Snow in the PNW 20-21: We may have Corona but Corona doesn't have us!

[XavierD]

Fuck’n’eh! Steven’s (Vail) is planning on closing April 4th!!! 140% snow this season according to NWAC! WTF!


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Might be a staffing/personal based decision.

[The AD]

If Stevens closes on April 4 it certainly adds ammo to the notion that Vail is really only concerned about its premier properties and the local hills like Stevens are only in the portfolio as a means to encourage their skiers to take trips to the premier properties. They know by April the vast majority of the skiers on the hill will be Epic Pass skiers who aren't going to spend any money.

[Ed el Loco]

Xtal just announced it’s open till April 18th and weekends till May 9th. Yes Stevens is sucking.


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[mufasa5446]

Might be a staffing/personal based decision.

Valid, and if that’s the case it’s likely because of the management/Vail, which yeah, adds to the case.

Experienced patrollers and lifties are becoming a commodity Vails Steven’s, for sure.


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[sheel44]

Valid, and if that’s the case it’s likely because of the management/Vail, which yeah, adds to the case.

Experienced patrollers and lifties are becoming a commodity Vails Steven’s, for sure.

Yeah it sucks, but hey at least Stevens will be uncrowded enough to tour after April 4th on plenty of good snow. With the recent lift lines that may not be so bad

[altasnob]

Money says Vail/Stevens bans uphill travel after April 4 just like they did early season. That's the trend (Crystal banned uphill travel in bounds before season started).

[The AD]

I finally made it up for night skiing at Summit Central last night. I got lucky and the rain held off, because it was absolutely pouring on my drive home. I suspect conditions could be a bit wet there this morning.

[Zeedashbo]

Money says Vail/Stevens bans uphill travel after April 4 just like they did early season. That's the trend (Crystal banned uphill travel in bounds before season started).

More than likely. They'll have minimum wage security guards running around in tennis shoes trying to stop us. It's pretty hilarious, especially when the hundreds of sledding foreigners show up and play like they don't understand

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[plugboots]

They know by April the vast majority of the skiers on the hill will be Pass skiers who aren't going to spend any money.

This is what Jackson Hole has been doing forever.

[The AD]

Money says Vail/Stevens bans uphill travel after April 4 just like they did early season. That's the trend (Crystal banned uphill travel in bounds before season started).

Wasn't the rationale given before the season that they were doing prep work? Kind of tough to use that excuse after the season has concluded. Maybe they'll say they're getting the bike park ready...with 100" of snow on the ground.

[Huskier]

Wasn't the rationale given before the season that they were doing prep work? Kind of tough to use that excuse after the season has concluded. Maybe they'll say they're getting the bike park ready...with 100" of snow on the ground.

Yeah I'm not stressing about it. We all know that Vail can't/won't pay enough to keep people around even to bump chairs. What makes you think they're going to pay them to chase people off of their melting snowpack?

[Bandit Man]

Had an above a average day at Stevens today with my youngest. There was an inch or two of snow on a now very spring-like snowpack. Didn’t get to play up high since we stayed on mostly blue groomers, but snow held up quite well since it stayed overcast.

I checked last night and it was showing reservations available so maybe not a “full day”, but other than the first 30-45 minutes of people getting on the hill, lines were very short. Right before lunchtime, they looked like this:

[caulfield]

Well above average in the olympics yesterday

[The AD]

That looks pretty awesome. Hurricane Ridge?

[jacob_dbu]

Well above average in the olympics yesterday

Slick dick Rick, I need to get my ass out there

[HotSchmoo]

Stevens sure as hell did actively prevent uphilling last spring.
No uphilling whatsoever this season either.

[caulfield]

That looks pretty awesome. Hurricane Ridge?

Correct. Sounds like today was good too

[pyromaniacman129]

Yesterday was sneaky good on north facing stuff at crystal. Everyone was lining up to ski bombed out chunder and ice and plenty of wind filled to be had anywhere facing N.
Weather was wild. Dark and stormy to bluebird back to stormy. High winds all day. Was surprised some of the lifts stayed open. Got stuck on a wind hold for a few mins on green valley first thing in the AM.



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[ptavv]

High grey-bird sleeper great day at Crystal. Better than blue-bird in this case because the high clouds and cool temps kept the snow up high from turning to glop. Though there was a bit of glop-crust lower down.

Basically ski on service on all the lifts

[Norseman]

[ptavv]

Worth mentioning the goodness is definitely aspect and wind exposure selective. There's a solar glop-crust as well as a wind crust depending on what exposures and what the loading is like, but there's much goodness to be had when you line things up.

Was pretty windy on ridge tops today but I couldn't get anything to act slabby even in the most windloaded places. Some gross styrofoam feeling crusts in places that were totally wind scoured tho.

[SpeLunker]

Steven's IG page just announced they'll be staying open til April 18th.

[Bandit Man]

Steven's IG page just announced they'll be staying open til April 18th.

Visible evidence of a more realistic closing date.

[jacob_dbu]

Thank god they're extending. I have 2 days left on a 4 pack. Won't be buying it next year. Fuck vail.

[Bandit Man]

Thank god they're extending. I have 2 days left on a 4 pack. Won't be buying it next year. Fuck vail.

It’s been a really odd year, but I’ve somehow not been impacted by the Vail shenanigans. Maybe my expectations were so low to begin with, but other the COVID protocol stuff, this has been an above average year for me and my family. We embraced the “lot life” tail-gating and were super happy to ski. I’m discouraged by the stories of lift ops and ski patrol being de-valued by Vail, though.