Worst Ski Season Ever?

[jimmywilson69]

Wow that's classy! A 31% discount is pretty good, as long as they don raise prices 32%

 

[BenedictGomez]

Wow that's classy! A 31% discount is pretty good, as long as they don raise prices 32%

Classy? You're only getting anything "back" if you renew again.

I guess you can say that's better than nothing, but in essence, they wish to hold you hostage with the promise of a decent deal. And given the potential lackluster renewal forecast based on this season, one might argue it's somewhat disingenuously generous offer at that. Shrewd indeed, but from what a local told me, Elk is one of the worst places for "shutting it down" early when they can. My 2¢.

 

[Rowsdower]

Classy? You're only getting anything "back" if you renew again.

I guess you can say that's better than nothing, but in essence, they wish to hold you hostage with the promise of a decent deal. And given the potential lackluster renewal forecast based on this season, one might argue it's somewhat disingenuously generous offer at that. Shrewd indeed, but from what a local told me, Elk is one of the worst places for "shutting it down" early when they can. My 2¢.

Elk is in a tough situation. Most of the local crowds stay to the south at CBK and Blue, or go up to the Catskills. I imagine they have a harder time operating under marginal conditions than other PA mountains.

 

[abc]

they wish to hold you hostage with the promise of a decent deal. And given the potential lackluster renewal forecast based on this season, one might argue it's somewhat disingenuously generous offer at that. Shrewd indeed, but from what a local told me, Elk is one of the worst places for "shutting it down" early when they can. My 2¢.

Anyone "held hostage" can't leave, which isn't true in this case. ANYONE can choose not to renew.

But if they do, they're getting a 30% discount. Simple as that.

There will be those who would re-new regardless. They'll benefit from the offer without having to do anything. But for some who CAN leave but RATHER NOT, the offer might be the breaking vote. I call that marketing, not hostage holding.

"Shrewd" it is. I fail to get what's disingenuous about it. Isn't any business exist for the purpose of take in more money than they spend? Do you rather they not offer the discount? How would that help the skiing public? By driving them to a different mountain?

 

[Not Sure]

Elk is in a tough situation. Most of the local crowds stay to the south at CBK and Blue, or go up to the Catskills. I imagine they have a harder time operating under marginal conditions than other PA mountains.

Still my favorite place and worth the 2hrs it takes me to get there, less crowds, better conditions for the most part. Slowest lifts in Pa.
The base elevation is 2500' . Just a crappy year , maybe they'll sell out ? They have a gem ( Woods ) that they never tap into, soooooooo much potential !

Camelback is fun but short, one steep pitch but not sustained. Have a few ski tracks with 4:02 lift 1:43 run . Its a fun place
but without bumps boring.

 

[trackbiker]

Classy? You're only getting anything "back" if you renew again.

What are other areas offering for a shortened season? At least Elk pass holders have the option of getting something.

 

[goldsbar]

but from what a local told me, Elk is one of the worst places for "shutting it down" early when they can.

That's possible, but they did a really good job of snow making this year all things considered. They couldn't match Hunter, but I felt they were well ahead of Belleayre. Their main bump trail was really good a couple of times and they actually attempted to get a couple of other bump trails going. Grooming was superb. They weren't trying to save money all season.

 

[fcksummer]

Elk should adopt a business model where you pay per inch of natural snow and settle up at the end of the year.

 

[Los]

What happened to this thread PROVES that this is the worst season ever.

hahahaha - yep

 

[danimals]

Elk is in a tough situation. Most of the local crowds stay to the south at CBK and Blue, or go up to the Catskills. I imagine they have a harder time operating under marginal conditions than other PA mountains.

If elk opened the trees, or at least didn't clip tickets, I would be there.

 

[ScottySkis]

Still my favorite place and worth the 2hrs it takes me to get there, less crowds, better conditions for the most part. Slowest lifts in Pa.
The base elevation is 2500' . Just a crappy year , maybe they'll sell out ? They have a gem ( Woods ) that they never tap into, soooooooo much potential !

Camelback is fun but short, one steep pitch but not sustained. Have a few ski tracks with 4:02 lift 1:43 run . Its a fun place
but without bumps boring.

+1 elk is awesome. Best in PA for sure. Though I pretty nsure in there season pass fine details they have to give the season pass holders a percentage if what they paid if their open for certain amount of time. I know they opened late this year like end of January.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

 

[Los]

bad news is that there are plenty more worst ski seasons on their way: https://weather.com/news/climate/news/record-warmest-february-global-2016

(warning - if you value your sleep, don't scroll through the pics at the end. The alaskan pics in particular are horrifying....)

this too - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4e1XMdJlac&feature=youtu.be

 

[Rowsdower]

Still my favorite place and worth the 2hrs it takes me to get there, less crowds, better conditions for the most part. Slowest lifts in Pa.
The base elevation is 2500' . Just a crappy year , maybe they'll sell out ? They have a gem ( Woods ) that they never tap into, soooooooo much potential !

Camelback is fun but short, one steep pitch but not sustained. Have a few ski tracks with 4:02 lift 1:43 run . Its a fun place
but without bumps boring.

Elk's summit is 2500* But yeah, I do like that mountain, just pointing out their position. Low crowds and a decent (for PA) terrain and snow. The times I've been there I've enjoyed myself.

Camelback was my favored mountain the last three years after I started snowboarding again from a five year hiatus in college. It was closest to where I was living in NJ. I liked the layout and really just felt comfortable there as a local hill. Got enough of a workout on their steeps. Could get a beer and a burger at Barley Creek afterwards.

Now that we're back in PA it's a little out of the way, but really what killed it for me was the development they've been doing. The place was always crowded but you could still have a good time if you knew when to go. Now its a complete zoo. Last time I went the runout between the Glen double and Stevenson express was a slalom course of extended families walking from the hotel to the mountain coaster. It was a 50 minute wait for a table at Barley Creek during midday. And the place is losing it's aesthetics too. You drive up and are confronted with a giant cement wall from the indoor waterpark. It just ruins the atmosphere. We just said enough and are moving our local hill and season pass over to JFBB for next year. The peak pass definitely made that a lot easier, but we just feel the atmosphere there is more our speed. The only issue I have is JF is small. But if it gets us to make more trips up to NY and NH I think it will be worth it.

 

[billski]

I'm still lovin' the skiing. (see my SB TR). Don't count the season done yet guys (are there any gals around?) so many are throwing in the towel. It's a little early, but I'll be at Sugarbush and $teaux next weekend. Yeah, I didn't use all my vouchers, but that's how it goes with an outdoors sport. I want to go out with a bang, not a whimper.

Full disclosure. I'm a "powder snob" and I chase it. This year, I had to compromise big time, but setting your expectations can do a great deal towards having a good year.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

yea i'm with that. had a ton of fun and got a weird tanline going from whiteface and killington this past weekend. and i'm hitting sunday river and/or cannon this coming weekend.

 

[4aprice]

Camelback is fun but short, one steep pitch but not sustained. Have a few ski tracks with 4:02 lift 1:43 run . Its a fun place but without bumps boring.

No doubt the runs are short but the width of the place does a lot to make up for it. There are actually 15+ separate ways down by combining trails etc. We generally start at one end and go all the way across. It's yo-yoing for sure but most runs are T2b without stopping and I don't know about other people but I feel I get a good workout there. Agree it skis much better with bumps and feel the mountain is doing a better job with providing them. Had a long talk with the Mountain Operations team at the pass holder party this past weekend and I like the vibe I getting out of them. They did something really interesting this season by letting different trails bump up for different weekends. Example One weekend they blew fresh on Marjies and let it bump up for the weekend. The next weekend they did the same thing with Rocket, the next Asp. Gave a different feel to the mountain each weekend. Uncle Bills and of course Lower Cleo will get bump love (if the mountain is not in survival mode which they had to be a couple of times this season) and I'm really pleased about what they did with stock piling Cliffhanger.

I was really pleased with the job they did this year and they earned the renewals of my wife and my season passes (which we weren't sure we were going to do). Now I got to get them to join the max pass like Wachusett did this year. While certainly not the biggest or best or what ever you want it to be, for us it is so nice to have a local place to go, ski, have fun (because Camelback is a resort that has a weekend life better then others in the Pocono's, JMO) and still sleep at home.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

 

[BenedictGomez]

Elk is in a tough situation. Most of the local crowds stay to the south at CBK and Blue, or go up to the Catskills. I imagine they have a harder time operating under marginal conditions than other PA mountains.

Good point.

If elk opened the trees, or at least didn't clip tickets, I would be there.

Ditto. I dont know how good their tree skiing would theoretically be, because I'm not driving ~ 3 hours to have my lift ticket clipped by trying to find out. Kicking people out for skiing trees is so 1986.

bad news is that there are plenty more worst ski seasons on their way:

Highly doubtful, statistically speaking.

 

[HD333]

My daughter looked at the bare glades off of the Sunnyside lift at WV this weekend and for the 100th time this season she said "I sure hope those open up"
Reality still hasn't set in for her.



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[4aprice]

Elk is in a tough situation. Most of the local crowds stay to the south at CBK and Blue, or go up to the Catskills. I imagine they have a harder time operating under marginal conditions than other PA mountains.

I used to ski Elk when we had a place in the Pocono's and then when my boy was racing we got a 3 day weekend up there every season, but now it's really off my radar. (ditto for the Catskills) It's a fun place and the lifts don't bother me, but my feelings are if I'm going to hit the road for that long I'll just tack on the extra couple of hours to Vermont where I feel the mountains and snow are better.

If elk opened the trees, or at least didn't clip tickets, I would be there.

Do you really think they get enough snow for that? I'm very wary of going into the woods south of Northern New England except for maybe Plattekill after a major LES event. They have a hard enough time getting Lehigh open no less opening up the woods.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ

 

[cdskier]

On a brighter note (at least temporarily)...it is currently snowing pretty good at Sugarbush based on their webcams. The castlerock lift loading area is almost all white again (it was brown with a patch of white this morning). Also looks like they added a new webcam viewing the Mt Ellen terrain park. Strange timing to add a new web cam though.