Mad River needs a HSQ - and snowboarding!

[ChileMass]

C'mon ASC - you are way over the top now. Beyond the fact that you ought to accommodate others' opinions to participate on this board (be civil, please), there's alot to be said for the old-timey ski resorts. Personally I can't stand to go to places where the majority of the crowd is in $3000 of equipment and clothing and can barely snowplow down the green slopes. If some guy's rich little kid elbows me in the lodge just one more time........oh, MAN!! If what you really want is the large hills with the terrain parks and the fast lifts, there are plenty of options for you. The old time places are dwindling down to very few. There are only a few hills where the majority of the crowd are really excellent skiers/boarders (Sugarloaf, Stowe, MRG, Wildcat, Arapahoe Basin, Snowbasin, Grand Targhee - IMHO) so ski someplace else if you want the real "modern" ski experience. MRG is a wonderful anachronism (see websters.com for definition) that I only wish there were a lot more of.......

 

[ASC]

If some guy's rich little kid elbows me in the lodge just one more time

Ah, the PROLETARIAT, member of the "working class" skier - You think there are no little rich kids at Mad River Glen? There is sure more there at Mad River than Sunday River, in Saabs with New Jersey and NY plates. Look around the parking lot next time you're there. :roll:

 

[Greg]

All right. I think everyone has made their point. And ASC has made his grand entrance. Can we move on now? :-?

 

[ASC]

Move on? I think it is a very good topic, old VS new. Very polite, no nastiness just dif views. I say the Mad River "mystique" is just that. mystique. :wink:
EDIT: Greg, could you hawk any MORE websites in your signature?

 

[Greg]

EDIT: Greg, could you hawk any MORE websites in your signature?

Thanks for the reminder. Those announcements were rather outdated. Wanna admin the board too?

 

[Greg]

EDIT: Greg, could you hawk any MORE websites in your signature?

Thanks for the reminder. Those announcements were rather outdated. Wanna admin the board too?

Oh, and I replaced those links with one you will love... :lol:

 

[ASC]

Greg, I'm getting that you are the "Big Kahuna" here.. 8)

Image removed by Greg

 

[Greg]

Greg, I'm getting that you are the "Big Kahuna" here.. 8)

Image removed by Greg

You got that right.

And please don't embed images from external sites that you don't own. Us "Big Kahunas" don't like bandwidth thievery.

 

[riverc0il]

congrats greg! this forum has officially gotten big enough and lively enough that it's being trolled! ASC offers you high praise that alpinezone is worthy of his/her troll time!

i think ASC is just bitter cause of the low number of respondents to the "snow board only" poll!

carry on! :argue: :dunce:

 

[skiguide]

congrats greg! this forum has officially gotten big enough and lively enough that it's being trolled! ASC offers you high praise that alpinezone is worthy of his/her troll time!
:argue: :dunce:

Yah, that's the big time now!! I think it's from that darn AP wire story... :wink:

 

[Joshua]

now that all the good civilized points have been made, can I make some not nice personal remarks? Pleaseeee Greg?

 

[Greg]

congrats greg! this forum has officially gotten big enough and lively enough that it's being trolled! ASC offers you high praise that alpinezone is worthy of his/her troll time!
:argue: :dunce:

Yah, that's the big time now!! I think it's from that darn AP wire story... :wink:

Troll-worthiness, huh?

now that all the good civilized points have been made, can I make some not nice personal remarks? Pleaseeee Greg?

Nah. Let's stay civil. I'm actually very impressed that everybody remained even-tempered here. ASC's posts were so cynical that it was obvious all along he was just trolling. Actually, his comments gave us the opportunity to discuss a great resort (I still need to get up there) and why it's loved by so many.

 

[jimme]

One good point is that resorts like Stratton and Okemo, etc DID modernize. Not just to spend mony, but because they listened to their customers; the vast majority of whom wanted the HSQ's and Shopping Village.

Mad River has made changes too; at a slower pace, but they too are listening to their customers.

As strange as it may seem to many of us-- there are people who would love to see MRG allow snowboarding, get new lifts, groom the trails smooth, add condos and resturants and bars in the area. Even though they can get that stuff at Stratton, they'd like to see a place like MRG come into the 21st century. Naturally, those who do think this way are sick, demented individuals who should be insitutionalized. But, what the hey.

Jimme :-?

 

[teachski]

Hey, if they want to add some of that stuff fine, but I really feel that they should leave the single there (Isn't it just about the only one in the country still in operation) and that they should leave the existing trails as they are. If they want to cut some other boulevards, that's be fine too.

I have no objection to snowboarders in general. I do object to those who think that they are the only ones on the mountain. You know, the groups of them that find a bump they can pull a trick off of, and all sit down across the trail blocking it from others trying to get down the trail. I call this "snowboard waste land". Those who treat the trails as if they are there for everyone and respect everyone by stopping only at the edge (like skiers should as well) are more than welcome anywhere I ski IMO.

I think terrain parks are fun and I have taken my "Bandits" into them, and also into the half-pipe on ocassion. This past weekend I even helped build a good "kicker" at my little local area. I really think it is great that boarders and park skiers have that option. I do think, however, that it is also necessary for there to be options for other more traditional skiers. MRG is an option for this.

 

[Greg]

...respect everyone by stopping only at the edge (like skiers should as well)...

I'm a "side skier". I'd rather have folks congregate in the middle on the scratchy stuff. I know that's not SOP though...

 

[teachski]

I think my greatest objection is to them sitting down spread out across the hill and blocking the whole hill. This really gets me when the sit just below a drop so you can not see them as you approach. A little common courtesy and common sense, I guess that is all I am asking for.

 

[riverc0il]

i've never noticed this snowboard cluster effect... sitting down lined up. maybe it's just the places that i ski at don't attract this type of snowboarding demographic?

here here for skiing on the sides of the trails... shhhhhhhh, keep that on the down low tho, :wink:

back on topic, VIVA LA DIFFERENCE! why would someone want to have every resort be the exact same? even if you don't ski every area in NE, it's nice that you know they are all different and have different identities. out of all the ski areas in new england, MRG lays claim to being one of the most historical and different areas around.

for me, i HATE ASC and most of their ski areas (with exception of the loaf). i also dislike places like stratton, okemo, etc. so i simply don't ski at those places and say "different strokes for different folks." ya know?

i'm glad people who enjoy long lines, poor scraped up snow due to over crowded trails, wide open boulevards with lack of character, rude and obnoxious people, beginners attempting trails WAY over their abilitiy level, high lift ticket prices, areas without identity, boring and easy trails, and areas with corporate feel have a place to go. am i gonna say "install a single chair, regrow some trees, cut your lift ticket prices, and stop grooming your trails" to stratton cause i want to ski there? NOPE. you can have that mountain!

and i can have mine. :beer: CHEERS!

 

[teachski]

I'd never go to those "upscale" places you have mentioned on the weekend, and then when I do go it is usually free or on a steep discount. I have gone to them as a chaperone for school groups( on these trips I don't pay for my ticket as a rule, and if I have to chip in toward it, it is not very much).

I know someone who works in the ski industry also. From time to time she will toss me some ski free vouchers. Last year I had some from Waterville and Snow.

I agree with you, I hate waiting in lines and I hate cookie cutter boulevards. You know my favorite place (hidden in the Northeast Kingdom), I'd rather drive the 3 hours to go there.

BTW- WAWA is great for the snowboard line up on trails. I wasn't going to mention the edge of the trails, I was going to keep that a secret! Shhhhhhhhh!

 

[Greg]

here here for skiing on the sides of the trails... shhhhhhhh, keep that on the down low tho, :wink:

It's not that big of a secret, is it?

 

[Greg]

Not to beat a dead horse, but here is MRG's stance on the snowboarding ban:

Snowboards: Not at Mad River Glen

Despite the fact that snowboarders now account for 25-30% of all lift tickets sold in the Unites States, don’t bet that Mad River Glen will lift its ban on snowboards anytime soon. While the percentage of tickets purchased by snowboarders is steadily growing, many question how a ski area can exclude this growing market. Mad River Glen’s skier-owners (it is America’s only cooperatively owned mountain) believe there are enough skiing purists to carve out a viable market niche. Recent results confirmed the theory. “Since the co-op took over ownership of the mountain in 1995 we have shown steady growth across the board,” said Marketing Director, Eric Friedman. “We are fortunate that there is a growing number of skiers seeking the kind of experience that we offer. Sure, we might see a spike in revenues if we allowed snowboards, but money is not our overriding concern; protecting and preserving our unique ski experience is what our owners clearly want.”

Many people don’t realize that Mad River actually did allow snowboards early in the history of snowboarding. Betsy Pratt, Mad River’s previous owner, was friendly to snowboards, but ran into safety issues on Mad River Glen’s main lift, a 1948 Single Chair. They were restricted from the Single and then, after a now legendary confrontation between Betsy and some local riders, she decided to ban snowboards completely. When the Co-op took over the mountain the shareholders voted on the issue with more than 75% voting to maintain the snowboarding ban. “We want to make clear that there is no animosity towards snowboarders. The ski industry is very competitive and our ownership believes that the snowboarding policy is the best course for Mad River Glen,” explains Friedman.

The reasons for the snowboarding ban vary depending on who you talk to. Some say it would ruin Mad River’s unique character. “Our Single Chair, the cooperative ownership, the natural snow skiing, the non-commercial atmosphere, and the skiers-only policy are what make Mad River Glen special. We don’t want to end up being like every other ski area,” said Mad River shareholder Mary Gallicano. Others believe that snowboarders would ruin the legendary moguls, while still others feel that they would scrape the natural snow off Mad River Glen’s sinewy trails. Whatever the reason, it is unlikely that there will be snowboarding at Mad River Glen any time soon. The only way the policy can change is if a two-thirds majority of the shareholders vote to change it. Alta and Deer Valley in Utah, and Taos in New Mexico are the only other areas in North America that do not allow snowboards.

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