Do you love wide open groomers?

Harvey wrote

I didn't realize Wachusett was a gold mine. I rarely ski at profitable ski areas.

The only thing I know about it is that it is in Massachusetts.  Can they really groom it in half an hour? How many acres is it?

PowderAssassin wrote

Who's REALLY the troll here?

Not sure. Didn't you dis like 8 million people in nyc in another thread?  They are pissed and coming to Wachusett to get you.

I wasn't referring to you as a troll. I was referring to that other guy.
I don't think I dissed anyone. I gave my opinion on a city(not a person). I'm perfectly aware people love nyc. I don't.

Harvey wrote

Re the troll.. if you look I said "I can't tell..."  

Here's the checklist:

Petronio wrote

Harvey wrote

Re the troll.. if you look I said "I can't tell..."  

Here's the checklist:

Ok cool, now I know what peetex looks like

I think you also attacked people you perceive as core.  As if they aren't out there having fun.  Or even more fun than you.

  As an East Coast skier you don't have to love wide open groomers, but if you plan on skiing regularly, you better at least enjoy skiing them. Let's face it, unless you have the ability, and means, to storm chase, groomers, more likely icy groomers, are what we ski most. I think this is the essence of skiing the East, trying to position yourself to be in the right place, at the right time, to enjoy the snow when it does come. If you're not retired, or don't have an understanding employer, luck plays a major roll. When the stars align, Nirvana. When you eat burgers every day, especially overpriced ski resort soy burgers, the occasional steak is even tastier.

  I did enjoy experiencing how the 1%'ers live at Sugarloaf last year. An hour of First Tracks was part of the perks for the group deal I bought in on. It was fun bombing freshly groomed, empty trails for that first hour.

Cornhead wrote

As an East Coast skier you don't have to love wide open groomers, but if you plan on skiing regularly, you better at least enjoy skiing them.

This right here^^^. I love it all man and I'm just happy to be on skis. I take what I can get

Highpeaksdrifter wrote

Cornhead wrote

As an East Coast skier you don't have to love wide open groomers, but if you plan on skiing regularly, you better at least enjoy skiing them.

This right here^^^. I love it all man and I'm just happy to be on skis. I take what I can get

That is my attitude as well.  I ride it all when it comes to conditions.  Obviously powder is preferred but I have fun even on non ideal conditions.

Yep, wide open groomers on a crisp morning are great.  I don't know why you're getting beat up so bad on this one.  
Skyward freshly groomed first thing in the morning is pretty damn fun, as is Hawkeye, Chatimac and any other cruiser.

I would definitely rather be riding powder but that's not to say there isn't a blast to be had.  I also agree with grooming mid-day, especially if you host night skiing.  I don't like icy patches, I would say I'm a pretty good snowboarder and I still just don't like icey patches, so in an ideal world, where money and liability wasn't an issue-- yes groom.

If you have the resources/systems to shut down a pod of the mtn and groom- DO IT.  I would be one of the first laying down nice turns on the fresh cord-- As I used to as a kid a Jiminy on "aces"

Sick Bird Rider wrote

PAss is trying to turn NYSB into AZ, home of the random ski question/survey. Nobody here seems that interested.

Pray for snow.

This!!

That place is dum dum

yeah! free gs... er... noah!

Wachussett does re-groom all their trails each day between 5-6-ish pm.  There are three separate areas served by three separate lifts, and they close one section down at a time to run the groomers, but keep the other two sections open.  They also leave a couple of bump sections untouched.  It's actually pretty cool watching the groomers go up the mountain.  As someone mentioned, it's like watching a big zamboni.  The mountain is comparable to the size of Greek Peak, so it does only take maybe a half hour, 45 minutes.  

I think it's actually a great thing for Wachussett. I wouldn't advocate it for many places because I do prefer more natural trails, but like Powder Assassin mentioned--it's only 90 minutes from Boston, it's crowded, they make a good majority of their snow since they don't get a ton of natural snow, and any natural snow that does fall gets tracked out pretty quickly.  My SO and I have season passes and go up a couple nights per week b/c it's the only place in the area.  We usually get there around the time they finish the evening grooming session, and it makes for nicer skiing than having to ski scratched off boilerplate that would otherwise coat the mountain.  I have no idea how much it costs them, but it must be worthwhile or they wouldn't do it each night.  

If they do it a a regular part of their business it must pay off in night tickets sold

When Snowmass does noon groom they have patrol close the trails being groomed.  They would have to have a extra shift of groomers which normally would work just the night shift so it's costly but At 100 bucks for lift tickets and not much need to blow snow they can afford it.  It certainly fits their market niche for high end (rich) customers.  With that in mind maybe Okemo or Stratton it would work at.  Certainly not Orda.

Love groomers that are: wide, steep, whaled or have drops with no traffic.   Hitting 4-5 in the early AM before anyone else on the mountain transforms my day.  Skiing fast as I am able, tears running down my face from the cold wind.   It sets up me to ski slowly the rest of the day with kids.  My fix.    

After those first 4-5 runs, the trails are cut and I then hate "read, HATE"  wide trails, especially when the masses come.     Then, if possible, I seek bumps, trees or powder.    

Love to start the day with speed.    

PowderAssassin wrote

You do realize that a mountain like wachusett is a gold mine, right?

Wachusett is privately owned.  Do you have access to their financial records?  If not, how would you know if it's a gold mine or a money pit?

PeeTex wrote

And I am surprised P-Ass and his constant fear of everything even mentioned it, but we really don't expect he would do any homework, he proved that on his ill farted "Who gets more pow?" thread.

Awesome typo.  If you did that on purpose Pee-Tex, you are a linguistic genius.

Adk Jeff wrote

PowderAssassin wrote

You do realize that a mountain like wachusett is a gold mine, right?

Wachusett is privately owned.  Do you have access to their financial records?  If not, how would you know if it's a gold mine or a money pit?

lol...Anyone with a brain in their head knows that place is a gold mine.
-----------------------------------------
I find groomers by far to be in the best condition after a fresh overnight snowfall. That cord becomes like butter. So nice and soft unlike icy/sticky/scrapy machine made snow. As long as you can find an uncrowded mountain, it will be heaven :)


Just for shit's sake
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fsb/fsb_archive/2002/12/01/333883/

"While ski areas have been dying off (from 735 nationwide in 1982 to 483 today), with smaller areas bearing the brunt of that contraction (for more on smaller ski resorts, see page 112), under the Crowleys Wachusett has never posted an unprofitable season. In fact, last year, the lightest snow year in the 130 years Massachusetts has kept records, Wachusett had its third-best revenue performance ever. Its annual operating profit margin has recently hovered in the 30% to 40% range, while the national average stands at around 12%."

Profit margin of 30 ro 40 percent and think about the MILLIONS and Millions of people that visit that visit there.

IT'S A GOLD MINE. The fact that you'd even question that shows your incredible ignorance and/or your need to be contrary to anything I say.

As the song says, it's a thin line between love and hate!  Yes, I love a run or two down a freshly groomed wide open slope.  I'd go so far as to say that it's downright 'core' to rip technical, high speed GS arcs down a wide open face.  That said, I'd hate it if that were all that was available.  

Hey, every kind of trail has its time and place.  There are some days at WF where one of the best runs of the day is a tear down Excelsior with First Tracks.  Carving high speed arcs down Mountain Run is a blast.  After a couple it's on to other adventures.  It's all good.

PowderAssassin wrote

lol...Anyone with a brain in their head knows that place is a gold mine.
Just for shit's sake
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fsb/fsb_archive/2002/12/01/333883/
"While ski areas have been dying off (from 735 nationwide in 1982 to 483 today), with smaller areas bearing the brunt of that contraction (for more on smaller ski resorts, see page 112), under the Crowleys Wachusett has never posted an unprofitable season. In fact, last year, the lightest snow year in the 130 years Massachusetts has kept records, Wachusett had its third-best revenue performance ever. Its annual operating profit margin has recently hovered in the 30% to 40% range, while the national average stands at around 12%."

Profit margin of 30 ro 40 percent and think about the MILLIONS and Millions of people that visit that visit there.

IT'S A GOLD MINE. The fact that you'd even question that shows your incredible ignorance and/or your need to be contrary to anything I say.

Good find, but your information source is from 2002.  Greek Peak may have been a gold mine back then too.  I don't have a need to be contrary to anything you say, I'd just like you to back up your sweeping generalizations with facts.

Adk Jeff wrote

PowderAssassin wrote

lol...Anyone with a brain in their head knows that place is a gold mine.
Just for shit's sake
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fsb/fsb_archive/2002/12/01/333883/
"While ski areas have been dying off (from 735 nationwide in 1982 to 483 today), with smaller areas bearing the brunt of that contraction (for more on smaller ski resorts, see page 112), under the Crowleys Wachusett has never posted an unprofitable season. In fact, last year, the lightest snow year in the 130 years Massachusetts has kept records, Wachusett had its third-best revenue performance ever. Its annual operating profit margin has recently hovered in the 30% to 40% range, while the national average stands at around 12%."

Profit margin of 30 ro 40 percent and think about the MILLIONS and Millions of people that visit that visit there.

IT'S A GOLD MINE. The fact that you'd even question that shows your incredible ignorance and/or your need to be contrary to anything I say.

Good find, but your information source is from 2002.  Greek Peak may have been a gold mine back then too.  I don't have a need to be contrary to anything you say, I'd just like you to back up your sweeping generalizations with facts.

Kind of like the weather maps he referred to from 1997.

Adk Jeff wrote

PeeTex wrote

And I am surprised P-Ass and his constant fear of everything even mentioned it, but we really don't expect he would do any homework, he proved that on his ill farted "Who gets more pow?" thread.

Awesome typo.  If you did that on purpose Pee-Tex, you are a linguistic genius.

No typo, no genius, just opportunistic.