Vail Sucks 2021/20??

Cannonball

NewEnglandSkier13;c-51862 wrote

Crotched's website still states that paper maps will not be available. It is also still featuring the photo of the lodge at Alpine Valley.

https://www.crotchedmtn.com/the-mountain/about-the-mountain/trail-maps.aspx

There seems to be a hierarchy of website attention.

Crotched's lessons page has an instructor with an Attitash/Wildcat jacket.
https://www.crotchedmtn.com/plan-your-trip/ski-and-ride-lessons/category/products/adult-1-hour-10am-group-ski-lesson?date=12/11/2021

Alpine Valley uses the same photo from Attitash, but at least they bothered to photoshop it!
https://www.alpinevalleyohio.com/plan-your-trip/more-options/first-timers-guide.aspx

Those would have been good pics to use for Wildcat, but they went with an Afton Alps pic instead.
https://www.skiwildcat.com/plan-your-trip/ski-and-ride-lessons/category/products/private-full-day-snowboard-lesson?date=12/09/2021

NELSBEER

It's hard to tell them apart from Broomfield Colorado from whence all web intelligence emanates. Hopefully the East Coast will get a web outpost equipped with a camera for the season.

lotsoskiing

NewEnglandSkier13;c-51862 wrote
rickbolger;c-51861 wroteWell it's interesting and semi-informative to read his point of view and some of the comments as well, but it doesn't appear to be a gathering of the intelligentsia.

On the topic of Vail, the rumor about paper maps and lack thereof appears to be garbled info -- on both the Okemo and Wildcat sites they state that "paper trail maps will be available in-resort upon request."

It will be interesting to see how they handle that...what's the story with paper maps at Crotched?

I'm hopeful this isn't printing on demand from the 11 x 17 tray in the office copier to enhance the customer experience.
Crotched's website still states that paper maps will not be available. It is also still featuring the photo of the lodge at Alpine Valley.

https://www.crotchedmtn.com/the-mountain/about-the-mountain/trail-maps.aspx

since corrected...I think they have a mole...

conrad

Cannonball;c-51859 wrote On a side note: Can we please avoid driving traffic to that jerk's page. He launched some really nasty attacks on ski area employees last year. He should be shunned not promoted.

Thank you for pointing that out. I had noticed he sometimes has some obnoxious posts so I had already unfollowed him months or a year ago, but I didn't realize he had done some nasty attacks. I will refrain from sharing his content again. I just happened to see this one and the complaints about everything being outsourced to Denver resonated.

DrJeff

Some perspective

https://vtskiandride.com/northeast-skiology/?fbclid=IwAR2Lrnit7bZsVcy_3B7MzlUfIcIGAQM0RkIVRguzJ9W8LvAuF1-WCdgzJYg

NewEnglandSkier13

lotsoskiing;c-51868 wrote
NewEnglandSkier13;c-51862 wrote
rickbolger;c-51861 wroteWell it's interesting and semi-informative to read his point of view and some of the comments as well, but it doesn't appear to be a gathering of the intelligentsia.

On the topic of Vail, the rumor about paper maps and lack thereof appears to be garbled info -- on both the Okemo and Wildcat sites they state that "paper trail maps will be available in-resort upon request."

It will be interesting to see how they handle that...what's the story with paper maps at Crotched?

I'm hopeful this isn't printing on demand from the 11 x 17 tray in the office copier to enhance the customer experience.
Crotched's website still states that paper maps will not be available. It is also still featuring the photo of the lodge at Alpine Valley.

https://www.crotchedmtn.com/the-mountain/about-the-mountain/trail-maps.aspx
since corrected...I think they have a mole...

They must, that page had been that way for multiple weeks. The ski instructor photos haven't been changed yet though.

tedede

NewEnglandSkier13;c-51856 wroteI'm not sure why you like defending Vail so much...

Because it's our home. It's run by real people that @joshua_segal and I are friends with. Folks like Cathy, Lonnie, Lori, Chris, Tom, Tom, and Amy that are trying their hardest despite difficult weather, limited staff, and circumstances they can not control.

NewEnglandSkier13

tedede;c-51872 wrote
NewEnglandSkier13;c-51856 wroteI'm not sure why you like defending Vail so much...
Because it's our home. It's run by real people that @joshua_segal and I are friends with. Folks like Cathy, Lonnie, Lori, Chris, Tom, Tom, and Amy that are trying their hardest despite difficult weather, limited staff, and circumstances they can not control.

It's worth noting that most, if not all of our criticism is directed at upper level management and corporate decisions made by Vail, not the employees of specific mountains.

Quietman

NewEnglandSkier13;c-51873 wrote It's worth noting that most, if not all of our criticism is directed at upper level management and corporate decisions made by Vail, not the employees of specific mountains.

Completely agree! 99% of the issues are not being created locally.

Chuckstah

NewEnglandSkier13;c-51873 wrote
tedede;c-51872 wrote
NewEnglandSkier13;c-51856 wroteI'm not sure why you like defending Vail so much...
Because it's our home. It's run by real people that @joshua_segal and I are friends with. Folks like Cathy, Lonnie, Lori, Chris, Tom, Tom, and Amy that are trying their hardest despite difficult weather, limited staff, and circumstances they can not control.

It's worth noting that most, if not all of our criticism is directed at upper level management and corporate decisions made by Vail, not the employees of specific mountains.

Well said Sam. I enjoy the experience and dedicated employees at Crotched and the other Vail areas. It's the "circumstances they cannot control" that frustrates the skier base: shortened hours of operation, shorter season, lack of snow making at Wildcat and Attitash, paid parking at Mt Snow. These are Vail issues, not individual ski area issues, and I don't see it happening to great extend at non Vail owned resorts.
See some of you opening day at Crotched.

rickbolger

It's easy to throw stones at the faceless glass building in Broomfield but perhaps we need to consider the damage it does to our neighbors.

After all, the local people who made (insert your resort here, mine is Wildcat) awesome and will make it awesome again in the future will be around long after Vail moves on. And as pointed out above they're working hard to actually make the customer experience a good one rather than just blab about it like the blowhards in the corporate office.

I agree with Sam that we've primarily just been picking on corporate but I'm sure it does trickle down. I'll try to keep that in mind next time they epically screw up in Broomfield.

NELSBEER

Fear of making snow and then having it melt is probably an important item this year with the weather we have been having. Turning on all the guns/pumps at maximum output puts you into PEAK USAGE RATEs with the power company (their pun not mine) that has always been a nerve-racking thing. Hopefully we will see more coverage/trails as temps drop and stabilize. The upper pond is full when it is needed.

Meanwhile, enjoy our latest feature, the long-awaited main floor bathroom... the green box with a door on the deck outside the bar! Services the 8 new non-vaxer picnic tables out there as well. Better than last year...

Quietman

So Crotched will not be opening this weekend.
I know that the weather has not been great to say the least, but this is hard to swallow when Wachusett opened 2 weekends ago and Pat's opened last weekend, both with multiple trails and lifts. I realize that Sat being a washout and it still being early had to be factors, but it is still disappointing that the optics seem to be that Vail as a corp is focused more on acquisitions than dealing with what they already own.

Chuckstah

It really is getting old for the NH Epic skier. Over promise, under deliver time after time.
Current NH Vail options:
Attitash, closed
Crotched, closed
Wildcat, half a trail off an ancient slow triple, plus the carpet.
Sunapee, One and a half trails open.

Decisions. I think I'll have to drive to VT again Friday. I think I'll be driving to VT a lot this season.

NewEnglandSkier13

Chuckstah;c-51914 wroteIt really is getting old for the NH Epic skier. Over promise, under deliver time after time.
Current NH Vail options:
Attitash, closed
Crotched, closed
Wildcat, half a trail off an ancient slow triple, plus the carpet.
Sunapee, One and a half trails open.

Decisions. I think I'll have to drive to VT again Friday. I think I'll be driving to VT a lot this season.

To be fair the Tomcat Triple is hardly ancient and they have a full run open from it, but I agree, their offerings are terrible right now.

Chuckstah

NewEnglandSkier13;c-51923 wrote
Chuckstah;c-51914 wroteIt really is getting old for the NH Epic skier. Over promise, under deliver time after time.
Current NH Vail options:
Attitash, closed
Crotched, closed
Wildcat, half a trail off an ancient slow triple, plus the carpet.
Sunapee, One and a half trails open.

Decisions. I think I'll have to drive to VT again Friday. I think I'll be driving to VT a lot this season.
To be fair the Tomcat Triple is hardly ancient and they have a full run open from it, but I agree, their offerings are terrible right now.

Fair point, I'll rephrase One full run is open on about two thirds of the mountains vertical via a 34 year old triple, while the summit high speed quad remains idle. This is not "an experience of a lifetime" that I'm told Vail resorts deliver. 🤔

jaytrem

Chuckstah;c-51925 wrote This is not "an experience of a lifetime" that I'm told Vail resorts deliver. 🤔

To be fair, they didn't specify that it would be a good experience.

lotsoskiing

jaytrem;c-51928 wrote
Chuckstah;c-51925 wrote This is not "an experience of a lifetime" that I'm told Vail resorts deliver. 🤔
To be fair, they didn't specify that it would be a good experience.

From their site:
ALL ABOUT WILDCAT
MOUNTAIN INFO
Consistently ranked #1 for scenery in the East, Wildcat offers a unique experience for every level of skier and rider who is looking to step into the wild!

I guess "unique" would cover it...the only Vail place open in the area, and with a trail covering 75% of their vertical.

obienick

Not even. It’s 1390 of 2041. That’s 68%.

ski_it

obienick;c-51934 wroteNot even. It’s 1390 of 2041. That’s 68%.

And 2041 is being generous. Their trail map used to say 2112 ft, now the site just says over 2100. That true vert site says 2027. I get under 1900 on my app unless you ski into the creek.

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