Stratton Mountain - New Snow Bowl HSQ

[machski]

Idk this seems like a ridiculously behind schedule project at this point. Like a month behind if not a little more.

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Way behind, thought it wasn't planned to be completed til sometime this month originally. You want to see ridiculously behind schedule, check out Bretton Woods Gondola. That may not get finished now this ski season. But Stratton's build? Can't say they are that far behind given the weather issues this year.

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[KustyTheKlown]

i went to stratton yesterday. while it was essentially exactly how and what it always is, it still provided a fresh renewal of my hatred for the place

the caliber of skier there is super low, so you constantly have to be on the lookout for other people. middle-aged and older people in the gondola make comments about how it "doesn't look like flatt-on to me" and how "i dont know why anyone would ski anywhere else." all day long people make comments about how fat and wide my skis are. they are my 105 mm daily drivers.

they groomed 48 out of 49 open trails. identical boring pitch-less cruisers that get scraped to groomer track ice by 10 am.

the two decent marked glades (diamonds, and the one under the woods skiers left of the gondola line) skied ok. moondance skied treacherously.

the gondola liftline had a few inches of soft snow on top, but it was closed, probably bc they didnt have a chance to groom it yet and god forbid the stratton pansies ski anything that is not groomed. the sunbowl base area was closed, along with the entire pod. the best looking snow on the mountain was the few inches sitting on all of the blues that cut down to sunbowl. no rational reason for this all to be closed.

on the positive side, my girlfriend took a group lesson but ended up with just her and TWO instructors. it was her first time in many years and that was great for her. and i skied 19k vertical feet and managed to be off mountain at 1, buying backacre bottles at the craft beer shop by 1:30, and at my family hanuka dinner in manhattan at 6 on the dot.

 

[NYDB]

^reading that makes me feel like I was actually there. Scraped off groomers by 10am and inane gondola chatter is a big part of the Stratton experience.

 

[urungus]

middle-aged and older people in the gondola make comments about how it "doesn't look like flatt-on to me" and how "i dont know why anyone would ski anywhere else." all day long people make comments about how fat and wide my skis are. they are my 105 mm daily drivers.

What annoys me is the frequent discussion of banking / business deals while trapped in the Stratton gondola.

 

[slatham]

I've made comments elsewhere on AZ that I wanted to get to Stratton on some off weekend just because I haven't been there in several years. Maybe I need to rethink.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

its fine on a midweek day with fresh snow. otherwise, it pretty much sucks and i only go because its on my pass and allows me to be back in nyc by 6 pm.

 

[ss20]

its fine on a midweek day with fresh snow. otherwise, it pretty much sucks and i only go because its on my pass and allows me to be back in nyc by 6 pm.

Nailed it. I will add that the trees are really good, including the 1,500ft vertical Test Pilot glade.

 

[BenedictGomez]

they groomed 48 out of 49 open trails. identical boring pitch-less cruisers that get scraped to groomer track ice by 10 am.

Early season snow-banking, or do they always do this?

 

[KustyTheKlown]

that is SOP

 

[BenedictGomez]

that is SOP

One less place I'll ever need to visit.

 

[MEtoVTSkier]

Yeah, like he said, something to do mid-week possibly just to check it out. Hard to pass up better options though.

 

[benski]

all day long people make comments about how fat and wide my skis are. they are my 105 mm daily drivers.

There are ski shops in Westchester without any fat skis. I looked once and did not see a ski I would consider. The only ski-shop in Binghamton is not much better.

 

[Zermatt]

i went to stratton yesterday. while it was essentially exactly how and what it always is, it still provided a fresh renewal of my hatred for the place

the caliber of skier there is super low, so you constantly have to be on the lookout for other people. middle-aged and older people in the gondola make comments about how it "doesn't look like flatt-on to me" and how "i dont know why anyone would ski anywhere else." all day long people make comments about how fat and wide my skis are. they are my 105 mm daily drivers.

they groomed 48 out of 49 open trails. identical boring pitch-less cruisers that get scraped to groomer track ice by 10 am.

the two decent marked glades (diamonds, and the one under the woods skiers left of the gondola line) skied ok. moondance skied treacherously.

the gondola liftline had a few inches of soft snow on top, but it was closed, probably bc they didnt have a chance to groom it yet and god forbid the stratton pansies ski anything that is not groomed. the sunbowl base area was closed, along with the entire pod. the best looking snow on the mountain was the few inches sitting on all of the blues that cut down to sunbowl. no rational reason for this all to be closed.

on the positive side, my girlfriend took a group lesson but ended up with just her and TWO instructors. it was her first time in many years and that was great for her. and i skied 19k vertical feet and managed to be off mountain at 1, buying backacre bottles at the craft beer shop by 1:30, and at my family hanuka dinner in manhattan at 6 on the dot.

Should have been there last weekend. Snow quality was amazing and Upper Standard was ungroomed and open with very soft moguls. It was still insanely crowded, full of a-hole snowboarders (the ones pounding beer in the gondola line swearing their heads off so my 7 year old daughter could hear...those ones).

Yesterday, skied off by 10am and colder. Less crowded though. What can I say it was on my pass, I ski early and get home early.

 

[Zermatt]

Jackass skier being a jackass skier right here... You realize that little ski racer kids are as bad usually way worse than boarders doing their little tuck and straight line everything routine. What a jackass comment by you honestly.

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Pounding beers in the gondola line while dropping the f bomb every six words a few feet away from my seven year old daughter....that doesn't count?

I'm quite qualified to point out a-hole snowboarders, thank you.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

Should have been there last weekend. Snow quality was amazing and Upper Standard was ungroomed and open with very soft moguls. It was still insanely crowded, full of a-hole snowboarders (the ones pounding beer in the gondola line swearing their heads off so my 7 year old daughter could hear...those ones).

Yesterday, skied off by 10am and colder. Less crowded though. What can I say it was on my pass, I ski early and get home early.

i would never waste last weekend at a place like stratton. last weekend was MRG friday smuggs saturday with a prompt go home and beat the sunday rain.

stratton is solely for the sundays i need to be back in nyc early + magic conditions are sub par

 

[slatham]

i would never waste last weekend at a place like stratton. last weekend was MRG friday smuggs saturday with a prompt go home and beat the sunday rain.

stratton is solely for the sundays i need to be back in nyc early + magic conditions are sub par

Well played. Magic was spectacular last Saturday (12/1) as well.

This thread is definitely reinforcing my choice of Bromley and Magic as my go to mountains.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Should have been there last weekend. Snow quality was amazing and Upper Standard was ungroomed and open with very soft moguls. It was still insanely crowded, full of a-hole snowboarders (the ones pounding beer in the gondola line swearing their heads off so my 7 year old daughter could hear...those ones).

I have a feeling this is going to be a function of IKON.

I skied Magic last Saturday, but everyone at the bar at the lodge (literally) skied Stratton, save one couple who skied Okemo. My wife & I were the only people who skied Magic, and this was a lodge AT Magic. Of the numerous people who skied Stratton, all of them (again..... literally) said the only reason they skied Stratton that day was because it's "free" on their IKON pass.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

stratton was insanely crowded on weekends before ikon existed. it was insanely crowded before max pass existed, and has only gotten worse and worse.

 

[NYDB]

stratton was insanely crowded on weekends before ikon existed. it was insanely crowded before max pass existed, and has only gotten worse and worse.

plus now it is attracting IKON douches like Billo, which will only make the weekends worse. A lot of people carrying around that Billo 'asshole' vibe at Stratton.

 

[Glenn]

So about that lift...

Geez, if you don't like the place, just go somewhere else? There's a rear end for every seat...and a mountain for every ski...