Max Pass Weekend

And Steamboat ain’t no Big Sky. Steamboats cute, Big Sky is rad.

From the lift blog write up some features of the new lift.

In-terminal multimedia display
Underground fully automated chair parking
Individual car-style seats for every passenger
Auto locking and unlocking safety bars
Bubbles and heated seats of course
Public address system on every tower in case of emergency
Loading carpet that raises and lowers for guests of varying heights.

Other statistics:

Each chair weighs 2200 pounds and is wind resistant, allowing the lift to run in up to 70mph winds.  Also, each chair alone costs more than a Porsche.

1000fpm speed and 3200 pph capacity with the option to add chairs to get up to 3600.

Direct drive system eliminates the gearbox and chance for gearbox failures that cause rope evacs.

Like a true train foamer, but for lifts.

snoloco wrote

Also, each chair alone costs more than a Porsche.

Is this a good thing?

Brownski wrote

snoloco wrote

Also, each chair alone costs more than a Porsche.

Is this a good thing?

Right?

I can't believe what skiing is becoming.

It's a great thing.  For the price of an Ikon Pass at 480 dollars with the student rate, you can ride the most technologically advanced lift in North America.  The up is all part of the fun.

You should ask the Squaw locals how much they love their cheap ski passes and the hour long lift lines that have come with em.

Big Sky's busiest season is around 500k visits.  Killington usually does around 750k with far less terrain and lifts, and I can usually find lifts without lines even on Presidents Weekend at K.

Big Sky’s season is a couple months shorter though but yeah, it’s in Montana. It’s not going to be crazy crowded for at least a few more years but my point is is that all of these improvements and cheap passes do come with a price.

Presidents weekend at Killington sounds like a terrible experience from where I’m sitting but I remember a time where I didn’t know any better and probably felt the same way.

When I went to Steamboat, I had everyone on here telling me how crazy crowded is was going to be.  It wasn't that bad at all.  When I'm used to Killington, Hunter, Mountain Creek, Tremblant, and even Whiteface is getting crazy crowded on weekends now, I don't think I'd find anything non-Vail Resorts to be all that bad out west.  You'll say oh the Ikon pass is going to make it more crowded, but many of these places were on the Max Pass for years before the Ikon Pass existed.

Back to the east, Whiteface got skunked with this snowstorm so I'm wondering where I'll be going this weekend.  Hopefully Gore gets a decent amount of snow and the woods open so I don't have to do crazy drives to Vermont.  I have a friend that wants to come up north and we were considering doing Killington, but the hotel that I am on the loyalty program for didn't have the room we want, so I'll either have to day trip it, or stick to Gore, even though they'll probably get less snow.

raisingarizona wrote

.... It’s not going to be crazy crowded for at least a few more years but....

Ugh! Dagger to my heart.  I’m 7.5 years from at a minimum winters off.  The plan is to ski out west at uncrowded places.  Good god please leave some places uncrowded.

snoloco wrote

When I went to Steamboat, I had everyone on here telling me how crazy crowded is was going to be.  It wasn't that bad at all.  When I'm used to Killington, Hunter, Mountain Creek, Tremblant, and even Whiteface is getting crazy crowded on weekends now, I don't think I'd find anything non-Vail Resorts to be all that bad out west.  You'll say oh the Ikon pass is going to make it more crowded, but many of these places were on the Max Pass for years before the Ikon Pass existed.

Back to the east, Whiteface got skunked with this snowstorm so I'm wondering where I'll be going this weekend.  Hopefully Gore gets a decent amount of snow and the woods open so I don't have to do crazy drives to Vermont.  I have a friend that wants to come up north and we were considering doing Killington, but the hotel that I am on the loyalty program for didn't have the room we want, so I'll either have to day trip it, or stick to Gore, even though they'll probably get less snow.

You roll around like a Kennedy ---- who foots your bill SnoreLoco

Er....uh....that's a good ahbservation theyah, Camp.

ScottyJack wrote

raisingarizona wrote

.... It’s not going to be crazy crowded for at least a few more years but....

Ugh! Dagger to my heart.  I’m 7.5 years from at a minimum winters off.  The plan is to ski out west at uncrowded places.  Good god please leave some places uncrowded.

Psssst... Go to Kicking Horse.