The 2006 AlpineZone Ski Area Challenge: STRATTON MOUNTAIN (Yes, you heard me right!)

[Brettski]

Questions for stratton...hmmmm

So why are the ticket prices so high?

It's too for me with a family to go there if I have to sacrifice a limb just to ski, or is not a family Mountain

Is it Stratton's interest in becoming the new "mascara mountain" or being an NY Elitist group of (intermediate) skiiers out of manhatan?

Are there any attractive ski/stay packages for a family of 5?

Are there any plans to build up the sun bowl base area?

 

[maplevalleymaster]

I was wondering why you do not have a grand resort hotel such as Mount Snow (Grand Summit Hotel) or Okemo (Jackson Gore Inn), your resorts that you probably have the most competition with? Although I do not want more people on the slopes, it seems like this would be a good idea in a business sense.

 

[maplevalleymaster]

What has been the result of your Stratton Snowdays? It seems to be quite popular, however I was wondering how it did for Stratton.

 

[maplevalleymaster]

Trailboss, are you going to include some questions from the 2004 alpinezone challenge with stratton?

 

[thetrailboss]

Trailboss, are you going to include some questions from the 2004 alpinezone challenge with stratton?

I don't think we have them still on file...paging Greg.

And I have got to get this out soon!

 

[Greg]

These were the 2004 questions that didn;t get responded to:

Stratton is somewhat notorious for some of the highest holiday/weekend lift ticket prices in the country. With ASC currently offering the ASC Gold Pass (no blackout dates; good at six resorts) for $599, will Stratton be offering a competitive season pass price? What do you feel will be the effect of such aggressive season pass pricing on the Northeast ski industry as a whole?

Do you have any plans to open a forum or chat room on your website? Do you read web forums like AlpineZone.com? If so, do you ever want to reply to posts about Stratton or other ski areas?

Are there any infrastructure improvements/upgrades planned, e.g. lifts, snowmaking, base/summit facilities, etc.?

Stratton has a clear commitment to cutting the time its customers have to wait in lift lines. You are increasing the quantity of skiing any single customer can achieve in a single day. While this is a laudable goal, I'd like to know if you think this can have a negative effect on the QUALITY of that skiing or riding experience. Stratton has added a tremendous amount of lift capacity over the years, with the gondola and four 6-packs complementing the existing quads. Yet there has been little expansion of terrain (outside of some expert glades) to compensate for this increased uphill capacity. Do you see this trend as a problem and, if so, is Stratton planning to do anything about it?

Can you give us any background on the at-one-time planned expansion of Stratton onto the backside of the mountain? If not, are there any plans, be they long-term or short, to expand the mountain beyond its current boarders and, if so, what are the chances we will see some narrower trails with character, like the New England trails of yore.

The Stratton/Okemo mid-week pass is an incredible deal. The terrain at Stratton is challenging the glades are plentiful and sweet. However, I notice a lot of the lifts are closed mid-week. On a snowboard, this often creates looong traverses (which can be really a drag...even more so on powder days). This forces me to stick to the trails in the center of the hill. Are the lifts not running so as to reduce labor costs (or a labor shortage)?

I've hit Stratton on two of the most spectacular days last year. The glades were insanely good. Perhaps I'm getting greedy but are there any more plans for cutting new glades (especially in easier to access areas for the reason described above)?

My question is about the poma surface lift located near lower Slalom Glade and World Cup. The lift is marked as being "private". Is this poma ever still used?

How frequently does Stratton groom trails? Does Stratton groom all trails or do they leave some trails with natural cover?

I realize that trail difficulty ratings are relative to that specific resort. However, Stratton has a number of trails rated with black diamonds that would be high greens or blues at nearby resorts. Is there any consideration to adding any terrain that might actually be considered "Advanced" or "Expert"?