"The Today Show" at Sugarbush on Thursday!

[mikec13]

Fortunately I have had limited experience with rude people at Sugarbush but since it is so out of charachter with my "normal" experiences at Sugarbush they do seem to stand out...I think Win and Co have done a good job in trying to preserve the traditional vibe and feel of Sugarbush while expanding the resort...i think it is incumbent on the employees and the regulars to help communicate and teach the "new people" what "flys at Sugarbush and what doesn't"...it seems to me that it might help to have more ambassador presence on mountain during these busy periods...they do a nice job welcoming people but I seldom see them on mountain...boosting the number of Blue jackets to help educate people I think would go a long way...I bet half the people on this board would don a blue jacket during the busy weekends, still be able to ski their usual spots and "assist" people in understanding the Sugarbush way.

[ski_resort_observer]

Saw a camera crew in Warren Village this morning when I picked up my mail, wonder if we will see noski when I watch the show tomorrow morning from the comfort of my living room. That would be cool! Mother nature seems to be trying to lay down a fresh coat of the whitestuff, just a couple of inches would be great, to cover up the dirty stuff.

[Go Figure]

The Today Show is here because this was the only large resort not booked for the holiday week!
The increase in skiers and their increased rudeness in the result of turning the Sugarbush Inn into a low rent Bus Depot. Notice how many buses
are around on the weekend, filling the lodge and mountain with riff raff.Lower the ticket price to $63 and get more Quality day skiers.
How about a segment on all of the Restaurants for sale, maybe shake a buyer out of the tree.
When the destination wedding fad is over the final nail will be driven.

[ski_resort_observer]

The Today Show is here because this was the only large resort not booked for the holiday week!
The increase in skiers and their increased rudeness in the result of turning the Sugarbush Inn into a low rent Bus Depot. Notice how many buses are around on the weekend, filling the lodge and mountain with riff raff.Lower the ticket price to $63 and get more Quality day skiers.
How about a segment on all of the Restaurants for sale, maybe shake a buyer out of the tree.
When the destination wedding fad is over the final nail will be driven.

If you think the Bush gets alot of buses then obviously you haven't been to other resorts. The bus parking lot, after they have dropped off their skiers/riders, is across the road from the Sugarbush Inn. How about a segment on the new restaurants in the valley. Word in the valley is that Big World is going to take over the Bass/Country Flair restaurant and open an italian restaurant.

I think it's easy to say that the restaurants closing was a sign of a poor valley economy. If you knew the situations surrounding the closing of each restaurant you would know that several closed for a variety of reasons.

While there is always going to be a few rude stressed quests I saw more folks this past busy weekend excited to be at the Bush, several skiing/riding at the Bush for the first time. I delt with way more nice friendly guests then rude ones.

Apologize for the "atta boy" post but I call them as I see them. Looking forward to watching our hill, our valley and Vermont presented before a national audience for a variety of reasons.

[MntMan4Bush]

I do have to say that I feel in general we are lucky at Sugarbush with regard to crowds. Win says that they make money on 40 days of the year, but I really feel we only feel the crunch on perhaps 10 days. A small price to pay for the relatively tranquility we have for the rest of the season. Wifey and I and some friends are heading to Utah next week and we figure that when we get back we'll have the mountain to ourselves again for the rest of the season. Not too bad.

The issue is when lifts go down. It seems that every big weekend a lift is going down. We went to North on Saturday, which was presumably the better idea. However I heard that Saturday the crowds weren't too bad at South and over at North the North Ridge chair went down. Without that chair the mountain is useless for me. Upper FIS was skiing great, but it's such a short run. I like doing laps on Exterminator/Bravo to Encore/Tumbler or Cliffs. Thats some sustained vertical of bumps that get the legs shaking like Jessica Simpson before an IQ test. On Sunday we went to South because the North Ridge was still down. The lines were rough in the beginning. Even HG was stacked. So we figured a run up to North Lynx when all of a sudden that went down as we skated up. I know. I know. I'll get the wind hold story, but it's a fixed grip. Don't those handle wind better. My buddy was saying at other mountains they sometimes just make sure singles don't ride up alone on windy days. In any case as frustrating as that was we skated up to Castle Rock, got good pole position and beat the crowd. However the line filled in pretty densely behind us back to the bridge. The reason why?? The HG Chair was also down. Now fortunately we're patient. We did one run on CR and took the connector over to HG and it had just re-opened. We had it all to ourselves the rest of the day because most people had packed it in.

I guess my point is that generally the crowds aren't bad, but I feel more attention needs to be spent on maintenance. At the beginning of the season with the lifts down (North Ridge, North Lynx, SBX) for parts or software what is being done on a preventative measure and can more be done so the mountain is proactive instead of reactive. Don't get me wrong. When something goes down the Lift Ops do a great job jumping in and trying to fix it, but how often is maintenance done to stop it from happening in the first place? I'd rather have all the lifts working all the time then more elbow space in the cafe. When its a wind hold situation safety comes first of course. Won't/Can't argue that. However are there ways like no singles only on a chair and things like that which could be used to mitigate the issue. I mean the NL chair is pretty sheltered unless the wind comes right up over the top and it is fixed grip.

Oh and before you start. I know. I know. I'm a horrible complainer. I never have fun. The snow wasn't great and that wasn't a huge smile on my face the entire weekend despite the horrific ordeals I had to endure. Try checking out the Killington forums to see what real complainers and mountain trashing look like. This is just one guys humble opinion.

[ski_resort_observer]

Wow..that was really awesome! I think it comes back on at 10AM.

Egan was great and I am sure the newest technical ski jacket aspect everyone will be asking about will be the "armpit vents".

Matt Lauer looks like a decent skier, at least in that segment where he and Win went moonlight skiing.

There were a few obvious gaffs but that just added to the fun of watching.

Will looked great but I think they should have left Hannah Teter out of that segment. Will is an awesome rider with international creds.

I am sure Hammond is going to be taking good natured jabs over the intro on him for months to come. It was a nice piece on MO. Overall it was fun to watch and the crowds looked like they were having fun.

[skiladi]

Wow..that was really awesome! I think it comes back on at 10AM.

Egan was great and I am sure the newest technical ski jacket aspect everyone will be asking about will be the "armpit vents". There were a few obvious gaffs but that just added to the fun of watching.

Matt Lauer looks like a decent skier, at least in that segment where he and Win went moonlight skiing.

I am sure Hammond is going to be taking good natured jabs over the intro on him for months to come. It was a nice piece on MO. Overall it was fun to watch and the crowds looked like they were having fun.

I'm already on hour 3 as I get the Maine channel 6 here in NH. Win , John E. , John H. and Shawn were all very photogenic. The show has its usual "fluff" , having to fill 4 hours but Sugarbush looks great. But will someone please throw a snowball at that Travel Lady!!? Sunday River midweek specials , Cranapalooza , spa resorts out west?? Geez louise.

[CapeSkiGuy]

Agreed! Samantha Brown talked about Sunday River?!? Thanks a lot, Samantha... I hope somebody straightened her out once that segment was over. She should have stuck to talking about packing her suitcases. All this media attention and she gives a free plug to a resort that is our direct competition. Cranmore, too! I know it is good for the industry in general, but jeeeeez!

[Hardbooter]

OK, I've now got four hours of Today Show on my tivo and about an hour this evening to catch the best of it. Any suggestions on parts I should see? What hour(s) were the best parts in?

[heath1230]

The Today Show is here because this was the only large resort not booked for the holiday week!
The increase in skiers and their increased rudeness in the result of turning the Sugarbush Inn into a low rent Bus Depot. Notice how many buses
are around on the weekend, filling the lodge and mountain with riff raff.Lower the ticket price to $63 and get more Quality day skiers.
How about a segment on all of the Restaurants for sale, maybe shake a buyer out of the tree.
When the destination wedding fad is over the final nail will be driven.

What a snob? Riff Raff...are you kidding me? Are you stuck in the 50's? You must be an out-of-stater whose relocated to the MRV. The Today Show came because this valley has a lot to offer visitors to Vermont. Vermont is a tourism based state...we need these people. And FYI...there are hundreds of people who want to stay at the inn. Pam and her staff do an excellent job...who the hell do you think you are to insult the inn. The inn has been there longer than most and it will continue to welcome those of us who can't afford to stay other places.

You sound like you might need some counseling for your negative outlook on life...if you don't like it here leave.

[win]

After a wonderful day for Sugarbush, The Valley and Vermont with The Today Show, I really did not want to respond to Go Figures, but I need to on a few points. We were entirely booked for the Holidays, and Clay Brook has been almost so since Christmas. Many of the owners allowed us to use their space for the NBC crew. The Today Show looked at a number of resorts and in their site visits and thought the look and feel of Sugarbush was the best for the show! The loved the look of Timbers and Clay Brook, and the beauty of the Mountain and the Valley.

I have already responded to the restaurant issue in the past but the key issue is to ask why places like Millbrook, The Common Man. The Hyde Away, Egan's, Flatbread and Chez Henri for instance have been around for so long and why newer ones like The Pitcher Inn, Sweetwood, Easy Street,, 1824, The Big Picture Cafe and now Timbers for instance are doing well. Businesses fail for many reasons and people sell businesses for many reasons. This Valley is on the upswing and the best idicator is to compare real estate values five years ago and values today. It seems that many people want to be here!

As far as buses go, there are hardly many more buses here than in past years and most ski resorts welcome them. They actually represent a small percentage of the skier and riders here during the course of the year. I also think any group generalization is small minded. Most of the young adults who come here are hardly " riff raff", are well behaved and thrilled to have an outing skiing and riding.

The biggest complaint I heard this week was from one passholder complaining about an "elderly passholder" man skiing too fast and to close to this person.

The final point I would make is that the Today Show team loved their stay here, and many want to come back on their own time. They also to a person commented on how nice and welcoming everyone was here and how beautiful the Resort and the Valley is.

This was a great day for Sugarbush, for The Mad River Valley and for Vermont!

[thedisemboweler]

After a wonderful day for Sugarbush, The Valley and Vermont with The Today Show, I really did not want to respond to Go Figures, but I need to on a few points. We were entirely booked for the Holidays, and Clay Brook has been almost so since Christmas. Many of the owners allowed us to use their space for the NBC crew. The Today Show looked at a number of resorts and in their site visits and thought the look and feel of Sugarbush was the best for the show! The loved the look of Timbers and Clay Brook, and the beauty of the Mountain and the Valley.

I have already responded to the restaurant issue in the past but the key issue is to ask why places like Millbrook, The Common Man. The Hyde Away, Egan's, Flatbread and Chez Henri for instance have been around for so long and why newer ones like The Pitcher Inn, Sweetwood, Easy Street,, 1824, The Big Picture Cafe and now Timbers for instance are doing well. Businesses fail for many reasons and people sell businesses for many reasons. This Valley is on the upswing and the best idicator is to compare real estate values five years ago and values today. It seems that many people want to be here!

As far as buses go, there are hardly many more buses here than in past years and most ski resorts welcome them. They actually represent a small percentage of the skier and riders here during the course of the year. I also think any group generalization is small minded. Most of the young adults who come here are hardly " riff raff", are well behaved and thrilled to have an outing skiing and riding.

The biggest complaint I heard this week was from one passholder complaining about an "elderly passholder" man skiing too fast and to close to this person.

The final point I would make is that the Today Show team loved their stay here, and many want to come back on their own time. They also to a person commented on how nice and welcoming everyone was here and how beautiful the Resort and the Valley is.

This was a great day for Sugarbush, for The Mad River Valley and for Vermont!

congrats to you, win....ive only been to sb once 10+ years ago but have great memories of the day....im happy for you, sb, the resort & all the people....

[Treeskier]

I watch all of the show. We really looked good. While the today show staff did their own stupid people tricks. We looked very professional! Hats off to everyone! The businesses who had cameo spots also accented our "Vermont/Sugarbush/Mad River Valley Spirit and Flavor" I had hoped to be there but a bad cold kept me in. It was nice to see from the TV point of view that Gatehouse sounded good. Funny I would have thought they would have had Grace Potter sing.....(she is probably not in the valley)

Now back to my snow dance and hopefully we can pull the coastal storm more North Friday into Saturday!

[jkvt]

The Today Show is here because this was the only large resort not booked for the holiday week!
The increase in skiers and their increased rudeness in the result of turning the Sugarbush Inn into a low rent Bus Depot. Notice how many buses
are around on the weekend, filling the lodge and mountain with riff raff.Lower the ticket price to $63 and get more Quality day skiers.
How about a segment on all of the Restaurants for sale, maybe shake a buyer out of the tree.
When the destination wedding fad is over the final nail will be driven.

Interesting...and where did you get your information about why the Today show choose Sugarbush over other resorts? The voices in your head telling you it is so?

How do you figure that lowering ticket prices will increase the "quality" of people skiing? Although I would love to see prices lower in general your comment makes no sense.

As for restaurants...it is a shame that there are three of them up for sale. Although one that closed the owners are now running another in The Valley and one closed because the owner had had enough of the business. While that is a shame at least two more opened up The Green Cup and the Spotted Cow, both offering great food. And a new deli has opened up in The Sugarbush Village. Along with that The Phoenix bar is now delivering. So while there are restaurants for sale it hardly tells the whole story of restaurants in The Valley.

Your whole post wreaks of a giant troll and being a CIT (Curmudgeon In Training) I would know

jkvt

[HowieT2]

I was waiting to pick up my son this afternoon at the alc with Boze and we ran into Win. It was heartening to see everything go off so well, especially for Win, who obviously puts his heart and soul into SB. I like to get to the mtn early when my parenting/work duties permit, and there isn't a day I don't see Win there. I'm sure we don't know half of what a huge undertaking the show was for the entire staff. Today was a huge deal and the benefits will accrue for years.

As for the complaining. I think this board has some very thoughtful posters who truly care for the welfare of SB (BTW I agree the plastic arm chairs should go). Voicing criticisms and suggestions are invaluable for making improvements. And for those who don't like the riff raff, well... it's a free country and you're free to find someplace where only your kind of people are allowed.