VAIL SUCKS

[kbroderick]

SR did exactly that 10+ years ago with Spruce Cliffs

Do you know if there was an operational component to that decision (eg difficulty in providing patrol coverage for a "trail" that's mostly ledge that doesn't hold much snow or level of poaching associated with it never being open)?

In my personal opinion, that's one better left off the map, but I have no insight into the moving parts associated with it being official or not.

 

[PAabe]

Regarding stolen equipment, another way Vail Sucks, and I don't remember if this was already discussed on this forum or on DCski - they have completely gotten rid of the free ski check at Roundtop/Liberty/Whitetail before going into the lodge. Which not only made you feel like your equipment was safe, but also kept the equipment scattered about the bottom of the slope and patio from being a mess.

 

[doublediamond]

Vail also routinely drops lifts off the trail and lift status reports when they are “out of operating season” aka “it’s mid-March and we won’t run them again” to make them look 100% operational.

As in there’s no mention of that lift. They decrease the denominator to make 100%.

They’ve done this at nearly all their eastern properties. An absolute shit stain of a move.

 

[raisingarizona]

The reality is that while there are certainly some IMPRESSIVE athletes who both ski and board a 1/2 pipe these days, those athletes tend to reside in the few areas (Copper, Park City, Mammoth, Mount Hood) where they still put the big $$ resources into building and mainting a pipe for the fewer and fewer athletes who have the skills to use it. Heck the last time Mount Snow had a pipe, now multiple years ago, you saw a far greater percentage of folks just casually skiing/riding down the pipe and maybe getting 1/2 up the walls rather than actual pipe athletes doing tricks in it, and that is at a location that has very good overall park facilities and a ski academy based there with some very good park athletes. Heck, even thos season at Mount Snow, we're hosting a USASA slopestyle event this coming weekend as well as a USSSA Futures tour slopestyle event in a few weeks, and to my knowledge there will be no attempt to build an actual half pipe this season. And I have even heard that after this season at Stratton, when their 5 year contract to host the Homesick 1/2 pipe Event, and mind you Stratton has hosted many, many top level 1/2 pipe Events over the last 25 years or so including the US Open many times, that unless they choose to sign on with a different 1/2 pipe based event, that this is likely the last year that there will be a1/2 pipe at Stratton.

The 1/2 pipe definitely played a key role in getting the park based free skiing/riding movement going back in the 90's and early 2000's, but it sure seems like the bulk of the public has long since moved on from 1/2 pipes in favor of terrain parks

Yup. Half pipes just aren’t enough of a thing that people are interested in and they’re expensive. You need a pipe dragon to have a quality product.

 

[raisingarizona]

terrain parks are just so much more approachable. pretty much anyone can hit a jump, even ride a box straight. riding halfpipe is really difficult and kinda dangerous. the ROI on building these massive things must be so low for most ski areas.

20 years ago Snowbowl had a pipe in their long term plan. They were going to shape most of it with dirt. They never went forward with it.