Lift Tickets and the Cost of Skiing

albany. i am getting spoiled and only want to ski powder. not realistic for the east cost.

Interesting thread. I came up from NYC because my brother and I always do $12 day (12/12) at Mt snow. Usually its ok-ish. Today was a nightmare. Hour to get the lift tix. No Summit express so another hour for the bubble lift. It was 11:30 by the time we got turns. Would have rather spent the money for Gore or Belleyare. I got a Liftopia ticket for Belleyare for Thursday 12/11 for $25 and it was worth $60.Thought about Stratton tomorrow at $74...but ended up going with opening day at Maple Ridge for $20. I would be more OK with spending the $74 if I knew what I was getting. Seems like every time I go now, there's a chair broken or no staff to de-ice em, or fresh is groomed or man-made is not groomed right and turned to blue ice. Everyone seems like they are skimping nowadays in a way they never did when I was a kid. I never ever once had to wait for staff to de ice the superquad at noon growing up at Sugarloaf. Obviously $12 is too cheap because any idiot who can barely turn was out there in their jeans and beanies today. I'd pay $74 if I could be assured the mountain is at least trying to give me value for my money.

I am glad we didn't opt for Mount Snow then.  Wow. We were going to use our FANfare card today there but, opted to ski Plattekill.

campgottagopee wrote

sig wrote

 .i would love to ski for 3-4 hours, have a couple beers and go home.

That's called having a pass

campgottagopee wrote

sig wrote

 .i would love to ski for 3-4 hours, have a couple beers and go home.

That's called having a pass

Or being retired.

In the summer it's nine holes and a nap.

Skiray wrote

I am glad we didn't opt for Mount Snow then.  Wow. We were going to use our FANfare card today there but, opted to ski Plattekill.

How was it?

I'm at home envious of the right coasters, our storm last night was a bust. It's getting harder and harder to remain an optimistic skier here in Flagstaff.

EastCoastChris wrote

Interesting thread. I came up from NYC because my brother and I always do $12 day (12/12) at Mt snow. Usually its ok-ish. Today was a nightmare. Hour to get the lift tix. No Summit express so another hour for the bubble lift. It was 11:30 by the time we got turns. Would have rather spent the money for Gore or Belleyare. I got a Liftopia ticket for Belleyare for Thursday 12/11 for $25 and it was worth $60.Thought about Stratton tomorrow at $74...but ended up going with opening day at Maple Ridge for $20. I would be more OK with spending the $74 if I knew what I was getting. Seems like every time I go now, there's a chair broken or no staff to de-ice em, or fresh is groomed or man-made is not groomed right and turned to blue ice. Everyone seems like they are skimping nowadays in a way they never did when I was a kid. I never ever once had to wait for staff to de ice the superquad at noon growing up at Sugarloaf. Obviously $12 is too cheap because any idiot who can barely turn was out there in their jeans and beanies today. I'd pay $74 if I could be assured the mountain is at least trying to give me value for my money.

Good call on the maple ridge at 20. Most of these northern big ski resorts on the ec are totally overpriced for what they offer. Hell even magic is totally overpriced at around 50 bucks to go skiing. Especially considering they don't even blow much snow therefore lowering operating expenses greatly.(yes I know they are a co-op)

It's not that it's too cheap at 12 bucks, it's that the normal price is around 90 bucks are they're charging 12 bucks and most ski areas surrounding that 3000 foot plus elevation that close to nyc also charge that. You can have absolutely horrid times even when they are charging full price.

PowAss

You are so clueless it defies belief.

Magic is struggling to stay alive yet you want to charge less. Do you have any idea how business really works?

It costs a crap ton to run a EC ski area.  Snow making, grooming, lifts and all for really just about 6 really profitable weeks between Xmas and Pres Week.

Coach Z wrote

PowAss

You are so clueless it defies belief.

Magic is struggling to stay alive yet you want to charge less. Do you have any idea how business really works?

It costs a crap ton to run a EC ski area.  Snow making, grooming, lifts and all for really just about 6 really profitable weeks between Xmas and Pres Week.

I know magic is struggling and is a co-op as I CLEARLY stated. If they charged less, maybe more people would show up. Magic is struggling because:
It's a a "powder hill" in a snow hole(bad combination) that is very far from most population centers. 50 bucks is too much for many folks like myself, but the wealthy would rather just ski at hill that has way better coverage and more natural snowfall. So magic lies in this middle ground and ends up with hardly anyone. They are not even open during the week unless it's a powder day. Their trails are too narrow for a powder hill(trails get tracked out to quick). It's ok to have some narrow trails, but they have no wide open stuff. Their grooming sucks on non powder days. They can't even be bothered in previous years to mow the grass or get rid of twigs ect. This has an effect on marketing and ski quality.(people see pics of grass sticking out) They have near non existent snow making capabilities with less snowfall since they are not truly on the spine. They get only a little more snowfall than wachusett, yet are trying to be a natural only snowfall mountain with barely any snow making capacity,  yet charging 50 bucks, which is still a lot of money. Their lifts suck big time. It's basically a "core moutain", but it's really low quality since they get little natural snowfall. If they got feet and feet per week like places out west or even as much snow as stowe/snow ridge they'd be in a lot better shape. Too much money for a relatively low quality product. Vermont skiing sucks for the most part and is totally overpriced. If you want to have little man made snow, suck ass lifts, suck ass grooming, and be far from everywhere than you better not charge a lot. 50 bucks is 2.5 times what snow ridge charges for a lift ticket mid week. Hell mohawk mtn up until last year charged 20 bucks for a 4 hour ticket mid week and they make A TON of snow and are closer to most population centers. They also have no beginner stuff and many times no way down that is groomed from the top. Terrible place to learn. Learning/ski rentals/lessons makes up a TON of revnue for ski area.s

The best thing I learned as an English major at a better school than I deserved was to construct my thoughts in a one paragragh  essay.

Idiot

The best thing to do for a natural snow operation is to have narrow trails so they don't get wind blown.  Better yet no trails and just glades.

You really are clueless

50 bucks for a weekend tix is actually well below norm

Benny Profane wrote

The best thing I learned as an English major at a better school than I deserved was to construct my thoughts in a one paragragh  essay.

Whaaaaat? Yooz ain't exactly fluent Strunk and White there BP. You sure english is your first language, Major ?

Coach Z wrote

Idiot

The best thing to do for a natural snow operation is to have narrow trails so they don't get wind blown.  Better yet no trails and just glades.

You really are clueless

50 bucks for a weekend tix is actually well below norm

Yeah...like snowbird in utah....it's so terribly wind blow and awful with it's wide trails....LMFAO....God you're such an east coast gaper tool that you don't even know it. It's friggin hilarious.

Dude, who are you calling an idiot? Did I call you any names? You can't even have a civil conversation and disagree.

Yeah I know it's below the normal. The normal is a friggin rip off.

Yeah, no trails...how fast do you ski through glades coach moron? Different type of skiing than on trail. :) Quite frankly, I think it sucks. People ski glades because pow on trails are tore up. Glades are sort of like skiing at the a resort that grooms all the pow flat and you're left with just the edges basically slip slidding down. It's a joke.

Oh and lack of winds is another reason snow ridge and much of the west is better than many of the high mountains of new england. The high mountains of new england are notoriously windy. Another reason they suck. .(even when the trails are narrow...50mph winds from a noreaster still blow snow around Einstein). Best way to avoid wind at an ec pow mountain is to cut trails on a wind protected side of the mountain. What do I do? I don't go to new england high mountains when you have a storm with a lot of wind associated with it. Narrow trails are still going to be messed up by really high winds and tight isobars in exposed high green mountain range.

This is why your dumb ass can't understand having pow ON A FRIGGIN TRAIL! Because you don't regularly ski where they get good powder. You like to ski ice and shitty ass glades(glades are on the map at major corporate resorts and skied by people after a few weeks of learning to ski and by little kids. It's no longer core buddy boy. Dangerous, yeah. Sure, just visit any ski patrol and spend the day at a major resort and see the massive injuries. You've got broken limbs from one wrong move. it's moronic. Just like tubing near trees. Darwin awards.

hey coach moron, please email snowbird/alta and tell them they need to add tight trees so that you can ski powder there. All the pow is windblown there on the WIDE trails. LOL They need shitty ass new england narrow trails to preserve the powder!! LMAO

Value is something that changes as you change with age and your life changes I think.  I will totally elaborate on that. But first:

1) You are SO glad you didnt take the FanFare rate on 12/12 at Mt. Snow. It was terrible. Even the North Face was crowded. Not that its double black terrain up there, but maybe people were trying to avoid crowds so you got beginners making crappy wide turns over there. Literally couldnt go anywhere without hitting someone. Visibility was very limiyed at the summit. The only good times were the shortish woody groomers off Canyon. Got stuck for an HOUR trying to turn right from rte 100 to rte 9 at 4:30 pm. Stressful and barely worth $12.

2) After a decent snow Magic can be epic value! If I am looking at $75 at Stratton or $50 at Magic on the right weekend - there's no debate! Though I will say, as much as people want to bust on Stratton (god intrawest is SO kitschy) I find their product solid. The stuff they can control (ie not weather) they do really well. Maybe they over groom a bit - but they do an amazing job, their base is always lovely. Their morning cord is very nice. Their lifts are always in good working order, they don't stop 10 times on the way up, they almost always run. Everything is new and in good condition and you KNOW generally what you are getting. Its not like Gore where the summit triple running is like flipping coins.

Back to the value discussion. The pass point is well taken. I think long term value for me is going to come from an ORDA pass next year.  I live in NYC but my work has an office in Latham that I visit a lot. Basically I have a 2nd apartment in my brother's basement in Schenectady.  So when I want to chase pow a lot of the time I am limited to Belleyare because that's where I can get to on a Pow day. And honestly I like the Belle a LOT. Yes the runs are 3-5 minutes long. And yes even though I snowboard most of the time...I actually like the moguls at the Belle. Lol. Took a couple seasons but now I dig them.

When I was there Thursday, it was after 8 " of fresh, 5 more came during the day. Ski patrol not only looked the other way, they basically held the rope up in places and let you duck under. There were maybe 20 ppl on the mountain. It was amazing. One of the best days I have had in a couple seasons for $25. I was just happy. It was just pure joy and love. I was lapping the superchief in 5 minute runs on single blacks that are really blues but it was everything I LOVE about the sport.

But quite honestly, as I get older I am less interested in looking for the gnar terrain on every hill I am on. I spent a year in the Bay Area a few seasons before the drought and even a few years ago I would make the 3 hr drive to Kirkwood on a Friday night and make a first chair beeline for the Cornice and Chair 10 at 9 AM. I grew up 30 minutes from Sugarloaf and everything about the culture I grew up in was about being core. The older high school kids all worked up there, all our friends parents worked up there. First chair wasn't bragging rights, it was mandatory to not be a tool. 40 mph gusts? Dont hang out in the lodge or on groomers. Take the Jbar and hike the snowfields you pussy. That whole chase the best thing has always been part of the experience for me. It was fun as hell yeah (got what I wouldn't give to be 15 and indestructible again) but it was also social competition that was engrained in me for a LONG time.

BUT I turned the 34 (not even 35!) a couple weeks ago and I found this season I am much happier at the prospect of lapping 500' feet of vert with my 8 year old neice (who is getting parallel this season) 10 minutes down the road than getting psyched and dropping a buck to drive up to Gore for ropes dropping on glades. Even last year my only question would be who has the best/most of anything right now and I will blow out at 3 AM and chase it. And while its true that attitude got me MANY an awesome day at Jay or the Loaf or the Face...  I guess I am finding my value in different things: time with the fam, stress free trips, not worrying about traffic etc, 5:30 am alarms etc. That's probably why I will just get the pass next year. I can get the best part of the day, not rush for 1st chair, have a nice IPA and head home.

Would I still get an itch and want to fly to Tahoe to rip the Wall to Snowsnake Gully? Sure.  But am I feeling that urge every time I hit refresh on weather underground? Nope. Not anymore.

God I sound like someone's mom.

Two different worlds.

PowAss

hmmm

What is the difference between Magic at Snowbird?  Only about 400" of snow. EC ski areas before snow making all had very narrow trails to preserve the snow.  They also all face north or northeast.  

You just became the first person in the history to compare MAgic to Snowbird.  You are sooooo smart.

Got to go skiing.  Have fun in Moms basement today.

Coach Z wrote

PowAss

hmmm

What is the difference between Magic at Snowbird?  Only about 400" of snow. EC ski areas before snow making all had very narrow trails to preserve the snow.  They also all face north or northeast.  

You just became the first person in the history to compare MAgic to Snowbird.  You are sooooo smart.

Got to go skiing.  Have fun in Moms basement today.

Yeah, but when a storm roles through and you get 12 inches of snow....guess what genius on that specific pow day.....it's still the same thing! LOL Your whole point was that you can't have powder on a wide trail because it will all get blown away. Totally and absolutely wrong. It's just like someone saying you NEVER get powder on the east coast. You just get it less often!

Ok! Let's compare it to resorts in colorado! Jay peak also has narrow trails! New england trails are cut narrow because it costs less money to cut and blow snow and they can have a larger trails count with less acreage. THat's why.
Colorado...hmmm trails aren't narrow and they get less snow and yet have powder. They're also higher in elevation. Hmmmmm.....Mansfield holds consistent snow cover all winter and VT areas use snow guns. So go figure. And jay peak/stowe get more snow than most areas in Colorado, right?