Fast Tracks pass

[jonesy]

P0W sticks Dynastar Descente 223. God those skis were fast & I was young.

[SumJongGuy]

Ah yes, the good old days.
Straight skinny 210s, shitty boots, explodomat bindings and fixed grip double chairs.
A veritable paradise compared to today

I'll take that over this all day long every single fucking day..

Attachment 391426

And get off my lawn..

[skiJ]

in the good old days,
weren't there lift lines like that at BuckHill on Saturday and Sunday... ?


skiJ

[ill-advised strategy]

My best pow skis pre-fatski era were a pair of 215 RD Giant Coyotes. All the surface of a Super G length but in a soft flex with a full tip.
They were really floaty for a narrow ski

[skaredshtles]

My best pow skis pre-fatski era were a pair of 215 RD Giant Coyotes. All the surface of a Super G length but in a soft flex with a full tip.
They were really floaty for a narrow ski

When I acquired a pair of Snow Rangers they were a revelation... but technically I think they were fat skis of their day.

[muted reborn]

Mother Karen's Power Bibs FTW.. As for float.. Just go faster..

Just last week I heard of Mother Karen's for the first time - they are back in biz here in SLC https://motherkarens.com/

March 1st 1989 Bridger bowl. Ridiculous amount of POW. Watched my buddy dave jump into psychopath and actually disappear leaving an unbroken layer of snow until he re-emerged. I called in sick to my first day of work at the bike shop and managed to keep my job


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From what angle did he air in? Not many easy options.

[skifishbum]

I’m 44 and sometimes I think of specific inbounds days in the 90s, just lap after lap untracked, and it seems unreal, like some kind of weird dream.

it seems like just yesterday weed walk out to an empty p horn double for first chair
egp laps with just a dozen of your crew all day

look over at an untracked wolverine and know it probably wouldnt git skied that day or the next

i was gonna go with the boss and glory days as it truely was and were blessed to have partaken and wouldnt trade it for anything
but free 4 u


cause the memberries of an old mans
were the deeds of our ski bum prime

[SumJongGuy]

in the good old days,
weren't there lift lines like that at BuckHill on Saturday and Sunday... ?


skiJ

Not on a powder day. People stayed home rather than fighting for three turns on low angle terrain followed by a stomp hike back to the t-bar.

Just kidding about wanting 70s gear... Late 80s and 90s though with those much smaller lines on a powder day? Oh hell ya! Helidogs FTW!

[paulster2626]

I'll take that over this all day long every single fucking day..

Attachment 391426

And get off my lawn..

That lineup is long but it's basically single-file, and looks like it's just the opening of the chair anyway. Every day the amount of people waiting for Harmony to crack at Whistler puts this to shame, and it turns out to be not that big of a deal. Maybe this situation is different but as a weekend tourist JONG asshole this just looks like normal expectations with some fresh snow.

As with everything: "could be worse!"

[snojones]

Hard to see how a business model based on ever more ridiculous high prices, for ever declining product, is sustainable.

[Toadman]

Hard to see how a business model based on ever more ridiculous high prices, for ever declining product, is sustainable.

They will push the boundaries of pricing to service levels until it breaks. Then take a half step back to reassess things before taking two steps forward into even higher prices with fancy marketing campaigns and even less service. As always, the sheeple will stampede back for more.

[TBS]

Powdr is testing the elasticity of demand. As does every business.
They increase pass prices every yr at a rate greater than inflation. And more people keep coming.
That's called inelastic demand.

Which means, as Toadman points out, Powdr (sadly) has room for more price increases/service decreases.
And you can expect this to continue - at least at Mt Bachelor - as long as the population of Deschutes County increases.

[lifelinksplit]

Just last week I heard of Mother Karen's for the first time - they are back in biz here in SLC https://motherkarens.com/



From what angle did he air in? Not many easy options.

One of my more memorable days at BB was a close to a 40in day. Me and a buddy took a nose run that was full on snorkel. Instead of ducking a bit right to the normal entrance for pyschopath we took a skiers left sneak that normally puts you with a sketchy traverse and drops you right at the pinch. This day we just sent it into the pinch and all I remember after landing is one blurry turn and popping out on the apron below.

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[Shorty_J]

I’m 44 and sometimes I think of specific inbounds days in the 90s, just lap after lap untracked, and it seems unreal, like some kind of weird dream.

I had a day like that in 2016. Did over 11000m of vertical in nothing but pow and zero lines.

Just need to aim for the smaller hills and get crazy lucky.

Then again I'm in Canada so maybe that's easier here?

[Shorty_J]

Actually... I also had another less remarkable but still amazing day last year where crazy lineups meant most people left by 2pm.

And I was getting untracked lines down show off (right under the gondi) at kickinghorse at 330 in the afternoon after a 50+cm storm with some wind transport.

It's rare but it still happens.

[SumJongGuy]

My most recent REALLY good day was December 20th, 2009. It was a Sunday. Beech Mountain NC got about 24". I chased the storm, got up early, left at like 5:30am for a wicked white knuckle 3.5 hour drive up. I got there and for the first two hours the main lift was spinning with NO LIFTEE.. They didn't even have enough employees who could get through the snow to get to work. Ski patrols were taking turns (pun intended) watching the loading area standing by the stop button. while the rest of us lapped that shit. It was foggy flat light but truly amazing!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decemb...rican_blizzard

I only stopped to take one photo..



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decemb...rican_blizzard

[jonesy]

Which way is down? Oh yeah, gravity.

[TBS]

Here’s the thread for trips down memberberry lane…
https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...-Memberberries

[NBABUCKS1]

Those at fast tracks resorts - how is this working out?

11 pages of bitching here but now that we are in season no one seems to talk about it. Seems like the 24 hours of social media outcry storm has been weathered. There's definitely been a few powder days since then...

[SumJongGuy]

We're past two of the three major crazy crowded holiday breaks. Anybody witness or experience any issues or positive experiences with people using these Fast Tracks type products? Anybody actually use it or know anyone who did? Any line cutters heckled or snowballed?

[thefrush]

Those at fast tracks resorts - how is this working out?

11 pages of bitching here but now that we are in season no one seems to talk about it. Seems like the 24 hours of social media outcry storm has been weathered. There's definitely been a few powder days since then...

Much ado about nothing

[DeepHelmet]

Snowbird has had Seven Summits and to a lesser extent Base Camp passes for years. I've never seen a SS passholder get heckled, maybe some mild grumbling on the tram deck when they sneak on at the end on a powder day, but they paid over $20k for the pass and I'm pretty sure they give exactly zero fucks. They only sell 50 SS passes every year, usually to the same people. I rarely see anyone using the SS line on lifts. The Base Camp costs (I think) around $2500 extra over the cost of a season pass. You can only skip lines on Peruvian and Gadzoom, and there are rarely more than just a couple people in that line as well. I've had the occasional SS passholder grab me and take me with them sometimes, they can take a guest with them.
As far as the fast passes, I haven't seen anyone in that line yet. I was up there yesterday and asked the lifty at the entrance if he'd seen anyone buying them. He said they were selling very few fast passes so far. My main question is why would Snowbird make available the fast track pass and still expect people to buy a Base Camp pass, which is way more money and gives much less access to skipping lines? Yeah you get a private locker room but who cares. Line skipping is the main reason for paying more money. I've been skiing at Snowbird for a very long time and I've never really felt like my day was affected by SS passholders. And careful who you throw the snowball at, the old man in the fast track line might be the same one that knocks you off the Road to Provo traverse when you get in his way. Have a nice day everyone.

[Toadman]

We're past two of the three major crazy crowded holiday breaks. Anybody witness or experience any issues or positive experiences with people using these Fast Tracks type products? Anybody actually use it or know anyone who did? Any line cutters heckled or snowballed?

I rode the lift a few weeks back with two locals with season's passes that upgraded on a powder day. They had said it was worth it to avoid the lines. I think they each paid $89 IIRC. It was a bit before noon and they were stoked that they had gotten 10 runs in already. I did a quick calculation and determined I had gotten 7 runs in to their 10. But I was on a bum knee and that was my last run for the day. So, if they got in another 10 runs before calling it, that works out to about $4.45 a run extra for some pow and not waiting around with the riff raff.

[TBS]

Much ado about nothing

Yup- very few people using it at MtB, and hardly impairing my vertical
(Disclaimer- I do t go there on weekends)
On one lift ride the week before Xmas, I in the singles line about 15 people back when some FastTracks came thru the reader.
I loaded before them, grinning as I went by

[SumJongGuy]

Is lack of/awareness keeping things mellow with it? I've not heard anyone even talking about them but I don't think they have it where I ski. Maybe it will be kept under the radar like an invisible stash so it doesn't impact much of anything beyond a couple savvy folks using it. Ignorance is bliss.