Least Favorite Ski Area(s)

[Big Game]

re: MRG, I'm agnostic on the question of whether or not to allow snowboarders. I can tell you as a lodge owner that they lose a lot more business than the 25-35% of snowboarders, though. I've seen many groups of five or six guys who would love to give MRG a try between Sugarbush days but, oops, no snowboarders and one of them has a board. They lose not only the boarder but his five skiing buddies. But hey, it's their business and their mountain.

Thanks for the great insight, KingM. Obviously, MRG wants to retain a no-frills experience, which I think is great.

Myself, I really don't like that most areas feel compelled to have elaborate parks and extensive grooming with crappy music being pumped out of loudspeakers -- all frills that my lift ticket is subsidizing.

Granted you're going to know a lot more than me, but I don't think that allowing snowboard would translate into 30% + more user visits (with the exception of an initial "curiosity" spike). Simply put, most snowboarders would have no interest in going to MRG more than once. My guess is that terrain and the mountain operations are the biggest limiter to visits. Simply put, the vast majority of boarders actually want all the extensive grooming, big time snow making, mellow cruisers, parks and stupid music --- all things MRG does not offer.

Its the shareholder's hill and so I guess they can do whatever they want within the bounds of the law.. Now whatever the bounds of the law are need to be researched. Trail justice in not often quick, but it is always sweet.

 

[ctenidae]

I doubt there's any legal recourse for getting them to allow snowboarders, unless they were stupid enough to ban snowboarders because they're mostly white males under 25 years old, in which case I suppose a case could be made for descrimination. but I doubt it.
IMO, it's a business decision. They can run their business any way they like. If you don't like what they do, don't go there. I agree that, without a park, their board visits would be small, anyway, but it's their mountain. If they saw a significant loss from groups turning away because one is on a board, they'd probably rethink it. There may even be factors we don't know about- a break on insurance, different licensing requirements, or just plain orneriness. They've got reasons, and I doubt it's entirely "old school feel," though that is the stated reason.

 

[dmc]

The reason I've been given from the passive aggresive skiers at MRG is - We love snowboarders BUT they make the single chair derail when they get off...

I'd put myself in the 5% of boarders who WOULD LOVE to hit MRG one day and could care less about a park... the world is my park..

When I was there last year I saw POW shots that I could've hit with a board on that skiers were ignoring... I also saw people stopping in the middle of the trails and stopping after getting off the lift - the place got scraped off by noon - I saw a couple of collisions...

And guess what ? There were no snowboarders!!! Funny how all the stuff they claim snowboarders do that are bad - happened at a place where there are none...

That being said... I can't wait to get to telefest in March - after 2 days of riding Tuckermans.. I'll tele 2 days at MRG....

 

[ctenidae]

Heh, sounds like plain old orneriness to me, dmc. Let them be grumpy. Or, hike up the backside, board down the front, and dare them to take away your lift ticket, which you won't have, anyway.

Speaking of which, if you were to hike up the slopes, then ski down, would you need to purchase a lift ticket?

 

[dmc]

Heh, sounds like plain old orneriness to me, dmc. Let them be grumpy. Or, hike up the backside, board down the front, and dare them to take away your lift ticket, which you won't have, anyway.

Speaking of which, if you were to hike up the slopes, then ski down, would you need to purchase a lift ticket?

Some places - Taos,Alta - will get you for "theft of service"

 

[ctenidae]

Money grubbing bastages!

It makes sense, though, since you haven't accepted their waiver of liability or anything. Or paid for the upkeep of the bathrooms.

 

[Big Game]

Probably Unlawful Trespass 13 VSA 370 as well. Max $500 fine...3 months in the can. Probably would get plea to lesser charge and $50 fine.

For Theft of Services 13 VSA 2582, if you actually bought a ticket and then hiked up and got caught snowboarding, you could not get bagged for theft of services -- you didn't steal anything. If you didn't buy a ticket and then get bagged you got a max of $1000 fine and up to year in jail.

 

[Joshua B]

Money grubbing bastages!

A Johnny Dangerously reference! :lol:

 

[tree_skier]

Speaking of which, if you were to hike up the slopes, then ski down, would you need to purchase a lift ticket?

Any area can charge you with theft of services for being on a trail without a pass, whether hiking to ski/ride, snowshoeing or whatever. Even on state/national forest lands as the courts look at the ski area as an improvement on raw land and they have the right to control access to those improvements as thier permit permits.

As an aside I was at loon one day in the 80's after a good dump and riding up the north peak lift and saw a couple of guys jump of the lift near the summit to ski the trail underneath which was closed (with some patrolers standing at the top). At the bottom I saw the two guys in cuffs being escorted down.

 

[ctenidae]

Ski patrol put me in cuffs once.
Once.

Interesting- I guess that's why they call them Ski Passes now instead of Lift Tickets. Is Lift Tickets a holdover from Europe, where you actually buy a aticket for one ride up the tram in places?

Heh- from Least Favorite Ski Areas to Etymology of Ski Terms in only 5 pages.

 

[hammer]

Ski patrol put me in cuffs once.
Once.

Interesting...I didn't realize that the ski patrol had the authority to detain people.

 

[ctenidae]

Those velcro bands that hold skis together have many uses.

Seriously, though, never been in cuffs. Not from ski patrol, anyway. Just carrying on the JD line for Joshua B's benefit. Really. I was never near that place at that time. Those pictures don't mean anything. The light was bad. It could have been anyone. She said she was 18. At least, her Dad did...

 

[Big Game]

Any area can charge you with theft of services for being on a trail without a pass, whether hiking to ski/ride, snowshoeing or whatever. Even on state/national forest lands as the courts look at the ski area as an improvement on raw land and they have the right to control access to those improvements as thier permit permits.

Unless you had to enter premises out of reasonable necessity...i.e. boardng down a liftline without a pass becuase black bear was chasing you. No criminal liability, and your civil liability would likely be limited to the damage your trespass actually caused to the snow. If boilerplate little damages. Oh, but if it was untracked powder, then be prepared to empty your wallet.

 

[skidbump]

not to besmirch dmc/hunter but i hated it 25 years ago and went again last weds and sorry to say i still hate it...wife joins in on that also

 

[powderman]

1. Woodbury - only one, wide, very boring trail, that's shorter than bunny hills I've skiied on. If it were free like some local tows are, it would be cool, but given the fact that you have to pay to ski here, it's stupid. This is the only ski area I have visited that I'd like to see on the NELSAP list.
2. Powder Ridge - I was never bored skiing until... I visited Powder Ridge. Even if reopens, I'm not coming back

There's others I dislike, but none as much as Woodbury and Powder Ridge.

 

[jarrodski]

what's that old saying... a bad day of skiing is better than a good day of fishing?

 

[Beetlenut]

Waterville - never had a good day there!
Wa-Wa - Too small for all the people they get

 

[deadheadskier]

couldn't really name a least favorite. probably wisp or snowshoe in the mid-atlantic. anyone who bitches about crowds needs to go to snowshoe to get a true perspective on crowded ski area. 550K skier visits during a season that's about a month shorter than here. 220 acres of terrain and about 650 vert for all of it except two trails on the backside that are 1500 vert

 

[LonghornSkier]

1. Wachusett
2. Sunapee