The "Sugarbush Thread"

[Blurski]

Not that I ever competed in the Pond Skimming, I just got pinged that tickets are running low (limited to 110) with a link to purchase, I had no idea they charged $60 to enter, just figured it was free. $6,600 to recover some of the cost to put the event on.
I'm guessing they will charge for the CR Extreme also, last time it did that it was free but many years ago.

 

[Hawk]

It sells out. People seem to like the event. Apparently not eveybody is hell bent on cost.

 

[drjeff]

Not that I ever competed in the Pond Skimming, I just got pinged that tickets are running low (limited to 110) with a link to purchase, I had no idea they charged $60 to enter, just figured it was free. $6,600 to recover some of the cost to put the event on.
I'm guessing they will charge for the CR Extreme also, last time it did that it was free but many years ago.

Just priced out what the plastic silo liners are that most resorts typically line their ponds with before filling them, and for a 100 long by 20 foot wide pond, which is a fairly standard size pond skim pond, you need a silo liner that's about 120 feet long by 40 feet wide so that you can either bury the entry edge and/or weight the sides and end down with the type of mats typically found at the bottom run out area of a tubing hill, and that can run over $1000 befoe you ship it, then add in the hours in the cat and/or excavator to 1st build and then take down the pond after (the liner gets torn up during take down so it's a 1 time use thing at most, if not all ski areas who have to build their own pond skim pond, then if they don;t have things such as life guard style crows hooks and or rescue buoys if needed to help get a failed pond skimmer out of the pond, they need those, plus firing up the pumps for the snowmaking system to fill the pond, staff, etc, while in the big picture of what it costs to operate a ski area over the season, it's not a huge number, but it's also not an event where the operatioal budget is say less than $100 either.

The race crew that I am a part of at Mount Snow also helps run the pond skim event, so I do have some direct knowledge of the behind the scenes stuff that needs to happen to make an event, which tends to be very popular at any and every ski area that has them, happen

 

[djd66]

A few pages back in this thread there was some discussion of "fantasy chairlifts" at SB and included in that was the nugget that I responded to. It's just us bored AZ'ers chatting.

I think they could add a couple of trails off that lift (which I think Win had talked about) I know that may screw up the orchard,... but it would be nice to spread out the traffic for beginners and intermediates.

 

[vtboarder]

I would like to see better grooming of Sunrise which would make it more appealing to the masses and it might induce some of the Birch traffic to go to Sunrise and even things out a bit more.

Its a wide enough trail that they could leave it 2/3 bumped 1/3 groomed, though grooming probably can't happen all season with typical coverage - the top gets scoured away and too much sun. But it would be nice for days that the bumps are bricks or just as an escape hatch.

 

[elfnif1016]

Its a wide enough trail that they could leave it 2/3 bumped 1/3 groomed, though grooming probably can't happen all season with typical coverage - the top gets scoured away and too much sun. But it would be nice for days that the bumps are bricks or just as an escape hatch.

You can go about half way down Birch Run on the left hand side and cut across Morning Star to get to Sunrise. There is a sign at the edge of the trail. I will do that if I want to enjoy the corduroy in BR first thing and then do the bumps on Sunrise. When the bumps up top are icy, it works out well.

 

[mikec142]

Just glanced at the web cams and saw that there's already a decent sized bare spot on Castlerock Run.

 

[Rob Katz]

god forbid they just put on a nice event for fun without trying to profit. they probably make that much in gatehouse cafeteria on a saturday.

 

[cdskier]

Its a wide enough trail that they could leave it 2/3 bumped 1/3 groomed, though grooming probably can't happen all season with typical coverage - the top gets scoured away and too much sun. But it would be nice for days that the bumps are bricks or just as an escape hatch.

The middle part, yes (and that's basically what they do in a normal year although reversed with 1/3 bumped on skier's left and the rest groomed periodically). The top doesn't seem really wide enough to be conducive to partially groomed and partially bumped.

This year is unique since they couldn't make snow on it. So it has been groomed very rarely (I know it was groomed at least once...but not sure if more than that).

 

[VTSkiBike]

Just glanced at the web cams and saw that there's already a decent sized bare spot on Castlerock Run.

I skinned up to Walt's last night after work and there definitely bare spots popping up underneath NRX and Summit lifts.

 

[tumbler]

They've been charging for pond skimming for as long as I remember. It used to be $20, $60 seems a bit much but if they can get it why not.

 

[Hawk]

god forbid they just put on a nice event for fun without trying to profit. they probably make that much in gatehouse cafeteria on a saturday.

Hell it all should be free right. They shouldn't even charge us to ski. They owe us. Screw paying the employees, vendors and utilities.

 

[Rob Katz]

Hell it all should be free right. They shouldn't even charge us to ski. They owe us. Screw paying the employees, vendors and utilities.

didn't say it should be free. mad river is $10. they make much less money than sugarbush.

 

[cdskier]

I think $60 is a bit steep, but if it sells out (and it always does), then I guess the people participating are willing to pay it. So be it in that case...

 

[mikec142]

god forbid they just put on a nice event for fun without trying to profit. they probably make that much in gatehouse cafeteria on a saturday.

It's a for profit business. LOL.

Call me when they change their model to not for profit.

 

[mikec142]

didn't say it should be free. mad river is $10. they make much less money than sugarbush.

Pretty sure (I could be wrong) that MRG is not for profit.

 

[mikec142]

Hell it all should be free right. They shouldn't even charge us to ski. They owe us. Screw paying the employees, vendors and utilities.

Hawk, you're clearly missing the point. Sugarbush should be paying us to ski there! Heck...Sugarbush wouldn't even be on the map if I weren't for us.

 

[mikec142]

You know the snow conditions have turned when there's a debate about the cost to participate in the pond skim.

 

[mikec142]

The middle part, yes (and that's basically what they do in a normal year although reversed with 1/3 bumped on skier's left and the rest groomed periodically). The top doesn't seem really wide enough to be conducive to partially groomed and partially bumped.

This year is unique since they couldn't make snow on it. So it has been groomed very rarely (I know it was groomed at least once...but not sure if more than that).

CD...I agree. This year was different because of the snowmaking issue.

But that said, historically SR gets much less traffic than BR. Part of that is because there's a ton of beginners on the GH side and when they make the leap to go up NL, they are more likely to take the blue run down. Also, you have to pole or skate a bit up to SR whereas you can just let gravity take you to BR. I know that it's not a big deal, but I suspect it affects some people.

But to me, it feels like the grooming team pays more attention to Birch. I could be wrong.

 

[cdskier]

CD...I agree. This year was different because of the snowmaking issue.

But that said, historically SR gets much less traffic than BR. Part of that is because there's a ton of beginners on the GH side and when they make the leap to go up NL, they are more likely to take the blue run down. Also, you have to pole or skate a bit up to SR whereas you can just let gravity take you to BR. I know that it's not a big deal, but I suspect it affects some people.

But to me, it feels like the grooming team pays more attention to Birch. I could be wrong.

I agree they pay more attention to Birch than Sunrise, but that's intentional by design. Birch being groomed daily makes sense. Sunrise being groomed daily is unnecessary in a normal year and I wouldn't want to see it groomed that often. And yes Birch sees more traffic. It is a blue and Sunrise is a black. So I agree based on a decent number of intermediates going up NL, it makes complete sense that Birch sees more traffic and always will. Even if Sunrise was groomed daily that still wouldn't change.