Crested Butte and Stevens pass get Epic (as in bought by Vail)

[ptavv]

We’re negative because Vail ruins all that is good about local ski places.
Have you skied Stevens in the past couple years!? It’s virtually unskiable on the weekends due to lines. You can’t just “stick to 7th” as most runs require you to take Skyline back up which is a disaster. That is unless you want to ski the 400ft face over and over again.

Yeah, that's mostly true. However, if you get up early it's easy to ski in bounds for the first couple hours of the weekend before the late sleepers make it up. Then once the fresh is taken, walk across the pass and skin up something fun. I've had a ton of great weekend days with that plan.

The weekdays are great and will continue to be that way.

There's a ton of room for expansion at Stevens (including with parking if they expand East towards the old Yodelin) if Vail puts some money forth.

[ffmedic84]

summer tourist season started early this year and it's nothing but fatsos with hot fudge in one hand, a t shirt in the other

Don’t forget the crepe that they waited in line for an hour to get

[wolfelot]

There are some pretty funny responses in this thread. Keep them coming.

[Core Shot]

There are some pretty funny responses in this thread. Keep them coming.

No

[Benny Profane]

Well, seeing how it's gone from $199 for 3 resorts in the late nineties, to $899 for a shitton of resorts 20 years later (I won't even add in rate of inflation), I'd say their track record doesn't support $2,400 in five years, but you could be right, and that'd still be a bargain if you think about it. But why not enjoy it now while it is cheap and worry about higher prices if/when they come?

VR get's a ton of hate, and yeah, they are a monopoly, but what they've done for skiing is pretty amazing if you think about it. Passes used to cost $1000 to just one or 2 mountains when I started skiing. I took out a loan one year to buy a season pass in the mid 90's.

Whenever people bitch about the Epic pass and VR I can't help but think of this clip from Louis CK:


This is pretty much what you are saying, and it's kind of a shitty way to go through life.
"Yeah, things are great now, but it is totally gonna suck in the future"

Stowe pass was high teens before VR, now the local gets you a holiday restricted pass there plus, like, a shit load of skiing elsewhere. I hate a lot about VR, but, jezuz, do the fucking math already, people.

[The SnowShow]

CB will be vastly improved with Vail’s cloud seeding. It’ll be like 2016-17 every year! ✌️

[Obstruction]

Lebanon or Claremont, Cowhampshire? Claremont is the crumbling mill town nearer Sunapee.

Fuck Claremont! Lebanon is where it's at.
https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...non?styleid=33

[Benny Profane]

Stevens, scmeezens. Anybody skied Sunapee in the east?

[SkiBall]

CB will be vastly improved with Vail’s cloud seeding. It’ll be like 2016-17 every year! ✌️

Damn. So they are going to send it there this year? I wonder which new resort they sent it to this season cuz it wasn't here.

[The SnowShow]

Damn. So they are going to send it there this year? I wonder which new resort they sent it to this season cuz it wasn't here.

They sent it to Whitefish this year...was on loan.

[powbmps]

Stevens, scmeezens. Anybody skied Sunapee in the east?

Fuck yeah brah!

[Sirshredalot]

Stevens, scmeezens. Anybody skied Sunapee in the east?

Extensively!

[ridinshockgun]

A new 4 lane US 2 bypass to open bypassing the towns of Sultan, Startup, and Gold Bar. Access only available to Epic Pass holders.

In which case, I'd buy an epic pass even if I didn't ski Stevens.

[PNWbrit]

in the east?

No one cares.

[pipedream]

With or without opening the Notch Road for the winter?

side note: are there any North American ski areas that have base areas that are substantial driving distances apart or large base areas that are not vehicle accessible?

Mt. Baker has 2.5 miles of treacherous mtn hwy separating its two base areas

As a Washingstonian who, until recently, was a continuous season pass holder @ Stevens and used to hit Whistler 2-5 days/season, this is how I feel about Vail's foray in the Pacific Northwest:

[The AD]

side note: are there any North American ski areas that have base areas that are substantial driving distances apart or large base areas that are not vehicle accessible?

Whistler Creekside to Whistler Village is about three miles.

[PNWbrit]

Whistler Creekside to Whistler Village is about three miles.

Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows

[FlimFlamvanHam]

You know, it was interesting at Whistler this year. I think Vail's philosophy of catering to passholders (not day ticket buyers; not basic Edge Card buyers) probably put more money in their pockets while actually reducing skier visits.

It was a good (sorry, I was around in 98-99 so until I see that again I will never say "great") snow year and I would say lines were not as bad, generally, as past seasons. I think this all comes down to the $150+ day ticket now being too much for the occasional skier.

[Buster Highmen]

side note: are there any North American ski areas that have base areas that are substantial driving distances apart or large base areas that are not vehicle accessible?

Telluride Town versus Mountain Village.
Aspen/Aspen Highland/Buttermilk/Snowmass (maybe that's a special case?)
Alta/Bird (when it's on 1 ticket...)
Heavenly Stagecoach/Heavenly/California
Big Sky/Moonlight
Sugarbush/Glen Ellen
Lutsen

[Mike Pow]

Yeah, since the beginning of TGR, hardcore skiers have talked shit about Vail. However, to the mediocre, resort driven skier who lives in any city, and who's life doesn't revolve around skiing, Vail, BC, Breck are pretty fucking awesome. I meet people from WA every year who come to CO for a little sunny groomer skiing because the weather and resorts suck there for the average skier.

Hear hear

[skaredshtles]

Yeah, since the beginning of TGR, hardcore skiers have talked shit about Vail. However, to the mediocre, resort driven skier who lives in any city, and who's life doesn't revolve around skiing, Vail, BC, Breck are pretty fucking awesome. I meet people from WA every year who come to CO for a little sunny groomer skiing because the weather and resorts suck there for the average skier.

Hey - at least you've reduced the "7" to "3"...

[Foggy_Goggles]

What I'm saying is that Stowe>Smuggs is an 1hr+ drive in the winter. If there anything equivalent to that? At minimum, you'd have to run a bus between the two. Doesn't seem real feasible or Vermonty.

[powdrhound]

The largest Vail expenditure at Kirkwood has been on new signs.
A couple of new shuttle buses.
And removing the handle tow lifts on Covered Wagon.
And ensuring the remaining chairs all have ‘comfort bars’.

[skysos]

Just out of curiosity, other than the earlier closing date, have you noticed any other atrocities happen at Kirkwood since Vail purchased it?

No, I'm generally positive about it because it gives me 2 major resorts out of South Lake without having to buy 2 passes. They haven't really changed their aggressive "open terrain as early as possible on a powder day" policy. They have some great patrol there, and the GM is well-liked. The vibe is largely intact. But no upgrades have been done. That's just a fact.

[skysos]

I think snodgrass was never approved by the usfs because all it was, was real estate lifts

genuine mtn vide and breck? nope not even close, breck is disney land and nothing else, it's one big t shirt shop shit hole of town that caters only to tourists and retirees, they provide lip service to the locals and that is about it, a constant churn of early twenty somethings to fill shit paying jobs, their not the vibe, just pretenda locals

summer tourist season started early this year and it's nothing but fatsos with hot fudge in one hand, a t shirt in the other, head up their ass, and their jaw dropped to the floor when they stop outside a real estate office and see the cost of a studio condo in a shit hole 40 year old building
on the other hand, I"m glad we can give them something different in their lives and maybe a glimmer of excitement and hope outside of the mall and suburbia
signed another jaded local

I was actually there working for the marketing department from 87-93 but my memory is a little hazy on the history so I looked it up and CBMR received approval to develop lift served skiing on Snodgrass after going through the NEPA process in 1982. They never built and it expired at some point. The Muellers tried to go through the approval process again and were denied in 2009. Snodgrass is still within the special use boundary established in 1982 so that denial was unexpected.

"Genuine mountain vibe" was marketing and not 100% aligned with reality. I was doing marketing research and that's how visitors saw it in the 80's. CB has been marketed that way ever since that marketing campaign started around '86 with all the town shots and the purple mountain stuff.