2012 Montana Conditions, Stoke and Whatev Thread

[Hodgge]

Big Sky may be banking on the fact that air travel is still way down at about 50%, lots of families won't want to fly this winter, and because BS is not easily driveable from any major population center, numbers will naturally self-regulate in a downward direction. Time will tell if that's true. My biggest concern is whether Swifty will survive another season.

Probably true

[rdhansss1998]

agreed, the bs plan looks a lot like we'll see what happens. I'm kinda at that point too.

I'll just take comfort in the enso forecast and the thought of a lot of new MT residents getting jumped in with a real winter.

My gut reaction to the Big Sky operating plan was "there really is no plan. If you don't want to get sick, stay home" ...which I guess is fair to say.

In reality, whatever restrictions/safety measures that are put in place at any resort big or small will be enforced by seasonal employees who probably don't get paid enough to give a shit.

No plan can be a good plan

[Hodgge]

Doesn't make me want to ski there though

[I Skied Bandini Mountain]

No plan can be a good plan

rule #1 - have a good plan A
rule #2 - have a good plan B because plan A never works

Or just say fuck it let's see what happens and go from there. <-me

[yeahman]

driveable? holy shit main street was awash in out of state plates all summer.

Winter is a different story.

[Talisman]

My biggest concern is whether Swifty will survive another season.

That was always a concern in the pro-covid olden days. Swifty running slowly on diesel power was a common event during Christmas week.

[406]

My gut reaction to the Big Sky operating plan was "there really is no plan. If you don't want to get sick, stay home" ...which I guess is fair to say.
.

It must be financially better for BS to shut down completely than operate at reduced capacity. Vaccine could save the day, otherwise, seems like lack of plan will end up with what happen end of last season and hose the bzn area...not that I want to turn this into another covid thread. :-)

I like the boot pack idea, but it would be nice if you could summit and ski other than just off traverse. I don't recall a good transition spot along the traverse, but never really thought to look. My vote would be to make everyone hike for turns off the top, although those days with no/little tram line are rad.

[Hodgge]

I doubt we'll see any ski area shut down unless so many staff are sick that the place can't operate.

[yeahman]

I don't really see it as "lack of a plan." If you've read all their updates, they seem to have as much of a plan as any other ski area, aside from not requiring passholders to make a daily reservation. Face masks required inside and in lift lines, no bars open on the mountain, not requiring strangers to ride the lifts together (except maybe on the 8, which if you get on opposite sides of the chair is not really risky). And the plan says if capacity gets too high they will throw the Ikon and MC passholders under the bus and deny them access, and/or suspend day ticket sales. Reservations in and of themselves aren't going to stop the spread of the virus. The only way to do that is masks and distancing, which they are requiring as part of their plan. And yeah, if you aren't able to do that simple stuff then you might catch it from somebody. But that could just as easily happen at any of the resorts where reservations are required.

[Bunion 2020]

I must say here and now that the Big Sky online system for buying a pass FUCKING SUCKS. Every fucking year when I go online I am not in their system even though they send me e-mails urging me to buy a pass.

I enter my e-mail so that I can locate my account and guess what? No record of that e-mail. I enter my name, phone number and that impossibly long pass number.... no record.

How is that so fucking difficult?

[406]

Well good point yeahman, rereading the webpage (not just skimming) I can see they are leaving lots of options and covering most obvious issues.

[East2West]

I must say here and now that the Big Sky online system for buying a pass FUCKING SUCKS. Every fucking year when I go online I am not in their system even though they send me e-mails urging me to buy a pass.

I enter my e-mail so that I can locate my account and guess what? No record of that e-mail. I enter my name, phone number and that impossibly long pass number.... no record.

How is that so fucking difficult?

Meanwhile 2 years ago I asked them if they needed a photo for a pass and they said nope I had one in the system. Turns out it was from 2004 when I had a pass at an east coast American Skiing company resort.

[Bunion 2020]

Managed to get a real live person, about 4 minutes before the pass office closed for the day. Very helpful and fixed the glitches.

Big props to Chelsea.

[Hodgge]

I don't really see it as "lack of a plan." If you've read all their updates, they seem to have as much of a plan as any other ski area, aside from not requiring passholders to make a daily reservation. Face masks required inside and in lift lines, no bars open on the mountain, not requiring strangers to ride the lifts together (except maybe on the 8, which if you get on opposite sides of the chair is not really risky). And the plan says if capacity gets too high they will throw the Ikon and MC passholders under the bus and deny them access, and/or suspend day ticket sales. Reservations in and of themselves aren't going to stop the spread of the virus. The only way to do that is masks and distancing, which they are requiring as part of their plan. And yeah, if you aren't able to do that simple stuff then you might catch it from somebody. But that could just as easily happen at any of the resorts where reservations are required.

Valid point. There is a plan, I just don't see it being at all realistic. A few small events promising strict precautions have proven to me that rules like this, even in small groups, are very hard to enforce.

[Bunion 2020]

Valid point. There is a plan, I just don't see it being at all realistic. A few small events promising strict precautions have proven to me that rules like this, even in small groups, are very hard to enforce.

1st person to show up and not follow the rules is crucified on the cross at the bottom of the Bowl. And be prepared to make room cause it won't be just 1.

[yeahman]

Valid point. There is a plan, I just don't see it being at all realistic. A few small events promising strict precautions have proven to me that rules like this, even in small groups, are very hard to enforce.

That's true. It looked to me like they were doing a good job at the bike park and in the base buildings this summer, etc., with lots of signage and free masks and employees being serious about it all. But obviously that was a very small crowd compared to what they will face this winter. You can only hope most people will be cooperative and not be dicks about it, just happy to be able to ski at all. It will be a challenge for sure.

[Hodgge]

1st person to show up and not follow the rules is crucified on the cross at the bottom of the Bowl. And be prepared to make room cause it won't be just 1.

Sounds appropriate to me!

[Bunion 2020]

Hope you are right Y, probably depends on the numbers that show up on the "weekend memorable conditions" kind of a day.

[Hodgge]

Days like that are a total cluster even without COVID. Hell, I've stopped going on the huge pow days because the chaos smothers the fun.

[Bunion 2020]

RE: Boot pack from top of Dakota.

I predict a skin track to the Summit in the future.

[anotherVTskibum]

Meanwhile 2 years ago I asked them if they needed a photo for a pass and they said nope I had one in the system. Turns out it was from 2004 when I had a pass at an east coast American Skiing company resort.

I had a similar experience, albeit at one of the East Coast former-ASC properties...I was shocked they still had the photo on file. I was more shocked it wasn't until late March that I got yanked out of line and questioned as to whether or not it was really my pass.

Re: actual response, a lot comes down to getting your minimum-wage employees to give a damn (both while at work and while off work—traditional employee social activities could easily become a serious operational problem with Covid floating around). If 3/4 of a department's line-level staff gets together for beverages and then it turns out that one of them was positive, isolating the remainder leaves you without a whole lot of available staff.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

RE: Boot pack from top of Dakota.

I predict a skin track to the Summit in the future.

Bring it on.

[Bunion 2020]

^^^ Same/same.

[rdhansss1998]

Bozeman took three years to completely turn me off from in-bounds skiing. Touring set-up will be popping with all of this extra $$$ that ain't going to big sky or bridger

[muted]

Bozeman took three years to completely turn me off from in-bounds skiing. Touring set-up will be popping with all of this extra $$$ that ain't going to big sky or bridger

Dang that's some real crusty shit. BB is easily top ten ski area for terrain in NA. Personally it's in my top 3 for the US.