VAIL SUCKS

[thebigo]

Shit, you miss a bunch while skiing one run per hour at attitash.

Someone mentioned trashing Peaks, while they certainly did not build lifts, they blew snow. Peaks had the exact same terrain open at wildcat two years ago on October 27 that vail has managed to open on December 27. It wasn't natural in 2018, all man made.

Beginner lessons at attitash are sold out. Kids are waiting several minutes just to load the carpet. Lessons are one area of variable revenue this year on which you would think they could capitalize, I damn well know instructors are not getting paid $95/hr. How the hell does it make sense for the carpet at wildcat to be closed? Seems like the lesson revenue alone would pay for the single gun and groomer pass to get it open.

Attitash has blown the condo connecting trails before getting the Yankee online. They may have a contract with the association stipulating an open date for the connecting trails, I don't know but it is a bad look. Speaking of the yankee, is there another high speed lift on the east coast that has yet to run this year?

Attitash blew whales under the double double THREE weeks ago. They never finished the terrain or pushed out the whales. They were left to rot, picture below. How does that make any sense given the apparently limited snowmaking resources. Maybe there was mechanical failure?

Morning star and snow dancer were also buried weeks ago, looks like they have been pushed out but they have yet to be skied. They desperately need to spread the crowd, the lower part of northwest passage is treacherous by about 10, there were people taking their skis off today and walking down in their boots.

I fully expected to see picnic tables and outdoor grills offering beer, soda, wine, hamburgers and hotdogs. There is nothing, not sure if they are doing anything elsewhere. Turning the parking lot into a Jimmy buffet concert seems like a massive chunk or revenue left on the table not to mention the liability.

Someone mentioned the gm at attitash being new. To my knowledge the current gm has been in place for a number of years but i could be wrong.

Honestly, if I could dream up a viable motive, the thought that local management is sabotaging the season crossed my mind. None of it makes any sense.

 

[zyk]

My turn to vent,
Skied at Hunter today, super long lift lines, like it was the 80's again! F Lift not spinning, maybe 1/3 open but lift ticket sales are like it was 3/4 open!!! No F but they open the Northside lift for ONE trail.
OK I did see later that the F had a mechanical problem, how did I know? By seeing mechanics working on the tower, not a single tweet, text or email!
NO COMMUNICATION what so ever! Even though when you make a reservation there's options for text and email msg. Wouldn't be great to get a snow report each morning sent to me, like years past? Gee what would that take a click of a mouse?
So many new faces operating the mountain now, where did the employees that worked there for years go? (Bellayre?) Why?

HEY VAIL YOU SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hunter should be a cash cow in the east for Vail this year. Due to travel restrictions the Catskills are the first stop for downstate NY without restrictions. They should be blowing snow every chance they get like the pre Peak when the Slutsky family owned it. Hoping the employee crew didn't get replaced and the locals haven't left.

 

[abc]

Hunter should be a cash cow in the east for Vail this year. Due to travel restrictions the Catskills are the first stop for downstate NY without restrictions. They should be blowing snow every chance they get like the pre Peak when the Slutsky family owned it. Hoping the employee crew didn't get replaced and the locals haven't left.

I'm not sure there's much cash to be made this year.

The pass money is already in the bank. There's very little food and beverages opportunities. Day tickets? I don't know how much they've allocated. Again, either people had already paid, or they're not making a last minute decision to go up to Hunter!

Frankly, with reduced capacity, there's limited potential for cash income. They did a great job in talking up the passes. The number speaks for them. From here on out, operating is losing money. So they're likely just limit it as much as possible!

I confess I bought my pass counting on snow making. After all, if there's natural snow on the ground, I'd likely be cross country skiing instead! So yes, I'm disappointed that they made almost no effort to make snow.

Vail sucks. And I understand WHY they choose to suck so much!

It remains to be seen how the Alterra mountains are doing. If there's a big disparity between Vail mountains and Alterra mountains, it WILL lead to large number of Epic pass holders going over to Alterra next season.

 

[Cobbold]

Shit, you miss a bunch while skiing one run per hour at attitash.

Someone mentioned trashing Peaks, while they certainly did not build lifts, they blew snow. Peaks had the exact same terrain open at wildcat two years ago on October 27 that vail has managed to open on December 27. It wasn't natural in 2018, all man made.

Beginner lessons at attitash are sold out. Kids are waiting several minutes just to load the carpet. Lessons are one area of variable revenue this year on which you would think they could capitalize, I damn well know instructors are not getting paid $95/hr. How the hell does it make sense for the carpet at wildcat to be closed? Seems like the lesson revenue alone would pay for the single gun and groomer pass to get it open.

Attitash has blown the condo connecting trails before getting the Yankee online. They may have a contract with the association stipulating an open date for the connecting trails, I don't know but it is a bad look. Speaking of the yankee, is there another high speed lift on the east coast that has yet to run this year?

Attitash blew whales under the double double THREE weeks ago. They never finished the terrain or pushed out the whales. They were left to rot, picture below. How does that make any sense given the apparently limited snowmaking resources. Maybe there was mechanical failure?

Morning star and snow dancer were also buried weeks ago, looks like they have been pushed out but they have yet to be skied. They desperately need to spread the crowd, the lower part of northwest passage is treacherous by about 10, there were people taking their skis off today and walking down in their boots.

I fully expected to see picnic tables and outdoor grills offering beer, soda, wine, hamburgers and hotdogs. There is nothing, not sure if they are doing anything elsewhere. Turning the parking lot into a Jimmy buffet concert seems like a massive chunk or revenue left on the table not to mention the liability.

Someone mentioned the gm at attitash being new. To my knowledge the current gm has been in place for a number of years but i could be wrong.

Honestly, if I could dream up a viable motive, the thought that local management is sabotaging the season crossed my mind. None of it makes any sense.

I believe the long term gm retired, sept/October, should rehire the old gm from Mt snow and send him up their, before skiers attack the new gm, who appears is in over his head. Listened to a vail podcast, with a guy who worked at park city before the take over, they sent him to be in charge of Midwest mtns, he talked about the advice Blaise carrington offered, lots of times without a advisor like Blaise carrington, you can find yourself in the deep end of the pool quickly, which the gms of attitash and wildcat appear to be.

 

[Mainer]

https://www.saminfo.com/headline-news/9700-greg-gavrilets-named-attitash-gm Its all makes sense now. This guy started on nov 1, probably has never even been to N.H. before. Poor kid is over his head. That is why there has been all these weird choices on terrain opening.

 

[Mainer]

Do you take feedback on social media and use it to determine what you build on the hill?

Absolutely. I always talk to the riders and interact on social media to get feedback on which features and events are successful and how to improve. Not every proposed setup is possible to build, but you get a great feel for what people want to ride. Watching what features get used in the park is also important, but social media provides immediate feedback
This was From an interview the new gm gave, I hope he reads this site

 

[FBGM]

https://www.saminfo.com/headline-news/9700-greg-gavrilets-named-attitash-gm Its all makes sense now. This guy started on nov 1, probably has never even been to N.H. before. Poor kid is over his head. That is why there has been all these weird choices on terrain opening.

Hahahaha. How’s your MBA working out now? I’m sure your experience in Tennessee is great....didn’t know they had skiing there. Vail is loving it, I’m sure they are paying him like $75k. But he is deff getting his dick kicked in then fired.

 

[thebigo]

Good find, looks like this dude is running wildcat. He has a doctor of law from Rutgers and was in charge of risk management for vail. We are screwed.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-klevans-a85bb982

Vail Resorts Names Four New Resort GMs - Ski Area Management

SAM Magazine—Broomfield, Colo., May 20, 2020—Four of Vail Resorts’ properties in the East and Midwest will have new general managers starting as soon as June 1. The new GMs are: Peter Disch, Mount Sunapee, N.H.; Josh Klevans, Wildcat, N.H.; Shannon Buhler, Snow Creek, Mo.; and Scott Leigh,...

www.saminfo.com

 

[Smellytele]

Crazy that these “GM’s” have very little experience in the ski industry. Health and safety for lodging? Retail manager? Are they nuts? Who is doing this hiring - A Walmart manger of the audio and video department? The person doing the hiring should be fired!

 

[180]

In Hunter's defence. The weather has sucked. Barely get to string and snowmaking days together. On Saturday/ Sunday they made as much as they could just to recover from the tremendous rains. They barely survived those rains. Yesterday, I skied uncrowded Overlook with beautiful snowmaking all afternoon in the sun. Yes, the sun gets there at 2pm. On Saturday, mainline was beautiful packed powder moguls.

They certainly have their hands full with many other issues, but snowmaking is not one of them. Lets hope we get Zephyr soon. That is the game changer.

 

[thetrailboss]

I bet 50% of what is open at Soli is damn thin. Like rock skis thin.

Alta last week was actually fine. They had like 60% open and most open was decent.

PC has got half, if that of snow of those two I mentioned. Pretty much groomers only right now.

We keep getting snow, but just little storms. 3” here. 4” there. Biggest snowfall at my house this year is 9”. I have maybe 2’ base in my backyard. This time last year and normal years past I was digging out my mailbox just to be able to get mail...

I just got done another night at Brighton. Holiday week, 15 degrees, and there is NOTHING in terms of snowmaking or grooming going on at Solitude. Nothing. For a company that has so much money you would expect them to be doing SOMETHING. Shows where their priorities are.

I talked to one guy who visited Solitude this week and said that the liftlines were 40 minutes long. It was not even five years ago that they never came close to that. Looks like Solitude has all grown up and gone corporate--gone are the powder days with few folks, good snowmaking and grooming, and free parking. Hello shit snowmaking, 40 minute lines, and $20 parking. Not to mention that old Subies and old VW vans have given way to shiny new Sprinter Camper vans.

If I owned one of the condos at the Solitude Village I would be ripshit. Talk about really effing it up.

 

[2Planker]

I believe the long term gm retired, sept/October, should rehire the old gm from Mt snow and send him up their, before skiers attack the new gm, who appears is in over his head. Listened to a vail podcast, with a guy who worked at park city before the take over, they sent him to be in charge of Midwest mtns, he talked about the advice Blaise carrington offered, lots of times without a advisor like Blaise carrington, you can find yourself in the deep end of the pool quickly, which the gms of attitash and wildcat appear to be.

Wildcat GM (Brian H) jumped ship and moved over to SR

 

[njdiver85]

This could be the understatement of the year!!! From the Mount Snow report for this morning . . .

"Our reporting system is currently experiencing technical difficulties. Lift and trail statuses may be temporarily inaccurate."

 

[Cobbold]

I just got done another night at Brighton. Holiday week, 15 degrees, and there is NOTHING in terms of snowmaking or grooming going on at Solitude. Nothing. For a company that has so much money you would expect them to be doing SOMETHING. Shows where their priorities are.

I talked to one guy who visited Solitude this week and said that the liftlines were 40 minutes long. It was not even five years ago that they never came close to that. Looks like Solitude has all grown up and gone corporate--gone are the powder days with few folks, good snowmaking and grooming, and free parking. Hello shit snowmaking, 40 minute lines, and $20 parking. Not to mention that old Subies and old VW vans have given way to shiny new Sprinter Camper vans.

If I owned one of the condos at the Solitude Village I would be ripshit. Talk about really effing it up.

Who owns solitude?

 

[FBGM]

Who owns solitude?

Deer Valley, under Alterra. Or however they all combined or bought out.

 

[FBGM]

I just got done another night at Brighton. Holiday week, 15 degrees, and there is NOTHING in terms of snowmaking or grooming going on at Solitude. Nothing. For a company that has so much money you would expect them to be doing SOMETHING. Shows where their priorities are.

I talked to one guy who visited Solitude this week and said that the liftlines were 40 minutes long. It was not even five years ago that they never came close to that. Looks like Solitude has all grown up and gone corporate--gone are the powder days with few folks, good snowmaking and grooming, and free parking. Hello shit snowmaking, 40 minute lines, and $20 parking. Not to mention that old Subies and old VW vans have given way to shiny new Sprinter Camper vans.

If I owned one of the condos at the Solitude Village I would be ripshit. Talk about really effing it up.

I skied Soli the most last year. It was busy at times but no 40 min lines. And I’m a weekend skier these days.

All I can think of for their snowmaking is they are close to done with what they can make snow on - it has been cold and they don’t have a lot of snowmaking terrain. Or they are limited due to their snowmaking issues beginning of season. Either way, there has to be some thin skiing there.

Also that paid parking is a sham. I stopped paying after I realized they don’t check and if they do, nothing happens if you don’t pay.

 

[xlr8r]

Well it looks like Attitash finally got the two peaks connected today. Its not just that Attitash has been slow with the snowmaking and terrain expansion, imo their planned trail rollout has been poor as well. Starting with Illusion at Bear makes sense, but then the effort should have been to get Flying Yankee and the double doubles in addition to Learning Center open instead of Summit. Get most of the greens open on the Attitash side open before proceeding to Summit. Illusion and the terrain to connect the peaks on Bear would keep the advanced skiers occupied without the need of Summit. Then once Flying Bear, Flying Yankee, the double doubles, Learning Center and Snowbelt are all open and connected, would I go after opening Summit. The amount of snowmaking it took to get 1-1/2 runs off of summit could have been used to get 4 or 5 runs open off of Flying Yankee and the Double doubles to spread people out.

And as bad as Attitash has been, Wildcat is worse as they still only have Lynx open. WTF are they doing there?

 

[thetrailboss]

Who owns solitude?

Alterra ultimately.

Alterra first bought Deer Valley. The next season they bought Solitude. Solitude was an independent family-owned area until 2015 or so. Then Deer Valley bought it and ran it for 2-3 years. DV's owners ultimately sold both to Alterra.

 

[deadheadskier]

Well it looks like Attitash finally got the two peaks connected today. Its not just that Attitash has been slow with the snowmaking and terrain expansion, imo their planned trail rollout has been poor as well. Starting with Illusion at Bear makes sense, but then the effort should have been to get Flying Yankee and the double doubles in addition to Learning Center open instead of Summit. Get most of the greens open on the Attitash side open before proceeding to Summit. Illusion and the terrain to connect the peaks on Bear would keep the advanced skiers occupied without the need of Summit. Then once Flying Bear, Flying Yankee, the double doubles, Learning Center and Snowbelt are all open and connected, would I go after opening Summit. The amount of snowmaking it took to get 1-1/2 runs off of summit could have been used to get 4 or 5 runs open off of Flying Yankee and the Double doubles to spread people out.

And as bad as Attitash has been, Wildcat is worse as they still only have Lynx open. WTF are they doing there?

My roll out for Attitash would be this:

Focus on Yankee first:

Upper Highway to Spillway, Thad's and Far Out.

Then:

Morning Star to Snowdancer to the Bear cut back. It would take more snow than Illusion, but you'd have the interconnect ready to go right away. I know Illusion is used for race training, but you could use Spillway until Illusion is ready

Learning area at Attitash to follow
Illusion
Upper Saco down Cathedral.
Mythmaker down to Kachina Chair base

Goal should be getting the Interconnect done as soon as possible as well as having the earliest start possible for slope side home developments.

 

[thetrailboss]

My roll out for Attitash would be this:

Focus on Yankee first:

Upper Highway to Spillway, Thad's and Far Out.

Then:

Morning Star to Snowdancer to the Bear cut back. It would take more snow than Illusion, but you'd have the interconnect ready to go right away. I know Illusion is used for race training, but you could use Spillway until Illusion is ready

Learning area at Attitash to follow
Illusion
Upper Saco down Cathedral.
Mythmaker down to Kachina Chair base

Goal should be getting the Interconnect done as soon as possible as well as having the earliest start possible for slope side home developments.

So let me ask you this: I know that Crotched is relatively easy for you, but why not drive to Sunapee? Too far for a day?