Greek Peak Conditions

PS

The race kids need a trainer who teaches them manners.  That should be part of racing 101.  "Thou shalt be polite and wait thy turn in the lift line."  It seems to start early and carries on up to the college kids.  Teaching them to say a friend'y good morning to the person on the lift would be a nice gesture, as well...

WP

Race kids acting like they own the place is not a Greek-specific problem but I feel your pain. My younger son gets really mad when racers cut him off, one after another while freeskiing. A big exception to the rule was observed at Berkshire East on Saturday. There were TONS of race kids practicing everywhere but they all seemed polite and respectful and didn’t get in the way of the general public- either on the slopes or in the lodge. For that matter, the lifties kept their conveyor running smoothly pretty much all day. There were some stops but infrequent and short

I've always thought a liftee's job was tough.They get a little time in the lift shack, but mostly they have to stand outside in the weather. Unlike us skiers, they are not moving around to stay warm, except when they are shoveling and raking the on and off ramps. They have to pay attention and stay alert to slow, stop and start lifts. At the top of Alpha they are mostly outside helping beginners. At the bottom of every lift but Visions, they have to stand there helping everyone load by grabing the lift and pausing it just enough so we don't all get the chair slammed into our legs.

Say Hello, and Thank You to the liftees. They really do appreciate it.

Dougski wrote

I've always thought a liftee's job was tough.

Yep, they are tough jobs. That's why they should get paid more, like people who do other tough jobs.

Not sure how we have developed an economy that depends on paying people shitty wages to do all sorts of important work, but here we are.

Dougski wrote

 
Say Hello, and Thank You to the liftees. They really do appreciate it.

This^^^^^^

wonderpony wrote

PS

The race kids need a trainer who teaches them manners.  That should be part of racing 101.  "Thou shalt be polite and wait thy turn in the lift line."  It seems to start early and carries on up to the college kids.  Teaching them to say a friend'y good morning to the person on the lift would be a nice gesture, as well...

WP

IMO that should start with the coach. I've experienced race teams that were total shithead little brats and others that were just like what broski described. For the record I've encountered both kinds at Greek.

I had a race kid at Gore use me for a gate a few days ago.  

I think if we ended up in a pile, being so much smaller, he might get the worst of it.

I never really felt in any kind of danger, but still, I thought it was uncool.

Camp, that's what I meant by a trainer. 😁. Sorry, horse speak creeping in.  😁 Their adult human should teach them some manners. 😁

And this is why I started wearing a helmet. I ski so slowly that I probably am safe. It's some young kid who is going to take me out. In fact, I almost got hit last weekend by some idiot poling her way down Karyatis, over a whale, with no clue I was there.  This is why I get out of there by noon.

wonderpony wrote

But, perhaps next time, instead of bitching, you could kick off your skis and go help out.

Are you confusing Greek Peak for a charity? They are a privately owned for profit company. Why would one kick off their skis and volunteer their time due to staffing and training needs?

I’ll stop on a trail to help a fallen skier, or provide directions, but that’s nothing more than common courtesy.

The greatest thing about being a consumer is that if we are unsatisfied we can take our business elsewhere, which is why we skied Greek Peak a few days ago, but have been at Killington since.

MC2 5678F589 wrote

Dougski wrote

I've always thought a liftee's job was tough.

Yep, they are tough jobs. That's why they should get paid more, like people who do other tough jobs.

Not sure how we have developed an economy that depends on paying people shitty wages to do all sorts of important work, but here we are.

Sorry, but while a liftee may be out in the cold conditions and on his/her feet, they are jobs that don't really demand any specific education, training, or skilled workers.

The person Greek needs to hire has to at a minimum be able to point at a person / group of people and say "next...you two go with those two...next...next...single...next."

THey also need someone who can utter the words "put your knees against the gate" over and over. Or buy a sign.

Why would one kick off their skis and volunteer their time?  Giving back to the sport, and making new friends to the sport, of course.  I am pretty sure that a long time ago we were all newbies, and a little friendly helping hand would have been nice.  Or, at  least it would have been for me.  When I first went to GP, I went with the IHS ski club, and my BFF left me alone to pursue her hopeful boyfriend. I was supposed to meet them in the A-frames for dinner, on my first day at GP, and in the dark.  This was also in the old days with the tunnel that went from the lodge to the bunny slope.  Fortunately, I had cross-country skied enough to know how to side step up to the the A frames to join them for some soggy french fries in front of the fire.  :)

RJ, it's nice that you can afford the $100 a day lift ticket for Killington.  That $500 you will spend for a long weekend is my ski season budget for the year.  

WP/Karen

There were signs up last year.  People ignored them..

wonderpony wrote

There were signs up last year.  People ignored them..

They used a sharpie to draw on the gates, and it was at knee height. And it wore off

It is spelled liftie folks. Jeez. Running the lift is hard and requires constant vigilance to maintain safety. Directing traffic is easy, though it does require a little assertiveness. Both deserve to be paid more.

wonderpony wrote

 craptastic  

craptastic

Brownski wrote

It is spelled liftie folks. Jeez. Running the lift is hard and requires constant vigilance to maintain safety. Directing traffic is easy, though it does require a little assertiveness. Both deserve to be paid more.

I concur with this. Unless you've done it it's hard to explain how fast shit can hit the fan. People can get hurt if a liftie isn't on his/her toes.

The signs that I saw were oval and specially printed, and actually quite nice.  But, people didn't see them.Too bad.

Brownski wrote

It is spelled liftie folks. Jeez. Running the lift is hard and requires constant vigilance to maintain safety. Directing traffic is easy, though it does require a little assertiveness. Both deserve to be paid more.

Doubt there’s and official way to spell it. The liftie running the lift has to watch, and maybe occasionally press a button. I’m not arguing whether or not they should be paid more, but these aren’t skilled jobs. This is why everyone gets a participation trophy

That A-Frame is just the coolest building. I wish we had the biz to warrant opening that back up. I recall being a kid thinking how they made the best pizza and chocolate milkshakes on the planet there.