Summer 2018 Northeast Offseason Improvements

[cdskier]

I find that hard to believe. Where did you read that?

100% true. It was in a Q&A with Stowe's GM in VT Ski+Ride: https://vtskiandride.com/myth-busting-stowe/

Here's the relevant section:

Q: You’re eliminating the RFID gates and bringing the EpicMix app to Stowe. What are the coolest things that app can do?

A: We’re replacing the gates with hand scanners, which are much more efficient. We’ll also have gantries that can read your Epic pass and relay information to the EpicMix app. EpicMix is pretty cool: it can tell you how long lift lines are, track your vertical, read digital trail maps, track your family and even earn you badges for things like skiing all the lifts at one resort in one day. We even have a Jetsetter badge which one couple and an instructor earned by skiing Vail, Park City, Utah and Heavenly, in Lake Tahoe, all in one day and flying their private jet between them.

 

[Edd]

100% true. It was in a Q&A with Stowe's GM in VT Ski+Ride: https://vtskiandride.com/myth-busting-stowe/

Here's the relevant section:

That’s a bunch of nifty stuff but I’m questioning the “more efficient” statement. Gates can scan multiple people at the same time. Hand scanners, even with two guys using them at the same time, would be slower.

 

[urungus]

That’s a bunch of nifty stuff but I’m questioning the “more efficient” statement. Gates can scan multiple people at the same time. Hand scanners, even with two guys using them at the same time, would be slower.

What about the noob who can’t get his RFID card to work, and is stuck in the gate blocking everyone behind him? Also the gates make me feel like I am going through airport security...

 

[drjeff]

Having been through the hand scanners that Vail Resorts use a few years ago, their system is pretty efficient. The scanners work from 5+ feet away, and make 3 different audible tones. One for a kids pass, one for an adult pass and one for an invalid pass. Even at the base of Vail on a powder morning waiting to load one of their gondolas, their scanners kept the line moving efficiently. And as an aside, as a tall person (I'm 6'3" before I step into my ski boots and bindings/skis), the RFID gates can be more of a pain for me, having to crouch down to get my RFID pass at a readable level for the RFID gates I pass through when I'm occasionally chaperoning one of my kids school ski club trips to Wachusett

 

[Edd]

Having been through the hand scanners that Vail Resorts use a few years ago, their system is pretty efficient. The scanners work from 5+ feet away, and make 3 different audible tones. One for a kids pass, one for an adult pass and one for an invalid pass. Even at the base of Vail on a powder morning waiting to load one of their gondolas, their scanners kept the line moving efficiently. And as an aside, as a tall person (I'm 6'3" before I step into my ski boots and bindings/skis), the RFID gates can be more of a pain for me, having to crouch down to get my RFID pass at a readable level for the RFID gates I pass through when I'm occasionally chaperoning one of my kids school ski club trips to Wachusett

Ah, I’m apparently unaware of the better hand scanners. I’ve never noticed ones that work easily from far away. The scanners I’m accustomed to suck and gum up the works.

 

[WJenness]

Having been through the hand scanners that Vail Resorts use a few years ago, their system is pretty efficient. The scanners work from 5+ feet away, and make 3 different audible tones. One for a kids pass, one for an adult pass and one for an invalid pass. Even at the base of Vail on a powder morning waiting to load one of their gondolas, their scanners kept the line moving efficiently. And as an aside, as a tall person (I'm 6'3" before I step into my ski boots and bindings/skis), the RFID gates can be more of a pain for me, having to crouch down to get my RFID pass at a readable level for the RFID gates I pass through when I'm occasionally chaperoning one of my kids school ski club trips to Wachusett

As someone who is 6'4", I totally agree with you on the RFID thing.
Very thankful for the jacket I purchased a couple of years ago that has a wrist zipper pocket specifically for RFID passes. Much easier to get the gate to activate when I can just move my hand to whatever spot the gate wants it to be in.

Before this jacket, I had a chest pocket I put the RFID cards in, which led to a lot of bending and twisting to get some gates to open.

-w

 

[WJenness]

Also worth noting that the gantries they talk about are probably pretty similar to (if not the same as) the tech that Waterville began using last year.

Works from plenty of distance, with no need for gates.

 

[mbedle]

Keep in mind that there are two types of scanners being used these days. Barcode readers can be tough and time consuming. RFID readers are usually more efficient, since you don't have to actually see the pass to scan it.

 

[Edd]

Very thankful for the jacket I purchased a couple of years ago that has a wrist zipper pocket specifically for RFID passes. Much easier to get the gate to activate when I can just move my hand to whatever spot the gate wants it to be in.

-w

My last jacket had that pocket and I loved it. I was surprised that the Flylow jacket I bought last year didn’t come with it. However, being 5’11”, it worked fine in the chest pocket last year. The Axess brand gates at Sunapee and Gunstock are the most responsive RFID scanners I’ve seen.

 

[machski]

I had occasion to talk to the CEO at Sunday River a couple weeks ago. The big improvement is the water line form the pond to the pump house. The pond is over near the covered bridge by Sunday River and the pump house is next to Barker Lodge. The new pipe is European, concrete lined steel pipe, bigger than the last, double the capacity. They did add some more pump capability as well, but have not maxed out the pipes volume. Leaving room for more volume, forward thinking!!!

I casually mentioned that the decision was driven by the 3 breaks in the pipe??? He said there were actually 8 breaks, the public only knew about 3. Good move, I said! He also told me that put about 2 million into maintenance this summer as well. Windows, flooring, painting, culverts, etc.... We saw them installing culverts under 3 mile trail.

Fun fact, he also told me that currently, the River encompasses 3000 acres, and they have 5000 acres undeveloped out beyond Jordan. Between the lodges and hotels and operations and grounds, 3000 acres and 2 million maintenance budget, I'm saying wow!

I love the idea of a new waterline. And they are advertising for snowmakers, earning $20.00 while making snow (I don't know how much when they are not, but I noticed the distinction). I am hopeful this years snowmaking efforts will easily eclipse last years. Having water reliably available should remedy that.

Interesting, when I talked to him at Tough Mountain he said many knew they blew the line 7 times but the actual number was 14 (I knew about 3 myself, but guessing those were the big blowouts)! Irrelevant now but I wonder which version was correct. They can keep the 5000 undeveloped, undeveloped. Show me you can handle making snow on ALL of your snowmaking terrain first, upgrade the aging lifts that need it (ahhmm, Barker at a minimum and probably Aurora too) then they can think about expanding again. I would want to see the Western waterline installed and some automation added to the system too before another westward expansion of the resort.

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[machski]

You just might be on to what their plan is. Would explain why they don't seem to do anything with the lift situation at the Loaf yet...

Not a bad idea, would likely need new towers as I don't think they would want to use the old tripod ones again.

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[WJenness]

<snip>upgrade the aging lifts that need it (ahhmm, Barker at a minimum and probably Aurora too) then they can think about expanding again.<snip>

Tempest, PLEASE.

 

[Jully]

Not a bad idea, would likely need new towers as I don't think they would want to use the old tripod ones again.

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Was the drive/terminal components rebuilt/worked on significantly anytime during the lifts tenure? Its old for a detach in general I thought too.

 

[Jully]

Interesting, when I talked to him at Tough Mountain he said many knew they blew the line 7 times but the actual number was 14 (I knew about 3 myself, but guessing those were the big blowouts)! Irrelevant now but I wonder which version was correct. They can keep the 5000 undeveloped, undeveloped. Show me you can handle making snow on ALL of your snowmaking terrain first, upgrade the aging lifts that need it (ahhmm, Barker at a minimum and probably Aurora too) then they can think about expanding again. I would want to see the Western waterline installed and some automation added to the system too before another westward expansion of the resort.

Sent from my SM-T830 using AlpineZone mobile app

Aurora has been worrying me the past two seasons. The drive has sounded horrible more than a few times and they were loading it as a triple for awhile as well as taking it completely offline for at least one midwinter weekend.

I agree with your sentiment. At a town hall meeting with the employees, he stated that the development of that area was the difference between half a million skier days and a million skier days. They simply don't have the business to validate expansion. Get all the issues fixed and maybe they attract more, but it's a business that has less and less people getting involved.

Are you saying the message was developing that area was the key to getting to 1,000,000 skier days or they won't expand to that area until they reach 1,000,000 skier days?

 

[machski]

Was the drive/terminal components rebuilt/worked on significantly anytime during the lifts tenure? Its old for a detach in general I thought too.

In general, no. I have a feeling being a three season lift, the gearbox and maybe drive have seen some significant love. But it's still a chain/clip cadence system at the base and summit and for the base anyway, was designed into the building, not as a standalone terminal.

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[machski]

Aurora has been worrying me the past two seasons. The drive has sounded horrible more than a few times and they were loading it as a triple for awhile as well as taking it completely offline for at least one midwinter weekend.

Yup, and it certainly feels like the slowest fixed grip lift on the hill even though it is one of the shortest.

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[deadheadskier]

Aurora never bothered me much when I was a passholder there. It's only about ten minutes and I feel keeping it a FG made it a good place to escape crowds.

Tempest was the one that bothered me the most. I always parked at Whitecap and just seemed to take forever to get out of there on that lift. Plus at the time, Tempest was a trail that had reliable bumps. So, lapping that was painful.

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[skimagic]

Link to Lodge updates.with pics. Ascutney has new outdoor center, Mr snow carinthia is on track for end of the year..Catamount is in on the action too with renovation to main Lodge, which is great since it was pretty beat up.
Tenney will have food and a bar this season, lets hope they have good snow this year. .

http://www.newenglandskiindustry.com/viewstory.php?storyid=719

 

[jg17]

Ah, I’m apparently unaware of the better hand scanners. I’ve never noticed ones that work easily from far away. The scanners I’m accustomed to suck and gum up the works.

Seconded on the handheld scanners. The ones I had to use had to be put up right against the card to scan and didn't make any kind of noise, so you were just trying to see a tiny light go off. It was so bad that we rarely used it, since we couldn't keep up with the chairs even when there was no line. This was the Axess system, although the gates were pretty reliable at our other lifts that had them.

The Axess gates cost around half a million just to install a single set, so definitely not cheap...

 

[Newpylong]

In my opinion, Boyne's handling of their lift system (not maintenance, but vision) leaves much to be desired.

-Spruce FG Triple instead of FG Quad. They say the trail layout is better fit for a triple, but this move was just not forward thinking. You run less chairs if you're concerned about downhill traffic.
-Carpet loader on Tempest is a royal waste of time, they're only going to get 50 FPM out of it. That is a critical lift that most complain about. It needs to be a HSQ - reusing the towers and starting right outside the lodge, extending up a little higher with some trail work for improved access to Obsession. People might actually ski over there more if the lift wasn't the worst ever.
-New Loon gondola cabins - waste of money.
-No movement at all at the Loaf outside of Skyline which only went in because of the double failure.

End of my rant, which I usually refrain from doing.