Mt Snow 21-22 Season

[icecoast1]

I don't get how anyone is dealing with all of these convoluted policies. Paid parking, lodge changes, vaccine requirements for specific services, specific entrances, etc and so on.

I am glad where I ski you just park and can go into the lodge if need be and do your thing with no BS. Also even though I only get to Killington a handful of times a year now, it's still relatively straight forward there now.

Vail has literally taken the fun out of it by making you think so much for something that is supposed to be about relaxing and not really thinking.

Add on the cost cutting and skimpy snowmaking and i'm not sure why you'd even want to go to a vail property. But there are masses of people that like the wal mart experience

 

[Vince]

Vail is Walmart. Ikon is Target.

I booted up at my car at Okemo did not deal with the lodge but I believe you go in one entrance and show proof of vaccination and exit a different door.

 

[Geoff]

It’s 9:02. I’m booted up in the Carinthia lot with the trunk of my rental car touching the “snow”. It’s like early April in a lean snow year.

 

[urungus]

So how did the first day of paid parking go ?

 

[drjeff]

So how did the first day of paid parking go ?

Way more cars in the free lots than the paid lots from what I saw.

Overall wasn't a crowded day though.

My wife and I, and a bunch of friends of ours with parking passes (they actually sold them to past parking pass holders and other regulars in the know) were happy with day 1 of the roughly 50% paid parking situation

 

[ctdubl07]

Over at Carinthia, the $30 lot which is directly in front of slopes was at about 50% while the $15 lot (facing towards ticket window) was nearly full but not to the point where people are jamming themselves up on banks like a holiday weekend.

As i look at my window, there are about 2 rows queing up now.

 

[cdskier]

I'm curious exactly how this works (I couldn't find details on Mt Snow's website other than you need to pay for the parking via an app). Do they check as you enter the lot whether you've paid for parking? Or do they go through the lots throughout the day and check license plates or something like that of the cars that are parked in the premium lots?

 

[drjeff]

I'm curious exactly how this works (I couldn't find details on Mt Snow's website other than you need to pay for the parking via an app). Do they check as you enter the lot whether you've paid for parking? Or do they go through the lots throughout the day and check license plates or something like that of the cars that are parked in the premium lots?

A combo thus far of parking lot attendants informing people when they park, then they apparently also check the plates during the day. A violation results in a ticket for twice the fee for the day in that lot. Apparently after 3 violations of the same plate, the vehicle will be towed

 

[Geoff]

Way more cars in the free lots than the paid lots from what I saw.

Overall wasn't a crowded day though.

My wife and I, and a bunch of friends of ours with parking passes (they actually sold them to past parking pass holders and other regulars in the know) were happy with day 1 of the roughly 50% paid parking situation

I had the Killington weekend/holiday season parking pass since they started doing it after the K1 gondola went in. 20+ years going back to the late 1990s. In my opinion, midweek pay parking is just going to annoy the customers since so few will be used.

 

[Geoff]

A combo thus far of parking lot attendants informing people when they park, then they apparently also check the plates during the day. A violation results in a ticket for twice the fee for the day in that lot. Apparently after 3 violations of the same plate, the vehicle will be towed

So a midweek day trip in a Hertz rental car is “get out of jail free”. It’s not like a “ticket” is from the town.

 

[cdskier]

So a midweek day trip in a Hertz rental car is “get out of jail free”. It’s not like a “ticket” is from the town.

Yea...I'm kind of curious how they force people to pay the tickets. Sure they can tow cars, but I don't know that they'd have any way to find out who the owner of a given car is to follow-up if the ticket isn't paid. As for the rental idea, you're paying for the rental car, so I'm not really sure this gains you anything financially other than sticking it to Vail.

 

[Geoff]

Yea...I'm kind of curious how they force people to pay the tickets. Sure they can tow cars, but I don't know that they'd have any way to find out who the owner of a given car is to follow-up if the ticket isn't paid. As for the rental idea, you're paying for the rental car, so I'm not really sure this gains you anything financially other than sticking it to Vail.

I’ve been renting cars at Hertz Local Edition for day trips. I found a $29 rate for a “full size” car. Friday was an Altima so full size is poetic license. From West Portugal, Mount Snow is 350+ miles round trip so I’d rather use rental cars than pile up miles on mine. I think it’s unlikely that Mount Snow would chase Hertz to find out who rented some Altima and neglected to pay a parking lot fee.

 

[Smellytele]

Yea...I'm kind of curious how they force people to pay the tickets. Sure they can tow cars, but I don't know that they'd have any way to find out who the owner of a given car is to follow-up if the ticket isn't paid. As for the rental idea, you're paying for the rental car, so I'm not really sure this gains you anything financially other than sticking it to Vail.

I was thinking if they don't tow you until after the 3rd offense the once or twice a year folks can just blow it off.

 

[slatham]

Hearing from an unnamed (controversial) source that free parking ran out at 10, and people had to pay to park? I can't even fathom getting there at 10 (late for me, not for most) and told pay up or go home (or to Okemo, the nearest EPIC option)?So the whole paid parking thing to me is troublesome enough, but fine, you want more revenue, and people are willing to pay to be close. Fine. But to have such limited free parking as to fill up by 10am is beyond comprehension.

I hope this isn't so.

 

[meff]

When we left Seasons just after noontime we saw a decent number of open spots in E. Probably won't be the case as more of the mountain opens and conditions improve.

 

[ThatGuy]

Hearing from an unnamed (controversial) source that free parking ran out at 10, and people had to pay to park? I can't even fathom getting there at 10 (late for me, not for most) and told pay up or go home (or to Okemo, the nearest EPIC option)?So the whole paid parking thing to me is troublesome enough, but fine, you want more revenue, and people are willing to pay to be close. Fine. But to have such limited free parking as to fill up by 10am is beyond comprehension.

I hope this isn't so.

If I’m thinking of the same source, the people defending it in the comments are hilarious. Its one thing for Lot A and the front rows of B and C to be paid, but when ~70% of the entire parking area is paid thats insane. Weekdays being paid at all is egregious.
Doesn’t really even effect me personally because I ski weekday afternoons there but the precedent it sets bothers me.

 

[cdskier]

If I’m thinking of the same source, the people defending it in the comments are hilarious. Its one thing for Lot A and the front rows of B and C to be paid, but when ~70% of the entire parking area is paid thats insane. Weekdays being paid at all is egregious.
Doesn’t really even effect me personally because I ski weekday afternoons there but the precedent it sets bothers me.

I think we're all thinking of the same source. And it is mind-boggling that anyone would defend Vail on this practice (although most posts defending the practice seemed to be coming from the same person over and over). Like you said, a small percentage of parking being premium is one thing...but when it is a rather substantial amount of your lots that are pay to park it is ridiculous. Vail on one hand preaches about how their new Epic pass prices are designed to allow "Epic for everyone", then they go and charge a rather substantial amount to park at one of their biggest resorts in the northeast. That $15/$30 a day will add up quickly for someone that skis a lot on weekends.

This also doesn't impact me directly as I don't ski at Mt Snow, but it also just bothers me in general due to the precedent it sets. I'm a big proponent of hopefully seeing this plan crash and burn.

 

[drjeff]

Hearing from an unnamed (controversial) source that free parking ran out at 10, and people had to pay to park? I can't even fathom getting there at 10 (late for me, not for most) and told pay up or go home (or to Okemo, the nearest EPIC option)?So the whole paid parking thing to me is troublesome enough, but fine, you want more revenue, and people are willing to pay to be close. Fine. But to have such limited free parking as to fill up by 10am is beyond comprehension.

I hope this isn't so.

Free parking on the North Entrance outer lots may likely have been totally filled by 10 today. Based on what the free lots down by Snow Lake looked like, they never ran out of all the free parking spaces.

The new system will take some getting used to. It is what it is. I liked the old system better

 

[urungus]

Got to Mt Snow a little before noon on Sunday, lot D and terraces were full, found one of the very last free spots in lot E, right across the road from Snow Lake. Waited 15 min at the shuttle stop, gave up and trudged over to the covered bridge, where I had seen people riding the conveyor, but was waved off by an attendant who said they were closed. Guys next to me confirmed the conveyor had been taking people up earlier in the day. So walked the rest of the way up the hill to the lifts.

To avoid bluebird crowds, took Canyon Express/River Run to North Face, where they had both lifts running and both were ski on all day. The icy conditions probably had something to do with it. Chute in particular was wind scoured and trecherous.

Ski-on at Sunbrook too. Thanks Walt / Coud 9 better than North face. But Bear Trap was also pretty icy. And no music from the speakers on Bear Trap, is that some new anti-fun Vail policy ?

Best snow of day was found at Carinthia, only The Gulch had any features so the other runs were deserted and had not been scraped off. Milky Way connector back down to Sunbrook was also very nice.

Guy was holding up the line at the outdoor waffle cabin arguing with cashier about not getting epic pass dining discount. Which according to my calculations would have been a savings of $1.30 on his waffle.

Returning to main base area from top of Heavy Metal lift, there Is almost immediately a short pitch on Long John, that was sheer boilerplate at the top, and pretty moguly at the bottom, and was causing alot of carnage.

Speaking of Long John… On way home I always get a Slurpee at the Dover 7-11, there was some Jerry (not a townie) in there shouting numbers into his phone, he was dressed only in skin-tight long john underwear, the back of his long john bottoms sagging halfway down his boxers.

 

[NYDB]

^it sounds like you got the full Mt. Snow experience. You didn't see a fight?

It's still early season I guess.