Standards for a Good Ski Experience?

I break my standards into three categories.  Snow, lifts, and lodges/other infrastructure.

I say that I value consistency for the snow conditions.  For this reason, I always weight snowmaking and grooming heavier than the amount of natural that a mountain gets.  I also have a way to measure snowmaking capacity at any ski resort.  That would be the amount of terrain open by December 26.  I view that date as the cutoff date for the early season.  After this day, mountains need to be in full operating mode with terrain off all lifts and all lifts open.  I'm not talking one trail off each lift.  I mean that there needs to be enough terrain open to spread out the crowds.

For lifts, I view 100% high speed lift access as the ultimate epitome of a great lift system. This means that any trail in some form can be accessed by a high speed lift.  However, I know that this isn't always possible and would cost a ton of money to do everywhere.  So, my realistic criteria is that if a lift is longer than 3500 feet, it should be a detachable and if under that, a fixed grip.  However, there are exceptions to this that can result in a longer than 3500 foot fixed grip or a sub 3500 foot long detachable.  For example, the Sojourn Double at Mountain Creek does not need to be detachable and it is 4800 feet long.  It is a transfer lift that you only ride once or twice a day and it never needs the capacity.  Another example is the Bear Peak Express also at MC.  it is 3200 feet long and needs to be detachable.  This is because it serves massive trail acreage and the capacity is needed.  With the South Peak Express starting right next to it, it would never get any traffic if it were a fixed grip because everyone would go up the faster south lift.

As for lodges and other buildings, I just want them to be clean, well maintained, and adequetly sized for the crowds a given mountain gets.

I say out of these three, I value snow and lifts equally the most.  What are everyone else's standards and what they value most in a ski experience.

BTW, I just broke 1000 posts.

Fresh snow.

No crowds, I don't ski at overly crowded places. I generally don't really like people that much.

A down home lodge/bar that isn't so Aspenized that I feel uncomfortable. I would much rather hang out in a dive bar than one of those hoity toity places.

Good beer and friends for apres.

That's about it.

Now what would I try to create if I were to want to build the most successful ski area in the east and I had unlimited funds? That's a conversation I'm waiting to have with you when I have more time. Not today.

Good Friends, good snow, NO lifts and a beer and burger in town.

Sno

Dec 26 U.S. going to be a tough one for anything south of Albany this year.  I just skied Sugarbush and Smuggs and both are 100% or darn near there before this rain.  They will lose a some terrain from the rain.

I have to think that us an unrealistic goal.  Skiing during mad holiday period is sub optimal in good years.  It's a long season so I think Feb 1 is a better date to judge things.

Coach Z wrote

Sno

Dec 26 U.S. going to be a tough one for anything south of Albany this year.  I just skied Sugarbush and Smuggs and both are 100% or darn near there before this rain.  They will lose a some terrain from the rain.

I have to think that us an unrealistic goal.  Skiing during mad holiday period is sub optimal in good years.  It's a long season so I think Feb 1 is a better date to judge things.

Yep. You get what you get and the weather is out of ski resort managements hands. Sometimes you just have to roll with it.

Don't worry Sno, excepting this gets easier with age. I sure have had to get used to it skiing here in Flagstaff. We have only had an inch or two of snow here at 7k this year so far.

Snow and terrain.

Lodges don't matter.

Working lifts can be a bonus at times.

Snow has got to be number one - on that I think we all agree. However I am not a fan of man or groomed, unless I have a hanker'n to go alpine on my slalom skis and lay railroad tracks.

Lodge, well I don't need one.

Lifts, not a necessity but nice to get up to high terrain. I like a mixture of lift served with terrain that can only be earned particularly on my first few days of a high altitude adventure when my lungs feel like they don't work.

I really enjoy showing new terrain to those who have not experienced it yet, I feel like I am passing the knowledge off to the next generation. I also like to have a guide for those spots I am not familiar with and would not visit on my own and I still like to explore although I am much more conservative these days.

In addition to good snow, I think good visibility is also critical.  Flat light can ruin a good snow day.  The most enjoyable conditions for me usually illicit a relaxed yet aggressive type of feeling.  Typically, when I can't see where I am going, it kills the relaxed vibe.  

Snow and Terrain.

Lifts are a bonus, but I can have a great day without them. Same with lodges/restaurants/bars.

Nobody has mentioned it yet, but the people you're with can make a huge difference in how much fun you can have during a day.

So long as the ski area operator is truthful about conditions, it can be packed powder, it can be icy... whatever.  As long as I got boards on my feet it's a good day.  Prefer to ski with others but not always possible.

Nobody has said webcams or waffle huts yet.  

Nah. Boobs and beer.

Snowballs wrote

Nah. Boobs and beer.

Man boobs?

Hell no. Control yourself sailor.

Snow and terrain mix....I have and continue to deal with the rest to obtain these two.    


Lowest is lodge, if I count it at all.    Hell, I'd take no lodge and save money from my kids asking for overpriced snickers.     Do other kids argue that $3.00 snickers at the logdge are somehow better than the ones I pack?  Whats up with that? Lol.    

I:)skiing wrote

Snow and terrain mix....I have and continue to deal with the rest to obtain these two.    

exactly

Coach Z wrote

Sno

Dec 26 U.S. going to be a tough one for anything south of Albany this year.  I just skied Sugarbush and Smuggs and both are 100% or darn near there before this rain.  They will lose a some terrain from the rain.

I have to think that us an unrealistic goal.  Skiing during mad holiday period is sub optimal in good years.  It's a long season so I think Feb 1 is a better date to judge things.

The reason I use 12/26 as my cutoff date is as follows.  It is the day after Christmas.  More people tend to think about skiing after Christmas, so the amount of people on the hill will be greater.  This is when the more casual skiers tend to start shortly after.  Also, the weekend after Christmas is when many people plan their first overnight ski vacations.  People are coming from far and wide to ski, and the vast majority of the mountains should be open to accommodate them.  That means no entire sections closed.  By 12/26, most places have been open for about a month.  I say that a place with good snowmaking should be able to open most of their terrain in a month.  The early season card cannot be played anymore on this date when it comes to reasons for operational issues.

Some mountains that made the cut this season:  Mount Snow, Stratton, Okemo, Bromley, Jiminy Peak, Hunter, Windham, Belleayre, Jay Peak, Sugarbush, and Smuggler's Notch.

Some mountains that failed to make the cut this season:  Killington, Pico, Gore, Whiteface, Stowe, and Mountain Creek.

Most mountains made the cut in a worse than average December.  So 12/26 is a reasonable early season cutoff date.

Natural snow and terrain matter most. Have no need for lodges or bubble lifts.

Did I go skiing?
Yes?  Man that was a good experience.
No? That wasn't a good experience.

Johnnyonthespot wrote

Did I go skiing?
Yes?  Man that was a good experience.
No? That wasn't a good experience.

^^This. Seriously. Gravity fueled sliding on frozen something makes my day every single time.

/endthread