, and for my local speedbump Titus Put footrests on the lifts

 

[AdironRider]

Which ones? Front Five are fine the way they are for ripping.

Profile for one, the two groomers (what is is Vista and Tramway?) over on the tram side of things could be narrower as well IMO.

I think Attitash/Bear could add some terrain without to much issue.

Open Wittier again.

 

[Cheese]

I think Attitash/Bear could add some terrain without to much issue.

Replace the triple with a HSQ.

 

[AdironRider]

Replace the triple with a HSQ.

I think the triple works, maybe a newer fixed grip that runs a tad bit faster.

 

[Cheese]

I think the triple works, maybe a newer fixed grip that runs a tad bit faster.

Maybe I'm just spoiled by HSQ lifts at other resorts and think it's a shame to have terrain like at Attitash that isn't accessible by one. I don't really find the trails crowded (except maybe Saco corner) so I think they could handle the increased uphill capacity.

I'm all about conserving calories on the way up and burning them on the way down so I'd also wish for a HSQ from the parking lot at Tuckerman's!

 

[C-Rex]

I'd like to see more resorts require park passes. I know they annoy a lot of people but I like that they keep looky-loo's out and especially idiot parents that bring their kids in there when they can barely ski or ride to begin with. I can't tell you how many times I've almost mowed over a toddler that decided it would be a good idea to cross the approach or landing of a feature.

I have to disagree about Smuggs. I like that they have a low uphill capacity. It keeps the trails uncrowded and adds a certain charm. I'm not saying a faster ride to the top wouldn't be great but it's a slippery slope when you start adding big, fast lifts. I wouldn't want to see them become like Mt. Snow.

 

[C-Rex]

I'd also like to see more mountains host lift-serviced mountain biking in the summer. Not only would it add revenue for the resort but bike trails make really fun, narrow chutes in the winter, and ladder drops are even more fun on snow. Catamount had a great thing going but they couldn't get the management to invest in it properly. I loved riding my bikes there, and in the winter some of the bike trails were the best places on the mountain.

 

[Cheese]

Can we replace all the gondolas and trams with HSQs? Taking equipment on and off is a pain.

 

[drjeff]

Can we replace all the gondolas and trams with HSQs? Taking equipment on and off is a pain.

Bubble lifts! Best of both worlds! Gear stays on, and you get to get out of the elements from your boot tops on up during the ride!

 

[AdironRider]

Maybe I'm just spoiled by HSQ lifts at other resorts and think it's a shame to have terrain like at Attitash that isn't accessible by one. I don't really find the trails crowded (except maybe Saco corner) so I think they could handle the increased uphill capacity.

I'm all about conserving calories on the way up and burning them on the way down so I'd also wish for a HSQ from the parking lot at Tuckerman's!

I dont think Attiash proper could handle more than it does already. Midweek would be fine, but holidays would be an absolute junk show.

Attitash itself has done a pretty good job of keeping trails on the narrower side and more NE feel. High speed quad turns into Bear peak, which makes it one giant hald assed Mt. Snow, and defeats the purpose of their setup IMO.

 

[andyzee]

Increase snowmaking at Plattekill (they are working on this).

Decrease snowmaking at Plattekill. I realize from a business stand point it required, but one of the things that originally drew me to Plattekill was the natural snow and lack of grooming.

 

[KevinF]

It used to be half the width as it is now. They graded it and removed pretty much all of the natural obstacles that making skiing liftlines at other resorts so much fun.

How long ago was Stowe's Liftline half-the-width it is now? I first went to Stowe in 1994, and I haven't seen a significant trail change since then.

Note, I agree with you that Liftline is usually fairly easy... But I've always heard this "the front four have changed" mantra, and I've never seen a picture of their original configuration, so it's more a historical question -- how far back do you need to go to have skied them in their "original state"? I've seen elsewhere that the original seven turns of Nosedive were removed in 1968?, meaning that in my lifetime, that trail has never been skied in its "original" form. (I was born in 1970).

 

[Puck it]

Profile for one, the two groomers (what is is Vista and Tramway?) over on the tram side of things could be narrower as well IMO.

Profile was suppose to be narrow and twisty per designs from what I have been told.

Tramway is not all that wide. Vista is not a groomer. It fills in nicely with nat snow. And bumps up. Touching it would be a shame.

 

[St. Bear]

Profile was suppose to be narrow and twisty per designs from what I have been told.

Tramway is not all that wide. Vista is not a groomer. It fills in nicely with nat snow. And bumps up. Touching it would be a shame.

Profile is the first place I'd start. Maybe some nicely spaced evergreens around some trail junctions, like Lower Cannon. I haven't been there in a few years, so I don't really have exact locations in mind.

As for the Front Five, I just think they're comically wide at spots. I know that they run some races on them so it's probably not realistic to make them narrower.