The latest ORDA Screwup

ThInking that if we had a thread to capture all the Orda operational or marketing blunders over the time of this blog / forum we would be well in excess of 100 pages.  From snow making gaffs to web cams that don’t work or even exist to bars that are really restaurants that are completed months late this list could be endless.  Instead of messing up the conditions pages with this stuff I’d suggest we have one thread for it.

At WF the current issues are the LWF lift that has to load every other chair for some reason and supposedly this issue was known about since last spring yet not fixed over the summer.  

The new one this week is the mid station lodge has no water.  Somehow there are still serving food.  It’s been like this since Monday and still not fixed today.  You can’t bring your own food, grill or drinks and now that can’t even sell you coffee there. We need to retake mid!

I think the hard work and dedication of the boots on the ground employees should be considered when anyone posts. The issues may be higher than mountain management as well. Please respect those that are stuck busting their ass for less than ideal wages.

P.s. TAKE BACK MID!

Z - I think that this is a good idea.  I also think that at some point it would be great if we could present the whole list to Mike Pratt and possibly other officials to get their take on things.

I was at Gore yesterday and conditions were the best of the week but I was made aware of a couple of things and had an observation of my own:

      * My first ride up I shared with another skier and a Patroller.  When asked if the top was open yet the Patroller replied not yet and then proceeded to say, they just got the Gondi running (this was around 9:10 AM).  He said that it was delayed because they were having some problem switching from diesel to electric (or vis a versa, I don't remember). When I commented that they've been having lots of problems with the Gondola he just sat there and agreed.  I understand that things happen but if there are repeated problems then there is a bigger problem that needs addressing.  In addition there are many days when only the Gondola is on-line at the base and when it goes down skiers have no other options and it takes them a very long time to get the ADK Express up and running.  Poor planning to say the least.

     * A little later I shared a ride on the ADK Express with another skier and we were discussing the season and how every year we keep hearing about all these great improvements in Gore's snowmaking ability but rarely see much of a difference and how this year they seemed to have one problem after another (broken pipes, pump problems, etc).  He then proceeded to tell me that he rode with a snowmaker earlier in the morning and was told that when making snow on Echo another pipe broke around 5 AM Friday morning!  Again, things happen but there have been a few broken pipes already this year and you have to wonder are some of these pipes just too old and need replacing?  I wonder how this latest break is going to affect things.  Will we wee Sagamore open this season?

     * My own observation is a minor one but still one that I think speaks about the lack of supervision or caring by management.  I booted up in the lodge around 9 AM.  The table behind me was covered with crumbs (no one sitting there).  I returned to the same spot over 2 hrs later, the table was still empty and the same crumbs (yes, I am sure) were still covering the table.  Petty?  Maybe.  Yes, I know, things happen and I'm sure that it wasn't intentional but after awhile you start to see a pattern reflecting on how the whole operation is run.

This is just one day.  As many of you know there have been numerous issues there this season and it's still early yet.
"Perception is reality."  Right now for many of us the perception is that ORDA does not care about the skier experience.  They care about coming in under budget and that's about it.  Their snowmaking (when it works) is limited and seems to be focused on trail count vs. quality of skiing and coverage.  They run the bare minimum of lifts.  The choice of early season runs was suspect at best as far as I am concerned.

I don't care about new bars (which they couldn't even have that open by Thanksgiving!) and the rest of the flash that Cuomo is all excited about.  I want a quality ski experience, that's it.  Gore is never going to compete with the VT mountains and that's fine, just make Gore the best that it can be given what there is to work with.

I don't blame the lifties, groomers and snowmakers.  The problems at Gore are management based.  The everyday workers are good and are just trying to do there jobs and earn an honest living.

The problems at Gore are big government based.

Budget restraints can really screw up managements ability to manage.

Snowhunter wrote

     * My own observation is a minor one but still one that I think speaks about the lack of supervision or caring by management.  I booted up in the lodge around 9 AM.  The table behind me was covered with crumbs (no one sitting there).  I returned to the same spot over 2 hrs later, the table was still empty and the same crumbs (yes, I am sure) were still covering the table.  Petty?  Maybe.  Yes, I know, things happen and I'm sure that it wasn't intentional but after awhile you start to see a pattern reflecting on how the whole operation is run.

Yesterday I saw one of the cashiers carry a man's tray to his table (He was walking with a cane), then took his money back to the register and returned with his change. It looked like she declined a tip, but I can't really be sure what was happening from my distance. So I agree with your later point that most of the people are trying to make things as good as they can.

tom

Summit quad stopped for 20 minutes about 925am due to electrical issue.  Was two chairs from the top.  The sound of that deisel kicking on was music to years.   Ground crew quick to respond    Kudos to the staff.   Gotta ask why another electrical issue though

This was Gore not WF.   Mt skied well.  Will update conditions later

So Z, elaborate on the crack down on BYO.  Has Grillman truly been skunked?  Will they not let you bring any food (i.e. sandwiches), or are they just cracking down on peeps cooking salmon and having an elaborate spread taking up tables?  Is it just at mid, or can you eat your homemade sammies at the base lodge/Bear Den?

Inquiring minds want to know, and we gotta figure out if we need to sneak our ham and Swiss on rye over MLK.

Resorts across the northeast are in need of workers.  Instructors, snowmakers, groomers, hourly wage workers, etc.  If people aren't wiping down the tables, there's a good chance there aren't people.  People willing to work for minimum wage and burn an hours worth of wages in gas to get to and from the mountain.

It's almost as if businesses love the "free market" right up until the point where they have to compete in a labor market in which people demand higher salaries, benefits, and better working conditions.

Then they have no idea what to do (sample idea: "hire more H-2B workers!").

Hint to ORDA: offer higher salaries & better working conditions, and maybe you'll be able to hire, train & retain better people. You seem to be focusing too much on the "maximize revenue" part of your mission statement, rather than the other parts:

Institute a comprehensive, coordinated program of activities utilizing the Olympic facilities, Gore Mountain, and Belleayre Mountain, in and around Lake Placid, North Creek, and Highmount, New York, in order to insure optimum year-round use and enjoyment of these facilities to the economic and social benefit of the regions and to minimize the financial burden on state and local government by maximizing revenue opportunities

Gorefarmhouse wrote

Resorts across the northeast are in need of workers.  Instructors, snowmakers, groomers, hourly wage workers, etc.

The French-Canadian website Zoneski posted a recent article (I ran it through Google Translate) about the dire situation in Quebec. Sounds exactly like what you mention.

Can I add the ongoing "oil/slick" pond skim on Cloud near Hullabaloo? Pretty sure there shouldn't be running water there week after week.

I know there's been rain, but I don't think the mountain has seen any for about 1.5 weeks now....broken pipe underneath?

MC2 5678F589 wrote

Then they have no idea what to do (sample idea: "hire more H-2B workers!").

So now you are suggesting that ORDA, an agency that is supposed to benefit the communities in the North Country, hire people from other countries to undercut the local population?

You need to work on your reading comprehension, old man.

The latest ORDA Screwup?? Meet the new Boss, same as the old Boss. It's been this way for decades at WF. We all know that. It is a government operation, not a real ski resort. All in all it's a pretty good gig, big hill, biggest vert in the east. could it be better run, absolutely but for a gov run operation it is what it is. Lets hope Mother Nauture gives us some help soon.

SIAWOL wrote

Can I add the ongoing "oil/slick" pond skim on Cloud near Hullabaloo? Pretty sure there shouldn't be running water there week after week.

I know there's been rain, but I don't think the mountain has seen any for about 1.5 weeks now....broken pipe underneath?

It's really odd that such a large new drainage problem would appear after 50 years. Does that ever freeze?

mm

In other news, has the sewer gas stench in the new men's room in the Tannery been corrected?

mm

MC2 5678F589 wrote

You need to work on your reading comprehension, old man.

Maybe you better work on your writing skills Junior - or do you deny that was a direct quote.