Will the weekend crowds hold over?

[tmcc71]

After seeing personally, and hearing about "record" crowds this weekend, do you think the casual and infrequent skier will stick around for a while? I was at Berkshire east on Sunday, it wasnt too crowded but the ski patrol guy said Saturday was their new record for attendance. Raggeds crowds were huge too. I guess this weekends crowds were really trhe perfect storm of factors lining up. Holiday weekend plus warm temperatures equals huge crowds. The warm weather brings out people that wouldn't normally go out. I am just curious to see if these crowds are here to stay for a while. I am staying away from Saturdays for several weekends. Sunday seems to be far less busy to me. If Ragged and B East were jammed, I can't imagine what the big name resorts were like!

 

[drjeff]

This time of year(non holiday mid winter weekends) interms of big crowds is so weather dependent that it's tough to tell. If you get a good weather Saturday (nice temps, dry roads, semi recent snowfall) then odds are it's going to be jammed. Iffy weather (really cold/windy or the distinct possibility of bad roads) then the crowds tend not to be as bad. The hardcorp skiers/riders will be out on the hill, the few time a year, fair weather skiers/riders that are what makes a really busy weekend are much more weather dependent on a non holiday weekend IMHO

Pretty much though between now and Pres Weekend, expect crowds depending on the resort of 50-80% of last weekend as a rule of thumb

 

[4aprice]

Pretty much though between now and Pres Weekend, expect crowds depending on the resort of 50-80% of last weekend as a rule of thumb

Middle 1/3 of the season. You deal with it to get to the best part, the final 1/3. (Pres Weekend till the snow melts)

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

 

[riverc0il]

I wouldn't expect holiday weekend crowds on non-holiday weekends unless it was a powder day. It really was a "perfect storm" of sorts leading up to MLK weekend. Snow storms two weekends in a row up north, then a MLK snow storm in the flatlands and metro areas (perhaps more important than a snow storm in the mountains), and very high open terrain percentage for this early in the year with good conditions everywhere.

February is weird because different states have vacation weeks on different weeks. But the big ones are either end of President's Day week. Otherwise, weekends shouldn't be terrible like a holiday.

 

[BackLoafRiver]

Middle 1/3 of the season. You deal with it to get to the best part, the final 1/3. (Pres Weekend till the snow melts)

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

The thought of this being mid 1/3 of the season makes me sad. Feels like it just started.

 

[drjeff]

This weekend (especially Saturday)could be a busy one. Saturday looking like GREAT weather - sunny, nice temps. Decent Sunday, but Sunday crowds on a non Holiday weekend are almost never an issue

 

[legalskier]

Some are speculating that the successful MLK weekend is a sign that the economy could be turning around:
http://blog.nj.com/skiing/2010/01/could_okemos_mlk_numbers_be_a.html

A "leading indicator," perhaps?

 

[4aprice]

The thought of this being mid 1/3 of the season makes me sad. Feels like it just started.

A little clarification, I didn't say the 1/3's were equal. I divide the season into 3 parts. Pre-Christmas, Christmas - Presidents week, and finally Presidents week till the snow melts. I like to ski at least till Mid April so there's still plenty of time.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ