The 2020-2021 Ski season thread

[amarshall]

In a normal year the mountains operations patience level is about zero at this time of year. Throw in covid and they’ve been through a war this year to keep us skiing.


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[HoarfrostHubb]

At WaWa the only time anyone mentions it is when near the front of a lift line. I would say over 95% are following the rules in line.     My son who worked lifts said no one gave him a hard time.  
Almost done. 
 

skiing yesterday morning was superb

[powderfreak]

6 minutes ago, amarshall said:

In a normal year the mountains operations patience level is about zero at this time of year. Throw in covid and they’ve been through a war this year to keep us skiing.
 

This.  Trying to keep everyone happy all the time when something like COVID is so political or divided and people stand so firmly on one side or another.  As an employee, you tell that person drinking the Gatorade in a non-restaurant setting to pull up his mask and the person is annoyed.... don't do it and walk on by and another group of guests will get on you for not telling the other guy to pull up his mask.  The lift lines can have people going at each other, going at the staff, etc about whether a nose was exposed.

Guest 1 tells other guest 2 to pull up his mask, guest 2 responds that guest 1 needs to go home and watch more MSNBC... then guest 1 tells him to stop drinking the Fox News coolaid, Rush Limbaugh is dead, deal with it.  It goes on and on.  Ahhh... life in America.

Cant wait for next season.

[powderfreak]

11 minutes ago, PhineasC said:

Yep 

Definitely the SOP at most large resorts.  First half of the season all ski areas just got hounded for not being strict enough on mask compliance... social media was a bloodbath of photos of people without masks over their noses, videos of guests hounding other guests, the customer surveys were wildly biased towards folks not feeling safe enough.

It still is probably 66% to 33% in favor of or thankful for a strong hand of compliance... but that’s down from probably a 90-10 breakdown in January.  Spring weather and vaccines are starting to turn the tide a bit more evenly.  But still people by and large seem to understand what’s going on and are very polite.  There are always a few that are looking for a confrontation.

[HoarfrostHubb]

Getting in some late season spring runs at WaWa yesterday morning 

[PhineasC]

30 minutes ago, powderfreak said:

Definitely the SOP at most large resorts.  First half of the season all ski areas just got hounded for not being strict enough on mask compliance... social media was a bloodbath of photos of people without masks over their noses, videos of guests hounding other guests, the customer surveys were wildly biased towards folks not feeling safe enough.

It still is probably 66% to 33% in favor of or thankful for a strong hand of compliance... but that’s down from probably a 90-10 breakdown in January.  Spring weather and vaccines are starting to turn the tide a bit more evenly.  But still people by and large seem to understand what’s going on and are very polite.  There are always a few that are looking for a confrontation.

Guests should stay out of it and let the employees handle any issues. I didn’t see any guests at BW this year going at it over masks, but I have no doubt it happened just based on what I have seen all year from crazy people.

With the warm weather, masks are definitely starting to slip down to chins or be forgotten altogether at BW. Saw that a lot today. Seems they are letting nature take its course to some extent, whereas ME and VT are doubling down to reinforce compliance. It’s definitely a balancing act. People will be pissed either way. 

[PhineasC]

36 minutes ago, amarshall said:

In a normal year the mountains operations patience level is about zero at this time of year. Throw in covid and they’ve been through a war this year to keep us skiing.


.

I have the utmost respect for anyone who had a customer-facing job over the past 12 months. Just a crushing barrage of shit from every angle. They can’t win. The complaints over masks from both sides must be just mind-numbing. 

[radarman]

23 minutes ago, PhineasC said:

Guests should stay out of it and let the employees handle any issues. I didn’t see any guests at BW this year going at it over masks, but I have no doubt it happened just based on what I have seen all year from crazy people.

With the warm weather, masks are definitely starting to slip down to chins or be forgotten altogether at BW. Saw that a lot today. Seems they are letting nature take it’s course to some extent, whereas ME and VT are doubling down to reinforce compliance. It’s definitely a balancing act. People will be pissed either way. 

FWIW I didn't see any enforcement of masks at the Bush yesterday, and the lifties and patrollers I was talking to were feeling just fine.  Maybe skulls were getting cracked in some stressy base area maze, but up on the hill the folks in dragon suits, sports bras, kimonos, and one piece 80s getups were otherwise compliant and once that chair departs it's bar down and masks off.   And at any rate, does anything resound of good health quite so much as a ski crowd on a beach day in the spring? 

 

[powderfreak]

15 minutes ago, radarman said:

FWIW I didn't see any enforcement of masks at the Bush yesterday, and the lifties and patrollers I was talking to were feeling just fine.  Maybe skulls were getting cracked in some stressy base area maze, but up on the hill the folks in dragon suits, sports bras, kimonos, and one piece 80s getups were otherwise compliant and once that chair departs it's bar down and masks off.   And at any rate, does anything resound of good health quite so much as a ski crowd on a beach day in the spring? 

 

That describes the current situation pretty well.  The base area mazes, base lodges and indoor spaces are the target.  No one is telling anyone what to do once the chair leaves the terminal and you are up/out on the hill.  And by far the vast majority “get it” right now... go skiing, pull into the maze where it’s face covered time, then I go back up for another one.  Lots of grilling and tailgating in the parking lots... people still out there with grills when I just left the Mtn at 5:30pm.

Its not like it was back in Dec/Jan when the ski areas just wanted to stay open and avoid some super-spreader event being traced to their practices (or lack thereof).  Many resort employees (older) and all ski patrol and stuff like that are vaccinated too... which has definitely cooled the vibe off too.

Its still spring skiing and it’s still a fun laid back vibe.  The people dressed in gorilla,  Bigfoot, Borat and banana suits seem to be doing just fine, ha.

[powderfreak]

Forget about COVID though... Some fantastic spring skiing these days.  Was on Spruce today enjoying some south facing sunshine as this part of the mountain closes Easter Sunday.  This is definitely one of my favorite times of year.

[Hitman]

3 hours ago, radarman said:

FWIW I didn't see any enforcement of masks at the Bush yesterday, and the lifties and patrollers I was talking to were feeling just fine.  Maybe skulls were getting cracked in some stressy base area maze, but up on the hill the folks in dragon suits, sports bras, kimonos, and one piece 80s getups were otherwise compliant and once that chair departs it's bar down and masks off.   And at any rate, does anything resound of good health quite so much as a ski crowd on a beach day in the spring? 

 

Can confirm.

[Skivt2]

Beautiful day.  Bumps and trees in sunny spots.  Still pretty firm in others.

[Angus]

skied at Sunapee a few hours on Sunday after hiking up the backside with the dog - Andrew's Brook trail, very nice, highly recommended and the snow was surprisingly deep in the woods. Went over to Okemo yesterday with two friends who are infrequent skiers, we had a ton of fun. Didn't realize until literally the end of day that south face quad was running which is unfortunate b/c in my limited # of times there, I have found that pod to have some of the best terrain. I did get two runs there including a good bump run though. The snow was a bit too soft and mushy on the north side of trails that had been exposed to the sun all day but really no complaints. I guess they are closing a week early (4/4) due to some fairly extensive lift projects slated this summer.  Nice, relaxed days with friends. 2x masked the whole time...no need for sunscreen for the win! Hoping to get up next week for a few days of consecutive days of skiing if weather cooperates - probably be a NNE tour, thinking I'll hit ME, NH & VT.

[Skivt2]

Day 71 today and it was beautiful.  Skied in a long sleeve T-shirt, sunglasses and spring ski pants and it was still warm sitting on the chair in the late afternoon sun.  It really does feel like late April though and that has me worried about terrain loss early.  Thursday into Friday could really take out the natural snow trails and woods for the season.  It’s been remarkable with the dry air how the pack is holding up.  It’s still a bit icy under the corn with some angles and shady spots refusing to corn much at all.  Hopefully we get through the end of the week and get a restorative storm and some cold nights in the next few weeks.  I’d really like to hit 100 days again this year.  Superstar does have a pretty good pile.  Hopefully enough to make it to mid May at least.  That would make it easy to reach the goal.

[radarman]

4 minutes ago, Skivt2 said:

It really does feel like April though 

This.  It's been great but it's near the end on the sunnier aspects.

[bobbutts]

On 3/22/2021 at 6:15 PM, powderfreak said:

That describes the current situation pretty well.  The base area mazes, base lodges and indoor spaces are the target.  No one is telling anyone what to do once the chair leaves the terminal and you are up/out on the hill.  And by far the vast majority “get it” right now... go skiing, pull into the maze where it’s face covered time, then I go back up for another one.  Lots of grilling and tailgating in the parking lots... people still out there with grills when I just left the Mtn at 5:30pm.

Its not like it was back in Dec/Jan when the ski areas just wanted to stay open and avoid some super-spreader event being traced to their practices (or lack thereof).  Many resort employees (older) and all ski patrol and stuff like that are vaccinated too... which has definitely cooled the vibe off too.

Its still spring skiing and it’s still a fun laid back vibe.  The people dressed in gorilla,  Bigfoot, Borat and banana suits seem to be doing just fine, ha.

I have been to Sunapee and Crotched recently and that was my experience too.  Good job skiers and Vail resorts or whoever is responsible. 

[powderfreak]

Spring skiing.  Mashed potatoes and corn.  Great day of seeing friends and skiing with people I haven't caught up with all season.

 

[PhineasC]

Yep PF, been gorgeous out there.

[MarkO]

Skiing was great this past weekend. Two of the top 10 of the year for me. Waterville pushed back their weekend hours to 9-5 which was a good move if you ask me. Gives the groomers more time to soften things up and makes for some great afternoon hero snow. 

Hopefully things continue to trend cold and we have another powder day Sunday.

[GCWarrior]

The next couple days and sunday night are really going to rot out the base of the hill at berkshire east.  They should be prepared for this.  In seasons past the base of the hill losing snow rapidly is always why they shut it down.  Always plenty of snow up on the hill.  I hope the snowmaking efforts down low last week help to keep them going the first weekend of April. 

[bwt3650]

Bold move by epic...was seriously considering switching to ikon, but for $359 midweek vs. $729, I think they got me.  

[Angus]

I'm pretty sure I won't renew my Epic NE pass and instead go with Indypass. Skiing at Magic, BE, Saddleback, Bolton and Jay - where I've never been - will be a nice change. WV and Cannon are easy day trips although I'm not a big WV fan. The crowds at the Epic resorts this season have not been enjoyable - I'm a weekend skier predominantly - and I think this price reduction only makes that worse.

[powderfreak]

1 hour ago, Angus said:

I'm pretty sure I won't renew my Epic NE pass and instead go with Indypass. Skiing at Magic, BE, Saddleback, Bolton and Jay - where I've never been - will be a nice change. WV and Cannon are easy day trips although I'm not a big WV fan. The crowds at the Epic resorts this season have not been enjoyable - I'm a weekend skier predominantly - and I think this price reduction only makes that worse.

Yeah it would be tough if your only option was weekends.  Definitely didn’t see that 20% price drop coming.  They are going to put the squeeze on.  Even Wall Street didn’t know what to do with that news as people couldn’t figure out how it would lead to more revenue by slashing prices 20%.

I think it’s also viewed as a credit from this season to retain people... sort of like what @bwt3650’s thought process is.

Overall I still think it’s largely good for the industry as far as making skiing more accessible to more people.  The overflow will land at the Indy ski areas (like @Angus) and drive revenue towards them while keeping a fresh supply of newbies coming into cheap passes.  Also drives the entire market down though, which can be tough for some Indys.

[bwt3650]

13 minutes ago, powderfreak said:

Yeah it would be tough if your only option was weekends.  Definitely didn’t see that 20% price drop coming.  They are going to put the squeeze on.  Even Wall Street didn’t know what to do with that news as people couldn’t figure out how it would lead to more revenue by slashing prices 20%.

I think it’s also viewed as a credit from this season to retain people... sort of like what @bwt3650’s thought process is.

Overall I still think it’s largely good for the industry as far as making skiing more accessible to more people.  The overflow will land at the Indy ski areas (like @Angus) and drive revenue towards them while keeping a fresh supply of newbies coming into cheap passes.  Also drives the entire market down though, which can be tough for some Indys.

I think its a smart move.  Wall street didn't like it, but the stock is almost a double since last year so easy excuse to sell.  In my opinion, it's a bet on a return to normal and get as many bodies to the resort as possible, so they all spend on lessons, rentals, food, lodging etc.  That's the categories that were way down and that's where the $$ is made.

 

As far as passes go, obviously, the family does jay season passes but I also usually do another multi-pass.  During a normal year, I'll day trip to Vermont and then hit Stowe a few times when I'm up North.  I usually don't ski weekends except for at Jay, so I get the weekend crowd arguments at epic resorts.  Lines were long everywhere this year and I have to think a lot of that was the lift restrictions.  It wasn't just Stowe or the epics.  K-mart was the same at the Gondola; they just have more room to spread out on the mountain.  But when you run an 8 person gondola with singles or a six pack with 2, that's going to happen.  If I had to pick three in Vt outside of Jay, it's sugarbush, Killington and Stowe, so no way to get everything.  I think that going epic for that cheap, and then maybe doing that Vermont 4 pack thing and just looking for a midweek deal if I want to hit K-mart again makes the most sense and gets me the most variety.  Though I love sugarbush, I know in reality it's too far to make it there a bunch of times.  The Vt four pack thing also lets me hit a magic or a Bolton or Smuggs too for like 179, which is cool.  

[PhineasC]

6 hours ago, bwt3650 said:

Bold move by epic...was seriously considering switching to ikon, but for $359 midweek vs. $729, I think they got me.  

Just grabbed my Epic passes. We are determined to make Wildcat work this season, and will probably use our 10 days out west at Beaver Creek, one of our favorites. That alone basically pays for this.

[Angus]

My son and I have have already scoped out a 6 day Montana/Idaho ski trip on the Indy pass. This season has seemed been pretty busy for me and I will have only skied 20 or so days if I get in another 3 or 4. Next year assuming Covid is in rear view mirror, my nordic days will increase by between 2-3x given I will go back to the weston ski track where they make snow. I spent a lot of time in mountains this winter but was very diversified - hiking, nordic and downhill. I'm guessing Vail has this thing modeled super well and it's a financially very smart move.

[mcglups]

I'm eyeing up the Epic-local pass. a good change of pace and really good with the unlimited at so many places! For $100 more than the Northeast pass, it seems worth it!

[bobbutts]

I haven't gotten out a ton but the price makes it tempting to get the epic local again.  Maybe re-schedule my ill fated Tahoe trip originally planned for March '20.  Hadn't checked out Indypass before though, seems like a decent option especially since I usually end up spending at Pat's Peak a couple times since it's right down the street.  Anyone know when '21-22 pricing comes out?

 

[powderfreak]

1 hour ago, PhineasC said:

Just grabbed my Epic passes. We are determined to make Wildcat work this season, and will probably use our 10 days out west at Beaver Creek, one of our favorites. That alone basically pays for this.

Of the CO ski areas I've hit, Beaver Creek's Grouse Mountain Express was one of the better expert lifts I've been on.  The clientele generally doesn't seek out that terrain and the powder seemed to last forever.  We were there just after a 10-inch storm and the lift was mostly empty, with around 2,000 vertical feet of wide open terrain available on an under-used high-speed quad.

[PhineasC]

19 minutes ago, powderfreak said:

Of the CO ski areas I've hit, Beaver Creek's Grouse Mountain Express was one of the better expert lifts I've been on.  The clientele generally doesn't seek out that terrain and the powder seemed to last forever.  We were there just after a 10-inch storm and the lift was mostly empty, with around 2,000 vertical feet of wide open terrain available on an under-used high-speed quad.

Oh yeah, that's a good one.

I also love the Birds of Prey runs. Skiing an Olympic-class downhill course at high speed was one of my favorite skiing moments.