Kingslug20
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I limit my exposure to " customer service"...as much as possible....
Nice sunny day at Stowe today.
Nice sunny day at Stowe today.
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VAIL SUCKS
- Thread starter thebigo
- Start date
There's a lot of factors. I don't mind 2.5 hours for a day trip , but not both days each weekend. I like skiing both days each weekend and don't want to devote 10 hours or more of that weekend to time spent in the car. Especially after I already spend 15 - 25 hours a week driving to visit my work customers.
So, when I had Epic Pass, I did 2:15 to Wildcat on Saturdays and 1:15/20 to Crotched or Sunapee on Sundays. Now I often do 2 hours on Saturday to an Indy mountain and 1 hour to Gunstock on Sundays. And if it isn't worth the extra travel, I'll do Gunstock both days.
I would love iKon, but couldn't do it as my sole pass as Loon is just too crowded for my interests to ski regularly and Sunday River is 2.5 from me like snoseek.
Edd
Well-known member
Funny to read your post. Skied Black this morning and they essentially didn’t groom the mountain from yesterday (it needed a groom). Also noticed no bumping the chair on a fixed grip. Basically the whole vibe was they’d prefer if we didn’t come. I’ve enjoyed thst place in the past but today was a fail.
Are you taking 95 to get to sr?
pinion
Active member
How quickly things change. Jan 19, 2020... powder day... Wildcat lots were full by 9:30a. My group got a late start and figuring Attitash would be just as crowded went to Black. We weren't the only ones making that decision. Black was running great. They got snowmobiles to bring extra booze to Lostbo Cabin so we could keep at it. Dropped ropes to let us ski fresh tracks.
Since then I don't think I've heard a positive thing about Black. When I meet friends at Shovel Handle I'm usually thinking "man, I gotta get to Black more often" but apparently it's not worth it the past 2 years.
A word on Black - don't trust the website if the weather is iffy. I've twice shown up in the past ten years to find the mountain closed when the website said they'd be open.
Always call
I love that place and want to support it so it doesn't end up on Nelsap, but it certainly seems they will eventually close for good and some of the reason will be mismanagement.
Always call
I love that place and want to support it so it doesn't end up on Nelsap, but it certainly seems they will eventually close for good and some of the reason will be mismanagement.
Smellytele
Well-known member
The chair at black is so slow no bumping needed. Just put you hand on the chair and you are good to go.
KustyTheKlown
Well-known member
Anyone posting on this board should
Be fully capable of bumping their own fixed grip chair
Be fully capable of bumping their own fixed grip chair
Sure, but the problem is, kids aren't capable of it. Nothing wrong with calling out employee laziness
I’ve been skiing forever, fixed grips get bumped. It’s just pure laziness otherwise. I had a great afternoon at black, I love that place. Sun was shining, soft snow. The mid mountain bar had pbr tall cans for$4 It felt like the end of March though, lots of bare spots. Lots of melting snow. I don’t think they can groom many more times and make vacation week.
SteezyRob
Active member
that's too bad about black. one of my favorite mountains.
Smellytele
Well-known member
I skied there 2 weeks ago and the non bumping of the chairs was not an issue. Kids never seem to have an issue either. The chair came around slow and had plenty of a run up that no one had an issue. It was a Saturday so there were many kids there. I have had other chairs other places that I wouldn’t want to not be bumped but not that slow ass chair.
AdironRider
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I feel like the recent Black "mismanagement" comments are being unfairly placed on the owner within the last year or so, as some uppity backcountry only skiers decided he wasn't giving them enough stuff for free and went super public about it. The Mt Washington Valley is home to a lot of these entitled backcountry skiers.
It is a major problem at ski areas, notably in years like this one where natural is hard to come by. People want to utilize pretty much all the infrastructure other than lifts a ski area provides (grooming, ease of access, etc), pay nothing for it, then get VERY defensive when confronted about it.
That said, they face due south and have never had a long season, and are usually one of the first mountains to close every year. I suspect that will be the case this year as well.
It is a major problem at ski areas, notably in years like this one where natural is hard to come by. People want to utilize pretty much all the infrastructure other than lifts a ski area provides (grooming, ease of access, etc), pay nothing for it, then get VERY defensive when confronted about it.
That said, they face due south and have never had a long season, and are usually one of the first mountains to close every year. I suspect that will be the case this year as well.
I don't have a problem with the way he handled the entitled turn earners.
Can't say I remember the chair height. Perhaps it isn't an issue. I ski there about once every three years on average. My only comment is in regards to laziness.
Can't say I remember the chair height. Perhaps it isn't an issue. I ski there about once every three years on average. My only comment is in regards to laziness.
AdironRider
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Yeah, I mean the liftie is obviously there for safety, but should be bumping chairs as well.
Which side note, I think Bolton Valley has the smoothest chair bump of all chair bumps. They slide like 20 feet when they do it to add some flair.
Which side note, I think Bolton Valley has the smoothest chair bump of all chair bumps. They slide like 20 feet when they do it to add some flair.
MWV people have had mixed opinions about the owner of black since well before he cut his relationship with ski the whites. You get very different versions of him depending on his emotional state. That kind of person.
chuckstah
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I was there one day last season when the owner was running the triple, no bumping, so I guess that sets the expectation.
Dickc
Active member
I was at Sunday River some years ago on a freezing cold day. Liftie was in the shack when I pulled up to load. He never left the shack, he just hit the slow button until I loaded, then sped it back up. Gave him a thumbs up as I thought that was smart.
jaytrem
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- Oct 22, 2007
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I'll paste my story from last year. Never seen any employee in any business ever behave like him....
Around 2:30 we were enjoying some runs off the triple. When we got to the bottom two people were putting up a new rope that went from the base of the triple out about 15-20 feet perpendicular to the lift corral (basically empty by the way). I couldn't see the rope too well, but could see them putting it up, so it caused me no problem. One of my kids was still up the hill messing around with some power or something so I was just standing there for a minute or two. So now the rope is up and apparently VERY hard to see. Yes it was orange, but it looks like it was 20 years old, and no ribbons on it. Skier after skier obviously can't see it. But one of the employees starts yelling at anybody that comes even close to his rope. Eventually a female snowboarder, maybe around 30 years old, has some trouble just above the rope. It must have been a little slick, even though she was coming in very slow, she slid under the rope a bit. She didn't seem overly skilled, was kinda floundering on the ground. That was it!!! He starts chewing in to her, telling her she's blind and threatening to take her ticket. Bending over with hands on his knees, totally getting in her face. I think she was apologizing and saying she didn't see the rope. But I could hear him a lot better than her. Meanwhile the other employee seems to realize the rope is a terrible idea and she starts to taking it down. I chimed in a bit and was also told that I'm too blind to be skiing. I know I at one point I said something like "you're gonna chop somebody's head off with that stupid rope".
Anyway, my 2nd kid shows up and so does snowboarder's husband (as I later found out). We don't stick around to see the end result. His behavior does irk me for the lift ride though. We have another nice run and head back to the triple. The rope is now back up and much more visible due to the many ribbons now tied to it. The inappropriate employee is now talking to a patroller and nobody is being yelled at anymore. I could tell they were finishing up and decided to wait at the top so that I could speak with the patroller. He was super nice and when I asked the question "who's that guy you were speaking with down there", he sighed and said "that's the owner". He no doubt knew why I was asking and the sigh made me think this wasn't the first time he's seen such behavior. He also said the snowboarder's husband showed up and they "talked things out". I'd be shocked if they ever return, and honestly, I was pretty turned off myself. Say what you want about Vail, but I suspect they would immediately fire anyone that behaved like that. Such a shame, we had such a nice day otherwise, but my main memory of that day will forever be some poor lady having John get in her face. Like I said, seeing his face literally turns my stomach a bit, no way a guest deserves to be treated that way.
Smellytele
Well-known member
Still vail sucks more
