The Today Show is being broadcast from Sugarbush live on Thursday morning.

3 Huge sound and equipment trucks arrived today. Wires are being strung all over the base area. This should be a good one for the Bush.

Thought I'd seen this one.

That's just great.

Killington relocates.

Thought the place smelled different this weekend.

Good to see the national exposure for the mountain. Should be good to get some business to the mountain and surrounding community!

walks wrote:

That's just great. Killington relocates. Thought the place smelled different this weekend.

Ski Mount Ellen; the Kmart peeps seem to stick with SB South. I agree though, you can definitely smell it when they’re in town.

walks wrote:

That's just great. Killington relocates. Thought the place smelled different this weekend.

how does the today show have anything to do with k?

i thought k folks were welcome at your beloved sb....we are hoping for some march, april & hopefully may skiing at your beloved sb....

I will be sure to send a message for everyone, including those you claim smell, to go try north too.

celebrate diversity

The end is near! I say after the today show they book Regis and Kelly or maybe even Oprah.

Walks,

Never fear. They booked us. We didn't book them.

This exposure is good for the entire Valley, and will help everyone if some more people understand that life is really better here in the MRV and visit here in all the seasons. Empty mountains do not sustain themselves and The Bush has the capacity to handle more skiers and riders than it has had the past 10-15 years. Sunday was the second busiest day ever to put that day in perspective. A year ago Sunday was the busiest.

Win,

I completely understand that having more people in the valley is good for business. As for them booking you instead of you booking them. I was under the assumption that Summit Ventures made the decisions there. My statement about killington relocates comes from the fact that after getting off the condo bus to head to Super Bravo I was redirected to the Great Steps of Sugarbush due to U-hauls and Semi's and everything else. Felt like I was driving up the killington access road. I was never a big fan of the hotel going in or now this. I understand times change. For someone who has spent the better part of 42 years skiing at the Bush, Well, Change hurts.

I would have figured Sunday was the all-time busiest days ever. I have to disagree with your statement that SugarBush can handle the capacity. I think it can just get by with a weekend like that. I picked up more trash on the slopes and heard more people yelling at there kids in the lift line than I ever have before. Don't remember ever waiting in lift lines that long. Won't even go into the lodge issue.

My kids and a few others that I know when on the trails and not in the woods were all almost run over by people skiing to fast on overcrowded trails.


Outofshape,

I said the mountain smelled different, not the people.

Do you realize what a grumpy old man you sound like?

The mountain does smell different, but its a matter of who you ask and your perspective.
On V-Day, I talked to some folks on the lift who were shocked to see so many people on a weekday. "It's $14 day!" someone replied. Then began the talk of "it used to be $10 for a lift ticket every day", the slow lifts, etc.

Now fast forward to my first visit to the Bush. The lifts were also slow. The Sugar Bravo was 15 min and the Gate House was at least 10. North Link was a surface lift. There were the 3 new quads at North that year. But South (its name back then) was "back a few years". Then... bam... right before the death bell rang, ASC comes in and throws an ungodful (back then) amount of $$$ into the resort. North and South are connected, the lifts are upgraded, more snowmaking and south, and a "cluster o' buildings" sprung around the still-antiquated Gate House and V/House. I'm sure there were some folk back then who were crying when the Bush was "sold out" to a conglomo and the once-peaceful Birch Run and Sunrise became a destination on everyone's list with a triple to get you there (though the triple actually takes longer than the surface lift).

Fast forward a few more years to the early 00s, and when ASC is on the verge of bankrupt, in comes Summit Ventures, and steps it up by replacing the C'Rock Double with a model of the same capacity and speed, the slug becomes the GMX again, and finally the "Clay Brook" project. In a way, last season when Clay Brook opened, the mountain smelled different to me. Driving up the access road and you see this giant barn. It took some getting used to, but its there and its bringing in the crowds. Plus the epic snowstorms we've had since then have helped as well.

In this crazy era and time we live in, with gas being what it costs, economy issues, the constant talk of global w@#&ing (however I think more of a global cooling, or dismiss the whole concept altogether), resorts have to adapt and come up with ways to attract customers, both new and old. The Valley needed more beds, and got them with Clay Brook. The Lincoln Peak base needed a revitalization and got it with LP Village and the new Gate House, and will get the new Guest Service Center as well. Sugarbush needed to be a 4-season destination again, and has it, with hiking, lift rides, "frolf", and mountain biking in the summer and fall. And most important of all, we have the team at the mountain that is getting it done. A leader who knows what is taking place "on the front lines" and is going "above and beyond", who shares his views on a public message board, who helps those in need.

Just think of what would have happened to the Bush if powdr got their hands on it. Mt Ellen closed weekdays? The Castlerock Quad? Valley House Express Quad? A closing date in April? Perish the thought. The mountain would have smelled real bad then... like a landfull on a hot July/August day. Instead, I go to the mountain now and I see around me smiling faces. I see lots of snow. I see some advances in technology and some more "propaganda". And on Thursday, the whole country will see it all on live TV.

I'll close by saying that when I crest the access road and see Clay Brook, I know I'm at my [snowboard] home. S/V will do what they must to survive, and I see no problem in giving our little mtn a bit of national exposure. As long as it will keep us thriving for many many many years to come, I'll be more than happy to say "Hi - Welcome to Sugarbush".

(if the above msg sounded like an employee point of view, fear not, I'm not an employee - but it would make a good entry into the "story" contest, eh?)

win wrote:

Walks, Never fear. They booked us. We didn't book them. This exposure is good for the entire Valley, and will help everyone if some more people understand that life is really better here in the MRV and visit here in all the seasons. Empty mountains do not sustain themselves and The Bush has the capacity to handle more skiers and riders than it has had the past 10-15 years. Sunday was the second busiest day ever to put that day in perspective. A year ago Sunday was the busiest.

Really? Saturday seemed more crowded than sunday to me.

This whole Today show thing is not for me (I had never seen it but checked it out last week to catch any SB promos when my kids had delayed school opening. Let me just say, I am not in their target audience) but it is undeniably a boon to SB and the entire valley. While I would love never to have to stand on a lift line, reality is the lifts, snow making, grooming, etc. have to be paid for. There couldn't be any better marketing than this. It's the kind of exposure you can't buy. Let's hope for some snow so the place looks its best on thursday.

BTW-any hints on the goings on for thursday morning? I heard a rumor that american flatbread is going to make pizza i/f/o GH lodge. Al Roker racing Egan down Rumble?

Come hang out at North its much more fun.

No crowds, no kmart peeps, better skiers.
Same great terrain, great chair lift configuration (GMX, North Ridge X, & Summit)
Plus what is better than drinking a beer on the ME deck on a sunny day?

I figured this thread would be about all of the technology that would be put in place. Let get off grumbling. I hear Al Rocher is going to do some grilling. Any word on where the main set will be? Where the line up of the crowd as Al does his weather intro will be?

I've heard they previously filmed the MT a week ago Friday a SNOWY DAY. And Flat Breads a week ago Saturday. Any other sightings?