PATS PEAK: The 2007 AlpineZone Ski Area Challenge (Cool Thoughts During Hot Weather)

[thetrailboss]

Lori Rowell (Cayouette), from Pats Peak has agreed to take the 2007 Alpine Zone Challenge!!! This is your opportunity to ask questions, offer suggestions, or say some praise to the men and women who are in charge of the Northeast’s Ski Areas. Please post some suggested questions in this thread and we'll select ten to present for official responses.

Also please don't be offended if we edit/change your question for grammar, tone, or some other minor thing. In order to get in all of the questions we MAY merge some questions but we'll do our best to keep the substance of your question. If we don't get your question in, feel free to post a follow up after we get the results...we are encouraging the representatives follow the threads. :wink:

As always, please be respectful of Lori and keep it civil. Also, please refrain from asking specifics about skier visit numbers, financials, demographic information, etc. Pats Peak needs to be discrete about certain information.

We are honored to have Pats Peak join us for their FOURTH AZ Challenge and Lori to be here for her THIRD Challenge. As many of you know, Pats Peak partnered last season with AZ to offer discounts to skiers and riders and we are thrilled to have them be a part of our community. Please take advantage of this special opportunity!


Ask away!

Pats Peak's Profile

Previous Pats Peak Responses:

2004 Responses.
2005 Responses.
2006 Responses.

 

[Vortex]

1st. I want to thank you for being one of the 1st resorts to work with us on AZ discounts. 2nd your race program is fantastic. Our team has had a blast and talk is on going about next season. Will be be able to continue a partneship with promotions and value benefits for our members?

 

[bobbutts]

Hi Lori,
Just for me could you try to keep trails open while snowmaking is in progress. I had a few days there last year with hard pack on the trails and great snow coming from the guns, but the runs with snowmaking in progress were closed. Please just mark it as "Snowmaking in progress!" instead of closing it off.

 

[thetrailboss]

Lori, kudos on adding lights and new snowmaking to Hurricane. How did it work out? Did you find that the bumps were better? Were people stoked?

And Pats Peak is renown for improving things every year. What is in store for next season? Any thoughts about adding more terrain or clearing out some of the remaining lift lines for skiing?

 

[maplevalleymaster]

Thank you for taking the AZ challenge.

Pat Peak has a lot of expert and beginner terrain, but not much intermediate. I know a few intermediate skiers who have skied Pats Peak and have been a little bored due to lack of terrain.

Any chance of adding more glades? Their easy to make and a lot of fun!

 

[hammer]

Lori, kudos on adding lights and new snowmaking to Hurricane. How did it work out? Did you find that the bumps were better? Were people stoked?

Related question...I never went on Hurricane but a lot of the times I saw it there was a ton of snow (good) but the bumps tended to look quite icy in spots (not so good). Have you considered trying to run a groomer on the trail to make a more regular mogul field?

Two other questions:

• Are you planning on keeping the small mogul field on the lower portion of FIS? I dabbled in that last season and I thought it was really good for aspiring/starting bump skiers.
• Could you consider changing the approach to the Vortex double a bit? I know that it is not a beginner lift, but the short downslope just prior to the loading point can be a bit tricky, especially when everyone slowplows the top layer off...

 

[thetrailboss]

Vortex: we have visited that question before, but I agree. It is very tricky. Very, very tricky.

 

[thetrailboss]

Intermediate terrain: good question. There really is no in between. I'm sure it is something they are working on.

How much longer can we expect the old Mueller Doubles to run? Any more thoughts on lifts? I doubt that things will change too much, but there are a lot of lifts.

 

[hammer]

Vortex: we have visited that question before, but I agree. It is very tricky. Very, very tricky.

I thought that I had asked about the valley double before, but it seems that all of the doubles can be more challenging to load...they all load from the side, don't know if that could be changed.

I don't mind the side load on the Vortex double, but it would be nice if the approach to the load point could be leveled off a bit...

As far as the comments on the intermediate terrain are concerned, IMO the "single black" trails are manageable for intermediates...they do have a decent pitch but there's not a lot of vertical. I actually think that there is a good amount of variety at Pats for its size.

 

[Vortex]

It was asked at the end of the season at the banquet, but. Any chance not to have twister as one of the trails used for The race leagues?

 

[hammer]

Have you ever considered extending your season beyond early December - late March or have you never had sufficient interest?

 

[bobbutts]

Pats Peak Announces Capital Improvements
http://news.alpinezone.com/17332/

One more question. Have you considered doing an afternoon groom (like wa-wa) on busier days with softer snow to refresh the conditions?

 

[tcharron]

Would you consider having a current conditions report via phone, or perhaps a better daily rundown on the web site? Your conditions are typically pretty good, but it would be nice to get a quick blow by blow regarding areas of the mountain. When I went later in the year last year, the last storm I believe, everything was bumps, which for me would be good, but I'd brought a newer skier which wasn't that great for them. ;-)