OFFICIAL I70 BITCH THREAD....

[knumbskull]

Maybe Vail Resorts could pony up some serious money to help the situation, instead of buying up every fucking resort.

Or maybe we could adequately fund infrastructure in this state instead of limping along on a gas tax (a fixed $/gal, not a %) that was set in 1993. Since then vehicles are getting ever increasing mpg's and the buying power is being eroded by inflation.

[Danno]

I realize that this is a ski site and we all focus on skiing, so focus on the ski resorts and skier traffic, but as has been said many times, summer traffic is worse. While I don't dismiss that there are skier-specific issues that might have winter-specific solutions, any general solution proposed has to address summer traffic as much or more than winter traffic.

[The SnowShow]

Or maybe we could adequately fund infrastructure in this state instead of limping along on a gas tax (a fixed $/gal, not a %) that was set in 1993. Since then vehicles are getting ever increasing mpg's and the buying power is being eroded by inflation.

Agree.

[adrenalated]

I realize that this is a ski site and we all focus on skiing, so focus on the ski resorts and skier traffic, but as has been said many times, summer traffic is worse. While I don't dismiss that there are skier-specific issues that might have winter-specific solutions, any general solution proposed has to address summer traffic as much or more than winter traffic.

Also, anyone that thinks the issues are limited to I-70 has clearly never sat in stop-and-go traffic from Fairplay to Conifer on a summer Sunday afternoon.

[The SnowShow]

I realize that this is a ski site and we all focus on skiing, so focus on the ski resorts and skier traffic, but as has been said many times, summer traffic is worse. While I don't dismiss that there are skier-specific issues that might have winter-specific solutions, any general solution proposed has to address summer traffic as much or more than winter traffic.

Yes, and as I'm sure you know, resorts are now adding many many summer activities to their mountains. Not sure if those ultimately add to the summer traffic, but it might.
Again, I'm kind of annoyed Vail Resorts is spending tons of money elsewhere when they could actually help out here in CO if they wanted to, to make the ski experience better for locals (not just I70, but better parking options at the home mountain among other things).

[The SnowShow]

Also, anyone that thinks the issues are limited to I-70 has clearly never sat in stop-and-go traffic from Fairplay to Conifer on a summer Sunday afternoon.

Wouldn't it be nice if that stretch of 285 was a real highway?

[hatchgreenchile]

Vail resorts does not give a fuck about i70/285. Why would they?

When it hurts their bottom line locally, they will respond accordingly

[Name Redacted]

Yes, and as I'm sure you know, resorts are now adding many many summer activities to their mountains. Not sure if those ultimately add to the summer traffic, but it might.
Again, I'm kind of annoyed Vail Resorts is spending tons of money elsewhere when they could actually help out here in CO if they wanted to, to make the ski experience better for locals (not just I70, but better parking options at the home mountain among other things).

You mean they are reinvesting in their business to make money for their shareholders instead of funding state and federal highway construction projects? Pretty sure they already pay taxes. Maybe the state could put a tax on lift tickets and season passes.

[summit]

So, lets say you did include "entrance fees" into the state sales tax... take the I-70 resort ticket/pass taxes and earmarked 100% of that to go to I70 construction... it would take ~10 years of tax revenue just to pay for the $100 million (200% of original budget) Idaho Springs half-a-toll-lane-sometimes. It is not going to solve your problem. In the real world, it would probably go into the general fund and only a tiny fraction would end up in CDOT's mountain construction budget. Anyway, it'd be taking a piss when you need a flood.

[Name Redacted]

Maybe they should just call it the "Affordable Highway Care Plan" and force everyone in the state to be a member and pay exorbitant fees, like $500 per month. Then institute a "Crash Fee" if you get in an accident in the state, you pay thousands of dollars in fines that will help fund the bureaucrats who will incrementally institute more fines to help pay their salaries. Surely, the more we pay them, the smarter they will become and they will no doubt solve our problems.

[The SnowShow]

Vail resorts does not give a fuck about i70/285. Why would they?

When it hurts their bottom line locally, they will respond accordingly

I wouldn't expect them to but in thinking long term: there's got to be a point where the traveling ski families they are marketing towards say fuck this, I'm not going to ski Vail, because of the increasing hassle and horrible skier experience of getting there. I cannot imagine what a family from Britain thinks when they are stuck in 3 hours of traffic on a CME van going 90 miles on a Saturday morning after a flight in that night. I'd look elsewhere. That's gotta hurt Vail Resorts somehow (as well as CO).

[Name Redacted]

I wouldn't expect them to but in thinking long term: there's got to be a point where the traveling ski families they are marketing towards say fuck this, I'm not going to ski Vail, because of the increasing hassle and horrible skier experience of getting there. I cannot imagine what a family from Britain thinks when they are stuck in 3 hours of traffic on a CME van going 90 miles on a Saturday morning after a flight in that night. I'd look elsewhere. That's gotta hurt Vail Resorts somehow (as well as CO).

A lot of the international clientele fly into Eagle, or GJ. Plus if you are going for a week, the traffic isn't that big a deal, Day trippers from Denver though, now that sucks for them, but they just keep coming, blows me away how these people do it week after week.

I used to drive to Vail and ski every weekend back in the mid 90's and it wasn't that bad, and I don't remember the highway ever closing.

[skaredshtles]

A lot of the international clientele fly into Eagle, or GJ. Plus if you are going for a week, the traffic isn't that big a deal,

Yep - and I think int'l tourists generally are used to Sat->Sat holidays, which means driving up to Vail on a Saturday evening and back to the airport on a Saturday morning. Both of which will almost certainly be painless.

Vail has no incentive to do anything about this. The only people that get le sqrew are the Epic passholders, and Vail already has their $$.

[hatchgreenchile]

I wouldn't expect them to but in thinking long term: there's got to be a point where the traveling ski families they are marketing towards say fuck this, I'm not going to ski Vail, because of the increasing hassle and horrible skier experience of getting there. I cannot imagine what a family from Britain thinks when they are stuck in 3 hours of traffic on a CME van going 90 miles on a Saturday morning after a flight in that night. I'd look elsewhere. That's gotta hurt Vail Resorts somehow (as well as CO).

We're going to built a new hudge highway, and Vail's going to pay for it!
You are talking about the most visited ski resort in the United States. They are having ZERO issues putting asses on chairlifts.
If they really want to improve the skier experience, double the price of the Epic Pass and put a cap on daily ticket sales.

On a rainy day, someone needs to summarize some facts about the corridor (current toll revenue, tunnel volume, cost of expansion to 6 lanes, CDOT budget for maintenance, federal infrastructure improvement funds available, etc. etc) so we can stop the fucking circle jerk of arguing the same things.

[fastfred]

Please feel free to smoke more weed you guys are silly taxes are for the east coast not colorado

[The SnowShow]

We're going to built a new hudge highway, and Vail's going to pay for it!
.

I laughed.

[ColMan]

I used to drive to Vail and ski every weekend back in the mid 90's and it wasn't that bad, and I don't remember the highway ever closing.

The only time I recall it closing in the mid 90's was due to avy's on Vail Pass. We got stuck for several hours when one came down just a mile or so ahead of us going up the west side. We had a 1/2 full keg in the back (Killian's Red!), took it out and retapped it right there on i70. Good times, shitty beer.

[Name Redacted]

The only time I recall it closing in the mid 90's was due to avy's on Vail Pass. We got stuck for several hours when one came down just a mile or so ahead of us going up the west side. We had a 1/2 full keg in the back (Killian's Red!), took it out and retapped it right there on i70. Good times, shitty beer.

Nice! I remember it closing for avalanches but not really for wrecks that often. I drove an old Nissan Sentra with bald tires and would skip school and camp out in the Vail parking garage. I was drinking whatever I could afford back then, which wasn't much...

[Danno]

We used to dream of a Sentra with bald tires! We would drive a moped uphill both ways, and we never had any issues...

[summit]

We used to dream of a Sentra with bald tires! We would drive a moped uphill both ways, and we never had any issues...

Picture of Danno on his way to Aspen

[Name Redacted]

Picture of Danno on his way to Aspen

Who is riding on the back?

[Danno]

Blurred.

[Jong Lafitte]

Blurred.

You had an extra set of gloves this WHOLE TIME!?!?!?!?!

[skiracer88_00]

So, lets say you did include "entrance fees" into the state sales tax... take the I-70 resort ticket/pass taxes and earmarked 100% of that to go to I70 construction... it would take ~10 years of tax revenue just to pay for the $100 million (200% of original budget) Idaho Springs half-a-toll-lane-sometimes. It is not going to solve your problem. In the real world, it would probably go into the general fund and only a tiny fraction would end up in CDOT's mountain construction budget. Anyway, it'd be taking a piss when you need a flood.

Colorado had 13-million skier visits last year. I figure most people use their season pass about 5 times ...at about 8% tax on a $600 season pass that would be about $10 in tax per visit. Lift tickets average about $120 these days. At 8% tax, that would also be about $10 per visit. At 13 million skier visits, we would pay for that lane in less than a year. with no increase in skier visits or the price of lift tickets or season passes, the state could pay for a $2 billion dollar capital improvement project over 15-20 years using lift ticket and season pass taxes alone.

[fastfred]

Does anyone know that Vail went postal when the town of breck proposed a lift ticket tax? They started an Out right top dollar smear campaign that personally attacked certain people. They used straight up lies and bs. It still continues to this day on certain levels that the general public is unaware of

So good luck with those tax dollars