A Great Mountain

[HowieT2]

I still had a great day too of untracked in the woods but it is just getting old planning my day around lifts that are not running for mechanical reasons and no mention of lift issues at the hill. Updating the chalkboards in the corrals with lift issues would be greatly appreciated. I have no issues with lift system or layout. Just maintain them so they will be reliable and hire experienced mechanics to fix them when they break down.

totally agree. Frankly, I think they should consider giving those renewing season passes next season some sort of discount as a token of appreciation for what we have endured this season.

[Hawk]

Now that is a great idea.

totally agree. Frankly, I think they should consider giving those renewing season passes next season some sort of discount as a token of appreciation for what we have endured this season.

[HowieT2]

Back from JH. I'm totally spoiled. Super place, Tons of new snow, every lift worked every day all the time exept for Avi hold. The level of skiers there is sick. Everybody skis like Egan Brother! Legs totally spent, brain is cooked, spirits are high.

On a side note. They will never be able to start the VH this year. I am 99% sure that there will have to be a review of this project on a State and local level for approval. There has not even been a notice filed yet. Also they would have to be out to bid for the work and I have not heard anything about that. In the circles that I run, I would have heard about this. So do not expect the lift this year. That is my take.

Back next week to the Bush. It's good to be home. I need a vacation from my vacation.

Glad to hear you hit it right with the snow in JH. Its all about fresh pow and thats always an issue even out west. You deserved it after last years trip. I have buddies heading there wednesday so I hope you left some for them. also hope you're wrong about the timing of the VH replacement, but cant argue with your logic. Given that lift replacements are common, one would think that there is an established procedure.

[Go Figure]

Tuesday, March 4th - 10:00 AM

**Slidebrook is on maintenance delay**

[win]

Don't you think it makes sense to do some maintenance on a sheave on a weekday on a day when SB would have been delayed anyway due to the cold? Love the comment about HG not getting fixed faster. You guys should work as a lift mechanic and understand what reallly goes on. It is not always easy to identify a problem. When wind rips a wire from a tower which is what happened Saturday night, it can take time to find and then repari it.

[HowieT2]

Don't you think it makes sense to do some maintenance on a sheave on a weekday on a day when SB would have been delayed anyway due to the cold? Love the comment about HG not getting fixed faster. You guys should work as a lift mechanic and understand what reallly goes on. It is not always easy to identify a problem. When wind rips a wire from a tower which is what happened Saturday night, it can take time to find and then repari it.

Huh, I was amongst the first chairs going up HG on sunday, I noticed footprints in the snow to one of the towers and we commented "wonder what that was about". I've been accused around here of having rose colored glasses, so forgive me if it has appeared that there have been an unusual amount of mechanical issues with the lifts this season, and that said issues have taken an unusual amount of time to repair. Could it be dumb luck? sure, but you are aware that the "word" around town is that there was significant turnover in the lift maintenance crew after last season. I don't know if that's true or not, or whether that has anything to do with the lift situation. I don't know if u care to address that or not. It would be great, however, if you could tell us when the VH replacement is likely to occur. Thanks.
also, while we're at it, IIRC, prior to this season, the SBX only ran on weekends and holidays. why did u decide to run it all the time and is that what we can expect in the future???

[Spartan82]

LP was surprisingly not crowded on Sunday (with the exception of Castlerock, but that is always an issue on weekends due to the distance between chairs and the speed of the lift). When I went by Heaven's Gate around 10:00 and saw that it was down, as well as Valley House, I thought we were in for a tough day in lift lines. It did not turn out that way.

[Dblshot]

I would have to say the lift line at Bravo on Sunday was quite long and that VH was on loan to HG didn't help either. At least here is a bus to Mt Ellen....With the VH replacement, are the towers going to be low like the existing ones to stay below the tree (wind) line or are they going to be significantly taller? I would hope the cable would be at the same height, I don't think a quad chair is any taller than a double chair. IMO that is one of the best features about VH.

[win]

The Firday night wind tore off a wire on one of the towers. It is not always easy to identify which wire and requires climbing the towers to find it. Once found the fix is quick.

The new VH lift will keep the towers as low as possible to protect it from the wind. The unload will also be lower to make it less susceptible than the current lift is.

The plan is to run SB every day we can. It really moves people around and ME is so underutilized midweek.

[Hawk]

Well this past weekend was great as far as the lifts. They all seemed to spin consistently. Can't wait for the new snow this week. If it all holds together, this coming weekend should be the best of the season.

[HowieT2]

The Firday night wind tore off a wire on one of the towers. It is not always easy to identify which wire and requires climbing the towers to find it. Once found the fix is quick.

The new VH lift will keep the towers as low as possible to protect it from the wind. The unload will also be lower to make it less susceptible than the current lift is.

The plan is to run SB every day we can. It really moves people around and ME is so underutilized midweek.

and the new VH lift is anticipated to be installed when?????

[MntMan4Bush]

Well last weekend there was a brief period of long lines at SB and GH, but they soon dispersed so it was probably just a timing issue of people coming out. Though I was surprised at how quickly the lots filled up and the Employee Lot was being used. Of course I did make it a bit later than normal that day. Maybe that's the punishment. In any case from what I saw a weekend with no closures/issues. Good job. Let's build on it.

Even as one of the most critical of SB as of lately (When a lift stops you no longer get the benefit of the doubt and I assume the worst. Sorry SB. You earned it recently) even I cannot find fault in doing maintenance on a Tuesday. When else should it be done? That is exactly when and it's nice to hear SB is running mid week too. That may be nice for this upcoming storm.

Trust me. I'll be the first to get on the Bush about problems that are a result of poor planning, negligence or penny pinching (looking at you snow making), but not today. Regular maintenance before an issue occurs and planned for an off peak time is well done.

I could care less of the when on the VD. I actually like the lift and I think it's crusty look keeps others off it (and the hike up) while I use it to avoid SB lines. What I would love to see is the snow making improvement plan that I've made up in my head that Win has that is comparable to Stowe, but maybe a bit longer to implement. Oh and them saying that next year quad packs will either be gone or cut off at an amount less than what was sold this year, but I doubt that will happen.

[angler]

Well last weekend there was a brief period of long lines at SB and GH, but they soon dispersed so it was probably just a timing issue of people coming out. Though I was surprised at how quickly the lots filled up and the Employee Lot was being used. Of course I did make it a bit later than normal that day. Maybe that's the punishment. In any case from what I saw a weekend with no closures/issues. Good job. Let's build on it.

Even as one of the most critical of SB as of lately (When a lift stops you no longer get the benefit of the doubt and I assume the worst. Sorry SB. You earned it recently) even I cannot find fault in doing maintenance on a Tuesday. When else should it be done? That is exactly when and it's nice to hear SB is running mid week too. That may be nice for this upcoming storm.

Trust me. I'll be the first to get on the Bush about problems that are a result of poor planning, negligence or penny pinching (looking at you snow making), but not today. Regular maintenance before an issue occurs and planned for an off peak time is well done.

I could care less of the when on the VD. I actually like the lift and I think it's crusty look keeps others off it (and the hike up) while I use it to avoid SB lines. What I would love to see is the snow making improvement plan that I've made up in my head that Win has that is comparable to Stowe, but maybe a bit longer to implement. Oh and them saying that next year quad packs will either be gone or cut off at an amount less than what was sold this year, but I doubt that will happen.

I would agree, I don't think SB will limit the quad pack as its seems to be a important part of their cash flow at this time. With that being said I would rather see improvements to the snow making before a new lift as well. Quality snow making becomes the foundation for the whole season. No different then making sure you have a solid foundation before putting up the 2 x 4's on a building. Would love to hear the plans on this aspect of the operations.

[Go Figure]

Well this past weekend was great as far as the lifts. They all seemed to spin consistently. Can't wait for the new snow this week. If it all holds together, this coming weekend should be the best of the season.

Not entirely true, Super B did not load anyone till 8:15 and The clay brook elite had to wait with the Peasants without their special time on the hill. And on two different trips up on SB it stopped then false started [one time around 8-10 times] before catching and slowly speeding up.

[HowieT2]

Not entirely true, Super B did not load anyone till 8:15 and The clay brook elite had to wait with the Peasants without their special time on the hill. And on two different trips up on SB it stopped then false started [one time around 8-10 times] before catching and slowly speeding up.

r we not being a bit hypercritical in reporting every time a lift has to stop temporarily. I mean, people do fall and sometimes they have to load stuff onto a chair. and the claybrook bashing is going a bit far too imho. they have their privileges, like them or not, but it is the way it is.

My opinion is I'd rather see the vh replacement before any other capital improvement. I think its that big a deal. I assume from Win's silence that it is not something we should expect next season, which is disappointing.

fwiw-there was some discussion earlier about the snowmaking crew being laid off early. I heard this weekend, that they were in fact let go a week earlier than usual, but that it was due to the fact that they had emptied the snowmaking pond fighting the fire at the mountainside condos. either way, in retrospect, I dont think anyone can complain about the conditions since 2/14 and with whats coming from mother nature, making snow the last couple of weeks would have been throwing money down the drain. kudos to killington for doing so, but it doesnt bother me.