Mtn Creek Officially Announces South/Bear Parkification

[ski_resort_observer]

Remember Intrawest got bought by a PE firm Fortress about a year ago. They care very little about service just making money. I expect Intrawest's marginal resorts are in for alot of cost cutting.
http://forums.alpinezone.com/9439-intrawest-sold.html?highlight=intrawest+fortress

 

[ozzy]

The prices are up, the resort has made some very questionable and drastic changes that many don't like. I'm starting to think they WANT to lose customers.

are you talking about Killington here? Hey if the shoe fits. just sayin...

 

[Dr Skimeister]

Needless to say I bought my season pass a couple days ago, had to shell out $299. I used to pay $179. Another retarded move by the creek, give away half the resort, then jack up the prices!

The ONLY vote you have, the ONLY vote that counts is the dollar. By giving them your money, you voted for Fortress' way of running Creek.

 

[JesusBuiltMyCrotchRod]

That's quite a comprehensive answer...it's obvious they care about your concerns.

Not that they will alter their plan to suit you. But it should make you feel a little better that they care enough to write that.

I always tell people who are facing changes they don't think they will like to give it a year. Do so.

Actually...that is a form letter that was sent to anyone that 'complained'... I got the same one too, word for word... Email them yourself, and you'll probably get it also!

 

[RootDKJ]

They've lost me

Here's my 2 cents on Mountain Creek. I'm a traditional skier, 34 years old. I have a good job and work hard so I can ski as much as possible during the short winters. I started skiing in the 80's and I have some wonderful memories skiing with my dad and little brother at VV/GG. I consider my self fortunate and thankful that my dad took us there almost every weekend.

4 years ago, and the first time I took my wife to MC, we had an incident getting into the standing lift. Some woman was in a big rush to get in there before me and shoved me out of the way. With the helmet and goggles on, I couldn't see who shoved me, so naturally I shoved back, and well she acted like such an ass over it. Whatever. I went to see the manager and got our $ for the tickets back.

3 days later, I took a day off from work to get in some quality weekday skiing in March. Of course, the only lift open is the stupid standing one...oh well at least I'm skiing right and I gotta use the ticket up. After lunch I get on the lift with a bunch of college age kids who decide to light up a joint. Great. I kindly asked them to put it out, since I am subject to random drug testing at work. I got a very harsh FU over it and they laughed about it all the way up. Now I really don't care what they wanted to do, just not where I could breathe it.

Low and behold, once off the lift (the kids walk into the woods to finish up) I see a member of the Ski Patrol. Perfect! I explain to him what just happened and point out to him the kids who are going out of bounds to finish the joint. He looks at me and says "ahhh who cares" and proceeds to ski off in the opposite direction. No correct me if I'm wrong here, but doesn't he get to ski for free to uphold the rules and provide for my safety? Again I'm off to complain to the management.

Now I spend anywhere from $3K to $5K per season in tickets, lodging, food, equipment, entertainment, you name it. Since that day, I blacklisted MC. I told myself I won't give them a penny for the next 5 years.

Now that the season is getting close, I've been thinking about lifting my self-imposed ban a year earlier. I like the trail system there and with all of the good memories, I kinda miss skiing over to the South area and freezing on the 30 min lift ride back to Vernon after the sun goes down. After reading this thread, I've made the decision that my ban should stay in effect still.

It's a real shame that I won't be able to tell my kids someday, "oh I wiped out on this trail with your grandfather real bad and took your uncle out as well" or share other memories.

I hope someone from Intrawest reads this thread and understands what they've lost. And the fact that there's still no main lodge, is unbelievable and inexcusable. I watched the Watchung Square Mall get built in under two years and the bridge between Rt 287S and Rt 24E get doubled in size in a year but yet Intrawest can't build a lodge in seven years?

 

[millerm277]

I watched the Watchung Square Mall get built in under two years and the bridge between Rt 287S and Rt 24E get doubled in size in a year but yet Intrawest can't build a lodge in seven years?

They don't want to spend the money. It's not that they can't, it's that they don't want to, and believe it or not, many of their customers don't really even notice the difference.

As for Watchung Square, the speed of the construction there was amazing, after they managed to get around all the complaints from the lumber yard a couple hundred feet down the road that was concerned Home Depot was going to put them out of business.

 

[AdironRider]

Here's my 2 cents on Mountain Creek. I'm a traditional skier, 34 years old. I have a good job and work hard so I can ski as much as possible during the short winters. I started skiing in the 80's and I have some wonderful memories skiing with my dad and little brother at VV/GG. I consider my self fortunate and thankful that my dad took us there almost every weekend.

4 years ago, and the first time I took my wife to MC, we had an incident getting into the standing lift. Some woman was in a big rush to get in there before me and shoved me out of the way. With the helmet and goggles on, I couldn't see who shoved me, so naturally I shoved back, and well she acted like such an ass over it. Whatever. I went to see the manager and got our $ for the tickets back.

3 days later, I took a day off from work to get in some quality weekday skiing in March. Of course, the only lift open is the stupid standing one...oh well at least I'm skiing right and I gotta use the ticket up. After lunch I get on the lift with a bunch of college age kids who decide to light up a joint. Great. I kindly asked them to put it out, since I am subject to random drug testing at work. I got a very harsh FU over it and they laughed about it all the way up. Now I really don't care what they wanted to do, just not where I could breathe it.

Low and behold, once off the lift (the kids walk into the woods to finish up) I see a member of the Ski Patrol. Perfect! I explain to him what just happened and point out to him the kids who are going out of bounds to finish the joint. He looks at me and says "ahhh who cares" and proceeds to ski off in the opposite direction. No correct me if I'm wrong here, but doesn't he get to ski for free to uphold the rules and provide for my safety? Again I'm off to complain to the management.

Now I spend anywhere from $3K to $5K per season in tickets, lodging, food, equipment, entertainment, you name it. Since that day, I blacklisted MC. I told myself I won't give them a penny for the next 5 years.

Now that the season is getting close, I've been thinking about lifting my self-imposed ban a year earlier. I like the trail system there and with all of the good memories, I kinda miss skiing over to the South area and freezing on the 30 min lift ride back to Vernon after the sun goes down. After reading this thread, I've made the decision that my ban should stay in effect still.

It's a real shame that I won't be able to tell my kids someday, "oh I wiped out on this trail with your grandfather real bad and took your uncle out as well" or share other memories.

I hope someone from Intrawest reads this thread and understands what they've lost. And the fact that there's still no main lodge, is unbelievable and inexcusable. I watched the Watchung Square Mall get built in under two years and the bridge between Rt 287S and Rt 24E get doubled in size in a year but yet Intrawest can't build a lodge in seven years?

Just so you know the odds of getting testing positive for second hand mj smoke is slim to none. Plus your a narc. Seems pretty lame that the kids told you to fuck off though, but were you really that nice to them to begin with? From the attitude you present in your post it doesnt seem so. Most stoners arent going to go off on you, just not the nature of the drug in my experience with kids who smoke on the lift.

 

[JesusBuiltMyCrotchRod]

Here's my 2 cents on Mountain Creek. I'm a traditional skier, 34 years old. I have a good job and work hard so I can ski as much as possible during the short winters. I started skiing in the 80's and I have some wonderful memories skiing with my dad and little brother at VV/GG. I consider my self fortunate and thankful that my dad took us there almost every weekend.

4 years ago, and the first time I took my wife to MC, we had an incident getting into the standing lift. Some woman was in a big rush to get in there before me and shoved me out of the way. With the helmet and goggles on, I couldn't see who shoved me, so naturally I shoved back, and well she acted like such an ass over it. Whatever. I went to see the manager and got our $ for the tickets back.

3 days later, I took a day off from work to get in some quality weekday skiing in March. Of course, the only lift open is the stupid standing one...oh well at least I'm skiing right and I gotta use the ticket up. After lunch I get on the lift with a bunch of college age kids who decide to light up a joint. Great. I kindly asked them to put it out, since I am subject to random drug testing at work. I got a very harsh FU over it and they laughed about it all the way up. Now I really don't care what they wanted to do, just not where I could breathe it.

Low and behold, once off the lift (the kids walk into the woods to finish up) I see a member of the Ski Patrol. Perfect! I explain to him what just happened and point out to him the kids who are going out of bounds to finish the joint. He looks at me and says "ahhh who cares" and proceeds to ski off in the opposite direction. No correct me if I'm wrong here, but doesn't he get to ski for free to uphold the rules and provide for my safety? Again I'm off to complain to the management.

Now I spend anywhere from $3K to $5K per season in tickets, lodging, food, equipment, entertainment, you name it. Since that day, I blacklisted MC. I told myself I won't give them a penny for the next 5 years.

Now that the season is getting close, I've been thinking about lifting my self-imposed ban a year earlier. I like the trail system there and with all of the good memories, I kinda miss skiing over to the South area and freezing on the 30 min lift ride back to Vernon after the sun goes down. After reading this thread, I've made the decision that my ban should stay in effect still.

It's a real shame that I won't be able to tell my kids someday, "oh I wiped out on this trail with your grandfather real bad and took your uncle out as well" or share other memories.

I hope someone from Intrawest reads this thread and understands what they've lost. And the fact that there's still no main lodge, is unbelievable and inexcusable. I watched the Watchung Square Mall get built in under two years and the bridge between Rt 287S and Rt 24E get doubled in size in a year but yet Intrawest can't build a lodge in seven years?

My former roomate works at the resort and just gave me the lowdown. Apparently, wthin the last 12 months, and most of Mountain Creek's entire senior management team has quit and the place is in dissaray..Noone knows whats going on and morale is extremely low...Here is a small list of employees that have left very recently - General Manager, Director of Ops-, Snowmaking Manager-, Mountain Manager, Facility Manager-, Terrain Park Designers, Guest Services Manager, Lift Maintenance Manager .....and various people in the real estate division have also left the resort. Unfortunately the experience at this resort is not likely to improve.

 

[RootDKJ]

actually, I'm an engineer, not a narc

 

[Rob A]

The ONLY vote you have, the ONLY vote that counts is the dollar. By giving them your money, you voted for Fortress' way of running Creek.

I would if I could man! Unforunately, I'm not willing to ski just 10-15 times a yr, by getting the MC pass I ski alot more. I hate it, but it looks like I don't have another option.

Actually...that is a form letter that was sent to anyone that 'complained'... I got the same one too, word for word... Email them yourself, and you'll probably get it also!

Are you f-ing kidding me? God this place pisses me off more and more. So they really don't care at all. Wow this winter could be a wash, they better get the good terrain open early and the vernon/granite side better be pretty crowd free. If they are pushing us out of south, they have to give something back in return.

 

[AdironRider]

So dont go. People have given you options for other alternatives, but you gave them your money anyway. Frankly its not a big deal really that they made a mtn a park. In reality parks often have the best snow on the mtn as they get a ton of snowmaking, just go around the jumps.

 

[Rob A]

So dont go. People have given you options for other alternatives, but you gave them your money anyway. Frankly its not a big deal really that they made a mtn a park. In reality parks often have the best snow on the mtn as they get a ton of snowmaking, just go around the jumps.

It is a big deal. I can't carve or just enjoy the runs with all the parks rats on the trails, sitting in lines across the trail and whatnot, and having to dodge jumps and rails isn't exactly the same. Plus bear peak requires a stupid park pass to gain access to it.

And as I said, there is no other place with 25-30 miles from my house that offers the same amount of terrain, and level of terrain. Unfortunately I don't have alternatives.

 

[Method9455]

Rob where do you live? I'm giving up my pass there after 5 years, and I get it for $100, and bought two others for a total of $600, because it is going to suck THAT BAD this year. It is not even worth trying. Every piece of news I hear is worse and worse.

 

[NJchick]

we just moved about 8 miles from Mountain Creek last year... I've never skied there, and since we're reward members of Crystal Springs (golf), we get get a free lift ticket - and used it after a pretty significant snowfall.
It was fine for free.... i only found 1 run (zero g) that I liked, and wound up doing laps all morning (we got there at 9 , left by noon b/c it was becoming a cluster eff). we hit south mountain once but left b/c it was icing over and there were too many beginner skiers to be safe. I have no love for south mountain, so they can park it over for all I care... i'm just miffed that my fav run is being turned into a race course.

so needless to say, i'll get there once this year again thanks to Crystal springs, and then go back to my happy place at Hunter and find some XC trails

 

[Method9455]

Here is what Mountain Creek should do:

Keep the park on Vernon down Great Northern into Khyber/Independence/Indian that splits into Sugar Jib/Superpipe.

Move the beginner park from the top trail on vernon to that area that is fenced in around the vernon lift for beginners, regrade it so it has a 15 foot drop then into flat and make it a hikeable rail park with really like the plaza at boulder or the hiking park at Bear Mtn

Keep the racers on Bear

Don't even try to have a park on South

Clean up the trail under the gondola on top and make it skiable again.

What does this all do?
It moves all the park riders to one peak, on one lift. The park guys are the ones coming after school late season, all you need to do is run one lift that time of year, under the current plan you need 2.

It adds 2 new trails on the top of Vernon peak, the one under the gondola would be a black and the other a green, so now there are 2 blacks and 3 greens coming down, instead of a black and 2 greens.

(class changing, will finish later)

 

[bensonr2]

I guess I'm getting the park pass this season. Hopefully it wont be too bad. I start work in the afternoon, and during the season I pretty much ski mon-fri between 10am and 1. Its pretty empty and hopefully I won't catch too much flack for skiing through the park.

One question though, do they require you to wear a helmet in the park?

I'm hoping this will be a giant misstep on their part and it wont last beyond one season.

I recognize snowboarding is becoming their focus, but I feel like a large portion of their snowboarding clientele are beginners (same for skiers) and they will never use the terrain park. They are setting aside close to half their terrain for far less then half of their customers.

Also, does anyone worry they may be doing away with the link between south and north? It seems apparent they are hoping the park rats will just spend their day at south and not bother to hit the rest of the resort.

I also find the few boarders that frequent these boards very rude and indicative of some of the problems with the snowboarding community.

I agree that it is silly to worry about failing a drug test from secondhand smoke, but smoking illegal drunks it a confined public space is incredibly rude. Not only should he have told ski patrol, but when they failed to act he should have taken his complaint to management. I'm pretty libeterian in my views, but certain things are going to far. How big of a burnout do you have to be to not be able to last a day of skiing without lighting up?