The "Sugarbush Thread"

[Slidebrook87]

Not a 100% thing, but generally, the shittier the non-skiing amenities, the more I like the place

see: magic, mad river, mount ellen, silverton, a-basin, crystal, alta, kicking horse, etc

You can take your fancy restaurants, spas, and mountain coasters and shove it. nothing worse than an okemo, Stratton, vail, etc. places like k and bush fall in the middle of the spectrum. soul skiing is about skiing.

I think a good mix like Sugarbush and Killington are definitely my favorite. There is a reason that Okemo and Stratton have been so successful though and that has to be considered. Not saying every place should be like that, but a place like Sugarbush is able to take what has worked at a place like Stratton and take it to a mountain that is more focused on the skiing.


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[Smellytele]

My family (3 kids and a wife) boot up in the parking lot unless the weather says otherwise - cold and wind. Learned when the kids were young that it was a PIA to carry all their shit up their and we stuck with it. They see people carrying shit in and laugh at them now.

And agree with KtK about the places I love.

 

[Smellytele]

I think a good mix like Sugarbush and Killington are definitely my favorite. There is a reason that Okemo and Stratton have been so successful though and that has to be considered. Not saying every place should be like that, but a place like Sugarbush is able to take what has worked at a place like Stratton and take it to a mountain that is more focused on the skiing.


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Right but they have the fancy Lincoln side and the down home side of Ellen. I like to see it stay that way.

 

[cdskier]

Just curious, what would be your definition of a ski bum? I usually just use it as a general term for someone that only cares about the skiing itself and is generally hardcore.

From https://blog.liftopia.com/ways-spot-a-ski-bum/ -

Ski Bum (noun phrase): A person who frequents ski resorts habitually, often doing casual jobs, for the sake of skiing.

–The Dictionary of American Slang, Fourth Edition by Barbara Ann Kipfer, PhD. and Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D.

Or, to put it in more illustrative terms, a ski bum is one who, in order to epitomize a snow-loving Peter Pan, avoids all trappings of adulthood. This may include accepting: mediocre to deplorable living situations, jobs that pay in pizza and wearing a nametag that also includes one’s hometown. All of these elements, which would be indignities for anyone else in their 20s, 30s, 40s or beyond, are acceptable to the ski bum, as they are small sacrifices to make on the road to achieving nirvana (nirvana = as many days on the mountain as possible).

I work a normal job in corporate America and ski primarily weekends...I don't consider that a ski bum. I may be hardcore in the sense that I'm crazy enough to drive 5 hours each way every weekend to do so. But that's about it...

Right but they have the fancy Lincoln side and the down home side of Ellen. I like to see it stay that way.

I know a lot of people agree with that as well. SB87 is like the new guy at work that shows up and wants to start changing everything on day 1 before even understanding how or why things are done a certain way.

 

[deadheadskier]

Not a 100% thing, but generally, the shittier the non-skiing amenities, the more I like the place

see: magic, mad river, mount ellen, silverton, a-basin, crystal, alta, kicking horse, etc

You can take your fancy restaurants, spas, and mountain coasters and shove it. nothing worse than an okemo, Stratton, vail, etc. places like k and bush fall in the middle of the spectrum. soul skiing is about skiing.

+1

Ideally I want a stripped down mountain experience that's close to a town with decent nightlife. I don't like seeing massive slopeside lodging or faux base villages.

So, Wildcat is just about perfect for me here in New England. Old School skiing with a decent Apres scene in the Valley. Cannon / Lincoln is a good mix too. Stowe was perfect until they screwed it up with Uber Spruce. Still killer terrain, but the vibe is so different from the 90s. I don't know a single Stowe local who wishes they couldn't turn the clock back 20 years or more.

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[KustyTheKlown]

the worst offender, maybe even worse than vail, is tremblant. that faux euro ski village is the absolute worst. and the crowds and general quality of skier is always worse at these sorts of places, and tremblant exemplifies that best.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Not a 100% thing, but generally, the shittier the non-skiing amenities, the more I like the place

see: magic, mad river, mount ellen, silverton, a-basin, crystal, alta, kicking horse, etc

You can take your fancy restaurants, spas, and mountain coasters and shove it. nothing worse than an okemo, Stratton, vail, etc. places like k and bush fall in the middle of the spectrum. soul skiing is about skiing.

Pretty much. The only thing you left out is the fact the, "fancy restaurants, spas, and mountain coasters" places also attract terrible skiers and/or people who aren't even really there to ski first-and-foremost.

DHS mentioned Stowe; I'll add that Jay Peak is on its' way to being destroyed as well.

 

[WWF-VT]

mount ellen base lodge would be fine if it wasnt overrun by racer children and their parents with their tableclothes and crock pots and seat saving bullshit.

I am in the Mt Ellen base lodge almost every weekend I don't see "racer children and their parents with their tableclothes and crock pots and seat saving bullshit".

What I do see are a lot of real skiers and riders, locals and families there to have a good time. Spring is around the corner and IMHO there is no better place to be then the deck at Mt Ellen for apres ski beers on a sunny day.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

Pretty much. The only thing you left out is the fact the, "fancy restaurants, spas, and mountain coasters" places also attract terrible skiers and/or people who aren't even really there to ski first-and-foremost.

DHS mentioned Stowe; I'll add that Jay Peak is on its' way to being destroyed as well.

lol see follow up post re: tremblant, above.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

I am in the Mt Ellen base lodge almost every weekend I don't see "racer children and their parents with their tableclothes and crock pots and seat saving bullshit".

What I do see are a lot of real skiers and riders, locals and families there to have a good time. Spring is around the corner and IMHO there is no better place to be then the deck at Mt Ellen for apres ski beers on a sunny day.

im there less than you are, but i find myself there ~3 days a season, almost always a saturday, and every time i've ever gone to the 2nd floor i have needed to fight thru hordes of rude little racers, and mom is def holding down the fort, sitting alone at a table for 10, with a checked picnic tablecloth to hold the space for when her precious little future bodes and mikaelas want a hot cocoa and homemade chili.

 

[Smellytele]

im there less than you are, but i find myself there ~3 days a season, almost always a saturday, and every time i've ever gone to the 2nd floor i have needed to fight thru hordes of rude little racers, and mom is def holding down the fort, sitting alone at a table for 10, with a checked picnic tablecloth to hold the space for when her precious little future bodes and mikaelas want a hot cocoa and homemade chili.

You hate children so...

 

[KustyTheKlown]

i do. so i am more prone to notice when a place is overrun with that specific vermin.

but really, my girlfriend generally spends most of the day in the lodge, and mount ellen was problematic for her because she couldnt find a comfortable seat with power and she had to listen to racer kids screeching all day long. i came in for a beer and to say hi at some point and couldnt believe how many of them were scurrying around with their dirty little noses running.

honestly, best lodge in the east we've found for sole purpose of girlfriend sitting around and working/reading/drinking all day = whiteface by a mile. couches, fireplaces, three separate dining options (cafeteria, restaurant, bar). bar with big views of the mountain. multiple decks and outdoor spaces. very nice lodge, while never venturing into bougie territory.

she also had fun at belleayre. again, couches, fireplaces, outdoor decks. that was also pond skimming day with 50 degrees and sunny, so hard to have a bad time. but, ya, go ORDA, diggin the lodge situations.

 

[Slidebrook87]

i do. so i am more prone to notice when a place is overrun with that specific vermin.

but really, my girlfriend generally spends most of the day in the lodge, and mount ellen was problematic for her because she couldnt find a comfortable seat with power and she had to listen to racer kids screeching all day long. i came in for a beer and to say hi at some point and couldnt believe how many of them were scurrying around with their dirty little noses running.

honestly, best lodge in the east we've found for sole purpose of girlfriend sitting around and working/reading/drinking all day = whiteface by a mile. couches, fireplaces, three separate dining options (cafeteria, restaurant, bar). bar with big views of the mountain. multiple decks and outdoor spaces. very nice lodge.

So you hate kids even though you were one... Interesting...

I do agree though that ski racers have to be some of the most obnoxious kids ever. I was at Berkshire East and they were jumping around near the table. Next thing you knew while they were fighting a water bottle got knocked over and spilled all over someone’s ski bag.


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[Smellytele]

So you hate kids even though you were one... Interesting...

I do agree though that ski racers have to be some of the most obnoxious kids ever. I was at Berkshire East and they were jumping around near the table. Next thing you knew while they were fighting a water bottle got knocked over and spilled all over someone’s ski bag.


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Thing is the coaches and parents let them get away with it.


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[KustyTheKlown]

i noticed it on an even more extreme level at burke earlier this season. the BMA kids seem to be a whole other level of entitled racer child given the prestige of their training grounds and program.

 

[deadheadskier]

Pretty much. The only thing you left out is the fact the, "fancy restaurants, spas, and mountain coasters" places also attract terrible skiers and/or people who aren't even really there to ski first-and-foremost.

DHS mentioned Stowe; I'll add that Jay Peak is on its' way to being destroyed as well.

I don't like what happened to Jay, but I understand it. They had no town or bed base. It's a similar scenario to Sugarloaf in that it's so remote, they had to develop big to make it more viable.

Stowe? They didn't have to do anything. It was plenty busy and successful as it once was. Though I remember very well Hank Lunde crying poverty, saying they couldn't compete with their neighbors to the South and without Spruce Village, Stowe would have to resort to a shorter season and more Spartan MRG type operation.

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[nhskier1969]

Glad to hear a new (hopefully expanded) Glen House is in the near future plans. As for the base lodge, it would function better if all the obnoxious race parents and kids weren't clogging it up. Can they go to the GMVS building? How about putting something temporary for the winter in for them? I like the character of the building and that the bar is on the top floor with windows and not in the basement.
Also more happy about the Gatehouse flats lodge. Having that be full service will be sweet. Just add a lift from the intersection of CR runout and Header up to the flats so GH lift isn't the only way there. Nice terrain in there, just need another bridge over Clay brook.

I've been thinking that also. This would take pressure off Gatehouse quad. It will also get more people over to Ellen. How many of you wanted to Go to Ellen or ski North Lynx only to see a Sh*t show of a line a Gatehouse. then you change your mind?

 

[Smellytele]

Strange I haven’t taken the gatehouse chair in years. I only ski there 3 or 4 times a year but never take it. Even more so since the upgrade of the valley house chair.


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[Slidebrook87]

I've been thinking that also. This would take pressure off Gatehouse quad. It will also get more people over to Ellen. How many of you wanted to Go to Ellen or ski North Lynx only to see a Sh*t show of a line a Gatehouse. then you change your mind?

I just suck it up and wait in the singles line, but I won’t come back down to Gate House. I love to lap Gate House but it’s been so hard to do this year because of the ridiculous lines. At the speed it runs at it only moves 1,900 p/h up the mountain. Design capacity is 2,400 p/h. Because of the abundance of beginners it has to run slow. A simple fix for the short time is to create a new loading ramp setup. The current one is awful. It’s relatively steep and worse of all it gets narrower. This results in people trying to use a pizza stop to slow down and getting tangled with other people’s skis. A flatter loading setup possibly with loading gates could help bump the speed up a bit and therefore increase capacity.


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[MorningWoods]

I've been thinking that also. This would take pressure off Gatehouse quad. It will also get more people over to Ellen. How many of you wanted to Go to Ellen or ski North Lynx only to see a Sh*t show of a line a Gatehouse. then you change your mind?

Yup. Gatehouse is an issue. I’d like to hear what the plan is to mitigate that when they build a new lodge up there. Won’t that make the situation worse? Realistically I can’t imagine the lift you are describing would be in the cards.


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