ORDA Blows It Again

Okay, so this morning I go to log onto the Gore and Whiteface websites as I'm considering one last trip to either of them as the season winds down.  Like many here I have a deep passion for skiing and I get emotionally involved with all aspects of the sport.  This includes skiing whenever possible, talking about skiing whenever I can, visiting forums such as this to share in discussions and visiting the websites of mountains so that I can find out what is going on.

I know that today is the last day for Gore and Whiteface and that makes it a sad day for me, BUT I was looking forward to seeing what they have to say about today being the last day, current conditions and the season.  So that said I went to the Gore website.  One it was your typical snow report and promotions for passes for next year.  I could not find any mention of today being the last day, a thanks to skiers or anything else acknowledging what I consider to have been a great year.  This annoyed/disappointed me until I attempted to visit the Whiteface website.  When I tried to log on there I was met with the following message:

Currently Grooming Snow

Thank you for visiting! Please check back soon as we are currently offline for scheduled maintenance. We'll be back shortly and apologize for any inconvenience.

Honestly this is absurd!  How the hell would approve shutting down their website on the last day of the year?  I may be overreacting but I take it as a kick in the ass and see it as just another example of our ORDA mountains being run by people who are completely out of touch with their customer base.

As a result I sent off the following e-mail to ORDA this morning.  I'll be curiously awaiting their response.

Good Morning,

So once again someone working for ORDA has made a very poor decision.  I go to visit the Whiteface Mtn. website this morning because I have been considering ending my ski season at one of my favorite mountains, Whiteface, as I have done many years.  What did I encounter when attempting to go there?  A notice that the website is down for scheduled maintenance!

This is a prime example as to why many people, myself included are disgusted with the way Whiteface and Gore (and for many now Bellearye as well) are run.  We are SKIERS!  We live and breathe the sport and we are your number one ambassadors.  Actions like this show a total disconnect with your number one customers.  We constantly have to live with inaccurate conditions reports, half the mountains being closed mid-week, no ski cams, etc.  It's mid-April and I get daily snow reports from multiple mountains and yet even though I have signed up for notifications I have received nothing from Gore Mountain in days.

How about getting someone in there who shares our passion for the sport and our favorite mountains?  I have been a season pass holder for many years (alternating between purchasing it at Gore and Whiteface) and I was a part time lift operator at Gore.  I am committed to these mountains and I personally promote them but I don't feel as those at the top of the command ladder share any of my passion.  Instead I feel as though it's just another poorly run government operation.

Thank you for taking to hear me out.

Sincerely,

John


Thanks for letting me vent!  Get out there and ski people, it' not over yet!!!  (I'm probably going to pass on today but I'm looking at Jay for next Saturday).

Look at the post at the bottom of this page: Gore Conditions There is a report that Gore will be open next weekend as well.

As far as the WF website, many reasons could have caused this including the web service provider. Don't be so quick to flame a WF employee, they may not have been at fault.

Seriously ????  Wow. ???  Skiing is cool but man, chill out .  Life hs many OTHER interesting things to do

Peace. Out !!

+1

Go Daddy!

I'm sorry that you guys don't see it as I do.  As to servers being down that is one thing, a specific notice regarding planned maintenance is another.  As to picking on a single ORDA employee that was never my intent, I'm attacking the state run, government mentality, not the individual.  

Sorry if I ruffled some feathers, it's not you fellow fans that I wanted to upset.

Snowhunter wrote

Sorry if I ruffled some feathers, it's not you fellow fans that I wanted to upset.

No ruffling here - as a mountain volunteer I get both barrels from the GP all the time, if I don't know the cause of the complaint I try to point out that there might be extenuating circumstances.

Skiing and the mountain experience is supposed to be fun.

I agree that lack of webcams is inexcusable. Even though Killington has four live video webcams, which are kinda cool to watch, a store on the access road, Basin, does something very simple yet effective. They send out some dude every day with a camera, and he post pics later on of various places on the mountain, in a way that you can see the surface, along with a written description. Not the whole mountain, but, who needs that, right? If you're a regular, you can figure it out.

This isn't that hard or expensive. Get hip, ORDA.

Benny Profane wrote

I agree that lack of webcams is inexcusable.

maybe there trying to keep in line with the current condition reporting where you can't really tell what went on

wow!  You should really be embarrassed for yourself....  

WF will be open next weekend.  So, you should come up and buy a round at the bar for all the people that worked so hard to make this another great year.

ScottyJack wrote

wow!  You should really be embarrassed for yourself....  

+1

Snowhunter wrote

Okay, so this morning I go to log onto the Gore and Whiteface websites as I'm considering one last trip to either of them as the season winds down.  Like many here I have a deep passion for skiing and I get emotionally involved with all aspects of the sport.  This includes skiing whenever possible, talking about skiing whenever I can, visiting forums such as this to share in discussions and visiting the websites of mountains so that I can find out what is going on.

I know that today is the last day for Gore and Whiteface and that makes it a sad day for me, BUT I was looking forward to seeing what they have to say about today being the last day, current conditions and the season.  So that said I went to the Gore website.  One it was your typical snow report and promotions for passes for next year.  I could not find any mention of today being the last day, a thanks to skiers or anything else acknowledging what I consider to have been a great year.  This annoyed/disappointed me until I attempted to visit the Whiteface website.  When I tried to log on there I was met with the following message:

Currently Grooming Snow

Thank you for visiting! Please check back soon as we are currently offline for scheduled maintenance. We'll be back shortly and apologize for any inconvenience.

Honestly this is absurd!  How the hell would approve shutting down their website on the last day of the year?  I may be overreacting but I take it as a kick in the ass and see it as just another example of our ORDA mountains being run by people who are completely out of touch with their customer base.

As a result I sent off the following e-mail to ORDA this morning.  I'll be curiously awaiting their response.

Good Morning,

So once again someone working for ORDA has made a very poor decision.  I go to visit the Whiteface Mtn. website this morning because I have been considering ending my ski season at one of my favorite mountains, Whiteface, as I have done many years.  What did I encounter when attempting to go there?  A notice that the website is down for scheduled maintenance!

This is a prime example as to why many people, myself included are disgusted with the way Whiteface and Gore (and for many now Bellearye as well) are run.  We are SKIERS!  We live and breathe the sport and we are your number one ambassadors.  Actions like this show a total disconnect with your number one customers.  We constantly have to live with inaccurate conditions reports, half the mountains being closed mid-week, no ski cams, etc.  It's mid-April and I get daily snow reports from multiple mountains and yet even though I have signed up for notifications I have received nothing from Gore Mountain in days.

How about getting someone in there who shares our passion for the sport and our favorite mountains?  I have been a season pass holder for many years (alternating between purchasing it at Gore and Whiteface) and I was a part time lift operator at Gore.  I am committed to these mountains and I personally promote them but I don't feel as those at the top of the command ladder share any of my passion.  Instead I feel as though it's just another poorly run government operation.

Thank you for taking to hear me out.

Sincerely,

John


Thanks for letting me vent!  Get out there and ski people, it' not over yet!!!  (I'm probably going to pass on today but I'm looking at Jay for next Saturday).

I have to agree with the part about how they seem poorly run.  On 4/7 at Gore they closed an hour early because the power went out for a split second and because they thought that they saw lightning (which I didn't see) with no compensation of any kind.  I don't think that Hunter would've closed early and not given out anything as an apology.    Both Whiteface and Gore are great mountains, but I sometimes wonder if they are run to their potential.

oh stop it.  Mike Pratt and Howie Carbone have been working in the ski business a  long time. we should  trust their judgement.no monday morning quarterbacking please. its the end of april and we are still skiing.

freeheeln wrote

oh stop it.  Mike Pratt and Howie Carbone have been working in the ski business a  long time. we should  trust their judgement.no monday morning quarterbacking please. its the end of april and we are still skiing.

Thanks - somebody finally said it.

freeheeln wrote

oh stop it.  Mike Pratt and Howie Carbone have been working in the ski business a  long time. we should  trust their judgement.no monday morning quarterbacking please. its the end of april and we are still skiing.

Gore is going to open, next Sat. & Sun. 4/20 and 4/21.

The Skiing at Gore was just great today, Sun. 4/14/13

a couple of pics from Sun. 4/14

+2
but you should ski WF Saturday and Gore Sunday....They WILL both be open and you can make your own opinions.  The word today was they are hoping for May( Mike, really?). Perhaps a bit optimistic but if you earn your tuns it looks very possible.  
Let's hope it keeps going...

Summer Sucks!

Those pictures of gore are amazing. In fact, i might be having an ordagasm right now just thinking about if I can get off of work next weekend.... Let's go snow!

I meant no disrespect to all the people who work very hard at the mountains and who have made this a great season.  I appreciate their efforts.  Perhaps I overreacted a bit.  I was just frustrated over my inability to access the website this morning and just felt that it was poor planning on their part.  I should have just gotten my butt out skiing instead of complaining on here.  I'm happy to hear that they're both hoping to open next weekend and hopefully I can get out and take advantage of their efforts.  I'll try to stay cooler in the future.

Big D wrote

freeheeln wrote

oh stop it.  Mike Pratt and Howie Carbone have been working in the ski business a  long time. we should  trust their judgement.no monday morning quarterbacking please. its the end of april and we are still skiing.

Gore is going to open, next Sat. & Sun. 4/20 and 4/21.

The Skiing at Gore was just great today, Sun. 4/14/13

a couple of pics from Sun. 4/14

This is what I was talking about. You don't even need a webcam. Just send somebody out every day, which, hey, isn't too hard, and have them take pictures. And none of those pictures of smily people carving it up on a certain trail, hucking a rock or knee deep in powder. Just a realistic representation of conditions. No offense, but, a little better quality than these, so I can see a little more detail in the snow texture. But, these are cool, don't get me wrong. They make me feel real bad i wasn't there, although I had a nice road ride back home.

Snowhunter...there was something wrong with the website Sunday morning. When I went to customer service looking for the morning report that is what I was told. Sometimes stuff happens...that's all it was.

sudsnbumps wrote

+2
The word today was they are hoping for May( Mike, really?). Perhaps a bit optimistic but if you earn your tuns it looks very possible.  
Let's hope it keeps going...

Summer Sucks!

I don't know about Gore, but if the weather cooperates (I know big IF) look for Skio de mayo at Whiteface. That will be a party not to be missed. Fingers crossed.