Mt Ellen Ticket - Question....

[Dawn Patrol]

On a somewhat related note, I pretty much disagree with, or find completely silly/useless, every suggestion mattlucas has made.... Sorry...

[mattlucas]

Really? Surely we must have some common ground, I've made so many suggestions!

the mattlucas platform:

webcams
SBX back to south after 3pm
reporting snowfall from when it starts to fly
getting tunes made at Ski Sharp, boots done at Alpine Options
treating customers *generously* when windholds destroy their whole day
renaming generic trails at north to their original cool names
roping off areas high up at south that see heavy use for tree regeneration
combining the SB / MRG messageboards because no one reads the MRG one
not getting speeding tickets in brandon
buying everyone free beers if I ever own a ski resort

[freeheel_skier]

Really? Surely we must have some common ground, I've made so many suggestions!

the mattlucas platform:

buying everyone free beers if I ever own a ski resort

I like this one. Let me know where/when your resort is and I will take you up on it!

[mattlucas]

Thanks man, I'm hoping even the guy who *threw out* flatbread can get down with that.

[Dawn Patrol]

Really? Surely we must have some common ground, I've made so many suggestions!

the mattlucas platform:

webcams
SBX back to south after 3pm
reporting snowfall from when it starts to fly
getting tunes made at Ski Sharp, boots done at Alpine Options
treating customers *generously* when windholds destroy their whole day
renaming generic trails at north to their original cool names
roping off areas high up at south that see heavy use for tree regeneration
combining the SB / MRG messageboards because no one reads the MRG one
not getting speeding tickets in brandon
buying everyone free beers if I ever own a ski resort

As far as SBX goes, it should never have been put up. It infact, should be torn down and an attempt made to regain skiing privileges. Almost any running of that lift is a waste. I've heard it has 4% ridership...

I won't delve into the rest to avoid getting OT, but I do seem to remember you initially suggesting we state preseason snowfalls as part of the season total...

[mattlucas]

yeah, that's on my list.

here is my reasoning: Some of the snow fell from the sky that allowed you to open paradise and other natural snow trails when you did BEFORE the lifts ever turned once. In my opinion, it's silly not to count that in the total. In a low elevation place like Vermont where thaws do occur, the total snowfall has even less correlation to the snowpack than it does somewhere like Alaska. But because NOT despite the crazy weather, you can count on getting snowfall from October to May that might be ski inducing.



Look, I'm not a troll. I'm just a skier like everyone else here that wishes they were skiing when they're instead sitting at a computer. Hopefully my opinions
will not preclude you from having a good time if we ever have to share a ride up the hill. Just don't talk about the Red Sox.

[Hawk]

Really? Surely we must have some common ground, I've made so many suggestions!

the mattlucas platform:

webcams
SBX back to south after 3pm
reporting snowfall from when it starts to fly
getting tunes made at Ski Sharp, boots done at Alpine Options
treating customers *generously* when windholds destroy their whole day
renaming generic trails at north to their original cool names
roping off areas high up at south that see heavy use for tree regeneration
combining the SB / MRG messageboards because no one reads the MRG one
not getting speeding tickets in brandon
buying everyone free beers if I ever own a ski resort

As far as SBX goes, it should never have been put up. It infact, should be torn down and an attempt made to regain skiing privileges. Almost any running of that lift is a waste. I've heard it has 4% ridership...

I won't delve into the rest to avoid getting OT, but I do seem to remember you initially suggesting we state preseason snowfalls as part of the season total...

What skiing privileges are we going to regain? There are no restrictions in slidebrook. Unless you are refering to something else.
As for tearing it down, that would cost money too. Anyway I would hate to see it go. It is after all, the longest high speed quad in the world.

[mattlucas]

Dawn Patrol,

If you mean skiing privileges as in Lift Serve in Slide Brook, that will never happen. Between 1981 and 1996 every attempt was made and by the end of it,
slide brook was declared prime black bear habitat to remain forever wild. The only way the SBX was allowed was because ASC traded the feds bits and pieces of
private land adjacent to federal and state forest. I can't remember where.

But believe me, they tried and tried to connect the two if that's what you're asking about.

[summitchallenger]

This conversation continues?

[ski_resort_observer]

I think several planks of your platform are very worthwhile and deserves discussion. I like this one

renaming generic trails at north to their original cool names

maybe during Mellons birthday plus someone playing bagpipes would start the day, letting everyone know that the GMX has started spinning.

[jwt]

great thought SRO, and the name change back to Scotch Mist and others, well, that's a no brainer. Classy, earthy, and original. A little history of the names of the mountains would be nice too - From General Stark on up to Mt Abraham. All ( I think) American history related.

Let's call them by their original names ANYWAY, by years end, the whole list will know what's what.

Cruiser? C'mon, we are far better than that.

[Strat]

great thought SRO, and the name change back to Scotch Mist and others, well, that's a no brainer. Classy, earthy, and original. A little history of the names of the mountains would be nice too - From General Stark on up to Mt Abraham. All ( I think) American history related.

Let's call them by their original names ANYWAY, by years end, the whole list will know what's what.

Cruiser? C'mon, we are far better than that.

I found this several years ago on Virtual Vermont.com...
"Lincoln Mountain is made up of five peaks, all at more than 3,800 feet: Lincoln Peak, Cutts Peak, Mount Ellen, Mount Abraham, Nancy Hanks Peak. Seeing the name Lincoln Mountain and then Mount Abraham and Nancy Hanks Peak, strangers assume with considerable justice that these names were given to honor President Abraham Lincoln and his mother. Not so: the mountain received its name from the fact that this section of Warren was once part of Lincoln town in Addison County to the west (chartered in 1780). It was only later that the Abraham and Nancy Hanks elevations were named as a play on the Lincoln name and its associations. The highest point on Lincoln Mountain is known as Mount Ellen, named in the 1920's for Ellen Douglas, the heroine of Sir Walter Scott's "Lady of the Lake," by some of the young people working on the Long Trail."

[jwt]

Thanks Strat, I had read a different take - will have to look it up. That is very interesting yet not as connected to the tyoe of American history as I expected.

I've got a couple of Vermont Life magazines at the house that I think tells a slightly different story. I'll try to look at that this weekend but snow may keep me rather busy - both driving and skiing!

Merry Christmas!

[Dawn Patrol]

I really think running SBX at all is basically the definition of excess. Is this the kind of image we want to portray? Sure 96 out of 100 chairs go unriden, but hey, we're Americans and we don't care how much it costs or how much electricity it uses. Damn the environment, I don't want to wait 15 minutes for a bus!

[mattlucas]

FWIW, I basically agree with what dawn patrol said about SBX. It probably isn't worth running SBX or redundant lifts like VH outside of weekends or busier weeks. But, if there is a way to make a lift or area more useful it should be explored.