Why do people stop skiing for the season?

[JimG.]

We get it already...you prefer sushi when you ski. And mineral spas.

I just like to ski.

To each his/her own.

Quite wrong...not a fan of amenities but my wife is.

All I care about is the skiing. But I don't let a ski area's need to stay in business and make profit by offering those things affect whether I ski there or not. And I certainly don't criticize them for it. Or make them sound like sell outs.

Stowe is a great ski area with decades of ski history few other areas have.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Stowe is a great ski area with decades of ski history few other areas have.

Yes, I'm aware; I worked there for 6 seasons, which is why I might be slightly more annoyed & agitated at them tearing apart it's legacy with "improvements" than you are.

I liked the old buildings, I liked the family-friendly atmosphere, and I have no use for seaweed wrap massages.

As I said, to each his/her own....... I guess.

 

[deadheadskier]

As a friend of Jim's, I'll say you've got the wrong read on him BG. Jim definitely is all about the skiing and nothing else.

But I do sympathize with your opinion on Stowe. Like you, it was the home hill for me for a long time. The town in general was home from Winter 95 through 2001. Stowe was all about the skiing back then and hadn't gotten sucked up into the Disneyland business models of so many other areas. 48 trails on the trail map, make snow only when necessary.

I still think it has the best combination of natural snowfall and terrain in the East. But, yes, the soul has been ripped out of the place and Vail has and will continue to make it worse.

The two big mountain places in New England that have what you're after most in being just ski areas are Cannon and Wildcat. It's a little bit further from NJ, but when things look good next season, book yourself for a few days in Littleton, NH. Ski Cannon and Wildcat. They got that feeling Stowe used to have but even more so.

You'll get no argument from me that Northern VT gets better snow than Northern NH, but I'll take the Cannon and Wildcat experience these days and I love that they'll likely ski almost the exact same way for my grandkids. They are classic New England skiing History preserved.

Sent from my XT1635-01 using AlpineZone mobile app

 

[Smellytele]

The improvements and changes started at Stowe well before Vail bought them.

 

[ThinkSnow]

Is it Groundhog Day?

 

[ThinkSnow]

Not really sure how Vail ownership is any different than AIG ownership which went back what-- 70 years?

 

[Scruffy]

I can be really blind to a ski resorts bling when they have snow and terrain, esp. if that bling keeps people off the slopes. My only complaint with Stowe over the past 20+ years I've been skiing there, is the price of day pass. Of course I do realize that the posh amenities need to be paid for, therefore that is one of the reasons in the increase in pass price. I prefer the old Mansfield lodge, and that's where you'll find me. I'm glad they can't tear that down.

I do take issue with your use of Sushi as a definition of wealth, BG. Sushi has it's roots as a peasant food, and can now be found almost everywhere, even grocery stores, and there's nothing more satisfying than hot sake and sushi after skiing.

 

[VTKilarney]

there's nothing more satisfying than hot sake and sushi after skiing.

I don’t know if I should laugh or cry. And this is coming from someone who makes his own sushi.

Back on point, this weekend is probably it for me. I’ve been so busy lately that I’m ready for some time at home.

 

[Scruffy]

I don’t know if I should laugh or cry. And this is coming from someone who makes his own sushi.

Back on point, this weekend is probably it for me. I’ve been so busy lately that I’m ready for some time at home.

Thanks for your obscure comment :roll: Laugh or cry ? Makes no sense in this context.

 

[JimG.]

Thanks for your obscure comment :roll: Laugh or cry ? Makes no sense in this context.

I think he's not impressed with ski area sushi, probably equates it to C-store sushi.

 

[JimG.]

Yes, I'm aware; I worked there for 6 seasons, which is why I might be slightly more annoyed & agitated at them tearing apart it's legacy with "improvements" than you are.

I liked the old buildings, I liked the family-friendly atmosphere, and I have no use for seaweed wrap massages.

As I said, to each his/her own....... I guess.

I get it. If I had that type of connection I would probably be more agitated about it.

I learned to ski at Stowe when I was about 5. I remember Spruce Peak when it was a wooden lodge and 2 T-bars. Do I love the new development? Not really, I'm not rich enough to own a slope side mansion or condo. But as someone else mentioned I don't mind the distractions created that keep skiers off the hill. And when I'm skiing Angel Food or the Riverbed I'm not thinking about the development I'm enjoying the great skiing.

Most of that happened before Vail took over anyway. So why blame them? I'd be a lot more angry if Stowe decided to groom everything daily like PEAKS does at Hunter now. But again, my emotional attachment to the old Stowe is not as strong as yours.

BTW, I don't do seaweed wraps or mineral baths. But at risk of VTK's disapproval I will eat ski area sushi.

 

[Scruffy]

I think he's not impressed with ski area sushi, probably equates it to C-store sushi.

Yeah, one would think that's what he meant, the only logical obvious conclusion, but who knows when someone obfuscates in that way.

A much more direct approach, and one that lends it self to further conversation, without the lame attempt at belittlement while attempting to puff oneself up, would have been: " I find ski area sushi lacking, and this comes from someone who prides them self as a sushi aficionado; I even make my own sushi, which is quite good I'm told, by those friends and family I serve it to." :grin:

 

[bdfreetuna]

some folks are lucky and just get thousands of dollars of sushi COMPED

 

[MommaBear]

Something tells me it is going to be a long summer on here. This shit is just starting way too soon. ;-)

 

[abc]

I suspect it has more to do with the pretentiousness associated with sushi.

Sushi is basically some small piece of fish/meat/veggie wrapped in rice. As pointed out, it was initially peasant food.

Sushi is expensive because its implicit guarantee of absolute fressness. When it comes to fish, fresh is paramount. Veggie, not nearly as much. Still, it’s nothing to laugh at to have FRESH, juicy sweet veggie in a piece of sushi.

Serving sushi in a ski resort lodge at hugely inflated price, with suspicious freshness, can be seen by some as an example of what’s so “wrong” with the latest wave of ski resort “improvement”. That said, I personally see having more food options in the base lodge, however pretentious, a welcome change.

 

[BenedictGomez]

The two big mountain places in New England that have what you're after most in being just ski areas are Cannon and Wildcat. It's a little bit further from NJ, but when things look good next season, book yourself for a few days in Littleton, NH. Ski Cannon and Wildcat. They got that feeling Stowe used to have but even more so.

You'll get no argument from me that Northern VT gets better snow than Northern NH, but I'll take the Cannon and Wildcat experience these days and I love that they'll likely ski almost the exact same way for my grandkids. They are classic New England skiing History preserved.

Maybe next year I'll try them then, they're close enough I could do both in a 3-day weekend. I do try to get to at least 1 new place I've never been per season (this year it was Magic).

 

[BenedictGomez]

Serving sushi in a ski resort lodge at hugely inflated price, with suspicious freshness, can be seen by some as an example of what’s so “wrong” with the latest wave of ski resort “improvement”.

Yeah, that's basically what I was going for.

That said, I personally see having more food options in the base lodge, however pretentious, a welcome change.

I often give this as my example of biggest, "non-skiing, skiing related change" in the industry during my lifetime of skiing. You used to be limited to overpriced tin-foil wrapped burgers and cold fries in pretty much every lodge. Now, even at the tiny places there tends to be solid food options.

 

[Teleskier]

I suspect it has more to do with the pretentiousness associated with sushi.

There you go again... massively projecting your own judgements onto other people... and having the supreme judgemental arrogance to tell THEM what they are feeling when they are eating or skiing something (etc). How nice.

"People who teleski only do it to feel special over me, and people who eat sushi only do it to feel pretentious and superior over me." Say what?

Why can't you just let people eat what they like and ski what they like, without you mapping onto them the put-down elements that make you personally feel superior over them?

I hope this fits under your short reading attention span. I could go on how this feels to me like a very "Mrs. Kravitz" American set of behaviors (secretly spying on others, caring what others eat and do, and feeling the pressure to have to copy them), but this might appear as another academia intellectual Boston 'dissertation' to you (as you complained last time).

Why do you care what other people ski, and what other people eat, and sticking your nose into THEIR dining tables?

 

[abc]

There you go again... massively projecting your own judgements onto other people... and having the supreme judgemental arrogance to tell THEM what they are feeling when they are eating or skiing something (etc). How nice.

"People who teleski only do it to feel special over me, and people who eat sushi only do it to feel pretentious and superior over me." Say what?

Why can't you just let people eat what they like and ski what they like, without you mapping onto them the put-down elements that make you personally feel superior over them?

I hope this fits under your short reading attention span. I could go on how this feels to me like a very "Mrs. Kravitz" American set of behaviors (secretly spying on others, caring what others eat and do, and feeling the pressure to have to copy them), but this might appear as another academia intellectual Boston 'dissertation' to you (as you complained last time).

Why do you care what other people ski, and what other people eat, and sticking your nose into THEIR dining tables?

Because you’re on a freaking ski FORUM, talking instead of skiing!

Why do you care what pther people think and write? While telling others they shouldn’t care about what other people eat and ski?

Speaking of who project one’s own presumption over strangers, was that you who wrote this: “I'm sure the same owners would much rather rent to the seniors of the Tanglewood crowd (more $$ on better food, more $$ on better wine, more $$ on better housing, better cars, the place would be even quieter and more gentile and even cleaner, than the 'weed-smelly' (potentially in their eyes) “

It’s high time you take your own advice and NOT CARE!!!

(it’s interesting you only made 40 posts, how many of them are long winded thesis attacking others? Yeah right, you demonstrated your superior attention span:roll::roll

 

[boston_e]

For me at this point in the season too it becomes very weather dependent as well. I had fully planned to go this weekend, but the rainy/cloudy/coldish forecast is not motivating me too much.