• Welcome to AlpineZone, the largest online community of skiers and snowboarders in the Northeast!

    You may have to REGISTER before you can post. Registering is FREE, gets rid of the majority of advertisements, and lets you participate in giveaways and other AlpineZone events!

"Where in God's name is the LODGE!?!"

dovoian

New member
Joined
Mar 2, 2012
Messages
29
Points
0
Hi All,

I recently went on a business trip out to Boulder in March and was fortunate enough to snag a few days at Copper Mountain while I was out there. While the terrain was excellent despite the low snowfall (love that Spaulding Bowl!), I got a REALLY bad commercialized vibe from the whole experience and I am wondering whether I will encounter the same thing at every Western resort.

My problem I guess could be summed up in one interaction I had with a guy in the tuning shop.

“Where’s the lodge?”

“Huh?”

I’ll put it more clearly. I cannot believe I had to purchase a locker to put my stuff in at Copper, that there was no rack for everyone’s bags in a general area, or tables to stash your stuff underneath, a place to put your boots on, down a power bar and head out. Most people were walking from the parking lot IN THEIR BOOTS (arghrgaagghf) to a BUS to take them to basically a pod of restaurants and shops where they bought an overpriced locker (six flags anyone?) and suited up in a tiny changing area. Is it like this everywhere but New England? Did I miss the lodge? I looked for it for a while.

When I said “you know, a place I can just throw my bag on a rack while I’m skiing” he looked at me like I was crazy and said “no way, someone will steal it!”.

I’m used to skier's mountain kind of places like Cannon and to a much greater extent Mad River Glen, where you walk in with your stuff, throw your skis on the rack outside, get a ticket, sit down, put your stuff on and walk out the front door never wondering for a second if your ski equipment will get stolen by your fellow skiers (actually, every place I have been in NE is like this).. Anyone else have this kind of experience? I was FLOORED! I had only been out west once before (Snowbird) but I was about 12 years old, and don’t really remember anything besides looking down Great Scott (dad wouldn’t let me!), getting buried in STH, and lapping Regulator Johnson and Gadzooks over and over again (damn, gotta go back). Made me really sad. I’d be thrilled to find out I’m wrong. Any places with Western terrain and New England ‘lodgeistics’? Is Copper the exception? Did the ski tuner give me bad directions? Am I a blubbering crybaby?

Dan
 

snowmonster

New member
Joined
Jan 2, 2006
Messages
4,066
Points
0
Location
In my mind, northern New England
I had this experience in UT. Most folks booted up in their car and walked to the lifts. In Snowbird, they have lodges but not what we're familiar with back here. Not as much space for booting up and storage. They do have space for lockers and benches and nooks to sit around in, just not the kinds of huge spaces that we're familiar with. Same goes for Alta. We were in the Goldminer's Daughter and I felt like I was booting up in a restaurant -- as opposed to booting up in a high school cafeteria like back here (e.g., Crothced Mountain, Sunapee, Wachusset). Literally. In Colorado, I've only skied A-Basin and Loveland. They have lodges that are more familiar to us easterners. Actually, A-Basin's lodge kind of reminds me of MRG's.
 

ScottySkis

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 16, 2011
Messages
12,294
Points
48
Location
Middletown NY
Sent from my ADR6410LVW using Tapatalk 2

At Snowbird on my last day I was taking the bus to the airport but had a night flight and got permission to keep my suitcase with security room while I skiied.
 

AdironRider

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 27, 2005
Messages
3,483
Points
63
Get over it. Its par for the course out West.

I remember thinking it was a bit odd when I first got out here, now I wouldnt have it any other way.

The horrors of getting ready to ski at home rather than next to hundreds of strangers!
 

Smellytele

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 30, 2006
Messages
9,911
Points
113
Location
Right where I want to be
On weekends when I am alone on with my family I always try to boot up in the lot. Weekdays non-holiday I may go in the lodge. With some groups I go with they insist we go into the lodge. I think it is a PIA to go into a crowded lodge and have to carry all my shit in with me. I have my kids in their ski pants for the ride and if we are within a half hour of the place they have their boots on as well.
 

dovoian

New member
Joined
Mar 2, 2012
Messages
29
Points
0
Just has a weird feeling for me...like Disney World when you're expecting a hiking trip. Also, isn't it awful to walk on pavement in your ski boots?
 

skiNEwhere

Active member
Joined
Oct 29, 2006
Messages
4,141
Points
38
Location
Dubai
My mom had her ski bag stolen from here at King Pine. The next time I went skiing I was with my dad at another ski resort, his bag was stolen, along with his ski's. I went skiing with my brand new ski's at Sunday river, and even though I locked my ski's they were STILL stolen. To combat this, my mom locked one of her ski's to my Dad's ski's, and they were still stolen, so now both of my parents couldn't ski, because they each only had one ski. It was so bad that our insurance company investigated us for fraud, and when they couldn't find anything, they dropped up like a bad habit. All of this happened at New England ski area's. Most ski area's in Colorado are like that, with maybe the excepection of Loveland. But I've had too many things stolen from me to take that chance. You have to realize that in Colorado a lot of skiers are tourists, so they "cater" to them. Copper is an awesome mountain, definitely in my top 3
 

dovoian

New member
Joined
Mar 2, 2012
Messages
29
Points
0
I'm sorry you had all that happen to your family, thats ridiculous really.

I won't begin to fear my stuff getting stolen until it actually is, I guess. Maybe I'll split my skis up when I go in for lunch. I've always been of the mind that there is much more valuable equipment on the rack than my own, so thats kind of a theft protection in itself..

No doubt that Copper is incredible, the mountain really spoke to me when I was getting off that crazy Poma lift to the top, and I had never really skied in a big bowl like that before. Unforgettable, really.
 

Smellytele

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 30, 2006
Messages
9,911
Points
113
Location
Right where I want to be
Just has a weird feeling for me...like Disney World when you're expecting a hiking trip. Also, isn't it awful to walk on pavement in your ski boots?

I know there is tar out there but most ski areas in the NE have dirt parking lots. Also I have tele boots so it is fine. Kids only have the boots for a year. Well we hand them down so I guess 3 years. Also they have those things you can put on the bottom as well.
 

AdironRider

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 27, 2005
Messages
3,483
Points
63
Something tells me dovoian, that you dont ski enough to worry about walking from your car to the lift in ski boots.
 

dovoian

New member
Joined
Mar 2, 2012
Messages
29
Points
0
Its not really that it's a pain to physically walk in them as much as that most good bootfitters would advise against walking more than a few steps in a parking lot on your $500 ski boots.. Makes me cringe when I see it.
 

steamboat1

New member
Joined
Aug 15, 2011
Messages
6,613
Points
0
Location
Brooklyn,NY/Pittsford,VT.
Most of the time when I ski out west I'm staying slope side so I didn't really notice. The one time I drove around Summit County I didn't find a problem with finding a place to put boots on with the exception of Vail. I parked by the bubble chair, don't no if it's different by the gondi. Didn't ski Copper though.

Rarely do I put boots on in the car with the exception of K when I park close to the Snowdon quad. Just a couple of steps & I'm on the snow. I'm able to do this because I don't need to purchase a ticket.
 
Last edited:

dovoian

New member
Joined
Mar 2, 2012
Messages
29
Points
0
^ see that is interesting to me, makes me think I either just went to the wrong base area or something.

To clarify more, this is also an aesthetics thing. I was just quite surprised by the base area being as built up as it was, commercial, whatever it is, it struck me as very weird, and I was curious to see if anyone else had this experience.

I suppose it wouldn't have been so inconvenient if I knew going in that I was going to have to purchase a locker and that booting up in my car would save more time, but to me that definitely does not seem worth losing the charm convenience and old school feel of the lodge area.

Like a house with no dinner table, because you can eat standing up in the kitchen..
 

vdk03

New member
Joined
Mar 26, 2011
Messages
393
Points
0
Location
Summit County
There are locker rooms right at the base of copper, probably about 30' from one of the lifts. I couldn't speak much to any of the other resort's in summit county, ive ridden them all and never step foot in a lodge. I just boot up in the parking lot and hit the slopes.

Sent from my C771 using Tapatalk
 

crank

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 3, 2005
Messages
1,357
Points
63
Location
CT
Relax. It is just plastic on pavement...

+1.

Your $500 boots should not have to be babied. Never had a problem finding a place to boot up or stash gear at western areas. had a nice pair of skis stolen at Sunday River and my Transpack stolen at Jay Peak. Maybe I should only ski MRG!
 

KevinF

Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2003
Messages
568
Points
18
Location
Marlborough, Massachusetts
Hi All,

I recently went on a business trip out to Boulder in March and was fortunate enough to snag a few days at Copper Mountain while I was out there. While the terrain was excellent despite the low snowfall (love that Spaulding Bowl!), I got a REALLY bad commercialized vibe from the whole experience and I am wondering whether I will encounter the same thing at every Western resort.

My problem I guess could be summed up in one interaction I had with a guy in the tuning shop.

“Where’s the lodge?”

“Huh?”

I’ll put it more clearly. I cannot believe I had to purchase a locker to put my stuff in at Copper, that there was no rack for everyone’s bags in a general area, or tables to stash your stuff underneath, a place to put your boots on, down a power bar and head out. Most people were walking from the parking lot IN THEIR BOOTS (arghrgaagghf) to a BUS to take them to basically a pod of restaurants and shops where they bought an overpriced locker (six flags anyone?) and suited up in a tiny changing area. Is it like this everywhere but New England? Did I miss the lodge? I looked for it for a while.

You will find the same experience at Vail, Breckenridge, Keystone, Beaver Creek, Snowbird, Big Sky, Squaw Valley, Alpine Meadows, Northstar, and probably every other "famous" ski resort around. The key word is "resort". These resorts don't want you to ski there for the day. They want you there for the week, staying somewhere slopeside, where your hotel / condo / whatever becomes your "lodge" and a place to stash your gear.

If you ski at places that are more "day area" then "ski resort" oriented (such as Arapahoe Basin, Loveland or Mt. Rose (Tahoe area)), you'll find an experience more like you find in New England. i.e, there is a "lodge".
 
Top