Wachusett

[peterk123]

Does anybody out there feel that Wachusett over uses the mountain to the detriment of its patrons? Every weekend the ski team ties up Smith Walton, which is the best trail. This limits us basically to 10th Mountain because as they say, "If you ski fast you lose your pass" on Conifer. Half of 10th is set up as a mogul run which pushes everybody into a narrow shute. At a minimum, Conifer should be opened up for regular speed runs.

Wachusett's answer is basically to show up during the week. Great idea, except for the fact that most of us have to work.

It seems to get worse up there each year. I understand that the team has to practice. Maybe they could start at first light, so we can enjoy the first hour in the morning before all the crowds show up. Don't even get me started up the other events on weekends, which will be starting soon.

Sorry, had to complain. Comments at the mountain seem to fall on deaf ears. I feel better now.

 

[tmcc71]

I agree and i'll add more

Wachusett also overbooks schoolgroups. This is made worse when the trails are limited by NATAR events (every night it seems) . You cannot night ski there for the next six weeks. The lines are twenty minutes long. They are running school groups on Saturday nights as well this year! School groups used to be predictable. They would leave around 7 0r 8. I would leave my house at 6:30 or so and have a few hours of relatively crowd free skiing. Now they are leaving at 8 0r 9. I was there Friday night at 7:00. The lines and trails were packed until 9. The trails were just plain dangerous so I left. I know it's a business and these groups are a money pig. They gobble up fried food, beverages and such. I just wish they used a little more common sense and limit them to fewer buses each night and never hold school groups on Saturday nights. Weekend paper ticket people combined with school groups equals total gridlock. I know i could go elsewhere, but this season i cannot afford the gas or ticket prices to go up North. I used to ski at Wa 6 0r 7 days a week. I don't see myself there much until After february.

 

[peterk123]

That is a great point. They may have made a conscious decision to switch from focusing on families, weekenders and season holders to events, racing and schools ski clubs.

It's a bummer because I have been skiing there for 35 years and I have been bringing my family there since they have been old enough to click into a pair of skis. We spend thousands each year on season passes, dev team in years past, gear and food. It has been very convenient but it may be time to suck it up and head north.

 

[bobbutts]

Southern NH welcomes you guys.. if you haven't tried Crotched or Pat's, come on up .. I always enjoyed Wa-Wa weekday nights.. Given the size of the resort and that I believe it's top 5 for skier visits in NE crowding is going to be an issue on weekends and holiday. Sounds like they compound that with events

 

[hrstrat57]

Just got back from am at wa

SW was closed for racing.....and the rest of main mtn was nuts......210 racers....moms, cousins, dads, uncles in addition.

That being said, my daughter and me took a break at bottom of Vickory lift and watched....it was high end racing....top jrs. Real good stuff.......most of the kids had great technique...my daughter got a nice clinic as I pointed out some aspects of ski technique.

Thing was tho we got there at 7:25, first chair about 7:45 turn left at top of minuteman(everyone else goes right:lol and we had my overall favorite wa trail...Hitchcock to ourselves for about 1 1/2 hours.....it was in butter condition. We just bombed it run after run taking a different line down every time. Gosh it is a nice classic NE trail.

So the OP whine is valid...but our workaround made for a great 1/2 day....as always more than an 8/10 minute wait?

Cash in the tix, get $5 back and off to Honey Dew donuts on 146S....

Sweet day!

 

[billski]

I smell a business opportunity. Supply and demand 101. Only problem is that Wachusett is damn lucky to have about the only 1000-footer close to metro Boston. you then have to travel another 45-60 mins to the next established resort. Real Estate and conservation practices being what they are, you'll probably never open a new ski area. Crowley's got a monopoly on the "too far to travel" crowd. Crowley's are gonna die real rich, just like Nashoba - a veritable ski lesson factory....

 

[loafer89]

Southern NH welcomes you guys.. if you haven't tried Crotched or Pat's, come on up .. I always enjoyed Wa-Wa weekday nights.. Given the size of the resort and that I believe it's top 5 for skier visits in NE crowding is going to be an issue on weekends and holiday. Sounds like they compound that with events

I hear you on that one, we had Rags to and Riches to ourselves the first time we skied it yesterday morning at Ragged, not another soul on it. Most of the steeper trails where like that.

 

[peterk123]

My wife was talking with one of our friends that have children in their dev team program today. I guess many of the parents are unhappy with the level of instruction their kids are getting. We did not put our kids in dev team this year because we felt that it was nothing more than glorified baby sitting last year. Again, it is too bad because that program was great in years past. Our friend had the same thought as us, season pass holders and purchasers of day passes have become unimportant.

Do any of you guys purchase season passes to a mountain up north and hoof it back and forth during the weekend?

 

[jack97]

Does anybody out there feel that Wachusett over uses the mountain to the detriment of its patrons? Every weekend the ski team ties up Smith Walton, which is the best trail. This limits us basically to 10th Mountain because as they say, "If you ski fast you lose your pass" on Conifer. Half of 10th is set up as a mogul run which pushes everybody into a narrow shute. At a minimum, Conifer should be opened up for regular speed runs.

Hmm.... I liked it when they left SW bumped up after the big dump in dec.

The Crowleys have no reason to change, they have a cash cow. In terms of overbooking the afterschool programs, I agree, the place is packed like sardines every night of the week. And then they have limited snow making last year and then the lift problem this year, it doesn't leave a good feeling for me. Been a season pass holder for the past three years, not sure if I will re up for next year.

BTW, those moguls on 10th are always seeded in a weird pattern.

 

[Marc]

Yeah, since the Crowley's are making money hand over fist, they really don't have to listen to any complaints, and the fact that at least they hear some is more then I'd expect from a ski area. At least they're trying. I accept it for what it is, and I accept they don't cater toward the type of skier I'm most like, so I work around it. And yeah, the 10th moguls are usually kinda awkward.

 

[f1kartracer]

I agree with all of these comments! I posted a tongue and cheek suggestion of a fast lane for season pass holders. Some of the replies were interesting from calling me a season pass snob to suggesting I go up on a weekday morning. While a weekday morning may not be crowded some or most of us work for a living. I can understand a short wait in line but enough already. I was up on ralphs working on my technique on the far edge of the trail and I had a couple of morons pass me on the last foot of trail width. I can remember when I first started skiing there I never feared a collision but now I feel everytime I go there tonights the night I am going to get wiped out. I understand its a business but I honestly think that the almighty dollar rules there now unlike years past when the customer was king. Like last year when those of us who had season passes went there and spent our money unlike everyone else who shows up when the conditions are perfect.

 

[hiroto]

We did not put our kids in dev team this year because we felt that it was nothing more than glorified baby sitting last year.

We also happened to not put our son in dev team this year because after 4 years of dev team, my son wanted to take a break. He basically had only two instructors for 4 years and I thought they were pretty good and we are pretty happy with the result. I guess the program is suffering from its own success. When the program grows bigger, it would be difficult to keep up the quality.

But was it really that bad? The idea of same group of kids getting instructed by a same instructor for 10 weeks is basically pretty good. We are still hoping to start our daughter in the program next season if we can talk her into it.

 

[RISkier]

I generally agree with the original post, though I'm not sure I wouldn't do the same if I were running Wachusett. Overall (early lift problems this year aside) the owners at Wa have done a great job with snowmaking, grooming, infrastructure, etc. But it's kind of a victim of its location combined with how well it's been run. It just has too much traffic, both in the lodge and on the slopes, on busy days. And they can't expand terrain. I've been there on weekend days when they've had both SW and Challenger closed for racing -- very irritating. The summit is served by a high speed quad with Conifer and then two trails marked black. Lots of folks seem to only ski Conifer and it gets way too much traffic. They need 3 trails like Conifer from the Summit. But, if you were running a business, how would you run it? They're going to try to maximize profits.

 

[hrstrat57]

I spent many years driving many, many hours searching good skiing. Day trips up to 4 hours 1 way. It was fun but wore me out and wore out a few cars too!

Bottom line for me on wa?

I know I could drive another 1 1/2 hours and get to beast, crotched, sunapee or even gunstock.....all much better areas.(tho I haven't ski'd crotched)

Instead leave at 5:30, stop for breakfast, first chair Wachusett at 7:45. Parking close to the lodge is real nice too!

Yesterday, despite the crowds we had Hitchcock to ourselves all morning. Take a different line down every time and like a true, classic New England trail it is never the same. 2 runs on Ralph's and 1 on Challenger(WMRT race training) were dodge ball....back to Hitchcock....empty.

I was home at 1:30.

I guess for me, wa is not a resort. It is a place to get in some decent skiing close to home and get back to complete my weekend or even play some golf!!

BTW how many other areas do you see the owners all the time? I had a few words with James Crowley while in line at Minuteman at about 10:00.

wa's not perfect....but she can ski pretty good, even on Sunday.

Midweek, she's a gem.

my .02 1/2

 

[jack97]

Lots of folks seem to only ski Conifer and it gets way too much traffic.

Wa is a great place for novices-intermediates. IMO thats why they close SW for the Sunday race program, fewer will miss it.

When I hit SW, on that steep section, I usually see a snowplow or a rider doing a frontal scrape all the way down. And actually, I don't mind this, you have to learn how to ski/ride steep sections by doing it.

 

[SkiMangoJazz]

Berkshire East, sat. and sunday, lift lines of maybe 1 minute, no racing, no crowds, fantastic snow. steeps, bumps, glades.

Go West Young Man (and woman)

 

[jack97]

Berkshire East, sat. and sunday, lift lines of maybe 1 minute, no racing, no crowds, fantastic snow. steeps, bumps, glades.

Go West Young Man (and woman)

IMO, the BEast is a great place. If I live in central MA, that's the place I would go. Great variety of terrain (during good snow years) and great vibes in the lodge.

Last time I went they did close off a section, IIRC; upper competion for race training.

 

[learn2turn]

I always thought it was a drag when Smith is closed for a race but how often is it? Maybe two or three times a season? There was a notice on the web site at least a week in advance saying that SW would be closed for a race on Sunday. So anyone who really wanted to ski Smith had the option of not buying a ticket that day and selecting a different day.

I think if there's race training on Smith, it's only very early in the morning or perhaps one side of the trail leaving most of the trail open for general public. For a big race, all of Smith is closed perhaps 2-3 times a season for about 2/3rds of the day.

 

[learn2turn]

Berkshire East, sat. and sunday, lift lines of maybe 1 minute, no racing, no crowds, fantastic snow. steeps, bumps, glades.

Go West Young Man (and woman)

Hey SMJ,

It would be really cool of the Beast honored the MOD thing and gave Wa passholders a discount, like maybe $15 off a ticket. Me, my wife, and our son ski Wa every Sat and it'd be, what, an hour from there to Charlemont. If we got a discount on BE, we'd definitely head out after our day at Wa, stay in a motel, and ski BE on Sunday.

Care to have a chat with management out there?

It's been almost 20 years since my friend who lived in Savoy moved down to NC and I miss heading out for a day at BE once in a while.

-kvk aka L2T :wink: :wink:

 

[jack97]

I think if there's race training on Smith, it's only very early in the morning or perhaps one side of the trail leaving most of the trail open for general public.

They close Smith for the morning, I lost track of when they open it, IIRC around 11:00- noon.

I doubt they will leave one side of the trail open. If they did, They will get the occasional skier and rider who needs the width to get down. Usually by the end of the shift, you get long section on smith that has been scrape to plate. Think about it, racers trying to make high speed turns and then you get people needing to transverse the whole width to get down.... not a good combination.