Stratton 12/23 "This Gondola Sucks"

[gladerider]

*cough* Magic *cough*

i've been to magic a couple of times, but didn't come away thinking it was better than stratton. may be i need to hook up with someone more knowledgeable in the woods. i do like the mountain and when i went i was lucky with nearly 10 inches of fresh and the trail under the liftline was awesome. looks like i need to go back.

 

[riverc0il]

Ask someone to show you around. Most of the glades at Magic are not on the map...

 

[Ice Queen]

I agree that the fake village sucks, and I found that the entire vibe at Stratton is awful. I hated it the weekend I spent there a few years ago. We were having lunch at one of the lodges with cafeteria type dining and looking around, no one seemed to be smiling or laughing. It was just odd.

Vail is even worse in that respect. What were they thinking? I'll stick to places that have real towns from now on.

 

[SKIQUATTRO]

no area in the east warrants a gondola...

 

[wintersyndrome]

this + there gondola duz suck. Hence me and the boyz dubed it the Fartbox back in like '97. The Bro & I were most impressed w/ the glades in 1 trail pod last season. I think thats the Sun Bowl but it could be the Snow Bowl. Kinda confusing names there. Anyway Jet Pilot was our favorite...

I'll never forget when we popped the cork on the champagne and that kid asks his mom

- "Mommy, What's Champagne?"

- "It's like grape juice....but for adults"

and then McCauley ripped one ...and it's been known as Fartbox ever since...good times

 

[Harvey]

I've skied Stratton once, and wouldn't call myself a fan.

But +1 on billski's comment. IMO any generalization about a large group of people is bound to have inaccuracies.

 

[legalskier]

The Gondola really sucks as it is, they really need to replace the cabins with CWA Omegas. I can't believe that those cabins are designed to fit "12 PEOPLE". Its uncomfortable anyway you position yourself in there.

Apparently you've never had the pleasure of riding the Cabriolet cattle car at the Creek. The only good thing about it is it's over quickly.

Overall Stratton is not my kind of resort, extremely snobby.
Everyone there talked about how Stratton is so much better than the neighboring mountains of Okemo, Mount Snow and even Killington.

Sounds like Magic would be much more your cup of tea in southern Vermont. Meanwhile, just turn up the volume of your iPod so you don't have to hear them. I haven't been to Stratton in years due to the things you describe, not to mention the cost, but I admit the glades were memorable.

My philosophy is quite simple. If you get to the bottom and you have a smile on your face, that's all that really matters. After all, it's just adults playing in the snow!nn

I concur Bill.
For me the formula is simple: snow + gravity = fun. Everything else is just a distraction.

Think snow!

 

[halifax]

Hate the Stratton gondola, it is the definition of cattle car. Don't be the last one in, because you end up pressed against the door the whole trip. Not a good feeling. And what's up with the staircase that has to be climbed to get in the gondi? Stratton ... no thanks.

 

[carbonXshell]

Hate the Stratton gondola, it is the definition of cattle car. Don't be the last one in, because you end up pressed against the door the whole trip. Not a good feeling. And what's up with the staircase that has to be climbed to get in the gondi? Stratton ... no thanks.

Yeah I agree, why didn't they put in an escalator... next time there I'm gonna ride the 2 chairs to get to the top... I don't care if it takes longer or if I freeze my nuts off, I won't be riding in that shitty ass gondola... thank god for this thread!

 

[halifax]

A ground-loading gondola would have been nice. Some of us have knees that don't like stairs in ski boots... pretty common in the Over-50 set who've been hammering those things for a lot of years. :wink:

 

[billski]

A ground-loading gondola would have been nice. Some of us have knees that don't like stairs in ski boots... pretty common in the Over-50 set who've been hammering those things for a lot of years. :wink:

My brain is gone, but my knees are my most crucial asset for skiing. I've seen so many folks our age blow out their knees. Game over. I want to ski right to the funeral home, so it's time to be a bit more pokey.

 

[MadPadraic]

no area in the east warrants a gondola...

I'm not sure what criteria you are using for "warrants," but mine has to do somewhat with difficult destination terminals and primarily about avoiding unpleasant weather. Whistler's gondolas are all from the base village so they can shield people from the rain (and sell sight seeing tickets). Stratton, Loon, and Sugarloaf (any time now), all certainly warrant a gondola several days a year...

I agree that the fake village sucks, and I found that the entire vibe at Stratton is awful. I hated it the weekend I spent there a few years ago. We were having lunch at one of the lodges with cafeteria type dining and looking around, no one seemed to be smiling or laughing. It was just odd.

Vail is even worse in that respect. What were they thinking? I'll stick to places that have real towns from now on.

I like the village. They also have a pretty good cellar bar if I recall.

Yeah I agree, why didn't they put in an escalator... next time there I'm gonna ride the 2 chairs to get to the top... I don't care if it takes longer or if I freeze my nuts off, I won't be riding in that shitty ass gondola... thank god for this thread!

I tend to do the two chair thing too, but if I recall, they are mostly 6-packs, which suck for boarders.

 

[woofydoggie]

A ground-loading gondola would have been nice. Some of us have knees that don't like stairs in ski boots... pretty common in the Over-50 set who've been hammering those things for a lot of years. :wink:

They put their ambulance bay and garage under the gondola and the area wasn't great for a ground loading gondola.

 

[mriceyman]

Is strattons new gondi cars up yet?


Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone

 

[WoodCore]

Is strattons new gondi cars up yet?


Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone

They are just starting the process this week. In addition to the new gondola cars, the cable is also being replaced so the process is a little more involved than just simply changing the cars out. Everything is scheduled to be completed by August 29th.

 

[thetrailboss]

Anything else happening at Stratton?

 

[bzrperfspec77]

Anything else happening at Stratton?

Yoga...

 

[thetrailboss]

Yoga...

:lol:

No on-mountain improvements?

 

[steamboat1]

:lol:

No on-mountain improvements?

duh ! ! !

 

[bzrperfspec77]

A couple years ago they added two new trails in the sunbowl area. The couple times I've been up there they were not open.