MadPadraic
Active member
Date(s) Skied: March 9, 2007
Resort or Ski Area: Stratton
Conditions: Very edgable groomed.
Trip Report:
We managed to score a thursday and friday off together so we decided to use our snowdaze freebes.
Getting there: we detoured through the Berkshires for a few hours of excellent XC skiing. Stopped for awesome burrito's at the (new?) Bueno y Sano in North Hamptom location (famous to all UMass and Amherst Students), and were pleasently surprised by a very affordable but very nice room on the Magic Mountain access road. We arrived at the Sunbowl base at 9:20am (late!). We presented the snowdaze vouchers, and it took a good 15 minutes for the computer to work it out and print them up.
This was the first time this year when I have really appreciated grooming. Granted, I've been spoiled by being able to catch many of the major storms, but still. There weren't "miles and miles of corduroy," which I think is good. But even better, when there was corduroy, it was soft, not frozen.
My main complaint has to do with closures, but we may have hit at a special time: they are preparing for the US open, and had seven visible cats working on the pipe and trails in the sunbowl. This was kind of fun to watch, but obviously limited the lower sunbowl options. Of the 5 lifts that go to the summit area, only 2 were running: the Gondola and the URSA 6-pack. Also, the two blacks that run between the Gondola and the 6-pack were closed for racing. Lines existed, but weren't terrible.
A few comments: 1) the skier/boarder ratio was much higher than I anticipated. 2) The skiers were the rudest group I've ever encountered. The adult skiers generally made the worst teenage poser boarders look capable of working for the State department. 3) The people who we talked to at lunch and on the Gondola (mostly skiers, but some boarders) were probably the nicest group I've ever encountered. I'm not into skier boarder wars, but I wanted to offer this because of Stratton's rep as a snowboarder hill and its rep based on clientel. 4) We found a great apres spot. Not lively, but good selection and great music. 5) We scored excellent sunburns. 6) As the day went on, the crowds thinned but the conditions held up.
So, did the snowdaze promotion convince us to pay for a lift ticket? Pending weather, vacation time, etc we would consider working stratton into a midweek trip next year, but it didn't displace my favorite hill.
Resort or Ski Area: Stratton
Conditions: Very edgable groomed.
Trip Report:
We managed to score a thursday and friday off together so we decided to use our snowdaze freebes.
Getting there: we detoured through the Berkshires for a few hours of excellent XC skiing. Stopped for awesome burrito's at the (new?) Bueno y Sano in North Hamptom location (famous to all UMass and Amherst Students), and were pleasently surprised by a very affordable but very nice room on the Magic Mountain access road. We arrived at the Sunbowl base at 9:20am (late!). We presented the snowdaze vouchers, and it took a good 15 minutes for the computer to work it out and print them up.
This was the first time this year when I have really appreciated grooming. Granted, I've been spoiled by being able to catch many of the major storms, but still. There weren't "miles and miles of corduroy," which I think is good. But even better, when there was corduroy, it was soft, not frozen.
My main complaint has to do with closures, but we may have hit at a special time: they are preparing for the US open, and had seven visible cats working on the pipe and trails in the sunbowl. This was kind of fun to watch, but obviously limited the lower sunbowl options. Of the 5 lifts that go to the summit area, only 2 were running: the Gondola and the URSA 6-pack. Also, the two blacks that run between the Gondola and the 6-pack were closed for racing. Lines existed, but weren't terrible.
A few comments: 1) the skier/boarder ratio was much higher than I anticipated. 2) The skiers were the rudest group I've ever encountered. The adult skiers generally made the worst teenage poser boarders look capable of working for the State department. 3) The people who we talked to at lunch and on the Gondola (mostly skiers, but some boarders) were probably the nicest group I've ever encountered. I'm not into skier boarder wars, but I wanted to offer this because of Stratton's rep as a snowboarder hill and its rep based on clientel. 4) We found a great apres spot. Not lively, but good selection and great music. 5) We scored excellent sunburns. 6) As the day went on, the crowds thinned but the conditions held up.
So, did the snowdaze promotion convince us to pay for a lift ticket? Pending weather, vacation time, etc we would consider working stratton into a midweek trip next year, but it didn't displace my favorite hill.
