Mad River closes

[SIKSKIER]

MRG shuts down its only few beginer slopes they had open for the rest of the week.I know the appeal of MRG but I can't imagine having season passes to this place and be at the mercy of natural snowfall in this day and age.Bummer

 

[Smellytele]

Deceiving thread title

 

[wa-loaf]

We need snow.

 

[SIKSKIER]

Deceiving thread title

Sorry about that Smelly.

 

[thetrailboss]

Agree. It is too bad. I made this point in college when folks asked me why I was not an MRG passholder and was at Sugarbush.

And I'm wearing my MRG tie right now as I write.

 

[MadMadWorld]

Had a midweek pass at MRG for a few years and was lucky enough never having to deal with this. I REALLY hope the can recover for the long weekend coming up!

 

[deadheadskier]

Bummer.

"Mad River Glen: Ski it when you can"

 

[HowieT2]

unfortunately, it appears they wont be operating for some time.

everyone loves the romantic notion/nostalgia of mad river, but it is just not a realistic option much of the season.

 

[bdfreetuna]

Only times I've been to MRG it's been incredible conditions. Makes me sad to see their mostly bare trails in January.

I've also said that mountain needs #1 snowmaking fan guns and #2 replace the single chair with a double to cut lines in half on powder days.

I appreciate rustic skiing more than most, but they are hanging onto some things at MRG which are in dire need of improvement.

I realize their core base of skiers and shareholders probably disagree with me and these things are unlikely to change any time soon.

 

[Rowsdower]

MRG is an anachronism. Its still open solely because of that novelty factor. When not enough people are drawn to that they'll either be forced to change, or actually become history.

 

[BenedictGomez]

MRG is an anachronism. Its still open solely because of that novelty factor. When not enough people are drawn to that they'll either be forced to change, or actually become history.

This.

If MRG added tons of snowmaking, amenities, and high speed lifts, it never would have survived in the first place.

 

[Angus]

If you ski regularly at MRG, you don't plan to ski at the home mountain until mid-December and realize if you get past first week of April, you're lucky. These sort of closings are not atypical. I think being a weekend only skier at MRG would be hard b/c it's typically crowded and lift system doesn't have a lot of capacity (by design)...I've skied there maybe 5-6 times and all but one have been outstanding (heavy rain in early april and they closed the next day!). The lack of uphill capacity btw: preserves snow.

 

[MadMadWorld]

MRG is an anachronism. Its still open solely because of that novelty factor. When not enough people are drawn to that they'll either be forced to change, or actually become history.

The novelty hasn't worn off in 65 years and I don't see it happening. The natural snowfall and awesome side country will always keep them going.

 

[BenedictGomez]

The novelty hasn't worn off in 65 years and I don't see it happening. The natural snowfall and awesome side country will always keep them going.

You didnt understand his point.

 

[MadMadWorld]

You didnt understand his point.

How so? They haven't changed in 65 years and I'm sure they have had a few bad starts like this over that time.

 

[Powderhound]

IMHO, skiing on natural snow is far superior than skiing on manmade hardpack. In order to get those incredible days...you need to suffer a little. It builds character and makes those soft, deep days that much sweeter and more enjoyable.

 

[ScottySkis]

IMHO, skiing on natural snow is far superior than skiing on manmade hardpack. In order to get those incredible days...you need to suffer a little. It builds character and makes those soft, deep days that much sweeter and more enjoyable.

Yes it is that why I love a hill in Roxury. I got to the Glen.

 

[SIKSKIER]

IMHO, skiing on natural snow is far superior than skiing on manmade hardpack. In order to get those incredible days...you need to suffer a little. It builds character and makes those soft, deep days that much sweeter and more enjoyable.

Totally agree with this post.My point is they are not skiing at all January 8th.I don't know if this natural snow dependency can be sustained long term.Even Western resorts have had to install snowmaking which was unthinkable 20 years ago.Lake Tahoe this year is a good example of how tough it is to have a good product without it.

 

[Powderhound]

 

[Rowsdower]

My point was you can't operate a ski area when you can only realistically get a handful of good days out of it a year. People want consistency more than they want anything else. MRG gets by because at this point its unique, and offers an experience you can't get elsewhere on the East Coast, but what happens when getting that experience becomes increasingly difficult? People will increasingly default to planning visits to other mountains until their position is untenable.

But I also said they would have to change, and they very well may continue to find means to keep the mountain open. Even if that means installing snowmaking or making other upgrades. It would be foolish to assume something will remain the same forever.

I think some people misconstrued that to mean they could continue to get by on charm, but honestly I don't think that is viable long-term. However, I don't think changing MRG means it has to sacrifice what makes it unique either. That's really its selling point, so a balance of will be found, and I'm confident it will be.

Plus, its on the National Register of Historic Places.