VAIL SUCKS

[raisingarizona]

One size fits all....

That’s the big corporate mentality

 

[hardscrabble]

Park City Mountain Employee Killed After Tree Falls on Chairlift

A tree fell on the Short Cut triple around 10:45 am this morning at Park City Mountain, causing a ski patroller on the lift to fall more than 25 feet. Despite swift rescue efforts, the 29 year old …

liftblog.com

I love to hate Vail as much as the next guy, but this sounds like it was a freak situation that could have happened anywhere. RIP

 

[thetrailboss]

Park City Mountain Employee Killed After Tree Falls on Chairlift

A tree fell on the Short Cut triple around 10:45 am this morning at Park City Mountain, causing a ski patroller on the lift to fall more than 25 feet. Despite swift rescue efforts, the 29 year old …

liftblog.com

I love to hate Vail as much as the next guy, but this sounds like it was a freak situation that could have happened anywhere. RIP

I just read that. Goddamn that sucks.

 

[pinion]

Just took a look at wildcat website.

Is the lynx actually not open in January?

Assholes need to leave new hampshire.

I skied the lynx in October when peak ran wildcat.

Word on the street is no intent on blowing snow on Upper Lynx in the immediate future. Take that with a grain of salt, this is just stuff talked about on lift rides over the past week.

Making snow on - and opening - Wild Kitten sounds awesome but becomes comical real quick when you realize you needed to take Tomcat lift, cross Cat Track onto Middle Wildcat to get to it for most of the holiday week. God help any green-level skier who needed to traverse that boilerplate hellscape to reach an otherwise amazing beginner trail (with an equally amazing snowmaking effort). Hopefully the kinks on Bobcat lift are fixed for good and that lift can reliably run for the weekend crowd.

MWV needs more snow. Less rain. And reliable temps. Things might get ugly for MLK weekend if this warm air idles too long.

I will say this: Wildcat staff really stepped up their game so far this year. Communicative, willing to listen, willing to explain issues instead of pretending they don't exist.

 

[drjeff]

Park City Mountain Employee Killed After Tree Falls on Chairlift

A tree fell on the Short Cut triple around 10:45 am this morning at Park City Mountain, causing a ski patroller on the lift to fall more than 25 feet. Despite swift rescue efforts, the 29 year old …

liftblog.com

I love to hate Vail as much as the next guy, but this sounds like it was a freak situation that could have happened anywhere. RIP

Tough day in the PC area yesterday with this incident on the Canyons side of the PC resort , and then the passing of motorsports icon, Ken Block in a snowmobile accident near PC where he lives

 

[Kingslug20]

Read that this morning...following him for a long time...totaly sux.
I was somewhat scared riding a snowmobile my first time...very easy to flip..which almost everyone did.

 

[jimmywilson69]

one of my coworkers was seriously injured a few years ago on a snowmobile. He played football at Cornell and he's a pretty big dude. The Drs said that his size is the only thing that saved him from being killed. Numerous surgeries and long rehab. He had never rode one before and just hit a bump that threw the sled into a tree at a moderate (~40 MPH) speed.

 

[ThatGuy]

Saw Jeremy Renner got ran over by his plow too, rough week for celebs. Does it say anywhere what happened to Block, was it an avy or crash?

Snowmobiles seem incredibly dangerous. Only ridden a few times but they have some serious power behind them.
Tug Hill has a bar by the entrance to the snowmobile trails, powerful motor vehicles and drunk idiots is a bad combo.

 

[ThatGuy]

 

[drjeff]

Saw Jeremy Renner got ran over by his plow too, rough week for celebs. Does it say anywhere what happened to Block, was it an avy or crash?

Snowmobiles seem incredibly dangerous. Only ridden a few times but they have some serious power behind them.
Tug Hill has a bar by the entrance to the snowmobile trails, powerful motor vehicles and drunk idiots is a bad combo.

Read that he was heading down a slope and that his sled landed on him. No other details that I have seen yet.

Guessing my youngest might hear some more details later this week as he's flying out to UT with one of his friends and his friend's father tomorrow and then they're actually going out with Park City Powder Cats on Saturday after some inbounds skiing Thurs/Fri

 

[Kingslug20]

My friend signed us up for an intermediate tour..none of us except him ever rode one..
I decided to be a bit chill on it...they went all out..flipping them all over in the super deep snow...mine overturned at very low speed into a tree well...
Most exhausting day ever....
Ken could parallel park a car at 100 mph..backwards blind folded...yet a damn snow mobile does him in...
Sux... such a great loss...

 

[doublediamond]

Salary.Com lists VT electricians averaging $31/hr and starting $28.50/hr for union work.

If you have the skills to be an electrician, why in god’s name would you decide to be a lift electrcian for $28/hr In harsh winter conditions?

Even if you count that full freight Epic Pass cost as income per hour worked, you’re still only at $28.40. And that only works IF they get the pass for free.

Vail is still out of the loop even with their ”significant” investment in employees.

 

[joshua segal]

Salary.Com lists VT electricians averaging $31/hr and starting $28.50/hr for union work.

If you have the skills to be an electrician, why in god’s name would you decide to be a lift electrcian for $28/hr In harsh winter conditions?

...

I'm surprised the VT average is that low. It's closer to $100 per hour in the greater Boston area. That being said, the number you cite is only 5% below VT average - and as skiers: are you are aware that we like winter?

 

[drjeff]

Salary.Com lists VT electricians averaging $31/hr and starting $28.50/hr for union work.

If you have the skills to be an electrician, why in god’s name would you decide to be a lift electrcian for $28/hr In harsh winter conditions?

Even if you count that full freight Epic Pass cost as income per hour worked, you’re still only at $28.40. And that only works IF they get the pass for free.

Vail is still out of the loop even with their ”significant” investment in employees.

Many lift ops electricians are full time, year round employees of the resort, and the benefits that that offers (medical insurance, 401k, etc) may be better with a larger ski resort company than a smaller "traditional" electrician company. Also if an electrician is employeed by a ski area, their job site is always the same geographic location vs having to potentially travel over a larger geographic area to get to their job(s) that day, and working for a ski resort likely means that they don't have to deal with the hassels that collecting payment for the work they did for some customers will inevitably cause some electricians.

There are often numerous reasons why someone may want to work for 1 organization over another that on the surface may make little sense to "us" simply because we aren't that person doing the job and have their personality and past work/life experiences

 

[Smellytele]

I'm surprised the VT average is that low. It's closer to $100 per hour in the greater Boston area. That being said, the number you cite is only 5% below VT average - and as skiers: are you are aware that we like winter?

Josh it isn’t what they charge per hour it is what they make per hour. So a company may charge 100 but they aren’t taking that home.

 

[joshua segal]

Josh it isn’t what they charge per hour it is what they make per hour. So a company may charge 100 but they aren’t taking that home.

I stand corrected: For Boston, salaried electricians average $37.69 per hour. Low $22.84. High $62.20

 

[Mainer]

I’m a contractor in the mwv, it’s close to impossible to find an electrician. They all charge $75 + an hour. The one I use is closer to a $100 and is well worth it because he returns my calls and shows up when he says he will. Its hard to find a reliable skilled laborer for under $30. If there is any licensed electricians willing to work for $30 an hour, I’ll give you a full time job with benefits. Doesn’t exist

 

[deadheadskier]

Josh it isn’t what they charge per hour it is what they make per hour. So a company may charge 100 but they aren’t taking that home.

Yeah, my uncle has been a master electrician in metro Boston for 40+ years. He does well for himself, but not $200k/year well for himself.

On that same token, my company charges $240/hr for on demand work. That includes overnight travel expenses when necessary. The surplus rate covers that plus tools, vehicle costs etc. When you are paying a tradesman $100/hr, I bet wages represent maybe a bit over half that amount. The rest is to cover travel and fixed costs.

 

[Hawk]

There are so many things about that $30 rate that we do not know about. It is VT and probably an open shop rate. What is that number? Does it include belefits? Who are they employing? Do they have offcial training in the specific job that they are applying for or is the mountain going to train them. Meaning is it an entry level job or an apprentice position? 401K? what type of insurance? Is it part time? Do you get overtime or is it salary? How many hours a week gaurenteed? Everything.

Boston electricans especialy Local 103 are some of the most well paid in the country so there is no way to compare the two.

 

[Hawk]

Also, I have employed a fair amount of electricians in VT. $50/Hour is probably the lowest I have seen and that was a few years ago on a small job. $75 for a good master electrican is common and $50 for helpers. They are hard to find because the good ones are so in demand and people generaly suck to work for because they do not pay well or on time. It's hard work especially with the lack of code or inspectors over the years. Electricians walk into impossible situations that end up costing thousands and people don't understand. They think it is magic and should cost nothing.