Jonni
Remski
When you look at the opening dates for the ski areas Crotched isn’t listed. Is it for sale, will it not open this season or did they forget they own it?
Jonni
Yeah, that's odd, but Crotched's website says 12/5 for an opening date.
ski_it
An excerpt from the message sent to employees from my secret source.
I need to get a job at Crotched flipping burgers
"Many of you are probably wondering what this means for you. Our employees are our most valuable asset and we know that access to skiing and riding through employee and dependent passes is an important benefit of working for Vail Resorts.
• You will have preferential mountain access - employee and dependent passes will be exempt from the guest reservations system and will enable you to freely enjoy the mountains at any time (with the exception of traditional blackout restrictions when there is limited terrain open).
• We will also continue to provide discounted coupons for friends and family of employees, which will be subject to the reservation system and some limited blackout dates. There will likely be a new process for accessing and redeeming friends and family coupons and we will be sharing more details in the coming weeks.
This season is going to be different and you may have more questions about what is changing. Please know, we are committed to providing a fulfilling and fun employee experience that prioritizes the health and well being of our employees and guests. Stay tuned for more details about updated employee programs and plans in the coming days. "
ski_it
Jonni;c-42917 wroteYeah, that's odd, but Crotched's website says 12/5 for an opening date.
I believe they say that every year but it varies widely since they don't have the elevation to guarantee early snow making. It should say no sooner than 12/5
rickbolger
all this static about "priority days" and "core season" is troubling. If I read between the lines, they consider a passholder whole if you get seven days in.
OK, so lets say I buy the northeast whatever it is pass for $599 less my 20% discount, I get seven guaranteed days for $379 or $68/day. Let's say I reserve a Saturday at Wildcat, rent a room at the White Trellis down in North Conway. Saturday dawns with torrential rain and ground temps of 31º, meaning hazardous travel on Rt 16 and brutal ski conditions. (It happens sometimes in New England)
Now what? Ugh. Well whatever, I'll probably wind up buying it.
I'm starting to get irritated about this virus thing.
Chuckstah
rickbolger;c-42920 wroteall this static about "priority days" and "core season" is troubling. If I read between the lines, they consider a passholder whole if you get seven days in.
OK, so lets say I buy the northeast whatever it is pass for $599 less my 20% discount, I get seven guaranteed days for $379 or $68/day. Let's say I reserve a Saturday at Wildcat, rent a room at the White Trellis down in North Conway. Saturday dawns with torrential rain and ground temps of 31º, meaning hazardous travel on Rt 16 and brutal ski conditions. (It happens sometimes in New England)
Now what? Ugh. Well whatever, I'll probably wind up buying it.
I'm starting to get irritated about this virus thing.
I believe you cancel up to midnight the day before. Most hotels also have very lenient cancellation policy as well, for now anyway. Will it be ideal. Probably not but it probably won't suck either.
rickbolger
Thanks for that info! I looked for it and sure enough you can cancel up to midnight. It will free up availability for other skiers.
I can't find anything on how they plan to define capacity. The Wildcat instagram flunkie tells you to go to the EpicPass® website, and when you're on the "Reservation Details" page they link you to the "Winter Experience" page. There, when you click on the "How are you managing access to the mountain this year?" FAQ, they return you to the "Reservation Details" page.
I only went through the loop once, in case you're wondering ;)
yardsale
FAQ's from VAIL - one in particular:
Q: What if I do not ski or ride on the day of my reservation?
A: If you no longer plan to use your reservation, you may cancel the reservation by 12:00 am of your planned ski date. The earlier you cancel your reservation, the more likely that a fellow skier or rider will be able to use your spot to enjoy the mountain. You will be able to cancel your reservation by going online at epicpass.com or on our resort sites in your "My Account" profile.
We reserve the right to restrict the ability of the pass holder to make future reservations if the reservation system is being abused or manipulated in any way.
If you are feeling sick or experiencing symptoms, please cancel your reservation and do not visit our resorts for the safety of our guests and employees.
I think this FAQ deserves some additional drill down, as the Vail police (aka yellow coats online) may come for my pass:
a) What if I wake up sick? It's past 12:00am and I can't cancel?
b) Mt. Snow specific question: What if I decide to watch a Talking Heads concert on you tube because Snow Barn has no live music at all,,, have a bit too much to drink at home and don't feel so good in the morning. Can I go get scanned once at Tumbleweed to fulfill my reservation and then go home having skied one 400 ft vert run? What if I show up at 3pm the day of my reservation and ski till 3:30pm? Last year, the scanners hardly ever worked - I will hold up the line to make sure my pass is scanned - even if it takes minutes.
c) my daughter wasn't going to buy a pass this year because the Peak's under 30 drifter went away and her pass price increased by 30%. My wife and I were going to use our buddy passes for her - thus we could get her some days. The benefit was upgraded last year, to let you email the buddy ticket. But NOW, I can't be sure she gets a resv the day we want to ski together (and not valid prior to Dec 8th) AND I now have to be with her to pick up the tickets. BS!
d) I ski as a single a lot. Seems like a nightmare for the single skier. Should there be a single pass where we pay less because we will now we have to wait in line longer?
The value of the pass I purchased in early March has decreased. I just can't see getting the value out of the pass - even with the early close discount from last season. I've decided to keep it, though, and will scrutinize next year after the season plays out. Maybe Vail will have made the right call and I'll be pleasantly surprised.
jgreco
rickbolger, I don't think you can use your 20% on a Northeast pass. Only on passes of equal or greater value of the pass you had last year.
Chuckstah
jgreco;c-42924 wroterickbolger, I don't think you can use your 20% on a Northeast pass. Only on passes of equal or greater value of the pass you had last year.
Pretty sure you can, but not online. You have to call.
Betsy
Honestly, I don't see myself doing much alpine this year, though I am hoping some of the areas around me will have some sort of midweek deal for local families, especially if our schools are still in hybrid mode.
I'm going to invest in some nordic gear...at least I can do that right out my front door!
xlr8r
Chuckstah;c-42925 wrotejgreco;c-42924 wroterickbolger, I don't think you can use your 20% on a Northeast pass. Only on passes of equal or greater value of the pass you had last year.
Pretty sure you can, but not online. You have to call.
Yes, If you call they will give you the discount on the Northeast Value Pass. That is what I did.
rickbolger
good thread here, thanks for the info re. discount
not wild about these arrangements, and no huge fan of Vail that's for sure. however I think they've come up with a pretty good system given the circumstances, and the circumstances really suck. so until further evidence is in, kudos to them. (gosh I hate saying that)
If I do buy a pass, my personal goal will be to suffer any inconveniences quietly and without complaining. Thinking that if enough of us core skiers can be adults about it, we'll be an example and set the standard, and the people who put up a fuss will be the glaring exceptions.
It won't be easy, since I'm inherently impatient and seldom hesitate to loudly point out stupidity when I see it. So this season could be an opportunity for personal growth :)
NELSBEER
I try to see the bright side... when else are you ever going to get a semi-private bubble at Mount Snow? I rode up up with 5 Jr. HS cheerleaders onetime, sure was loud, but "Cheerful".
It is good to see the core of Vail's expectations coming out.
bmwskier
"It won't be easy, since I'm inherently impatient and seldom hesitate to loudly point out stupidity when I see it. So this season could be an opportunity for personal growth :)"
All things considered going on in the world, this reminds me of the advice a friend of mine gave me a couple of years ago that I practice as much as I can.
"Paul, never, ever, ever pass up an opportunity to simply just shut the f**k up..."
bousquet19
bmwskier;c-42940 wrote
(From rickbolger:)
"It won't be easy, since I'm inherently impatient and seldom hesitate to loudly point out stupidity when I see it. So this season could be an opportunity for personal growth :)"
From bmwskier:
All things considered going on in the world, this reminds me of the advice a friend of mine gave me a couple of years ago that I practice as much as I can.
"Paul, never, ever, ever pass up an opportunity to simply just shut the f**k up..."
Well said, gentlemen, and I agree.
I'm normally an obsessive numbers geek about maximizing my FPM (fun per minute) and minimizing my costs. But the operating plan from Vail resorts, as Ricky Ricardo would say, "... is makin' my head asplode." :s
Have to take a break from trying to figure things out. For now, I'll expect to plan ahead (even more), remember to STFU, and ... (ahem) ... be open to opportunities for personal growth.
Woody
tedede
bmwskier;c-42940 wrote"It won't be easy, since I'm inherently impatient and seldom hesitate to loudly point out stupidity when I see it. So this season could be an opportunity for personal growth :)"
All things considered going on in the world, this reminds me of the advice a friend of mine gave me a couple of years ago that I practice as much as I can.
"Paul, never, ever, ever pass up an opportunity to simply just shut the f**k up..."
LOL!!! Awesome advice!
A career coach shared a tip with me: When you're hot and bothered and about to speak, take a moment to think: "What would an adult do?"
NELSBEER
Makes it much more interesting when you don't. :) That's why we have so much fun.
Beast Patroller
Just when my wife & I had decided to renew our season pass to Mount Snow we see this announcement. We have no problem with the reservation system but we're up there every weekend so how will this work? With the way Vail has setup reservations there is the real possibility of some days/weekends we won't be able to reserve our skiing time.
The Epic Local pass we had planned to purchase has NO RESTRICTIONS for most of the mountains on it (including Mount Snow). So... how can it really be a no restriction pass if we could (and probably will) be told that we can't ski on a particular day(s) because the reservations are full?
In the past when we bought our passes we had to list a home mountain. It would have helped if Vail had setup the reservations so passholders got first crack on their "home mountain", then other Epic passholders came next, then public day tickets. We're the ones that support the mountain & surrounding towns throughout the season/year!
We are actually considering going back to Berkshire East this winter as we would probably get more skiing in there for less money. The only concern is it's 30-40 mins. from our place in Wilmington and instead of leaving our ski gear up there we would have to bring it home to CT.
