VAIL SUCKS

[snoseek]

The skiology guy is fine and his page has some.good info that goes beyond weather and factors in other stuff. It's the members that are cancer...then again that's facebook

 

[machski]

Skiology posting crap again. Sure, OVERALL Vail may have only been down 15% staffing wise, but anyone with a Brain can analyze that and realize/see that was not balanced across the company. Many of their big, western resorts were much better staffed than their small Midwestern resorts, NH resorts and Stevens. I bet their CO properties were closer to just 5-10% understaffed where as their Ohio areas were probably closer to 50% understaffed (much fewer employees there, especially after stripping out Peaks HR and others there). Very easy to understand how that 15% number is very misleading.

 

[Apple Country]

Stowe did not look understaffed to me at all, surprise surprise. They had crews parking cars for lesson drop offs, parking lot staff...

 

[Kingslug20]

Snow making was under staffed..

 

[Boxtop Willie]

Statistics are dangerous things.
A man with one foot in boiling water and one in an ice bucket is, on average, comfortable.
or
Statistically speaking, the average resident resident in Miami is born Cuban and dies Jewish

 

[cdskier]

Snow making was under staffed..

I think I remember comments about how long it took them to get all the trails covered due to that...but I'll say based on what I saw yesterday, you'd never know they were short-staffed after seeing the final product once everything was done. (Unless there's some trails they skipped...but I didn't notice anything major). The coverage and depth was quite impressive across a wide number of their trails.

 

[drjeff]

I think I remember comments about how long it took them to get all the trails covered due to that...but I'll say based on what I saw yesterday, you'd never know they were short-staffed after seeing the final product once everything was done. (Unless there's some trails they skipped...but I didn't notice anything major). The coverage and depth was quite impressive across a wide number of their trails.

Staffing was certainly an issue for snowmaking at mainy places, and not just Vail Resort properties. Also can't forget that Mother Nature wasn't exactly entirely cooperative this season as well. Plenty of marginal, but not great temp windows with fairly frequent warm, liquid events, that had the smaller crews at times working on resurfacing, and then having to resurface again and again in some cases at times when typically they'd be in expansion mode.

Heck, look at Killington, they've still got a bunch of work to do on Superstar, at a time of the season, while not unprecedented for them to be working on Superstar, but more likely to just be "topping it off" rather than having to build a great deal of it. It has been a challenging year weather wise for snowmaking ops

 

[Kingslug20]

Liftline opened late as they had to blow the race course at spruce.
In the end it worked out. Every trail was eventualy skiable.

 

[hovercraft]

It was more then blowing snow at the race course. In the beginning of the season they had two rain events after getting the opening trails covered and had to go back and refresh them. By the time that was complete they needed to get spruce and the Gondi side open for the Xmas week. After that was done they went to lift line. Those areas are way more important then lift line. Considering the lack of snow, and rain events they did an admirable job managing the mountain this year. They even went back in mid February to blow a shit load of snow on many trails to get more dept for spring. The coverage and depth are impressive considering the weather this year plus what the past two weeks have been with all the rain. All in all the people who went to Stowe this year should be satisfied for how they managed those ares…..

 

[ThatGuy]

My only complaint at Stowe is their aggressive closing of trails.

 

[cdskier]

My only complaint at Stowe is their aggressive closing of trails.

Yup. That was one of my main complaints when I went there yesterday (my comments on that and my experience in general at Stowe yesterday are in the Sugarbush thread).

 

[hovercraft]

My only complaint at Stowe is their aggressive closing of trails.

Agreed, They have always been more aggressive then SB on closing trails but this year was silly. I am hoping it was lack of Ski Patrol this year, not the new norm….

 

[Kingslug20]

Yet i at least managed to ski the front 4 enough. You can only hit them so many times till your legs are shot.

 

[kendo]

I'd rather they go to a gated policy versus a rope the whole thing closed policy. String your rope across the 'dangerous' trail leaving an opening at both ends and put as many 'thin cover', 'immanent death ice ahead' (or whatever your insurance agent wants) signage next to the openings. Keeps the masses from blindly skiing down the slopes but allows us the opportunity to ski it at our own risk.

They did that on Upper Smuggs. Why not on Spruce Line and so many others...

 

[Kingslug20]

Ski patrol doesnt want the hassle i guess.

 

[2Planker]

I'd rather they go to a gated policy versus a rope the whole thing closed policy. String your rope across the 'dangerous' trail leaving an opening at both ends and put as many 'thin cover', 'immanent death ice ahead' (or whatever your insurance agent wants) signage next to the openings. Keeps the masses from blindly skiing down the slopes but allows us the opportunity to ski it at our own risk.

They did that on Upper Smuggs. Why not on Spruce Line and so many others...

Patrol has to consider not only how safe it would be for all skiers/riders, But also how safe is it to run a loaded sled down that trail.
May also be roped off due to what it empties in too, just saying...

 

[Kingslug20]

The top of liftline comes to mind..pretty sporty exit onto middle liftline..

 

[njdiver85]

Aggressive closing of trails has been an issue at Mount Snow as well this year. There have been a number of intermediate natural trails that had decent coverage yet remained closed, at the same time as advanced natural trails, with far worse coverage were left open. I've since learned directly from management that in fact, they are considering the level of skier that would go down a trail based on the trail designation. So a blue trail with good coverage could be closed to prevent inexperienced skiers from having to deal with less than optimal conditions. This is definitely a policy shift since Vail took over. Yet another reason why Vail sucks!

 

[Kingslug20]

Wouldnt want anyone getting hurt..god forbid.

 

[eatskisleep]

Might as well make all skiers wear a bubble wrap suit… gotta keep ‘em safe!