Lift lines-How long is too long?

[Buckeye Skier 1330]

Our ski days this year have been limited to a couple of very busy Saturdays. My wife has a new job and she will have only enough vacation days for our week long Vermont trip. So we've been stuck skiing the weekends, and we've hit probably the 2 busiest of the year. The first trip was 7Springs PA, the lines were a pretty close to 15 minutes that day. This was to access only 750 vertical. Last weekend we hit Perfect North Slopes IN, and the lines were closer to 10 minutes but that was only for a 400 ft vertical. We ended up leaving ealier than we would normally have Saturday. It's a little discouraging when you the line is 10 people deep before you even get to the corral.
I know the weekends in NE are pretty crowded, but you can get a lot of vert for the minutes you have to wait. How long does the line have to be til you find it unbearable?
Can't wait to get up there for some weekday skiing!!

 

[FRITOLAYGUY]

On weekdays i would never expect to wait for than 5minutes anywhere til i get annoyed, weekends however i cant make a fuss about because 80% of the population has them off.

 

[nelsapbm]

Basically, if you can't ski on the lift, the lines are too long LOL - hey, I grew up at Burke!
Seriously though, it depends. I have no qualms whatsoever waiting in a 20 minute liftline at Mad River. Why? Much lower lift capacity = uncrowded trails. It's great.
Waiting 20 minutes for a HSQ to ski on trails with masses? No thanks.

 

[billski]

Your answers will be all over the map. In the "old days" before high-speed, 1/2 hour+ for fixed-grip doubles was common on a weekend at a decent-sized crowded NE resort. I still don't complain about 10-15, but I'm spoiled since the majority of my days are midweek and the lines are zero.

Depends how hard you ski, if you need a rest, how cold it is.

I seek out zero minutes, and I also "work the lifts" migrating around based on lemming patterns (lunch, cold, late, early, etc.), but 10-15 mins is OK with me. Half hour is too much esp. with most tickets over $50.

I like the HSQ, not only for more ski time, but less time to freeze to death on the lift.

 

[MarkC]

15 seconds

 

[from_the_NEK]

Basically, if you can't ski on the lift, the lines are too long LOL - hey, I grew up at Burke!
Seriously though, it depends. I have no qualms whatsoever waiting in a 20 minute liftline at Mad River. Why? Much lower lift capacity = uncrowded trails. It's great.
Waiting 20 minutes for a HSQ to ski on trails with masses? No thanks.

People who are used to the lines at Burke are sooooo spoiled.

 

[shwilly]

I do most of my riding on weekends. I'd say 90% of my lift waits are less than 5 minutes. If it's more than that I look at the singles line. When even the singles line approaches 10 minutes, I get crabby.

The good thing is, unless you're at a small hill with just a few lifts or there is only limited terrain open, usually the bad lines will only be at specific lifts. There are lots of times when the high-speed quad in front of the base lodge has a long wait, but other lifts nearby have none.

The only really terrible line I've stood in this year was at 9:30 on a pow Saturday at Sugarloaf when the quad was the highest lift running and everything else was on wind hold. That was a complete zoo and took around 35 minutes. I wouldn't have done it again, but by the time we got to the top other lifts were opening. I don't think I stood in another line longer than 5 minutes that day.

 

[salsgang]

I think I was at Sugarloaf that same day and did the 35 minute wait thing. Fortunately it spread out the rest of the day like you said. On weekends, you can't complain about anything under 15 min. I will be taking a couple of mid-week days next week for school vacation, will be interesting to see if the lift lines are like they are on the weekends.

 

[goldsbar]

I ski on the weekends almost exclusively (x one trip out west and a random weekday day or two per season). I purposefully will seek out areas with lines generally under 5 minutes. This is very possible if you avoid the "resorts" that everyone talks about. If non-skiers in the office have heard of a mountain, it's probably going to be crowded. The 5 minutes might stretch to around 10 minutes from 10:30 until Noon but can be as low as 10 seconds from 8:30-9:30. I find Sundays generally better than Saturday and I pray for cold temperatures - say in the 5* to 15* range. Light rain can also be good but that really screws up the snow for the next week.

 

[riverc0il]

five minutes is one minute too long on a weekend. weekdays should always be ski on except on powder days when the weekend rule of thumb applies.

 

[Birdman829]

The only really terrible line I've stood in this year was at 9:30 on a pow Saturday at Sugarloaf when the quad was the highest lift running and everything else was on wind hold. That was a complete zoo and took around 35 minutes. I wouldn't have done it again, but by the time we got to the top other lifts were opening. I don't think I stood in another line longer than 5 minutes that day.

As much as I love the Loaf, I must agree. It is an absolute mess when they can't run King Pine or Spillway.

 

[Terry]

5 to 10 mins on a weekend is plenty and then I will go search out another area that has less traffic. On week days ski on or maybe a couple of minutes is plenty.

 

[Vortex]

Week days you should be able to be close to ski on ski off.

Weekends it is what it is. Get up early and no issue for 1st 2 hours. I pay little for my pass I complain little. If I bought Day passes I would go to the smaller mountians for smaller lift lines. All about the money.

 

[kcyanks1]

I ski mostly weekends, and hope for five minute lines, with the exception of slow lifts to great terrain, like Castlerock at SB or either main lift at MRG. Then I expect and willingly put up with longer lines.

 

[hammer]

If the lines go past 5 minutes then I usually hit the singles line. Only ever had consistent waits of 20 minutes once...hated it.

I guess I'm too spoiled by the short lines at places like Pats and Crotched...I'd rather go to a smaller place on busy days if at all possible.

 

[Warp Daddy]

Most places i ski midweek a lift line wait is non existant

these same places on a weekend may be 5 minutes

However when we do our road shows especially on weekends or god forbid next week i expect 10--15 at most places we'll visit in NH and VT

 

[bvibert]

I hate waiting in line for anything. I'll tolerate them to go skiing if I have to though. If the line keeps moving and is fairly organized then I don't mind too much. I don't generally like free-fall type mazes where there isn't much if any organization (unless it works to my advantage ). Standing in line and watching singles go up is pretty infuriating. A wait of more than 10 minutes or so would make me cranky, especially if it's every run...

 

[dropKickMurphy]

On weekends, the key is to stay one step ahead of the crowds. Preparation, planning, and common sense will make all the difference.

For me, it begins the night before. Organize the stuff, load the car, and have the clothes all layed out. Set the coffee maker on timer mode. Before going to sleep, look the trail map over and anticipate the likely crowd patterns. Look for interesting terrain that is serviced by lifts that are away from the main base area. Also keep an eye out for any secondary base/parking areas, especially ones that are further from the bulk of the condos and hotels.

You have to be there early, especially at the busier areas. I can't stress this enough, as it is the foundation of any successful crowd minimizing strategy. Most areas, the lifts are running by 8:00 on weekends. I like to be pulling into the parking area at least 45 minutes before that time. This gives me a reasonably close parking spot and avoids the hassle of taking a shuttle from a remote satellite lot. I like to have time to get the tickets, stretch, put my stuff on, and be at the lift when it starts running.

If the area features a main bottom-to-top HSQ, count on it, and the trails it services to get crowded...after 10:00. Between 8:00 and 10:00 the HSQ can allow me to get in a LOT of runs when the conditions are the best, my legs are fresh, and the crowds sparse.

As soon as I notice the crowds begin to pick up, it's time to head for another part of the mountain. I look for a section with a fixed grip lift that doesn't have a base lodge at the bottom...maybe one that services mainly ungroomed trails. The Sunbowl quad at Sunapee, the Blue Ribbon quad at Bromley are 2 examples of lifts that will often have short lines while the main HSQ is mobbed.

I also like to break early for lunch, especially after getting an early start. I like to time it so that I'm heading back out, well fed and well rested, right at noon. Often, but not always, the crowds will ease noticably during the 12:00 - 1:00 lunch hour.

I tend to take a break around 2:00...when the crowds are often the worst. I'll usually look for a summit or midway type of lodge, preferably with a deck, such as North Peak at SR, or the summit lodge at Sunapee. A cold beer and a cigar hit the spot for me around that time. Around 3:00 the crowds and lift lines start to diminish, so I like to take advantage of that last hour to get a few nice runs in.

I can fantasize about helicopters dropping me into remote couloirs in the Bugaboos. But skiing reality for me usually means a weekend drive to Vermont, NH, or Maine with my kids or a few buddies. Out-maneuvering the crowds, being able to get in a great day of skiing at the busiest areas on the busiest days....that's what it's all about.

 

[AdironRider]

I have season passes to Cannon and Whiteface. That being so if Im not skiing onto the lift, even on a weekend, its a bad day.

 

[Terry]

On weekends, the key is to stay one step ahead of the crowds. Preparation, planning, and common sense will make all the difference.

For me, it begins the night before. Organize the stuff, load the car, and have the clothes all layed out. Set the coffee maker on timer mode. Before going to sleep, look the trail map over and anticipate the likely crowd patterns. Look for interesting terrain that is serviced by lifts that are away from the main base area. Also keep an eye out for any secondary base/parking areas, especially ones that are further from the bulk of the condos and hotels.

You have to be there early, especially at the busier areas. I can't stress this enough, as it is the foundation of any successful crowd minimizing strategy. Most areas, the lifts are running by 8:00 on weekends. I like to be pulling into the parking area at least 45 minutes before that time. This gives me a reasonably close parking spot and avoids the hassle of taking a shuttle from a remote satellite lot. I like to have time to get the tickets, stretch, put my stuff on, and be at the lift when it starts running.

If the area features a main bottom-to-top HSQ, count on it, and the trails it services to get crowded...after 10:00. Between 8:00 and 10:00 the HSQ can allow me to get in a LOT of runs when the conditions are the best, my legs are fresh, and the crowds sparse.

As soon as I notice the crowds begin to pick up, it's time to head for another part of the mountain. I look for a section with a fixed grip lift that doesn't have a base lodge at the bottom...maybe one that services mainly ungroomed trails. The Sunbowl quad at Sunapee, the Blue Ribbon quad at Bromley are 2 examples of lifts that will often have short lines while the main HSQ is mobbed.

I also like to break early for lunch, especially after getting an early start. I like to time it so that I'm heading back out, well fed and well rested, right at noon. Often, but not always, the crowds will ease noticably during the 12:00 - 1:00 lunch hour.

I tend to take a break around 2:00...when the crowds are often the worst. I'll usually look for a summit or midway type of lodge, preferably with a deck, such as North Peak at SR, or the summit lodge at Sunapee. A cold beer and a cigar hit the spot for me around that time. Around 3:00 the crowds and lift lines start to diminish, so I like to take advantage of that last hour to get a few nice runs in.

I can fantasize about helicopters dropping me into remote couloirs in the Bugaboos. But skiing reality for me usually means a weekend drive to Vermont, NH, or Maine with my kids or a few buddies. Out-maneuvering the crowds, being able to get in a great day of skiing at the busiest areas on the busiest days....that's what it's all about.

You have got it down pat. That is the way that I try and avoid crowds also. Early starts are mandatory and then move around to other lifts as areas get crowded.