Mad River Glen Should...

To quote Glen Plake "it's not that you can't ski bumps, you can't ski and the bumps prove it."
that and
MRG is what it is.
love it or leave it.
I'm in the former camp.  

That's a great quote, Plake is the man! It's really weird the way mogul skiing has not changed nearly as much as any other discipline in skiing the past decade. I guess maybe they throw bigger tricks now? Go faster? To the casual observer, it's similar, and in an odd place because short and straight sticks are still the pinnacle of technology.

Regardless, MRG has more than bumps, but the bumps really are a great asset.

I like the picture from the burton poaching contest a few years back. I remember that fondly.

You mentioned Deer Valley at the bottom which I was going to bring up regarding some of your response. Deer Valley has the policy of ski only to cater to the snobby rich folks with too much money to spend. That's their little niche .

Just because something separates you from other resorts doesn't mean it's a positive thing. You talk about the financial aspects of the ban as if the only reason to allow snowboarders would be the financial gain. I feel that's kind of low in way. You also mention that snowboarders didn't rally to make that change almost 20 years ago. At that time snowboarding was not nearly the size it is today, and it was judged much differently. Also that take on the subject is penalizing people who had nothing to do with the mountain at that point.

"Sure, we might see a spike in revenues if we allowed snowboards, but money is not our overriding concern; protecting and preserving our unique ski experience is what our owners clearly want."

I just felt like quoting that. To me it really does seem like you're going for the Deer Valley effect in a sense. If you allowed snowboarders, some of your customers that think snowboards are horrible people would not be pleased. It has less to do with the direct impact of snowboarding at the mountain, and more to do with how your customer base would perceive these outsiders. I mean, you guys are building a terrain park now.(I'm not against that in anyway) What does a terrain park have to do with the old school core ski elements that make MRG so special?



"We want to make clear that there is no animosity towards snowboarders. "

This post is ridiculous. There is no animosity toward snowboarders as long as they stay off our property and away from our loyal customers. We don't think they are bad people, we just don't want them to pollute our beautiful mountain. That really makes a lot of sense. From a PR aspect it's what you need to say,  but other than that, actions speak louder than words. It's quite clear that there IS animosity toward snowboards.

I know all about the original ban, but it just seems outdated. Is my post going to change your mind? Probably not, but I just felt the need to say something regarding a policy that I think is ridiculous.


It's 2013. 2013. 2013. Two thousand and thirteen



PS: It's 2013 right now

Hey Parks,

It's a co-op, and if the people who own it are happy why should they make a change? Companies are in it for $$$, but the cooperators run the mountain as they see fit and at a loss sometimes to protect their vision.  I don't want to regurgitate more arguments but if you read the thread people bring up the physical issues, too.

Here's a quote from Olympic medalist Danny Kass on Deer Valley and its ban:

I didn’t realize this until I got to Park City but Deer Valley, not too far from where we were, is exclusively for skiing, and there’s no snowboarding allowed. Does that piss you off as a snowboarder? -vice reporter

"No, I think it’s kind of funny... If there weren’t so many amazing resorts in the states, it would be a big deal."

-Danny Kass

/thread


Here's some stoke from an awesome powder day that the Meatheads captured in 2005.

Bump
I only get to MRG but rarely but I think it's perfect just the way it is. Change nothing

It's got to be one of the most soulful rad ski areas in the world.

If I can get back east sometime soon Plattekill and MRG will be my choices for visiting.
 
I'd also like ski the Thunderbolt in Mass.

Cheap tickets on Liftopia.

ml242 wrote

That's a great quote, Plake is the man! It's really weird the way mogul skiing has not changed nearly as much as any other discipline in skiing the past decade. I guess maybe they throw bigger tricks now? Go faster? To the casual observer, it's similar, and in an odd place because short and straight sticks are still the pinnacle of technology.

Regardless, MRG has more than bumps, but the bumps really are a great asset.

Snowboarding has changed bump skiing, because snowboards have changed bumps. That's why MRG is a living time capsule of what bumps were. Ski Alta/Snowbird some day, and the difference is blatant.

Benny Profane wrote

Cheap tickets on Liftopia.

I assume that never happens?

Can Liftopia be used to package ancillaries with lift tickets?  I've never seen it, but then I've never bought a Liftopia ticket.

On weekends and holidays, Mad serves the maximum number of skiers it can every year. Their goal is to sell more lessons, rentals, food etc.

Shameless plug: use the ad in the forum sidebar to buy Liftopia tickets!  

Yes, in fact MRG has previously and will also this season, package lift tickets with ancillary services. This season we will be offering up Ticket/Ski School (including guide service), Ticket/Lunch and Ticket/Demo packages.

You will be able to access them on the Liftopia platform. Stay tuned, we will start loading inventory at some point in December. Be sure to check out special on our website too - www.madriverglen.com

Eric