VAIL SUCKS

[Smellytele]

Psia is a fuckin joke.

 

[2Planker]

My BIL has been a good, very requested instructor for many years. One day someone offers him $2K for 5 days of lessons for 2 good 7&9yo kids.
He had a ball. Took them off trail, glades, lunch at the best places ($$ on them). Big Fat Tip w/ a "same thing next year OK"

 

[doublediamond]

How is this company so shit at communication? Twitter says Mt Snow open 8-4. Lift report says 9-5.

 

[pinion]

Ha. Maybe they forgot to adjust the website for Daylight Savings.

 

[catskillman]

How is this company so shit at communication? Twitter says Mt Snow open 8-4. Lift report says 9-5.

Hunter's site had yesterday's weather report up at 10am. Expecting 6-10 inches of snow.

There are so many broken things...I guess since they are so low staffed you don't have to do your job. And it works in their favor if folks saw that and bought a ticket for today and/or tomorrow to getting freshies....

 

[machski]

Vail should follow in Atlantic Aviation's footsteps in Aspen:

Atlantic Aviation makes a grand statement to staff

Atlantic Aviation in Aspen is giving all of its full-time employees a monthly housing allowance of $1,000 so they can keep up with the high cost of living in the Roaring Fork Valley.

www.aspentimes.com

 

[drjeff]

Fan guns running on parts of Carinthia and the main face right now.... Seems like Vail is going to see if it can make it to April 24th at Mount Snow if mother nature gives a little help

 

[pinion]

Fan guns running on parts of Carinthia and the main face right now.... Seems like Vail is going to see if it can make it to April 24th at Mount Snow if mother nature gives a little help

I’ll be there weekend of April 2nd. Had actually given up all hope of skiing but this is a promising development.

Skiing Wildcat all year I’ve forgotten what a fan gun looks like . Skiing Cranmore today and their base is pretty solid and might last into April if they are willing to stay open. Wildcat might be fun today but too windy to check it out with the kids in tow.

 

[doublediamond]

The snow stake on the Outpost tower at the top reads less than a foot. I’ve never seen it that low.

 

[eatskisleep]

I’ll be there weekend of April 2nd. Had actually given up all hope of skiing but this is a promising development.

Skiing Wildcat all year I’ve forgotten what a fan gun looks like . Skiing Cranmore today and their base is pretty solid and might last into April if they are willing to stay open. Wildcat might be fun today but too windy to check it out with the kids in tow.

Would love to see Cranmore stay open later than Wildcat.

 

[snoseek]

I love how they come out with some publicity about extending their season at several of their resorts around the country and again nh can get fucked we will be lucky to make their target date with how little snowmaking has happened. I'm not driving to mount snow.
It shoulda been wildcat. It should always be wildcat.

 

[drjeff]

The snow stake on the Outpost tower at the top reads less than a foot. I’ve never seen it that low.

With the new lifts going in next season, and the want/need to start the demo of the old lifts and that it's easier to transport old towers over snow, my hunch is that the Northface was never going to be in the mix for late season this year, as the main face may close in a few weeks, and before Carinthia does, as there will likely be a bunch of heavy equipment in operation there. And financially it just doesn't make sense to operate 2 separate base areas late season.

It is what it is this year, and if it means 2 new lifts next season, as much as I will miss April (who knows when the Northface will exactly close this season...) bumps on the Northface this season, in the bigger scheme of things it will be worth it

 

[eatskisleep]

I love how they come out with some publicity about extending their season at several of their resorts around the country and again nh can get fucked we will be lucky to make their target date with how little snowmaking has happened. I'm not driving to mount snow.
It shoulda been wildcat. It should always be wildcat.

 

[machski]

With the new lifts going in next season, and the want/need to start the demo of the old lifts and that it's easier to transport old towers over snow, my hunch is that the Northface was never going to be in the mix for late season this year, as the main face may close in a few weeks, and before Carinthia does, as there will likely be a bunch of heavy equipment in operation there. And financially it just doesn't make sense to operate 2 separate base areas late season.

It is what it is this year, and if it means 2 new lifts next season, as much as I will miss April (who knows when the Northface will exactly close this season...) bumps on the Northface this season, in the bigger scheme of things it will be worth it

Unless the bigger scheme is to sell more passes next season to cover new lift costs, then they don't push the seasons any longer. Would that still be worth this season as is?

 

[drjeff]

Unless the bigger scheme is to sell more passes next season to cover new lift costs, then they don't push the seasons any longer. Would that still be worth this season as is?

Mount Snow atleast under the last 3 seasons of Vail ownership, the season length frankly hasn't been much different, if at all, than it was under Peak.

2 years ago, well, everyone shutdown mid March because of COVID.

Last year, they pushed it and went for the 3rd week of April and easily could of closed up after the 2nd weekend of April, but they chose to aggressively go for it, and that last weekend at Carithina only, even with a surprise 6" or so snowstorm that Friday night, was defeinyely an aggressive call to stay open.

This year, they're trying to make it to April 24th. They've made about as much snow as they ever have as I can recall (with the exception of the half pipe and the choice to keep Inferno a featureless trail and not build the HUGE features they used to on it, although from being on the bottom of Inferno this past weekend for an event, they have probably close to 10 feet of base at the bottom of it, and a solid 3 to 4 foot deep base along if not all, than the majority of the trail so it's not like they didn't make a bunch of snow there either), so if they don't make it to April 24th, it's going to be more on Mother Nature than the effort they put into snowmaking as it sure seems like they have enough snow down on the trails there right now to make late April, as long as mother nature is relatively "normal"

So if we exclude the Covid season, Vail has chosen last season and now apparently this season to operate Mount Snow in a late season way that is how the mountain has been traditionally operated (a closing date typically in the 2nd or 3rd week of April). I don't necesarily pay as much attention as to what trails and lifts are spinning closing weekend as that has varied in many seasons, but more attention to what week of April the season goes to.

Will that be the case in the future, especially with a new GM coming in next season? I guess time will tell. The reality is though that thusfar, even if it certainly hasn't been the case with most of their other Eastern properties, Vail seems to be operating Mount Snow with respect to typical season length, pretty much like the resort was operated before Vail acquired them

 

[jimmywilson69]

The reality is though that thusfar, even if it certainly hasn't been the case with most of their other Eastern properties, Vail seems to be operating Mount Snow with respect to typical season length, pretty much like the resort was operated before Vail acquired them

Other than being more crowded, the same is true for the southcentral PA mountains. Yes there were some concessions to "cheaper" products, but that is a corporate wide decision. As far as operations go, I can't complain. Hell they mad snow on March 12th, which is the latest anyone can recall in the past 25 years. Including the 30 year mountain manager!

From afar it sucks with how they are treating the NH properties. I had hoped to go visit those properties, but not until the ship is righted. Hopefully vail does that or just divests in them. Its not good for their brand to operate them so poorly, whether they realize that or not...

 

[elks]

Other than being more crowded, the same is true for the southcentral PA mountains. Yes there were some concessions to "cheaper" products, but that is a corporate wide decision. As far as operations go, I can't complain. Hell they mad snow on March 12th, which is the latest anyone can recall in the past 25 years. Including the 30 year mountain manager!

From afar it sucks with how they are treating the NH properties. I had hoped to go visit those properties, but not until the ship is righted. Hopefully vail does that or just divests in them. Its not good for their brand to operate them so poorly, whether they realize that or not...

Same at Crotched, they've blown snow later than most years, but weather patterns have certainly made it difficult. Thus far in March, there hasn't been a single day with consistent daytime temps below freezing. 60% of total days have been over 40F and almost 30% of days above 50F with one day reaching 64F. And the 7 day outlook isn't much better with 3 days forecasted in the mid-forties, 4 days in the fifties, one day in the mid-sixties and only one night below freezing.

 

[snoseek]

Same at Crotched, they've blown snow later than most years, but weather patterns have certainly made it difficult. Thus far in March, there hasn't been a single day with consistent daytime temps below freezing. 60% of total days have been over 40F and almost 30% of days above 50F with one day reaching 64F. And the 7 day outlook isn't much better with 3 days forecasted in the mid-forties, 4 days in the fifties, one day in the mid-sixties and only one night below freezing.

The problem is they needed to lay it thick as early as possible and not count on temps but they blew that window months back. I'm actually almost as pissed about crotched operations as wildcat. The place is such an efficient easy to handle local hill.

Any shred of me reupping my epic or giving vail a dime are gone. If they addressed the abysmal nh operations and pit forward a plan to improve then alot of people would probably roll the dice but I already made that mistake once I'll spend the extra for a better overall experience. Sunapee ran pretty ok for the most part imo but it's just too congested.

 

[chuckstah]

As Dr Jeff said, operations at Mt Snow were pretty typical, but as an NH resident I don't want to go there with any regularity.
As far as Crotched the operations were abysmal. Hardly any snowmaking, lifts not running (and lying about why Valley didn't run for much of the season), and the big one... season length. Opening on 12/26 for 5 days a week is not acceptable. IF they make 3/27 it will be a 68 day season, 63 if they close this Sunday, 3/20, which is the unverifiable rumor. Complete Epic Fail.

 

[snoseek]

As Dr Jeff said, operations at Mt Snow were pretty typical, but as an NH resident I don't want to go there with any regularity.
As far as Crotched the operations were abysmal. Hardly any snowmaking, lifts not running (and lying about why Valley didn't run for much of the season), and the big one... season length. Opening on 12/26 for 5 days a week is not acceptable. IF they make 3/27 it will be a 68 day season, 63 if they close this Sunday, 3/20, which is the unverifiable rumor. Complete Epic Fail.

I'm cannon, indy add on and either gunstock or ragged next year. Having a close mellow little midweek hill like crotched is awesome and i bummed to lose that but I just can't be part of that. This is the single best thing for the owners of ragged and pats...they're gonna clean up lol good for them.

Edit- if they close mid March that's gotta be rock bottom right? Are we there yet?