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Pandemic good or bad for the quality & quantity of your skiing/riding?

jimk

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I saw in another thread that member @Tonyr and family were having an all time best ski season for total ski days. Was the pandemic good or bad for your skiing! Or did we already do that topic? I've heard some amazing stories riding chairlifts this winter at Snowbird. Some people are having the time of their lives working remotely from great ski locations around the country, while others are scared or broke and lucky to do any skiing at all?!?

I talked to a guy from Philly who's worked remotely for a year from all over North America including Utah and some other nice ski locations, but also varied non-ski locations like Miami Beach. I talked to a New Jersey family yesterday at Snowbird who lived in Summit County, CO for much of this winter while working remotely and getting in a lot of skiing. They weren't done, they had just relocated for a long stint of spring skiing in UT.

Was the pandemic good or bad for the quality and quantity of your skiing/riding?
 
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Edd

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It’s been pretty good for quantity of days. Not much else to do so I’ll finish >40 days which I haven’t done for years. My job can’t be done remotely; very envious of that situation.
 

ss20

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A minute from the Alta exit off the I-15!
Best season ever. Did a three week road trip out west early December. Doing the same around the northeast now for 8ish days. Tons of vt day trips. Least vehicle traffic I've seen. Trails noticably less crowded on weekends. Made more money ski instructing as private lessons were off the charts busy.

Other than ski season here starting a month late and ending a few weeks early I've got nothing to complain about.


Wish it was all under better circumstances, of course.
 

KustyTheKlown

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days is about the same as usual. actually a little less due to the slow start. i normally start before thanksgiving and ski every weekend beginning in december. the snow didn't really let me start til almost xmas. today was day 38, tomorrow is 39. i'll likely end up with 41 or 42. my goal is usually 50 and i usually miss the goal by a day or two (tho i have hit it)

quality is worse. i usually ski 50/50 east/west, and this year was 100% east. i love skiing the east, but not skiing big terrain and big snow out west mean my quality was lower than the average year.

that being said, quality for the east was great. lots of well timed powder days, beginning with that massive 25"+ december storm. january and february just consistent great skiing every weekend. an april 2 powder day with zero lines at jay, after a dismal march.

i do work remotely, but i also have a partner and an expensive apartment lease, and a really strong aversion to getting on an airplane or really doing anything with other people this year. with the exception of about 4 days where i met two friends from albany and shared chairlifts and no other space, i drove, lodged, chairlifted, and skied all by myself this year. i dont really miss the social side of skiing. hell is other people (tho i do really miss my friends i ski with out west who all had the good sense to relocate to snowier climes)

i get vaccinated may 19 and i'm pretty stoked to finally see my friends, eat inside, fly, etc.
 

slatham

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Major increase in # of days and also just living in VT for most of winter. But I’d give those days back for no pandemic.
 

KustyTheKlown

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one thing i will say is that the pandemic forced me to experience vermont in a whole different way. when i was a kid, we would do a 4 day trip to mount snow over mlk and a 7 day trip to killington over presidents week. other than that, and in adulthood, vermont was about quick weekend trips. very hurried stuff. rush out of work on friday, or take a crackhead nap and leave in the middle of the night, drive drive drive drive drive. rush home sunday.

it was still that most of this year, but i also took 2 separate 10 day trips where i had a house in waitsfield, did an hour or two of work every day, took it slow, had a kitchen, bought groceries, cooked for myself. just LIVED. it was very pleasant. the skiing wasnt super great for either of the big trips, but living in vermont ski country as a LIFESTYLE was a major change of pace for me, which i enjoyed. confirmed to me that i could live a rural ski country existence, if i can work remotely, and my girl is also ok with the situation
 

abc

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Quantity is good. If you count just “days”. But so many of the days were half days or just hours, the actual quantity “on snow” is only ok.

Quality Is worse. Because it’s all in the east Instead of splitting between east and west.

So, between the lift lines, reluctance in lodging, long drives back and forth, and short days, it‘s worse overall.
 

Smellytele

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Right where I want to be
I skied less lift serve and about the same skinning. Way more people skinning than ever and it took some of joy out of it but still good exercise.
 

snoseek

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My work was pretty slow over winter so I told them I was going to work Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Take it or leave it. work 3, ski three and take a day off. It felt like it snowed quite a bit early midweek this year. I wanna say we had a decent string of Tuesdays during that fine stretch mid season.

I cant do that drive next winter. 2 hours is a long way. I have 6 months to at the very least cut that in half.
 

drjeff

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Day 61 today... if Mount Snow can make it 2 more weeks until the 18th, and I don't think they will, that will be day 66 for me.

Got 53 before the shutdown last season. No complaints from me this year!
 

cdskier

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I would say it is a bit of both good and bad. MLK weekend was my first weekend skiing this year. Usually I start in December or sometimes even November, but with the travel restrictions combined with holidays and other family things that just wasn't realistically possible (not that I missed much this year early season). Then in early January I was finally able to get to VT and have been here non-stop since. Working remotely has allowed me to stay up here, although I still can't exactly get out any random mid-week days. I was able to get out every Friday afternoon after work for a few hours though. 3 hours skiing Friday afternoons sure beats driving 5 hours after work every week to get to VT like I normally would in other years. It is also really nice to not have to deal with that 5 hour drive back to NJ on Sundays after skiing. So overall being able to work remotely in VT has made the ski season so much more relaxing. The 10 hours of driving every weekend in a normal season does get tiring after a while.

In terms of number of days, even with my late start I'm still catching up to what I normally do thanks to the skiing Friday afternoon thing. I'm now at 38 days. Most of the recent years I've been in the low to mid 40s by the end of the season.
 
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More average vertical per day than historically average; (26K vs 24k) since booting up at the car, skiing without going in the lodge and no apres ski didn't provide too many leisure activities, But, fewer days this year due to no western trip(s).

Epic Midweek NE Value Pass down to $18+ per day. No complaints.
 

jimk

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Work has been crazier than ever. Not enough time to ski.
Yes, I think I posted here that I skied with a medical professional in early March for a few days. His one week trip to Snowbird was the only skiing he could get this season. Normally he skis much more. Very dedicated person who I greatly admire.
 
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