Skiing Friday night at Wachusett, am I crazy?

[DEVO]

Looking to bring my 15 yr old daughter and some of her friends skiing at Wachusett Friday night. I will be teaching one of her friends how to ski for the first time. Am I out of mind? Will it be a complete zoo there on a Friday night?

 

[learn2turn]

I don't normally ski Friday night so I can't say. If the weather is bad, it won't be crowded.

The best night's at Wa are holidays, like Feb vacation and MLK Day. No school groups and the parents take their kids during the day. It's dead at night.

Please please if you aren't knowledgeable in ski instruction, let the kid take a lesson with a trained instructor. The beginner package costs little more than the price of a lift and rentals so you might as well buy the beginners package and get the lesson. First time lessons go out at 5:30 and last one hour if there are one or two students and one and a half hours if there are three to eight. Evening lessons are usually pretty dead so you get a lot of attention.

 

[DEVO]

I don't normally ski Friday night so I can't say. If the weather is bad, it won't be crowded.

The best night's at Wa are holidays, like Feb vacation and MLK Day. No school groups and the parents take their kids during the day. It's dead at night.

Please please if you aren't knowledgeable in ski instruction, let the kid take a lesson with a trained instructor. The beginner package costs little more than the price of a lift and rentals so you might as well buy the beginners package and get the lesson. First time lessons go out at 5:30 and last one hour if there are one or two students and one and a half hours if there are three to eight. Evening lessons are usually pretty dead so you get a lot of attention.

Thanks for the info. I taught for 3 seasons when I was younger so that won't be an issue. Anyone know if Friday nights are especially crowded?

 

[jack97]

Thanks for the info. I taught for 3 seasons when I was younger so that won't be an issue. Anyone know if Friday nights are especially crowded?

Yes.

The lodge can get packed and stay packed for a while. A logical place for teenagers/young adults to hang out together. Usually on a weeknight, the place clears out around 7:30 to 8:00, you get surreal runs where you get the whole trails to yourself but not on a weekend night.

Both quads are busy but the lines are ok, some times a liftie is needed to keep order. The bunny hill and lift has the less crowds and wait, so that should be OK.

IMO, its the getting in and out of lodge to boot up or change which is a drag. Sometimes you can't find a place to sit.

 

[jillybeans]

I used to avoid weekend nights as well out of fear that it would be a zoo, you cant predict anymore which days will crowded or not. I went this past Saturday and it was less busy than the previous Tuesday when I had gone so go figure. It clears out usually around 7:30 or so no matter which day, during the week I have noticed the major problem is all of the school groups which makes the lodge a zoo. Weekends the lodge is also a zoo but you can usually find somewhere to put your boots on.
I agree about the lesson, unless you are an instructor, it is not wise teaching someone for the first time. If they have already had a lesson, then helping them to apply what they learned works, but an instructor is best for teaching appropriate form etc.
Good luck, have fun (P.s. far out weather reports are predicting snow/? rain for Friday)

 

[gr82ski]

Looking to bring my 15 yr old daughter and some of her friends skiing at Wachusett Friday night. I will be teaching one of her friends how to ski for the first time. Am I out of mind? Will it be a complete zoo there on a Friday night?

Friday evenings will be crowded until 10:00 pm. When you combine school groups with a Friday evening the crowds usually do not thin out after 8:00 pm like Mon-Thursday.

The lodge will be crowded. The lift lines will be long-ish.

 

[f1kartracer]

the other thing you have to watch out for are kamikazee pilots and teenagers learning from their friends I was a victim of one of those on friday.

 

[MRGisevil]

the other thing you have to watch out for are kamikazee pilots and teenagers learning from their friends I was a victim of one of those on friday.

That happens everywhere. I was a victim of one of those on Friday night @ another mountain.

To be honest, DEVO, no matter where you go on a Friday night you're most likely going to catch a school crowd... can't be avoided- it's the kids' night to play!

 

[Mark_151]

Go Superbowl Sunday. I never miss it, best night of the year to ski at Wachusett!

 

[jack97]

Go Superbowl Sunday.

Umm.... last I heard, superbowl sunday is on sunday and not on friday.

Dunno if this is viable, first and second season Crotched re-opened, I have gone Sat night, the place was not crowded. Not sure how it is right now/this season.

 

[Mark_151]

Umm.... last I heard, superbowl sunday is on sunday and not on friday.

Dunno if this is viable, first and second season Crotched re-opened, I have gone Sat night, the place was not crowded. Not sure how it is right now/this season.

Ummm, last I heard, Saturday wasn't on a Friday either......:roll:

Seems you had no problem offering up an alternative, in the same paragraph you faulted me for doing the same.

 

[jack97]

Ummm, last I heard, Saturday wasn't on a Friday either......:roll:

Seems you had no problem offering up an alternative, in the same paragraph you faulted me for doing the same.

Sorry, my respond was tongue and cheek.


Getting back to the original context, frid and sat night is crowded at wachusetts. As stated, it the kids nites out. Sunday nite is better since its a school nite.

In terms of Crotched, back several years ago, sat was not crowded and the way they handle thing in the lodge prevents clutter. I figure if sat is not bad, frid nite crowds should follow closely. But that was two years ago, the crowds may have changed since they have been promoting a lot of discounts tickets (low cost season pass, two for one tickets and so on) around the area.