jgreco
Anecdotally, it seems like most Northeastern ski areas and resorts had record or near-record crowds this weekend. I was at Mount Snow and saw the crowds there, heard Butternut was turning people away mid-morning, read Ragged had a big crowd, heard Stowe lots were full early, saw pics of the big lines at Okemo, read Sugarbush had a record... etc etc.
I'm glad the mountains got a good shot of cash after a rough couple weeks. Hopefully this weekend makes up for it.
Are there any reports from Tenney or other small areas that could REALLY use some holiday cash?
With boomtown ski areas like Crystal, WA limiting their ticket sales and a post from Bridger's board suggesting they need to address the influx of skiers, do you think skier numbers can support the recently reopened and potential reopenable ski areas? I'm trying to think of an example of a NE ski area limiting tickets after it got too crowded (vs for exclusivity/proactive purposes).
sugarloaf
I didn't look yesterday, but judging by the webcams, Ski Sundown and Mohawk are barely more crowded than on a typical weekday. It's also windy and cold here, only 21F at noon with full sunshine.
I'm headed out on Wednesday, not sure where.
NewEnglandSkier13
Crowds at Black have been large, especially yesterday. It has been a great weekend for us!
sugarloaf
Today also isn't a day off work for alot of folks. I never had the day off.
skelley19
I wasn't there but Wachusett announced on social media at 10 AM that the day session (7:30-4) was completely sold out.
medford_mike
They are not cash strapped but I am sure. Berkshire East enjoyed the money they made Sunday. Busy by their standards. Very busy in fact. I skied open to about 12:30. People were parking down to the entrance to the driveway. Mountain itself didn’t feel crowded but Lodge was just insane. They seemed to have some trouble with the triple. That definitely handed to the lines but even at their worst it was better than many places on a busy but non holiday weekend.
Bkroon9175
We skied Waterville Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Saturday and Sunday were very busy. On Sunday the Sunnyside Lodge ran out of food. There were also two decent sized events taking place on the trails. Monday looked like it would be really busy but a lot of people came out to ski just a little before heading out to beat traffic. It was also really windy and cold at WV ON Monday. Overall, I think they had a good weekend.
bmwskier
Sugarbush was packed-- no idea on numbers but it was huge.
marcski
Plattekill (I know, NY isn't NE, but anyway!) was packed on Sunday. (lots of Jerry's, too, which is always fun to see!) Cars parked 1/2 mile down the road. I was there at open and skied straight and left at 1:30. It was so crowded in the lodge at that time, that I didn't even try and find a chair to change...just took the boots off at the car.
I'm happy for the Mountain. They need a few days like that each year.
lotsoskiing
Sugarbush was reportedly a record. 11,000+
Cannonball
On Sunday, Cannon supposedly hit ~5k ticket sales and shut it down. Probably another 1k of passholders there as well.
millerm277
Probably not an area that needs it given it's owner, but Dartmouth Skiway was packed on Sunday by it's standards. Full lots, decent-sized liftline at the mid-day peak.
slatham
And then Monday was empty......
joshua_segal
slatham;c-39775 wroteAnd then Monday was empty......
CM had a good crowd on Monday, but nothing like Sunday.
Kayaker
Sunday was the busiest day of the year at Ski Bradford with a race event, new snow, and great weather. It was so busy at the snowsports school that they put out an emergency email for more instructors to show up. Monday was not nearly as busy.
skizilla
Okemo crazy busy sunday. Shuttle driver said busiest he had seen. They actually plowed out new parking spots. I also heard from multiple employees online sales was the highest ever. 20 to 25 minute lines on the bubbles.
TomWhite
Joshua,
When I replied to your "Others?" I didn't noticed I was on the Mt. Snow thread. So here's my MLK wknd post about Mt. Abram.
January 21 Posts: 1,226
joshua_segal wrote: »
Sunday it seems everyone wanted to ski. Adding Mount Snow to the list of areas that sold-out on Sunday. The list to date includes Wachusett, Crotched, Gunstock, Pat's and Sunapee. Others?
They were parking on the access road at Mt. Abram. The lodge was elbow to elbow. The summit double, maxed at 7-8 min. The T-bar (near to summit) ran all day. Because there was so much open, no trails were crowded. Rocky's, a true double black was good. It's a natural. It's actually Lower Rocky's that's real steep. The first pitch was good. The second steep pitch was, well rocky! I bought HalfPriceOnline the night before, 2 for $39. I declare Mt. A was sold out.
TomWhite
Here's the East section of the SAM article:
BUSINESS REPORT: VISITORS SWARM RESORTS OVER MLK WEEKEND
24 January 2020
SAM Magazine—Burlington, Vt., Jan. 24, 2020—Fresh snow combined with the Martin Luther King Jr. Day long weekend made for a perfect storm at North American ski resorts, which saw a huge uptick in volume as skiers and snowboarders flocked to the mountains. Happy skiers at Gunstock over MLK weekend
EAST
In the Northeast, January’s dry streak was broken by several good-sized dumps just before and during MLK weekend. Nearly two feet of fresh snow made for a booming holiday at Stowe Mountain Resort, according to Jeff Wise, senior director of communications for Vail Resorts’ northeastern properties. “Traditionally the most popular ski weekend in January, this annual MLK holiday proved to be an opportune ski and snowboard holiday with great snow conditions here in northern Vermont,” Wise said.
Sugarbush, meanwhile, experienced the busiest day in its 61-year history. “Sugarbush had a record day on Sunday thanks to the timing of the storm for our MLK Weekend guests,” said public relations manager John Bleh. “The snowfall, along with our snowmaking efforts, helped us open a ton of new terrain, which coupled with relatively warmer temps kept crowds nicely dispersed all over the mountain.”
In New Hampshire, Gunstock also enjoyed its busiest day on record. Fresh snow, sunny skies, and crowded lift lines were a welcome present for the new president and general manager Tom Day, taking over after last week’s retirement of longtime GM Greg Goddard. “Sunday was a record day for us, historically a record day in terms of skier visits,” Day said. “The snow and sunny weather got everybody out. Even though it was busy, everybody was happy because it was good skiing. There were a lot of happy, satisfied skiers and riders here.”
Down the coast, resorts in Pennsylvania’s Pocono mountains also benefited from new snow and sunshine. At Blue Mountain Resort, lines wrapped around the ticket booths, and ski trails were packed with thousands of skiers and boarders. "It's kind of been a crazy weekend for us, in general,” marketing manager Ashley Seier said. “Holiday weekends always are. We were blessed with natural snow. We had about three inches of natural snow on Saturday night, so it definitely brought out the crowds for this weekend.”
