Talisker SkiLink reality check video

**Canada1** · 01-27-2012, 02:49 PM

But as you live here you know that. The video plays it up, as on alot of days the down time would not be as bad. But on alot of days it would be much worse. This was a huge three inch dump. Anyone who skis these resorts knows this is not a viable commute issue. That is smoke and mirrors. Remember that Talsker is first and foremost a developer. The golf courses, ski areas, lake houses, etc., are all about development.

**PNWbrit** · 01-27-2012, 02:51 PM

Originally Posted by sqikunst

no added value to the resort??

Value to the resort may not be measured by the resort in the way you're measuring it?

**sqikunst** · 01-27-2012, 02:53 PM

Originally Posted by PNWbrit

Value to the resort may not be measured by the resort in the way you're measuring it?

Should it be measured by the standard ruler of a skier or a developer who sits behind a desk?

**PNWbrit** · 01-27-2012, 02:56 PM

Originally Posted by sqikunst

Should it

How it should be measured......unfortunately hasn't got anything to do with it.

Honestly I get this is probably not a great idea.

But as skiers we often end up opposing stuff for some silly reasons - Don't put a lift in what was side country, don't ever change the way my hill skis or upgrade that creaky old lift, but I like to go touring there, your smelly helicopter wakes up the squirrels etc.

**BobMc** · 01-27-2012, 02:58 PM

Originally Posted by Canada1

7-11 is the parking lot for anyone not staying in the base resort. But as you live here you know that.

It is? Then what are all those cars doing up there in the parking lots? You're right, I do live here, have for 16 years, and have never parked in the lots by the 7-11.

My point being that instead of making shit up, why not argue with real facts?

Also, given the choice of sitting in a car for an hour driving between the two resorts or riding a few lifts with a bit of skiing in between I'm quite sure what the choice of an average tourist would be.

**Johnny Deep** · 01-27-2012, 03:06 PM

Originally Posted by PNWbrit

Canadian corp, attempting to buy out government, bypass regulations, enviro concerns, falsely done in the name of ___________.

Actually two of our elected reps went to Congress to do it for them. Stand up guys, for sure.

**InspectorGadget** · 01-27-2012, 03:08 PM

Nice piece of work StraightChuter!

While I hope SkiLink dies a horribly painful death, that won't happen unless each of us takes action.

**Johnny Deep** · 01-27-2012, 03:09 PM

Originally Posted by Parvo

Solid investigative work, Colombo.

I don't think you can call this ski area expansion if neither resort is actually adding any skiable terrain or expanding their boundaries. And while I don't agree with the "transportation" angle SkiLink is arguing, I do support an interconnect in some fashion. I just worry Jack's "my ball, my bat, my field" attitude will cunt up future interconnects in Utah that actually have merit.

Symantics. 9990 will be the drop off point to access Bear trap, Willow Heights, USA Bowl, with a bus or hitch back to Soli and a tram back to the top. Who needs bounderies when it's just there? What prevents all of this now is the booter back to the top. Amazing how effective that filter is.

**Long Duck Dong** · 01-27-2012, 04:09 PM

Originally Posted by BobMc

Also, given the choice of sitting in a car for an hour driving between the two resorts or riding a few lifts with a bit of skiing in between I'm quite sure what the choice of an average tourist would be.

I think you may be missing a critical point, which is that a car trip from Park City to Solitude can begin at any point of the morning the driver wishes. Thus, one could take, say 45-50 minutes in a car (realistically) and arrive at 9am when the lifts open and ski pow for 2 hours. The skiers who choose to access Solitude using the Skilink are at the mercy of starting their journey when the Canyons begins lift operations, allowing them to arrive, optimistically, at 11am, after Solitude if pretty much thrashed (on a powder day) as you are well aware. Still think you are quite sure what the average skier would prefer?

I'd also like to echo Canada's comments that the protagonists in the above video (great video by the way) probably underestimate the amount of time it would take to get to Solitude. It is reasonable to argue that waiting for lifts to open at the Canyons on your way to Solitude is not a random event. Indeed, if skiers are using Skilink to access Solitude on a powder day, it is actually quite likely that lift openings at the Canyons will be delayed, and likely much more significantly that what is represented in the video. As an example last Sunday, Tombstone didn't open until after 10:30, and Dreamscape not until after 11am, putting a Skilink user at Solitude at noon optimistically.

It baffles me that there are people out there that I encounter that are still willing to argue the merits of Skilink as a transportation alternative. My guess is that no amount of logical positioning, such as this video, will dislodge these opinions.

**Johnny Deep** · 01-27-2012, 04:23 PM

^^^

Hence the subtitle: reality check

**Toadman** · 01-27-2012, 04:33 PM

My apologies for comparing the Wasatch to the Euro Mtns. I meant no offense. And, I agree, the Euros have been putting lifts up the sides of mtns for a century. No way anything like that would happen in America today. Heck, even getting one lift on an existing ski resort takes millions of dollars in enviro assessments, and lawsuits...

Can you imagine a Cable Car up to the top of Denali, or even Mt Rainier? Or how about some network of lifts that allowed you to ski from Breck to Vail?!
Nope, not going to happen.

**PNWbrit** · 01-27-2012, 04:41 PM

Originally Posted by Toadman

Can you imagine a Cable Car up to the top of Denali

Pulmonary edema much?

or even Mt Rainier?

I imagine this frequently...

**Wolfmansbro** · 01-27-2012, 05:05 PM

More realistically, isn't this just an attempt for THE canyons to create a base in big cottonwood canyon. They don't want people leaving their resort. the want more people from slc to come ski the canyons. which equals more traffic up big cottonwood.

**skinipenem** · 01-27-2012, 05:16 PM

^this

And.... Increase land value for real estate development.

But seriously, wtf interconnects in the wasatch? The average tourist skier barely has the legs to ski 75% of just one resort here in a day.

Personally I don't want another lift obscuring what natural beauty there is here that is left after the decades of mining.

**Hutch** · 01-27-2012, 05:41 PM

Not in favor of Skilink, but that video is unwatchable. High-speed splitboard chestcam POV is now my second least favorite film genre, after puppy snuff films.

**PNWbrit** · 01-27-2012, 05:47 PM

Originally Posted by skinipenem

The average tourist skier barely has the legs to ski 75% of just one resort here in a day.

The average tourist skier and ski area marketeers love this kind of shit though...from the P2P at Whistler to lunch at a different resort on the Trois Vallées or Portes du Soleil lift ticket......it causes tourists to change their decisions about where they spend their tourist $s.

**InspectorGadget** · 01-27-2012, 06:21 PM

Originally Posted by Hutch

Not in favor of Skilink, but that video is unwatchable.

In light of the Sundance Film Festival and all its current goings-on, the quality of the cinematography is not going to win any awards. But it gets the point across. An undisclosed objective of SkiLink, in my opinion, is future real estate development in the swath of land Talisker is attempting to purchase.

I am not (totally) opposed to an intelligently designed Wasatch Interconnect, but I have serious doubts about the ability to achieve the intelligently designed aspect.

**BobMc** · 01-27-2012, 07:45 PM

Originally Posted by Long Duck Dong

I think you may be missing a critical point, which is that a car trip from Park City to Solitude can begin at any point of the morning the driver wishes. Thus, one could take, say 45-50 minutes in a car (realistically) and arrive at 9am when the lifts open and ski pow for 2 hours. The skiers who choose to access Solitude using the Skilink are at the mercy of starting their journey when the Canyons begins lift operations, allowing them to arrive, optimistically, at 11am, after Solitude if pretty much thrashed (on a powder day) as you are well aware. Still think you are quite sure what the average skier would prefer?

I'd also like to echo Canada's comments that the protagonists in the above video (great video by the way) probably underestimate the amount of time it would take to get to Solitude. It is reasonable to argue that waiting for lifts to open at the Canyons on your way to Solitude is not a random event. Indeed, if skiers are using Skilink to access Solitude on a powder day, it is actually quite likely that lift openings at the Canyons will be delayed, and likely much more significantly that what is represented in the video. As an example last Sunday, Tombstone didn't open until after 10:30, and Dreamscape not until after 11am, putting a Skilink user at Solitude at noon optimistically.

It baffles me that there are people out there that I encounter that are still willing to argue the merits of Skilink as a transportation alternative. My guess is that no amount of logical positioning, such as this video, will dislodge these opinions.

I did say average skier, not average TGR skier.

If we want to use last Sunday as an example your people from the Canyons would have arrived just about in time for Apex and Powderhorn to open, they then could've waited with the rest of the hordes for the Summit to open, which it did at around 1:00. It's all relative I suppose.

They probably keep pitching it as a transportation initiative because they know they may be able to pass that off on the general public, most people wouldn't buy it for the real reason which is marketing.

Like I said, I don't want the damn thing. But, I don't want it purely for selfish reasons, I don't want all those people over at "my" resort. I think it pretty much boils down to selfish reasons on both sides. Greed for the money and greed for the powder.

**dos bolsas** · 01-27-2012, 10:18 PM

those areas were not connected to save some jackass real estate play gone bad.

it was done by the people live there for skiing and their family-owned lodges etc. (long term families, like longer than any whity has lived in "utah".)

give this issue some space. and time. who the fuk knows who will own park worst in 10 years.

**skifishbum** · 01-27-2012, 10:23 PM

Originally Posted by Hutch

Not in favor of Skilink, but that video is unwatchable. High-speed splitboard chestcam POV is now my second least favorite film genre, after puppy snuff films.

thanks for savin me 13.08 minutes

wpb were flyin the new orange turd carrier it's like the bubble chair cept it cost more and you get to ski west bowl.
remember kids if you ski inbounds don't get the gear the straightchuter uses.

**dos bolsas** · 01-27-2012, 10:47 PM

Originally Posted by Trackhead

The Wasatch is a far cry from Europe.

funny coming from someone who has never skied europe.

**good4nothing** · 01-28-2012, 12:29 AM

Originally Posted by InspectorGadget

An undisclosed objective of SkiLink, in my opinion, is future real estate development in the swath of land Talisker is attempting to purchase.

no question. Definitely a quick potential inroad for douching the whole corridor up.

**bigdude2468** · 01-28-2012, 07:24 AM

Curious, if development is their goal they will need access roads to the top right? If they have paved roads to their new developments then you might as well keep Guardsman open year round and run shuttle buses over the top.

I also think if you do an interconnect you can't charge anything close to full boat on both ends, has to be substantial discount. In the Alps when you ski multiple resorts how do they price it?

**sqikunst** · 01-28-2012, 08:01 AM

I also think if you do an interconnect you can't charge anything close to full boat on both ends, has to be substantial discount. In the Alps when you ski multiple resorts how do they price it?

One ticket for a whole area.

i.e Ski Amade in Austria

Sella Ronda in teh dolomites.

France has a couple so does switzerland

Many tickets are validin more resorts even if they are not connected by lifts.

and example would be the Ski Amade

http://www.skiamade.com/en/winter/skiresorts

One ticket many resorts. But the whole system runs different. Its not based on selling homes. Its about filling hotels and chalets. Getting people to eat in restaurants and what not. The resorts here also have less personnel on the ground. Groomers, and Lifties thats it. No patrol, No control costs. And while swapping out old lifts might be easier here than in the states it is still quite expensive. This is slightly off topic I know but it all plays into the bigger picture of what do you want your back yard to be like.

We might have lifts going up all over the place but all forms of snow moto transport and heli is pretty limited which is were a balance is struck IMO. Do not know how it is in the Wasatch but I don't even live there and its not on my list places I need to go and ski but the idea for this particular Gondi seems stupid.

Like I think the peak to peak is stupid. Too gimickie. Merucans seem to cope with places like Arlberg, Cham, Engelberg, Vebier, La Grave (I can keep going) when they come to Europe. Few signs no control, scarce patrol. Why is it that back home it falls to pieces??

**yabyum** · 01-28-2012, 02:15 PM

Thecanyons and all before are doomed to fail. The skiing sucks,as this bad season passes they will have one more nail in the coffin. This land grab Is a futile attempt to stay solvent....land will be courtesy of the US taxpayer. How much money have they given Mike Lee???? And the rest of the bastards???][/TGRPHOTO]