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February, 2025

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Stratton no longer likes terrain parks

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freeskibum82
Posts: 6355 - Karma: 5,058
Stratton has officially lost it when it comes to terrain parks. They have taken out middlebrook, the best park they had, as a park and moved everything to the hard to get to by the slowest chairlift thats never open on Big Ben. They also lost the US Open as well. I think stratton is no longer the birthplace of Snowboarding or Terrain parks.

We need your help! Post in this thread how Stratton could improve their parks and gain a market share of jibbers from Okemo, Killy, Mt Snow. Those places are blowing stratton away in the terrain park category. Lets get Stratton back to having 80ft booters and the terrain parks of the Suntanner and Byrnside days!!

Stratton Blog regarding this issue: http://blog.stratton.com/2012/09/winter-2012-13-sneak-peek.html

As you can tell, i've been pretty vocal on there as well.
12 years ago
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edai
Posts: 4995 - Karma: 4,704
why would anybody go to stratton when the best terrain park on the east coast is a 30 minute drive away?
12 years ago
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.frenchy
Posts: 18231 - Karma: 12,398
Damn, I went up there 2 years ago and their park was sooo good, pretty shitty that they're doing this now...
12 years ago
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BWalmer
Posts: 9141 - Karma: 12,886
I have to pass Mount Snow to get to Stratton...doesn't seem to make sense to me.

Maybe Stratton has realized this and has decided to not try and compete but to focus on other things. Stratton has always been a more touristy spot anyways (especially with the village and what-not), so that's probably what they want to focus on.

I had heard something about them moving everything over to the bowl where the superpipe is, so everything is in one spot, either this is the beginning steps of that, or they decided to give up on that.
12 years ago
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ohboy
Posts: 1177 - Karma: 2,528
Fuck this.
Stratton is my home mountain and now this park is gone...+ Big Ben and the Sunbowl never open up early so that leaves Tyrolliene for most of the time, and that sucks.
12 years ago
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brewbabyy
Posts: 746 - Karma: 1,241
you are all ignoring sunriser supertrail! that shits gon be poppin, i hope
12 years ago
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freeskibum82
Posts: 6355 - Karma: 5,058
they never set that up before president's weekend.. and when they do, it was open for 1 week and then they tore it down and closed it for the aerialists for the US freestyle championship.... laaame

I ski stratton since they have a sunday pass and i work all week. If mt snow offers a weekend only pass, ill be heading there for sure. Would love to ski mt snow but cant see paying for a pass for days i cant use it. getting old with responsibilities sucks..

Tyro is a joke of a terrain park. its super short and you have to choose either jumps or rails.. lame yet again.

As for moving everything to sunbowl, they are leaving the baby parks and bordercross on the main mountain. It would be sweet if they moved the bordercross to a trail with actual slope like they use to have on sunbowl to the skiers left of supertrail.
12 years ago
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gnarley_marl
Posts: 205 - Karma: 245
I'd like to agree with you and say that they no longer like terrain parks but I don't think they have ever really committed that many resources and man power to it anyway.

Lower middlebrook always underwhelmed. Who wants a trail that you have to keep speed 100% from the top anyway? One failed landing and you'd better not be trying to hit any jumps below that.

Big ben was embarrassing last year, I can't believe how poorly they set up some of their features. Everything is either too big or too small.

I think i'll just stick to okemo for parks this year and shred the sun bowl at stratton when we get some dumps.
12 years ago
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brewbabyy
Posts: 746 - Karma: 1,241
dude big ben was ass. they just dropped a bunch of random shit in it. and it was a haul to get to.
12 years ago
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.nasty
Posts: 10595 - Karma: 11,321
lol #tinyeastcoastproblems
12 years ago
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gnarley_marl
Posts: 205 - Karma: 245
what was the point of this post?



I read a bunch of the stuff on the stratton mountain blog and all of the commenters hit the nail on the head. Stratton needs top to bottom park runs with effort and real riders having input in the design.
12 years ago
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.ZT.
Posts: 5679 - Karma: 2,792
Meh, at least they'll still have the May rail jam if things go okay. (I hope they still do this) That's the only reason I'd go to Stratton anyway really. But yeah that sucks that their park is shit now, seemed good in years past.
12 years ago
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brewbabyy
Posts: 746 - Karma: 1,241
nutsack
12 years ago
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Drail
Posts: 14044 - Karma: 10,317
I don't see how taking a park away for this season changes history.

12 years ago
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ForeverYung
Posts: 8385 - Karma: 2,060
Stratton has been my home mountain since I learned to ski. It is a better over all mountain that snow or okemo, but as of late the parks have sucked, I have my self going to snow a lot more now a days. I really hope Stratton steps it up this year. BRING BACK THE BUS!!
12 years ago
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RubberSoul
Posts: 11249 - Karma: 14,642
wow, that's really sad to hear. i remember going to stratton back in the day when i was first starting park stuff and being blown away
12 years ago
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freeskibum82
Posts: 6355 - Karma: 5,058
The US OPEN OF SNOWBOARDING is no longer held there. They overcharged burton and underdelivered with the snow and the setup. They also didnt give block room deals for any of the athletes. For the same price, and possibly cheaper, burton went to Vail and is getting a better snow guarantee and more for their money. To me that is a lack of commitment from Stratton to their parks and the scene in general.
12 years ago
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J_BISCHOF
Posts: 2082 - Karma: 1,449
This is straight ignorant. I am from stratton and grew up there. Stratton park crew kills it and does the absolute best with the budget and space they are given. The decision comes down to 2 higher ups/
BUT the fact that the US open is no longer happening means that sunriser can be a park all year. They are obvously not going to wait till presidents day because they don't have to make the pro caliber that was needed for US open.

ALSO, stratton never made the US open parks. That was all snow park technologies which is supposedly the best. They will probably make the parks in vail too. I saw a lot of disrespect to Stratton and the surrounding area during the Us opens in the past. I say, Good Fucking Riddance. The only downside is the restaurants and realtors will make less money. But they will have less piss on the walls and less beer on the couches.

If you really care, go to mt snow. stratton doesnt need your business anyway.

END ANGRY RANT.
12 years ago
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J_BISCHOF
Posts: 2082 - Karma: 1,449
ALSO, parks is getting super trail for the whole season top to bottom. This is accessed by a high speed 6er. I don't know what world ya'll kids live on but that is going to make middlebrook look like tyrollienne. Get learned and start reading the comments stratton posts back to your uneducated arguments.
12 years ago
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KravtZ
Posts: 6637 - Karma: 2,627
that kid in the blog looked like an asshole commenting on every single comment. Also with pretty bad grammar. but whatever

STratton parks have been getting worse for YEARS. They peaked when it was on suntanner. Those parks they built on suntanner were absolutely amazing. I remember they would build enormous jumps, had great rail setups, the bus, the food shack, the pipe. WAs prime. Im pretty sure they moved the park because it was getting to "park scene" for stratton since it primarily is a family resort with people who spend a lot of money.

Lets be real though, middle brook SUCKED. There was really nothing cool about it, the jumps were pretty bad and the rails were ok. If you messed up you lost all your speed. Plus the trail was skinny as shit and you had that annoying ride out at the bottom. Stratton needs to dedicate a full trail to the park with decent lift access. Sunbowl is definately not the place to do it, it gets wicked crowded down there.
12 years ago
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freeskibum82
Posts: 6355 - Karma: 5,058
someone knows someone that knows someone who worked there i see.

And Stratton had to do all the leg work to get the snow and piles in approximate locations for the US Open. Do you really think SPT comes in to a blank canvas? Stratton had most of it setup how SPT and Burton wanted it. They were responsible for the basic form of the halfpipe as well. And they would always wait until February to get it started.

I would be all over "supertrail" being pro level all year. You want to advance, you need a pro level park with high risk obstacles. It would be like Inferno at Snow. Middlebrook was the medium setup. Last thing we need is a bunch of beginner park kids in supertrail sitting on the previous landing because its easier to get to than big ben.

This also doesn't address the fact that the jibs parks are extremely short at the bottom of a run. They need to dedicate trails to even a low level jib course that has flow. Not a trail with 6 features spread across it.

oh and the fact that you are "from stratton" does not make you any more credible than anyone else in this thread.

END REBUTTAL.
12 years ago
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oil.
Posts: 2255 - Karma: 1,254
does the fact that i work on mountain ops there make me any more credible? ask away.
imo middlebrook was shit. too hard to maintain speed. big ben was set up well but was in an odd spot. sunriser should be sick since it will be a park all year.
also stratton never built the US open parks. we always talk about how snowpark even brings their own machines to build and cut the pipe, all we do is give them snow.

ASK AWAY GENTS I WORK HERE/THERE
12 years ago
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J_BISCHOF
Posts: 2082 - Karma: 1,449
your point is nil and pointless. enjoy mount snow.
12 years ago
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TheJerz
Posts: 549 - Karma: 67
If we are going to complain about strattons parks, lets fucking get byrneside and suntanner back.


12 years ago
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freeskibum82
Posts: 6355 - Karma: 5,058
amen to that.
12 years ago
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Huck_Norris
Posts: 11487 - Karma: 18,627

It never was, Stratton just paid Jake to say they were the birthplace of snowboarding, which is far from the truth. 

The original Burton factory is right in Londonderry, and Magic was building shit for Burton long before Stratton realized there was marketability in it. 

Just sayin'. 

12 years ago
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Huck_Norris
Posts: 11487 - Karma: 18,627

Also, this guy knows what's up. 

12 years ago
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J_BISCHOF
Posts: 2082 - Karma: 1,449
i like this guy.
12 years ago
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STAUSS
Posts: 8232 - Karma: 3,311
i havent skied stratton since the ski patrol were tackling soon to be professionals at the vermont open in 2006.  after that shit show of an event i lost all respect for how their run their terrain parks.

im not surprised they lost the open- and it doesnt "change history." you cant take away what has happened in the past with snowboarding and stratton...
12 years ago
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RubberSoul
Posts: 11249 - Karma: 14,642
elaborate please
12 years ago
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FrenchToastMafia
Posts: 2195 - Karma: 446
signed, that's too bad stratton parks were bomb. For $100 a lift ticket they should have free escorts available on the chair lift ride up
12 years ago
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Huck_Norris
Posts: 11487 - Karma: 18,627

Yeah, they bought history fair and squ...  Wait, what? 

12 years ago
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TOAST.
Posts: 7677 - Karma: 38,726
I hope the parks are sick, I think I can get in for free there so I might make the trip up. Although everytime I go north I am almost always disappointed by the parks, especially at killington 3 or 4 years ago.
12 years ago
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J_BISCHOF
Posts: 2082 - Karma: 1,449
During the "train of the century" a bunch of kids were being disrespectful to the parks crew, the ski patrol and the guests of the mountain.
some park crew guys got heated and tryed to stop one of these gentleman from dropping in resulting in a "tackle" like situation. It all got blown out of proportion and stratton became the big bad wolf to all the little piggies. Both sides were wrong buy only one came out on top.
12 years ago
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freeskibum82
Posts: 6355 - Karma: 5,058
im siding with stratton on that one. Those kids destroyed the features and were throwing snowballs at everyone and everything. Complete disrespect by all of them. That was when byrneside was awesome though.. that first jump was perfect, great takeoff, plenty of inrun and a steep landing.
12 years ago
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ohboy
Posts: 1177 - Karma: 2,528
Another issue with Middlebrook was that it was so thin of a trail. There weren't a ton of options for what line to take, as you could only have one line really. Kind of excited for Supertrail now, but not really sure how it will all turn out. Big Ben...I honestly kind of liked it last year. Ignoring the fact that the Solstice lift blows major cock, Big Ben had a couple good features. The reason Middlebrook was good was because it was quick to get to (because of Sunriser Express), and it was fairly long.

Overall, the more I think about it, I'm excited for this IF the supertrail opens early. If not, then we're facked.
12 years ago
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J_BISCHOF
Posts: 2082 - Karma: 1,449
that jump was my favorite.
I didnt mean to be rude. Well i did, but im sorry. Just keep your head up. Stratton will be back. They have so many jibs that have never seen the light of day and this year supertrail will be more epic than suntanner. Have trust, I know you don't really have a reason too, but with a large snow year in snow, they will not dissapoint.
12 years ago
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freeskibum82
Posts: 6355 - Karma: 5,058
UPDATE

Looks like stratton will be building a mini 13ft halfpipe! Im super pumped for this as they are soo much fun to mess around on. Looks like they are scrapping building a superpipe as there is no need now that the US OPEN is gone. Large quarter at the bottom of supertrail (more likely build to slow people down and not be a real feature that works well)

12 years ago
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ForeverYung
Posts: 8385 - Karma: 2,060
That will actually be pretty fun to mess around on. are they putting it on big ben?
12 years ago
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oil.
Posts: 2255 - Karma: 1,254
yup. read the link.
also it says that supertrail will be open by christmas week! should be sick
12 years ago
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freeskibum82
Posts: 6355 - Karma: 5,058
i hope they are able to open by Nov 21st! and hope they have something set up (not like last year where you had to hike)
12 years ago
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blingen
Posts: 46 - Karma: 60
It all started with this in 2007. :) Sorry, but I don't know how to embed.

12 years ago
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smuggs
Posts: 6561 - Karma: 1,375
i heard snowboarding actually started at alta.
12 years ago
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EmperorKuzco
Posts: 6660 - Karma: 256
who honestly cares
12 years ago
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SterlingArcher
Posts: 2200 - Karma: 2,456
i agree with this.

assured it was OP..  with the exception of the guy who made gave ideas of improvement vs ranting aimlessly
12 years ago
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freeskibum82
Posts: 6355 - Karma: 5,058
look at you being all internet trendy.
12 years ago
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freeskibum82
Posts: 6355 - Karma: 5,058
hmmm..

Thank you both for your frank and honest feedback. I have passed along your ideas and comments to our VP of Operations and the Parks Crew, who will give them a thoughtful and thorough review.


apparently "complaining" has proved mildly successful. After the update i gave in this thread, they have posted a new blog with more details about the parks. I am impressed and happy stratton is taking note and making a supertrail top to bottom and to be open before xmas.

12 years ago
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SteezyLaxer
Posts: 59 - Karma: 24
my home mountain is mount snow and in my opinion they have the best parks in the east. i just went to stratton for the first time with my friend and it was really bad. east byrneside had 2 medium jumps then a rail and a box side by side and then a small barrel. tyro was really short and small while big ben was ok. it was equivalent to nitro at mount snow in jump size maybe the gulch.
12 years ago
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Ski_ThEast
Posts: 1676 - Karma: 272
No supertrail this year I guess...At least Big Ben is pretty fun!
12 years ago
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JoshWong
Posts: 2823 - Karma: 20,540
Take me with you toast:)
12 years ago
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ForeverYung
Posts: 8385 - Karma: 2,060
Big ben is really sick right now. Jumps are niicccee.
I'll be there this Sunday and the one after that.
12 years ago
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