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  1. #101
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    Jan 2007
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    Quote Originally Posted by pipedream View Post
    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:
    Quote Originally Posted by FlimFlamvanHam View Post
    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.
    Absolutely. You'd think if their goal was really to get the Seattle visitors, they wouldn't have done away with the 3 day edge card. I probably used that 15 years in a row, but now find the 5 day to be too much of a commitment (not to mention increased lodging costs).

    The whistler option is a great deal for Stevens skiers, but worth absolutely nothing to me with hwy2 traffic and parking as it is.

  2. #102
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    Oct 2003
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    Seattle
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    Quote Originally Posted by bfree View Post
    Absolutely. You'd think if their goal was really to get the Seattle visitors, they wouldn't have done away with the 3 day edge card. I probably used that 15 years in a row, but now find the 5 day to be too much of a commitment (not to mention increased lodging costs).
    I bit the bullet and bought a 5 day Edge card this season. The skiing was great, but lodging was so expensive I stayed in Pemberton both times I went up. I've already purchased next year's Edge card, so I guess Vail's strategy is working.

  3. #103
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    Mar 2010
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    Crested Butte and Stevens pass get Epic (as in bought by Vail)

    I’m not too concerned about this crested butte purchase. The resort simply is too far from Denver and doesn’t have enough lodging options to ever become the shitshow that breck is on the weekend. The resort was seriously struggling, so maybe vail can put some actual money into the mountain and make things better. Without the extreme terrain open the place feels really small. An expansion would be good.

    As to concerns about terrain opening, I feel like vail resorts has opened terrain as soon as it is ready to be opened (sometimes too early imho)

    Seriously look at Breck. Patrol there does an incredible job opening some of the most avalanche prone and wind loaded in bounds terrain in all of Colorado. Not to mention all of the other high alpine terrain at breck that vail resorts is pretty aggressive about getting open.

    I think crested butte is going to be just fine, and now my pass includes days there which is fucking dope. Locals in CB now have tons of Colorado options which is great for them considering how frequently CB has been experiencing lean years lately

  4. #104
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
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    on the banks of Fish Creek
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    7,512
    Quote Originally Posted by Foggy_Goggles View Post
    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.
    Yeah, but it’s just a short walk from one to the other up top. Wandering around in the woods is kind of a Vermonty thing.

  5. #105
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    Sep 2006
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    Denver
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    1,111
    Quote Originally Posted by WTF is dat View Post
    I’m not too concerned about this crested butte purchase. The resort simply is too far from Denver and doesn’t have enough lodging options to ever become the shitshow that breck is on the weekend. The resort was seriously struggling, so maybe vail can put some actual money into the mountain and make things better. Without the extreme terrain open the place feels really small. An expansion would be good.

    As to concerns about terrain opening, I feel like vail resorts has opened terrain as soon as it is ready to be opened (sometimes too early imho)

    Seriously look at Breck. Patrol there does an incredible job opening some of the most avalanche prone and wind loaded in bounds terrain in all of Colorado. Not to mention all of the other high alpine terrain at breck that vail resorts is pretty aggressive about getting open.

    I think crested butte is going to be just fine, and now my pass includes days there which is fucking dope. Locals in CB now have tons of Colorado options which is great for them considering how frequently CB has been experiencing lean years lately
    I agree that vail is good about getting terrain open. If vail was in control of CB this year, the extremes on the front side of the mountain (i.e., forest, peel funnel, sunset ridge) would have likely opened.

  6. #106
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
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    your vacation
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    4,718
    I wouldn't pat vail on the back for getting terrain open that quickly
    like any corporate business model shitty wages reign supreame
    someone in an office in broomfield sees the snow totals and makes a call up to breck demanding that terrain be open as fast as it can so their social media can play out nicely
    the flip side is ski patrollers are making much less today than they did twenty years ago
    there is a lack of skilled people on the mountain and the ones that are certified are not compensated well for their knowledge and they are pushed hard to open terrian as fast as they can
    Breck is about one crew short for what they need to open terrian in a timely manner, but since vail refuses to pay well, ski patrol is now a short term job in between college and real life
    They have a mandatory two year commitment for new hires, so once they do their two years they are out the door and have to start training all over again

  7. #107
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    Dec 2009
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    Paradise
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    Quote Originally Posted by skysos View Post
    BTW, I'm pretty sure Snodgrass was approved as part of the master plan with the forest service back in the 90's but they never built so that expired. They would have to go through the whole process again most likely.
    Snodgrass would be a game changer for CB luring in more vacationing skier tourists. If anyone can get it done it's Vail.

    As mentioned before CB is killer for experts when they have the snow but lacks good intermediate skiing. I tried skiing there one early season and I was really bored after an hour or two.
    dirtbag, not a dentist

  8. #108
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    Jun 2009
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    hell, CA pop 4
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    Quote Originally Posted by raisingarizona13 View Post
    Snodgrass would be a game changer for CB luring in more vacationing skier tourists. If anyone can get it done it's Vail.

    As mentioned before CB is killer for experts when they have the snow but lacks good intermediate skiing. I tried skiing there one early season and I was really bored after an hour or two.


    Wonder if Snodgrass is even viable with the way the climate has been?

  9. #109
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    Oct 2003
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    In Your Wife
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    Nah, dude, CB needs a tram from town to the top of Mt. Emmons.

  10. #110
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    Jun 2009
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    hell, CA pop 4
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    Well the town needed burned and bulldozed 60 years ago. So do that and turn it into a parking lot!

  11. #111
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    Oct 2007
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    Quote Originally Posted by glademaster View Post
    Nah, dude, CB needs a tram from town to the top of Mt. Emmons.
    Actually a tram back to Irwin where it actually snows would be pretty cool.

  12. #112
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    Oct 2003
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    Quote Originally Posted by shredgnar View Post
    Actually a tram back to Irwin where it actually snows would be pretty cool.
    It still boggles my mind that they don't keep that road open to Irwin during the winter. I know building the resort where they did was driven by the develop-able land at the base, but it doesn't mean it wasn't piss poor planning from a climatology standpoint.

  13. #113
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    Nov 2012
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    Snodgrass looks like it would need a transfer lift. Lame.
    I have a feeling that the Teo expansion and the new extreme terrain past 3rd Bowl (if it ever opens ) will scratch the itch.

  14. #114
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    Oct 2003
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    Quote Originally Posted by fastfred View Post
    the flip side is ski patrollers are making much less today than they did twenty years ago
    I don't think ski patrol salaries have fared any worse than other resort dwellers, except now there are more resort summer positions they can step into instead of doing construction, raft guiding, or patrolling the southern hemisphere.

    lack of qualified
    I'd argue that ski patrollers are more avalanche knowledgeable than they were in the past on the average. They have better tools and data as well.

    ski patrol is now a short term job in between college and real life
    Ski patrol has always been a low paying seasonal job and has never required a college degree except maybe for director level jobs.

    Most patrollers have always made their real money in the summer until they got really senior.
    Quote Originally Posted by blurred
    skiing is hiking all day so that you can ski on shitty gear for 5 minutes.

  15. #115
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    Dec 2016
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    Quote Originally Posted by glademaster View Post
    It still boggles my mind that they don't keep that road open to Irwin during the winter.
    Really?

    It would cost a bloody fortune to keep that road open in winter.

  16. #116
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    Quote Originally Posted by skaredshtles View Post
    Really?

    It would cost a bloody fortune to keep that road open in winter.
    Yes, really. I'm not proposing they keep the entire 40 mile stretch over to Erickson Springs (I know the west-side closure is actually higher than that, but for the sake of conversation), but I don't think it would be that onerous to keep it open to Lake Irwin year round. Anyway, this navel gazing is at best tangentially related to the issue at hand.

  17. #117
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    Quote Originally Posted by glademaster View Post
    <snip> but I don't think it would be that onerous to keep it open to Lake Irwin year round.
    Pretty sure you'd be wrong.

  18. #118
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    Quote Originally Posted by skaredshtles View Post
    Pretty sure you'd be wrong.

    Yup!

  19. #119
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    Oct 2003
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    Are we talking about the same road that goes up to Irwin Lodge?

  20. #120
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    hell, CA pop 4
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    Yup^^^^


    Seems innocent enough, but there's at least a half dozen avi paths, and places where it can bury the road 15 or 20 feet deep.

  21. #121
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    Feb 2013
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    Highyak
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    592
    Quote Originally Posted by capulin overdrive View Post
    Yup^^^^


    Seems innocent enough, but there's at least a half dozen avi paths, and places where it can bury the road 15 or 20 feet deep.
    Sounds like highway 2 to Stevens... Except that's kept open by the taxpayers instead of private industry

  22. #122
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    Quote Originally Posted by pipedream View Post
    Sounds like highway 2 to Stevens... Except that's kept open by the taxpayers instead of private industry
    Yup. I can think of a dozen stretches of road that are harder to keep open through the winter that CB to Irwin.

  23. #123
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    Nov 2010
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    Montrose, CO
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    ^Doesn't mean its feasible for Gunnison County to do it (its a county road).

  24. #124
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    Quote Originally Posted by snowaddict91 View Post
    ^Doesn't mean its feasible for Gunnison County to do it (its a county road).
    This.

    Jesus, guys. It's not that they CAN'T keep Kebler open - it would simply cost a shitload of money for the county and for what? There are precious few private houses up there that I know of, and spending shitloads of money just so people could drive to within a couple miles of Irwin Lodge seems... unwise.

  25. #125
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    Oct 2007
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    12,609
    Not to mention that the folks at Irwin probably like the fact that it is only accessible by snow machine in the winter.

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