Will daylight savings = longer operation hours?

[NHpowderhound]

With daylight savings time starting one month early this year (March 11 I believe), it makes me wonder if the length of the ski day may be extended. I remember skiing Cannon (years ago) in the spring and they would run the lifts till 5:00pm on nice days! Perhaps some 4:30 days may be coming? I hope Mr. Steve Wright or some of the other industry insiders chime in on this one.
What do you think guys? Is it too much to hope for?

((*
*))NHPH

 

[drjeff]

Local bar owners won't allow it!

 

[2knees]

With daylight savings time starting one month early this year (March 11 I believe), it makes me wonder if the length of the ski day may be extended. I remember skiing Cannon (years ago) in the spring and they would run the lifts till 5:00pm on nice days! Perhaps some 4:30 days may be coming? I hope Mr. Steve Wright or some of the other industry insiders chime in on this one.
What do you think guys? Is it too much to hope for?

((*
*))NHPH

Mt Snow, at least for one year that i can clearly remember, ran lifts till 6:00 on weekends late april.

 

[Breeze]

look to brochures for ski areas, I don't believe they will extend themselves past advertised hours.

reasons: hugely expensive early season snowmaking, no traffic in Dec, Jan, and most of Feb; barebones payroll budgets with short staffing endemic. Extending lift hours means extending apres ski ( bar), food service and retail, right now there are no ghost employees to fill that niche.

Might be a consideration thing if no one wanted to ski until 10 or 11 AM.... employees get to sleep in and not report to work until later, keep payroll commensurate with traffic....

But what of the contracts made a year ago based on hours from xxxx to yyyy? International tours, bus tours, group sales. Can't change those arbitrarily.

Let it play out. Those who still have snow for late season may decide they also have a market for day trippers. I wouldn't expect any area that extends their hours or season to be discounting hugely, given the financial realities of 2006-2007 season.

If they did extend hours and days, would you pay full price willingly for the opportunity to ski later and longer??

Breeze

 

[TwinTips21]

Ascutney will be open until 4:30 starting march 10th.

 

[Breeze]

THERE is a hand thrown. takes guts to commit.

Breeze

 

[Newpylong]

They aren't going to stay open longer in the day for the same prices...especially this year. I wouldn't mind the entire day getting pushed back. 9-5 Weekends? =)

 

[drjeff]

They aren't going to stay open longer in the day for the same prices...especially this year. I wouldn't mind the entire day getting pushed back. 9-5 Weekends? =)

As a parent with 2 young kids who can't sleep past about 6:30, I'm glad for the 8AM weekend spinning of the lifts. Now if I could just have the daycare at Mt Snow open around 7:45, then I could atleast be inline when the lifts start spinning on the weekends

Plus, the 8AM time give me an extra hour before the "crack 'o 10:30" crowds show up!

 

[billski]

As a parent with 2 young kids who can't sleep past about 6:30, I'm glad for the 8AM weekend spinning of the lifts. Now if I could just have the daycare at Mt Snow open around 7:45, then I could atleast be inline when the lifts start spinning on the weekends

Plus, the 8AM time give me an extra hour before the "crack 'o 10:30" crowds show up!

My kids used to be like that. Then your kids become teens and b)&$h about getting up before 10am. They just get rockin about noon. It comes full circle...

 

[dmc]

Hunter's gong to stay open until 5 after DST...

 

[mattchuck2]

The great thing about the DST switch is that the flat light that usually occurs around 3:30-4 will soon occur at 4:30-5 . . . when I will be well into my 3rd beer. . . .

 

[sledhaulingmedic]

Nice to hear some places are taking advantage of this. I was racking my brain (what's left of it anyway) to try to recall if any areas did that back in the years that Nixon imposed DST all winter to save energy.

Come to think of it, it only lasted one year, IIRC, because of some nasty accidents where school children were hit by cars walking to school in the dark in the AM.

 

[djspookman]

I'm not sure if Smuggs will this year, but in the years past (10-15 years ago) They kept M1 open until 5 on some bright and sunny busy Saturdays... but I haven't seen that in the past few years....

dave

 

[kbroderick]

(Yes, the below may be considered speaking for Bolton Valley Resort.)

Although we don't have any definitive plans to change lift operating hours at this point (we have discussed it internally, and feedback would be welcome--feel free to PM or email me), we do keep unlit trails open longer when the lifts are turning for night skiing, so long as we have the staff to do so (we need to allow enough time for patrol to perform sweep before it gets too dark to ski the unlit trails).

 

[Breeze]

(Yes, the below may be considered speaking for Bolton Valley Resort.)

Although we don't have any definitive plans to change lift operating hours at this point (we have discussed it internally, and feedback would be welcome--feel free to PM or email me), we do keep unlit trails open longer when the lifts are turning for night skiing, so long as we have the staff to do so (we need to allow enough time for patrol to perform sweep before it gets too dark to ski the unlit trails).

Thanks for clarifying the MTN OPS view at the crux of their problem, which for unlit areas, is getting sweep done without maxing out Patrol's capacity to visualize and handle late day/low light/near dark emergencies.

The side discussions (plural) to OPS issues is whether keeping retail, food and beverage, daycare and ticket outlets open later in the day would realize a net gain in revenue or be a net loss in unfullfilled additional payroll expense. Based on the answers (???????) we'd probably have to change our pricing for afternoon halfdays and our currently published rates would be worthless.

I don't forsee a wholesale reprint and redistribution of rates and offerings. I don't see mysel
f suddenly begging to work longer hours with overtime only after 56 hours, nor do I SEE MANAGEMENT wanting me on payroll for the DST bonus if it costs them big payroll money without any fulfillment.


Bottom line is, as this DST change becomes entrenched, there may be changes across the board, but don't be looking for them this year.

Just MHO.

Breeze