The "Sugarbush Thread"

[vtski802]

At this point I'm convinced that Sugarbush's management is room full of cigarette smoking monkeys in front of computers.

No way.

The monkeys would be way more effective

 

[vtski802]

Live stream from HQ...

We really are in the blurst of times right now

 

[cdskier]

In all seriousness, I know we've all discussed it before, but snow reporting (and grooming/snowmaking) is extremely important, especially in the NE. On my last two trips back east this winter I was constantly looking at the snow reports from the places I would be visiting and some nearby ones. Up in ME at my in-laws I considered doing a few hours at Mount Hermon outside of Bangor. The conditions information was extremely confusing and often contradictory. While my wife vetoed the adventure (with a threat of divorce), the lack of clarity as to basic information (opening hours, what terrain was open, and the price to ski) deterred me from really pursuing it. Big caveat--Hermon was on a shoestring budget and the owners were exhausted (they are selling the place). But for a small hill it should have been easy to detail the status of the place.

Burke, much to my surprise, updates their reports sometimes two times a day. The additional web cams are nice. Hell, Middlebury Snowbowl has a decent snow report, although last week there was some information that I had to hunt for.

Out here, Alta and Snowbird do a pretty decent job overall. Brighton rarely updates their report or leaves very old information on its site. It is just a whole different game out here--the biggest thing is if there is new snow.

For some odd reason, the snow reporting has been a major issue at Sugarbush for decades now. I don't know if it is because they just don't pay well for that position, rely on unpaid interns, or just can't be bothered. With the competition of Killington and Stowe, I would think that they would be motivated to compete and get that information out. As said by others, MRG has always been honest, even if it is brutal. I relied on the Single Chair Weather Blog a lot this season.

I agree. And I just don't understand why something so basic and simple can't be updated properly. I thought last year with "Slidey-B" type talk was bad. But this year is even worse with just plain lack of information and at times point blank wrong information. And to make matters worse. historically they always updated the report at the end of the day with what was on the snow-plan as far as grooming for the next day. Now 95% of the time they don't update until the next morning. They might update the text a bit ~2PM, but it usually is a bare minimum update. And often I've seen they'll say things like "tomorrow we'll have 40 trails groomed" when in reality 40 was the number of trails groomed that day and you wake up in the morning to find the number differs. Accurate and timely information is important in the northeast...especially after thaw/freeze events. I just don't get the seemingly lack of care around this. I wouldn't say it has been an issue for decades though. I still consider Pinnoke one of the best snow reporters SB had in the past ~20 years and his reports were always both informative and accurate.

 

[thetrailboss]

I agree. And I just don't understand why something so basic and simple can't be updated properly. I thought last year with "Slidey-B" type talk was bad. But this year is even worse with just plain lack of information and at times point blank wrong information. And to make matters worse. historically they always updated the report at the end of the day with what was on the snow-plan as far as grooming for the next day. Now 95% of the time they don't update until the next morning. They might update the text a bit ~2PM, but it usually is a bare minimum update. And often I've seen they'll say things like "tomorrow we'll have 40 trails groomed" when in reality 40 was the number of trails groomed that day and you wake up in the morning to find the number differs. Accurate and timely information is important in the northeast...especially after thaw/freeze events. I just don't get the seemingly lack of care around this. I wouldn't say it has been an issue for decades though. I still consider Pinnoke one of the best snow reporters SB had in the past ~20 years and his reports were always both informative and accurate.

Yeah, it blows my mind as well. I think it is an organizational issue. From the years I skied there (and now watching from afar) it seems that the snow reporting responsibilities fall to an entry-level position if not an intern. They are up at like 4am everyday. I can see how it would suck. Some years these have been passionate younger folks. Other years it has been folks who don't understand the importance of the responsibility. It seems that nobody in management is giving the person constructive feedback. The fact that they are using entry level folks/interns who get no guidance for what is arguably one of the most important responsibilities is really baffling.

 

[jay-ski]

With the proper raw data, which is needed for the website to be accurate (lifts open/closed, trails open/groomed/closed, weather), there's zero reason why an excellent and at times entertaining report couldn't be written and updated continuously by an LLM.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

counterpoint - fuck LLMs.

 

[AdironRider]

Yeah, it blows my mind as well. I think it is an organizational issue. From the years I skied there (and now watching from afar) it seems that the snow reporting responsibilities fall to an entry-level position if not an intern. They are up at like 4am everyday. I can see how it would suck. Some years these have been passionate younger folks. Other years it has been folks who don't understand the importance of the responsibility. It seems that nobody in management is giving the person constructive feedback. The fact that they are using entry level folks/interns who get no guidance for what is arguably one of the most important responsibilities is really baffling.

Hate to break it to you, but snow reporting has never been a job of upper management.

 

[vtboarder]

Quite a few times over the past decade I've taken the time to go to the guest service desk and ask them silly questions like "when was the last time X was groomed" when it was not on the daily report. Always met with "we don't know". At one point I suggested given this modern age that it should not be at all difficult to include the ability to see the date a trail was last groomed (ie, hover over the trail as one possibility). They have all the info but refuse to use it.

 

[Smellytele]

Consider it like Christmas morning. It's all a surprise!

Unless Krumpus came to visit!

 

[cdskier]

Quite a few times over the past decade I've taken the time to go to the guest service desk and ask them silly questions like "when was the last time X was groomed" when it was not on the daily report. Always met with "we don't know". At one point I suggested given this modern age that it should not be at all difficult to include the ability to see the date a trail was last groomed (ie, hover over the trail as one possibility). They have all the info but refuse to use it.

I always thought that would be good information as well and again given technology today should be extremely easy to track (and make accessible).

 

[Smellytele]

I always thought that would be good information as well and again given technology today should be extremely easy to track (and make accessible).

A lot of xcountry places will state that in their reports.

 

[kbroderick]

Yeah, it blows my mind as well. I think it is an organizational issue. From the years I skied there (and now watching from afar) it seems that the snow reporting responsibilities fall to an entry-level position if not an intern. They are up at like 4am everyday. I can see how it would suck. Some years these have been passionate younger folks. Other years it has been folks who don't understand the importance of the responsibility. It seems that nobody in management is giving the person constructive feedback. The fact that they are using entry level folks/interns who get no guidance for what is arguably one of the most important responsibilities is really baffling.

Do they get up at 4am these days? I know they need to collect info from grooming and/or snowmaking, but in ye olde days, the early hours were a necessity to get the info out into aggregation services that would then share it with TV news channels and such. That seems a bit antiquated now, especially at Eastern resorts, and I can't think of any places I've checked that regularly had website updates more than two hours before lift opening. I can see starting around the same time that patrol goes out for control work to make sense, but that's not much of an issue in the east.

 

[Newpylong]

Killington's Snow Report is usually updated just prior to 6 AM. They earn their pay for sure.

 

[HowieT2]

I have to agree that the snow reports are bad but IMHO that is something that happened with the change in ownership.

I went to Silverstar in BC a month ago and they have a trail list with grooming status in lights (green is groomed, red not groomed) adjoining every trail map on the mountain. I've never seen that before but its a pretty good idea.

 

[ColdRain&Snow]

For some odd reason, the snow reporting has been a major issue at Sugarbush for decades now. I don't know if it is because they just don't pay well for that position, rely on unpaid interns, or just can't be bothered.

With how often this website goes down, I have a sneaking suspicion this Hammond guy is using his mountain report budget to pay hackers to shut down the SB naysayers here.

 

[Lotso]

Snow report is worthless. A few changes here and there, but basically recycled language: "get the party started....legendary (anything)". I have given up on it for any real info and roll the dice.

And, in 35+ years of living here and skiing SB, I have never referred to SB as "The Bush". Never heard it even in conversation in the Valley. Maybe it's just me and who I am around, but it's not a name we have used. Pretty silly moniker, IMO, but to each his/her/its own.

 

[Blurski]

JHC, Camel Back & Montage in PA fired up the snow guns the last 2 days and we cant even get some good grooming.

 

[cdskier]

Apparently they are winching Stein's tonight... (only way you would know is if you read to the very bottom of the report and saw the note that the uphill LP morning route will be closed tomorrow due to this).

Still think their grooming plan seemed unusually light this week given the recent weather...unless they were spending more time than usual on each trail (which is possible) and that didn't give them time to groom more. Although I'll be a bit more cynical and say they were more likely operating on a reduced schedule with less groomers running midweek and therefore simply didn't have the manpower to groom more.

 

[Blurski]

Apparently they are winching Stein's tonight... (only way you would know is if you read to the very bottom of the report and saw the note that the uphill LP morning route will be closed tomorrow due to this).

Still think their grooming plan seemed unusually light this week given the recent weather...unless they were spending more time than usual on each trail (which is possible) and that didn't give them time to groom more. Although I'll be a bit more cynical and say they were more likely operating on a reduced schedule with less groomers running midweek and therefore simply didn't have the manpower to groom more.

Glad to see them grooming steins, I skied OG to day it was groomed but it will need a few more passes to ski like it was groomed.

 

[Lotso]

JHC, Camel Back & Montage in PA fired up the snow guns the last 2 days and we cant even get some good grooming.

Blue as well, and Black Mt. in NH