The "Sugarbush Thread"

[Kingslug20]

Thus..why paying lift mechanics enough money..is crucial.

 

[Slidebrook87]

I got caught on Super Bravo yesterday for 20+ mins and again this morning for about the same. Feels like Bravo has been having issues all season. But this was a particularly bad weekend. Anyone know what the deal is? Time for a new lift? Or short handed lift maintenance team?

Last I heard it’s because due to the shortage of maintenance staff this summer, lifts did not receive all of their routine maintenance. Not sure, but that’s what I heard.

 

[witchway]

True or not, the common perception is that Alterra is skimping on some or all of, snowmaking, grooming, maintenance and staffing. If this is true then Alterra needs to change the way it is operating. If this isn't the case than they had better start creating an new narrative on the mountain. I have never heard as much grumbling and seen as many angry customers as I saw this weekend. Additionally, while this probably doesn't affect many of the people on this board, for a Presidents weekend presumably with newbies and children, the condition of easy rider was an embarrassment.

 

[tumbler]

What was the issue with Easy Rider?

 

[NYSnowflake]

What was the issue with Easy Rider?

It was a windswept skating rink all under the lift up to the center of the trail. There were icy spots on both the loading and unloading areas of the lift and icy patches on skiers right where there was some snow. They badly needed to make snow in the beginner area.

 

[hovercraft]

Thus..why paying lift mechanics enough money..is crucial.

SB or Stowe, Name changes, faces change but still problems. Pick your poison

 

[Hawk]

Welcome to the era of the cheap season pass. Not sure how or when it gets better.

Sugarbush is nothing like the Sh*T Show going on at Stowe with Epic. The lines had nothing to do with the IKON pass. It was because the workhorse lift Bravo went down at Prime time on Sunday forcing everyone to Valley House and Gate House. Also no Castlerock and the woods are not in play so people are all coming back down to the bottom. Actually the lines have not been that bad all season when all the lifts were working and everything was open. I was more depressed with the lack of snowmaking.

 

[Hawk]

rain followed by a hard freeze is always going to result in unhappy skiers especially on a holiday week whether its at sugarbush or anyplace else. I'm pretty unhappy sitting at home after bailing on the weekend. That being said, could be worse, could be this guy. https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/s...fers-frozen-penis-mass-start-race-2022-02-20/

If you had gone to Sunday River you would have witnessed really good snowmating on a bunch of trails on Saturday, Sunday and more on Monday. You should have gone. It would have given you a better persective on what is actually possible with the right equipement and the right people. My friends over there are saying that Mississippi is doing a fine job.

 

[HowieT2]

If you had gone to Sunday River you would have witnessed really good snowmating on a bunch of trails on Saturday, Sunday and more on Monday. You should have gone. It would have given you a better persective on what is actually possible with the right equipement and the right people. My friends over there are saying that Mississippi is doing a fine job.

you're probably right but in my defense it's a long drive (6+ hours) from me and the friend who was supposed to go up with me had previously bailed.

 

[MadPadraic]

I went to Ellen on Sunday. Generally it was fun, but I don't understand why every trail with any pitch has to be a mogul trail. After a thaw/freeze they should really pick something steep to groom.

 

[NYSnowflake]

I went to Ellen on Sunday. Generally it was fun, but I don't understand why every trail with any pitch has to be a mogul trail. After a thaw/freeze they should really pick something steep to groom.

I totally agree but I don’t think there’s enough snow to groom it. I hear they are having a lot of barriers to snow making any more this season. The more I learn about Sugarbush the more it’s sounding like MRG… Reliant on natural snow due to lack of water (and other factors) and therefore can’t groom very much as a result.

 

[cdskier]

I went to Ellen on Sunday. Generally it was fun, but I don't understand why every trail with any pitch has to be a mogul trail. After a thaw/freeze they should really pick something steep to groom.

The only steeper trail at ME that typically is groomed would be Cliffs. The vast majority of other steeper trails at ME are primarily natural snow trails and never groomed (and honestly I can't say I'd want any of the others groomed).

I did think it was a bit odd that Cliffs wasn't groomed (especially for a holiday weekend). I don't really know what the reason was for not grooming that.

I totally agree but I don’t think there’s enough snow to groom it. I hear they are having a lot of barriers to snow making any more this season. The more I learn about Sugarbush the more it’s sounding like MRG… Reliant on natural snow due to lack of water (and other factors) and therefore can’t groom very much as a result.

Sugarbush is currently grooming over 50% of their open terrain on a daily basis. The "best" trails (IMO) are definitely reliant on natural snow...but even with abundant snow those trails are not groomed for the most part. And if you did start grooming them, you'd have a mutiny from the long-time SB skiers and riders. Grooming a larger percentage of terrain would make SB just like many other resorts out there. The rather significant amount of ungroomed terrain is one of the things that makes SB unique and what so many of the long-time loyalists love about it.

 

[hovercraft]

Sugarbush is nothing like the Sh*T Show going on at Stowe with Epic. The lines had nothing to do with the IKON pass. It was because the workhorse lift Bravo went down at Prime time on Sunday forcing everyone to Valley House and Gate House. Also no Castlerock and the woods are not in play so people are all coming back down to the bottom. Actually the lines have not been that bad all season when all the lifts were working and everything was open. I was more depressed with the lack of snowmaking.

The lines at Stowe have not been bad at all. I have never waited more the 10 or 12 minutes this year at its peak. On the other hand ikon and epic are the demise of the skiing and riding we once knew.

 

[MadPadraic]

The only steeper trail at ME that typically is groomed would be Cliffs. The vast majority of other steeper trails at ME are primarily natural snow trails and never groomed (and honestly I can't say I'd want any of the others groomed).

I did think it was a bit odd that Cliffs wasn't groomed (especially for a holiday weekend). I don't really know what the reason was for not grooming that.



Sugarbush is currently grooming over 50% of their open terrain on a daily basis. The "best" trails (IMO) are definitely reliant on natural snow...but even with abundant snow those trails are not groomed for the most part. And if you did start grooming them, you'd have a mutiny from the long-time SB skiers and riders. Grooming a larger percentage of terrain would make SB just like many other resorts out there. The rather significant amount of ungroomed terrain is one of the things that makes SB unique and what so many of the long-time loyalists love about it.

I'm new to riding Ellen this year, but we've been going to SB off an on for years. I don't recall past years ever seeing this much terrain with frozen bumps. I'd submit that there is a lot of distance between selectively grooming a few trails after really bad weather events and the dystopia that you are envisioning. No one was on FIS or Exterminator, Encore, or Cliffs; surely one of these could have been revived.

 

[cdskier]

I'm new to riding Ellen this year, but we've been going to SB off an on for years. I don't recall past years ever seeing this much terrain with frozen bumps. I'd submit that there is a lot of distance between selectively grooming a few trails after really bad weather events and the dystopia that you are envisioning. No one was on FIS or Exterminator, Encore, or Cliffs; surely one of these could have been revived.

I already said I was surprised Cliffs wasn't groomed. That one should have been. I also personally saw people on Exterminator, Encore, and Cliffs on Sunday at ME (and I was one of the ones on Exterminator). I didn't see anyone on FIS...but Summit didn't start loading until after I left, so it would have been difficult for someone to ski FIS without Summit running.

As for grooming FIS, Exterminator, or Encore...you're joking right? All 3 of these are essentially natural snow trails. There's no way you could groom any of those right now even if you wanted to with the limited amount of snow and numerous rocks/boulders on those trails. Encore I don't think has ever been groomed that I can recall.

 

[shadyjay]

Did any snow get made on Cliffs this year? That's probably why it hasn't been groomed regularly. Same thing with Brambles... that was a GMVS training area along with Inverness that used to be a snowmaking priority.

I used to think that more trails should have snowmaking... then I experienced them in prime conditions and realized that snowmaking would ruin the character of them. Trails at ME like Tumblr and Hammerhead would be a lot different and would lose a lot of their character. (Actually on old trail maps in the early 90s, Hammerhead was listed as having snowmaking... most likely hoses stretched through from Cliffs. At LP, upper OG used to be the regular groomer... now its Ripcord. I'm surprised OG hasn't gotten a groomer pass as of late. Looks like Sunrise is in the rotation, most likely for the holiday week.

I was fortunate to get a groomed Mall a few years back, the last year of the Valley House double. That was something else! I've also gotten groomed runs up on the Rock before, and Domino as well. Was it cool? Yeah, but something that requires a lot of snow to do and was typically done before a big snow event to reset the bumps.

 

[cdskier]

Did any snow get made on Cliffs this year? That's probably why it hasn't been groomed regularly. Same thing with Brambles... that was a GMVS training area along with Inverness that used to be a snowmaking priority.

Yes, snow was made on Cliffs this year (I believe Brambles as well...although I haven't been on it as it has always been closed for racing whenever I've been at ME).

 

[MadPadraic]

I had two laps on Sunrise Monday before work--it was rather awesome.

 

[Shredmonkey254]

If you had gone to Sunday River you would have witnessed really good snowmating on a bunch of trails on Saturday, Sunday and more on Monday. You should have gone. It would have given you a better persective on what is actually possible with the right equipement and the right people. My friends over there are saying that Mississippi is doing a fine job.

Mississippi Dave?

 

[cdskier]

I was fortunate to get a groomed Mall a few years back, the last year of the Valley House double. That was something else! I've also gotten groomed runs up on the Rock before, and Domino as well. Was it cool? Yeah, but something that requires a lot of snow to do and was typically done before a big snow event to reset the bumps.

I missed this comment the first time I saw your post. I remember that time The Mall was groomed quite well and was actually just thinking about it the other day for some reason. Very weird skiing that trail with it being groomed. Completely different trail! Hard to believe that was actually 7 years ago at this point!

I had two laps on Sunrise Monday before work--it was rather awesome.

Agreed...Sunrise and Birch were two of the few trails that were worth skiing several times Monday morning.