VAIL SUCKS

[Zand]

I mostly gave up night skiing as well. I actually drove right by Wachusett on the way up and as usual the lines were totally full and there were about 40 buses in the lower lot. That place is absolute hell on weeknights when the thousands of kids are there. Meanwhile at Crotched there were maybe 4 buses, you could park right up against the snow which was cool, and the terrain was pretty similar to Wachusett and I think I would've had a good enough time for a couple hours. Lifts were all ski-on. Terrain was a lot better than Pats (sans Hurricane) and no runout. But when that summit chair goes down the rest of the place blows.

Also that lodge is a nice mix of a prison, elementary school, and one of those big southern churches that looks like a warehouse. Ugly as all hell inside and out. Not really an inviting bar space either, literally just a wall set up between the main dining area and a few high tops and small bar.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

the one scenario i could see myself doing is pushing thru the end of the day at bolton to enjoy the sunset from the mountain. beyond that, needs to be >30, no wind, dumping snow. to at least give me the novelty of nighttime powder skiing.

i can see the appeal for park rats

does the bolton indy access go thru night shift? i closed down wilderness last saturday at 4 PM but didnt try to get on vista at 4:15

 

[xlr8r]

Crotched sucks IMO, its my least favorite ski area. The trails have no character, and the intersection of Moonwalk, Milkyway and Pluto's Plunge is one of the biggest clusterf***s anywhere. I much prefer Pats Peak even though the runs are shorter, as long as Vortex is running. When Vortex is closed laps take too long riding Hurricane or Peak chairs.

 

[AdironRider]

Based on the Indy payout structure, Bolton is incentivized to give you the all hours day ticket when you redeem, so my understanding is yes, it included night skiing.

 

[Zand]

Crotched sucks IMO, its my least favorite ski area. The trails have no character, and the intersection of Moonwalk, Milkyway and Pluto's Plunge is one of the biggest clusterf***s anywhere. I much prefer Pats Peak even though the runs are shorter, as long as Vortex is running. When Vortex is closed laps take too long riding Hurricane or Peak chairs.

I don't really disagree with your assessment. But when have just a couple hours to ski after work I like having a quick express lift and steep groomers and basically doing a bunch of 5 minute laps. Vortex certainly makes Pats more bearable but other than Hurricane (and FIS if it's open) you basically ski a short pitch and then still have to slog down the runout to get back to the base.

The summit of Crotched is definitely a mess, but once you're past that dumb cross trail you get some pretty solid pitch most of the way down. That's one of the few things I can appreciate about Wachusett, almost every trail is a separate trail top to bottom and you never have to worry about people flying out in front of you on a crossover.

 

[Quietman]

Rocket is currently spinning as of 3:15(from the webcam), albeit with no one on it. The lift mechanics at Crotched are top notch!
Not sure if or when it will officially reopen, but this is a good sign!

 

[crippity]

bolton includes night skiing and think of after daylight saving in mid to late march, its light so late there, its awesome. BV rules. so even if you have used your Indy if your up there for friday, pay the 25 bucks

 

[oldfartrider]

You have to watch that valley quad at Crotched. That lift put a nice big grease stain on the back of my jacket. Unfortunately I didn’t notice it until a few days later

 

[Smellytele]

You have to watch that valley quad at Crotched. That lift put a nice big grease stain on the back of my jacket. Unfortunately I didn’t notice it until a few days later

That is why I usually have a black or dark gray jacket. Rule I always had for the kids was not white jackets or ski pants. I had boys so no real issue there. Wife follows that suggestion as well.

 

[Edd]

You have to watch that valley quad at Crotched. That lift put a nice big grease stain on the back of my jacket. Unfortunately I didn’t notice it until a few days later

That is the worst, it's happened to me also at BW. I can't imagine a ski area reimbursing for that though; at least I've never heard of it happening.