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  1. #1

    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    In the woods of Mad River Valley
    Posts
    599

    What's up with no not being open Sunday!

    First Saturday's skiing was great. Long lift lines. Lots of smiles. Castlerock tip jar was over flowing. Thank you. But all week we've been marketed to, that the MT was going to be open all weekend, both days. We end up with a beautiful days this weekend. Only to be told Saturday morning as I am driving up that they were only going to be open Saturday. Then to learn last night that all along there was an email running around to "pick the best day to be open". To be told that there was not enough snow to open Sunday. Which does not make sense since we have all seen what they can pull together and there is enough to patch together one more day. Lots of grumblings after skiing yesterday by all of us who really want to ski today. Truly a sad way to close. So now I am having to go to Killington today.

    Ski yah next season.


  2. #2
    Hawk's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Just ahead of you in the woods....
    Posts
    1,823
    Totally with you Tree. If I hear them stay that there was no way they could open, I will definately call BS on that. What one strech on Coffee run 40 feet long and they can't patch that. Steins was fine and the rest was just fine.

    Just a little FYI, Cinco de Mayo is today. Sugarbush = Epic Fail.
    Trouble with you is the trouble with me,
    Got two good eyes but we still don’t see!

  3. #3
    No complaints* from me. the freaking snow lasted till May and Saturday was a great party. Putting a band aid on coffee run to keep the skiing going is a little bit like fixing the health care system by having the HMO's write a solution.

    *Ok, if I had to complain there wasn't any reason not to have a bbq or two up on the deck at the Valley House. And good luck trying to sell less than a dozen kegs to that crowd! Kind of a missed opportunity, it would be great to see the Valley House fully operational (like the death star) one of these years again. I love that lodge, it is such a gem when it gets to shine a little.

    Anyway, thanks for the good times, Win.

  4. #4
    Hawk's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Just ahead of you in the woods....
    Posts
    1,823
    I'm not that that jaded. As far as I am concerned they messed up the final great weekend with that stupid publicty stunt and then closed a day early after saying they would be open. How about this Idea - Make the final weekend season pass only weekend to thank us for all the money we spent up front. I don't know about you but I spent several thousand dollars at the resort on food and booze this year. All I wanted was to ski a few runs in the sun and in peace.

    I will now finish my season at K will all the other skiers leaving the Claybrooke club to the "Winn-ers".
    Trouble with you is the trouble with me,
    Got two good eyes but we still don’t see!

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    warren
    Posts
    1,217
    I held my breath for a couple of days. I wasn't here last weekend, but I trusted my very able Mountain Manager to make the right call and I won't second guess him. Hawk, frankly, your comments are totally off base. How about the time and effort it took my team to re-open the mountain after the warm and sunny week we had? It would have been easy to call it quits like Jay did midweek and save some money. We hoped to stay open both days, but as I said I trusted my team to make the calll. They, like I, hoped to have two days. As far as a publicity stunt, I find that offensive. We did this two years ago and it was a great success and we received a lot of community goodwill. This year we also wanted to help the Vermont Land Trust in saving a very important part of the Mad River Valley.

    I do appreciate passholders like you but how about some appreciation in return? I think most would say it was a great season.

  6. #6
    Skiing in May is a treat and providing it for free is a beautiful thing. Kudos to Win and his team for an awesome season!

  7. #7
    Hawk's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Just ahead of you in the woods....
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    1,823
    I didn't have any issues with the benefit part Win. I donated. From what I hear the donations were not that great for the amount of people that showed up. You should have charged people $20 and just donated the money. I guess my reply is somewhat selfish but I expected to be able to ski 2 days in some of the best conditions of the year. I had friends up to do just that. You guys advertised 2 days and then pulled the plug Sat morning without even knowing what Sunday would be like. Sunday, the effort to just patch coffee Run would not have been that great. You were not there at Castlerock to hear the large scale complaints from many of your diehard regulars and employees. We all went to Killington Sunday and should have been at our home mountain to finish the season. We are just disappointed but it's your call as always. Look, as always I will be back and I am not going anywhere. I just expect more for the season pass holders. We are there every year and commit to you. We spread the good word. One day is not asking for alot.

    QUOTE=win;120484]I held my breath for a couple of days. I wasn't here last weekend, but I trusted my very able Mountain Manager to make the right call and I won't second guess him. Hawk, frankly, your comments are totally off base. How about the time and effort it took my team to re-open the mountain after the warm and sunny week we had? It would have been easy to call it quits like Jay did midweek and save some money. We hoped to stay open both days, but as I said I trusted my team to make the calll. They, like I, hoped to have two days. As far as a publicity stunt, I find that offensive. We did this two years ago and it was a great success and we received a lot of community goodwill. This year we also wanted to help the Vermont Land Trust in saving a very important part of the Mad River Valley.

    I do appreciate passholders like you but how about some appreciation in return? I think most would say it was a great season.[/QUOTE]
    Trouble with you is the trouble with me,
    Got two good eyes but we still don’t see!

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    In the woods of Mad River Valley
    Posts
    599
    I my humble opinion after hiking and skiing Steins on Monday and seeing how the MT was able to fix lower Organgrinder the week end before. There was enough snow. Plus from the marketing point of view. With Jay closed you could hear lots of French spoken in the lift line. Lots of Canadians came down to get their last day(s) in. While we were able to get them for a day, ironically we ended up pushing them South where I saw/heard them in line at Killington on Sunday. Which to me ends up being a lost opportunity for valley revenue.

  9. #9
    It was a great season regardless of anyone hurt by the decision to not open Sunday. As I recall, the web site snow report said "possibly to reopen at least Saturday" as late as mid week. I got the call Thursday night to come in on Friday and build the ramps for Valley House so that we could open. As quick as we threw the little snow we had on the top ramp, it was melting. There was just no place else to push snow from to make the ramp safe. Similar situation with Coffee Run. When we opened Saturday morning, patrol was still busy dragging tobogans from the end of the corral / bottom of Fling, up to where it was needed. After coming down from the top shortly after 9am, I was able to make it on my board directly to the lift, but an hour or so later it was not possible.

    Remember back to early in the season when the decision to open is based on providing a descent product. Saturday it was there. Sunday it wouldn't have been. We would've had to come in at 6am and attempt to farm snow from somewhere in order to build our ramps. Anyone who got off Valley House top on Saturday would know it was getting thin.

    It was definitely my longest season ever working on the mountain, starting with snowmaking on October 25 and working right 'til the bitter end. I think we rose to and met every challenge that was presented to us. Top to bottom for opening day with Jester AND OG is pretty impressive and something that hasn't been done in several years. Getting Gate House side open for Thanksgiving weekend. A Mt Ellen opening that was pretty close to 100% (last year, we barely made top-to-bottom on ME's opening day). Not to mention the fact that Downspout seemed to take the abuse of hordes of skiers and riders on the busiest Saturdays. Of course, Ma' Nature played a big part in all of it, too. I was proud to be on the snowmaking crew (although on the unsung-heroes crew of the night shift) and definitely plan on doing that again next year. And to stay busy on the mountain right up until the close of the season on May 4 was really cool.

    Everyone is, however, entitled to their own opinion. For those with a sour taste because of Sunday, just think back to those epic powder days of earlier in the season, and the dreams of those to come next season.

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