Vail exhausted

[Domeskier]

I wonder if the crowds would be less since pass holders would have more options? Also having Mount Snow for early season would be nice.

Yeah, it's hard to tell. I imagine it would draw in a lot more of the Pocono crowd who would like to have the other options for some variation and maybe a trip out west. Maybe the inevitable increase in walk-up prices would send a bunch of casual day-trippers elsewhere, though. I wonder if JF/BB will capture a meaningful number of Blue/Camelback passholders. I'm skeptical about that, and it probably won't happen this season, and who knows what the landscape will look next year given Blue's desire to bring in investor money.

 

[Domeskier]

Whistler and Kirkwood are both awesome. Otherwise, Ikon has the more interesting looking portfolio to me, too, from the looks of it (not that I've been).

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I was going to mention Whistler as an exception. Being a bump dork, however, I am partial to Winter Park.

 

[Jully]

Reality being, few if any would try to hit ALL of the mountains on either pass in one season. So Ikon having more "iconic" mountains overall isn't all that relevant. It's really just which mountain you wish to visit the season you buy the pass.

Agree with this so much. I'll hit at most 3-4 western mountains in a season. There are way more resorts than that on Epic that interest me, so I'll definitely have Epic every once in awhile (assuming it lasts that long).

 

[BenedictGomez]

BTW, I think Vail itself is pretty awesome in the right condition, which happens often enough. (I don't like the price of everything else in Vail though, but who does?)

Yeah, easterners who claim the skiing at Vail is "lame" or "too easy" or insert _______ pejorative, are just trying to make themselves sound like the God of Expert Skiing.

 

[EPB]

Yeah, easterners who claim the skiing at Vail is "lame" or "too easy" or insert _______ pejorative, are just trying to make themselves sound like the God of Expert Skiing.

Have you been? I was disappointed, so I'm somewhat warm to the critiques. That said, the motivations you outlined feel spot on by and large. The bowls served by the the lift on the skiers right are solid. Also the front side of the skier's right has some sold terrain, too. My attitude though is that I'd rather go somewhere else if I'm gonna trek all the way to Colorado from the Northeast.

If Vail were miraculously dropped in NY or NE, it immediately becomes the undisputed #1 ski area in the east, so to that end, easterners have no real gripe.

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[Glenn]

I'm enjoying the irony of a thread created about too much Vail talk turning into another thread talking about Vail. :lol:

 

[EPB]

I'm enjoying the irony of a thread created about too much Vail talk turning into another thread talking about Vail. [emoji38]

Def crossed my mind, too haha

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[Cornhead]

Fire up exhausted of exhausted of Vail thread... Hey, skiing is only a couple months away, thank God.

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[BenedictGomez]

Have you been?

Yes, Vail is awesome. BSB is a lonely playground worthy of the day by itself. There's plenty of great stuff at Vail, you need to find a local or a friendly employee if you had a bad time.

I'm enjoying the irony of a thread created about too much Vail talk turning into another thread talking about Vail. :lol:

I was about to post that, but you beat me to it. Scotty's thread backfired on him.

 

[mbedle]

I'm enjoying the irony of a thread created about too much Vail talk turning into another thread talking about Vail. :lol:

OMG too funny... lol

 

[raisingarizona]

if you can’t figure out how to have a fun day at Vail you probably should look for a new sport.

Is it the rad steep bro gnar? No but there’s plenty of fun skiing to be had, especially if you normally ski eastern areas with snow making trails.

 

[drjeff]

if you can’t figure out how to have a fun day at Vail you probably should look for a new sport.

Is it the rad steep bro gnar? No but there’s plenty of fun skiing to be had, especially if you normally ski eastern areas with snow making trails.

Agree 100% - especially if one has had the treat of the back bowls on a powder day. Not the most extreme of terrain, but certainly a massive number of acres of fun terrain for sure

 

[Edd]

Agree 100% - especially if one has had the treat of the back bowls on a powder day. Not the most extreme of terrain, but certainly a massive number of acres of fun terrain for sure

That’s exactly the kind of day I had the one time I’ve been there. 6” of fresh and surprisingly uncrowded back there. When we headed back to base it was like a traffic jam. Really had to keep your head on a swivel, more than usual. $30 for the parking garage. Not a great day trip place but not hard to have fun.

 

[EPB]

if you can’t figure out how to have a fun day at Vail you probably should look for a new sport.

Is it the rad steep bro gnar? No but there’s plenty of fun skiing to be had, especially if you normally ski eastern areas with snow making trails.

I presume this is directed at me. I'm not saying the place is not fun. I've had fun at much lesser places - my last day out in 60 degree sun at Big Boulder this April is a good example.

What I am saying is that the low angle knock on Vail is accurate and fair. There's plenty to hunt out there, and my experience was hampered by fog on a day or two.

Personally, give me Whistler, Kirkwood, Sunshine Village, Lake Louise, A Basin and Park City over Vail if I'm going west (places I've been). Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Heavenly are a push IMO. There's a lot of good steeps at BC between Grouse and Birds of Prey - no above treeline though. Breckenridge is great up high, too, but smaller than Vail. H has great trees, Mott and gunbarrel, which is an experience. Places I'd say are decidedly less interesting: Northstar, Deer Valley.

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[JimG.]

good steeps at BC between Grouse and Birds of Prey - no above treeline though.

Unless you make the short ridgeline hike out to the bald spot.

 

[EPB]

Unless you make the short ridgeline hike out to the bald spot.

Yeah I didn't make it over there the day I hit BC in mid winter. Good call.

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[dblskifanatic]

As far as Breckenridge if you can not entertain yourself there then you are not trying hard enough! The Dunes of the back side of Peak Seven Bowl is pretty steep not to mention cornices off the top of Peak 8 and Peak 7 Bowl. There good tree runs off Peak 8 over to E Chair and off E Chair. Skiing the grommers are ok but snow is always good. There are also good trees and bumps of E Chair and Peak 10. So I am not sure how someone from back east cannot find interesting stuff there. As far as not as big as Vail well there are not to many ski areas bigger - just a few. I would take Vail over LL and I have skies both. Vails weakness is elevation. It can get firm.

On another note I think it is interesting how the Sackler family lent money to Peak and controlled 13% and months later it was sold to Vail. I certainly did not see that coming. Makes me wonder what will be next. I certainly do not see that move as buying destination resorts from a westerners perspective but more to get people to head to Vails larger resorts. What a ride to Peak Resort passholders.


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[drjeff]

If you really think about it, the last 4 resorts Peak bought up over the last 4 (I believe, maybe 3 though) years, Hunter, and the 3 snowtime resorts, REALLY made them attractive to Vail Resorts (and I'm guessing Alterra had to be giving them some consideration as well. Especially when you take into account the rapid, large expansion of the resort portfolios of Vail Resorts and the Epic Pass and Alterra Resorts and the IKON pass. Just the shear volume of potential customers who live within day tripping distance of the resorts Peak had (and technically still does have) under it's ownership, isn't something I'm guessing either Vail Resorts or Alterra wouldn't look at as anything but a big picture asset to their company and its growth strategy of it's signature pass product.

Now nobody will say that any Peak resort is as major a destination of any of the major Vail Resorts or major Alterra resorts (I'm not putting Stratton, Okemo or even Stowe in the category level of say Whistler, Vail, Aspen or Squaw), however with what the Peak staple of resorts adds into the already solid Vail Resorts portfolio of resorts AND the sizeable population base within driving distance of the Peak resorts, that Epic vs IKON purchase decision for a significant number of passholders or potential passholders, just had the pendulum swing solidly towards the EPIC pass for a significant number of customers

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[abc]

If you think Park City is better than Vail, you clearly don’t know Vail.

 

[EPB]

If you think Park City is better than Vail, you clearly don’t know Vail.

If you think Vail is better than Park City, then you clearly don't know Park City!!!

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