Ski area closing dates 2008

[Bumpsis]

KingM makes a good point. Weather is a major factor that plays into the number of vists to ski areas.

If I lived our west, with good access to interesting terrain, I would come up with the money for season passes for myself and the family (wife, 2 kids) because I'd be quite certain that I'll be satisfied with the quality of the conditions whenever I'd get out. I'd have no problem with being tied to one specific monutain.

Out here' that's a non-starter. First of all - I really don't like skiing on man made snow.The chance that conditions will be crappy or marginallly so are much greater than chance of soft, natural cover when I am ready to get to the mountain. Plus none of the mountains that I could commit to for a whole season, are close enough to my house.

This forces me to do mostly day trips (cherry picking the conditions) and paying the really high prices for day tickeys. I hate to say this but I really see myslef being marginalized by the bigger mountains. I'm sure that I'm not alone in this predicament. As is, I do most of my skiing when I take the family for a week's worth of skiing during the school vacation time. The quality of that experience is also a weather related crapshoot. Given the escalating costs of lift tickets, flying out west for a week and not skiing out east at all is becoming more and more attractive. It is all about the quality of the snow conditions.

 

[deadheadskier]

This forces me to do mostly day trips (cherry picking the conditions) and paying the really high prices for day tickeys.

Join a ski club like Ace. Half off or better on lift tickets that can be used any time outside of some black out dates in Vermont, no black outs for the NH areas. The $20 membership MORE than pays for itself with the purchase of one ticket. Skiing is more affordable than most people think if you're a little creative.

 

[ckofer]

Hey admin, can we make this a sticky till June?

 

[KingM]

Join a ski club like Ace. Half off or better on lift tickets that can be used any time outside of some black out dates in Vermont, no black outs for the NH areas. The $20 membership MORE than pays for itself with the purchase of one ticket. Skiing is more affordable than most people think if you're a little creative.

I think this is a good point. I see so many people pay way more than they have to for lift tickets if they would just do the tiniest bit of planning ahead of time. For example, someone comes and stays for one day, midweek and pays full price at the window. The day before they were at Okemo or Stowe for one day, paying full price there. Instead, they could have taken 1/3 off by getting a two day ticket to Sugarbush packaged with their room. You need two consecutive days at SB to take advantage of this, but so what? One day at Mt. Ellen, one day at Lincoln Peak, it's like you've skied two different resorts anyway.

Another thing I see is someone coming to the valley and skiing SB on Friday and MRG on Saturday. They have paid: $69 + $54 = $123. If they had simply reversed these two days they'd have paid: $35 + $69 = $104. If there are four of them, they saved $76 by doing nothing more than changing the order of the days they skied each resort.

I try to point stuff like this out to people, but it's impossible to constantly monitor where people are skiing and when. And some people just don't care how much they spend.

 

[Skier75]

I think this is a good point. I see so many people pay way more than they have to for lift tickets if they would just do the tiniest bit of planning ahead of time. For example, someone comes and stays for one day, midweek and pays full price at the window. The day before they were at Okemo or Stowe for one day, paying full price there. Instead, they could have taken 1/3 off by getting a two day ticket to Sugarbush packaged with their room. You need two consecutive days at SB to take advantage of this, but so what? One day at Mt. Ellen, one day at Lincoln Peak, it's like you've skied two different resorts anyway.

Another thing I see is someone coming to the valley and skiing SB on Friday and MRG on Saturday. They have paid: $69 + $54 = $123. If they had simply reversed these two days they'd have paid: $35 + $69 = $104. If there are four of them, they saved $76 by doing nothing more than changing the order of the days they skied each resort.

I try to point stuff like this out to people, but it's impossible to constantly monitor where people are skiing and when. And some people just don't care how much they spend.

Yes, getting creative is the key. I had someone at work say to me, "sking must be expensive". My relpy to him was that it doesn't have to be. We always look for deals. It's been quite a while since I've had to pay full price for a lift ticket. Between when the ASC offered their deals, ski NH deals, and any other ones we can find, that's what we do. I can also ski at Cannon or any other state of NH mountains(not sure if there are any others), as I'm a state employee. Even when I was a single parent I used to take my daughter skiing. I was going to college and they offered deals and when my daughter was a GS, they took them to Sugarloaf once and I got to go as a chaperone, which in itself was interesting. So their are many ways to find deals.

 

[severine]

Mohawk Mountain: March 22nd is the last day of operation this season, according to their website.

FREE lift tickets on March 21st, though!

 

[Newpylong]

I think you will if the snow holds

VT: Sugarbush
NH: Wildcat
ME: Sugarloaf

Expect Mount Snow (yes you hear that right, first to open in VT) to give Sugarbush a run if they feel its profitable (real and market worthy).

 

[Bumpsis]

Join a ski club like Ace. Half off or better on lift tickets that can be used any time outside of some black out dates in Vermont, no black outs for the NH areas. The $20 membership MORE than pays for itself with the purchase of one ticket. Skiing is more affordable than most people think if you're a little creative.

Thanks for the good suggestion. I'll look into that.

 

[thetrailboss]

Reliable sources are saying that Burke is seriously considering reopening for the first weekend of April. Conditions and crowds permitting....

 

[Vortex]

Sunday River trying for April 27 if they can.

 

[deadheadskier]

Sunday River trying for April 27 if they can.

Any word on a return of the May Day like years past?

 

[ERJ-145CA]

Tuxedo Ridge, formerly Sterling Forest, in southeastern NY state, closed for the season on Sunday 3/16.

 

[loafer89]

Ski Ward and Yagoo Valley are now closed for the season and Nasoba Valley is closed but may re-open this weekend.

Blandford and Bradford are also closed for the season

 

[hiroto]

Blue Hills is closed for the season. Darn, I still haven't skied this hill only 15 minutes away from home.

 

[Vortex]

Any word on a return of the May Day like years past?

Not a peep. I think the attempt is to get suglarloaf to gain the buzz for the end of season. I would like May at the River though.

 

[loafer89]

Not a peep. I think the attempt is to get suglarloaf to gain the buzz for the end of season. I would like May at the River though.

Then it's possible that I may actually have to share a trail with someone else this May

 

[Vortex]

Terry, Jerry G and myself usually will be going till the lifts stop spinning. I think snowmonster may be joining as well.

 

[polski]

Any word on a return of the May Day like years past?

Don't know if the bragging rights would be worth the investment but if snowpack allows and SR can open at least a day in May, their 07-08 season will have spanned eight calendar months. (I missed Halloween but got my earliest ever start there Nov 11.)

 

[snowmonster]

Terry, Jerry G and myself usually will be going till the lifts stop spinning. I think snowmonster may be joining as well.

Name the time and place and I'll be there.

 

[Vortex]

Name the time and place and I'll be there.

North till june,

River till its done. Loaf till its done. Then probably tucks for hiking unless the river holds the snow for hiking. I skied the lower 1/2 of votex May 26 this year.