A quick word on blocking ads
It looks like you are using an ad blocker. That's okay. Who doesn't? But without advertising revenue, we can't keep making this site awesome. Click the link below for instructions on disabling adblock.
Welcome to the Newschoolers forums! You may read the forums as a guest, however you must be a registered member to post. Register to become a member today!
The.FishTo be fair, the xl parks probably aren't the best return on investment since only about 1% of skiers are skilled enough to hit them. They also take a crap ton of snow and cat hours to build. Why bother spending money on something if almost nobody will use it?
ohhbeckerMaybe if you live out west. But here on in the east apparently Vail looks at our parks as fat to be trimmed. Fuck Vail buying everything. This is the first year in a long long time Mount Snow hasn’t opened our park only peak on opening day. Thanks Vail for prioritizing profits instead of social distancing!! Instead we had 50+ people crowding 5 features set on the upper mountain in a random ass corner. Again fuck Vail. It’s honestly sad, all the employees are pissed too. They fired senior people and now can’t get anyone to work. It’s a shit show.
**This post was edited on Nov 26th 2020 at 9:18:52am
ohhbeckerMaybe if you live out west. But here on in the east apparently Vail looks at our parks as fat to be trimmed. Fuck Vail buying everything. This is the first year in a long long time Mount Snow hasn’t opened our park only peak on opening day. Thanks Vail for prioritizing profits instead of social distancing!! Instead we had 50+ people crowding 5 features set on the upper mountain in a random ass corner. Again fuck Vail. It’s honestly sad, all the employees are pissed too. They fired senior people and now can’t get anyone to work. It’s a shit show.
**This post was edited on Nov 26th 2020 at 9:18:52am
The.FishTo be fair, the xl parks probably aren't the best return on investment since only about 1% of skiers are skilled enough to hit them. They also take a crap ton of snow and cat hours to build. Why bother spending money on something if almost nobody will use it?
sqeellicbicMt Snow is doing that exact thing. The parks are gonna be unchanged except their xl booters are gonna be a little smaller.
anders_aI think its short sighted thinking, we grow older, we get more money, I've been looking at different places in the mountains now, both standalone, and appartments, and I still lap the park.
At the new indoor near the capital, they have a majority of it made into a park, the other side racing, like 20-25% is left for regular skiiing. They are also developing a ton of apartments nearby and calculating the youth will have somewhere to go.
Its not like the best steepest slopes are turned into parks
Saga.Exactly this. Remember how every resort in the 2000s had a halfpipe? Snow features require more snow, more equipment use and more labor hours. When you're looking at what type of terrain the majority of your customers are paying for and what type of terrain you're spending the most money on it's not hard to see the difference and why some resorts will scale back parks.
Unless my college professors were lying to me, real estate is what keeps ski resorts running. The last time I checked I didn't see very many current or potential homeowners lapping the park. Resorts aren't likely to put money into aspects of their business that aren't proven to bring them a solid return on their investment.
Yung_Gnarleythis thread is making me feel really lucky to have gotten to lap keystone and breck when they had the XL parks still. Keystone's especially. They had some of the most absurd setups
Yung_Gnarleythis thread is making me feel really lucky to have gotten to lap keystone and breck when they had the XL parks still. Keystone's especially. They had some of the most absurd setups
BagOTricksSeems like Woodward is really pushing the envelope to be the premiere park builders in the future.
DrZoidbergMakes sense for profits, I'm sure. If you want rich people to buy a slopeside house to stay at once a year between Christmas and new year then you better cater to them. Most likely they're not out there hitting the XL jumpline. They're probably they type of people who complain such a thing even exists and support rampant policing and dumbing down of the ski resort so it's a safe, bubble wrapped zone for them to exist in. These same people probably are the majority shareholders, owners, bigwigs and whoever that call the shots. They want money funneled into what they like, and so there goes your parks.
Also from a liability standpoint, I'm sure nobody wants XL features. Some gaper can send it off the little jump and only get a little hurt, but if they do that off the big boy jump and get paralyzed for life then that's a bit of a mess for the resort to deal with.
DrZoidbergMakes sense for profits, I'm sure. If you want rich people to buy a slopeside house to stay at once a year between Christmas and new year then you better cater to them. Most likely they're not out there hitting the XL jumpline. They're probably they type of people who complain such a thing even exists and support rampant policing and dumbing down of the ski resort so it's a safe, bubble wrapped zone for them to exist in.
sqeellicbicMt Snow is doing that exact thing. The parks are gonna be unchanged except their xl booters are gonna be a little smaller.
Saga.Exactly this. Remember how every resort in the 2000s had a halfpipe? Snow features require more snow, more equipment use and more labor hours. When you're looking at what type of terrain the majority of your customers are paying for and what type of terrain you're spending the most money on it's not hard to see the difference and why some resorts will scale back parks.
Unless my college professors were lying to me, real estate is what keeps ski resorts running. The last time I checked I didn't see very many current or potential homeowners lapping the park. Resorts aren't likely to put money into aspects of their business that aren't proven to bring them a solid return on their investment.
thatsGTheres a kid on tik Tok who says his dad is a vp at vail resorts, we could spam him until they build freeway
katrinaCheck the trail map this year, freeway is a blue groomer now, so signs of even blowing the pipe yet, but maybe that will change once we get some more natural snow.
thatsGThey took zoom room off the map at beaver, no signs of life at golden peak either
Young_pattyI remember hearing on the Powell movement that building a super pipe could cost upward of 100k in snow, fuel, paychecks and equipment so makes sense many hills are scaling back on building huge parks. Just the end of another era I suppose
Young_pattyI remember hearing on the Powell movement that building a super pipe could cost upward of 100k in snow, fuel, paychecks and equipment so makes sense many hills are scaling back on building huge parks. Just the end of another era I suppose
ohhbeckerI don’t want to see my local mountain fail, but I think it’s too late for that. I hope COVID bankrupts Vail and they have to sell some of these mountains back to local owners. It’s become very clear now that Vail doesn’t give a shit about pass holders, the mountains and their local style, or their employees (I knew that already), and the only recourse is to boycott an Epic pass. Next year I’ll be only riding non-corporate resorts and buying a pass at a smaller mountain.
a_burgerSimple formula
Shareholders don't see the value (immediate profit) in them so the parent company asks individual resorts to decrease the budget. Resort management (old people) don't care for parks one way or the other so they cut budgets until the staff are forced to do the bare minimum. Staff then leaves and is replaced with ambitious crew that bangs there head into the wall for a few seasons before giving up or yes men who are content with not pushing the envelope.
eheathI'd say that's conservative, the snow alone (snowmaking, water, power, etc) costs 100k, another 150k in labor costs at least, a superpipe is minimum 250k, the xgames pipe costs 2-3 times that (labor not snow, SPT ain't cheap).
ohhbeckerIf you can’t see what’s happening at Mount Snow via Vail, you haven’t been there long enough or haven’t been paying attention. I’ve been riding there for 20 years, I’m fucking old now.
Mount Snow has built its modern reputation on having the best park in the NE starting in 2001 when they hosted the X Games. While they’ve had up and downs they’ve constantly competed for that title, and since Carintha had the whole peak it had been undeniable, the old lodge was also an insane park kids dream. PS4s and Xbox’s with couches in the lodge, a mini ramp on the deck.
In past years Mount Snow would open 1 park in Carinthia and not open the summit lift on the main face initially, then they would work on connecting the two. This year they opened the Northface peak and summit lift, the main face trails and summit lift, but no Carinthia. Vail is operating all of these resorts they bought as if they’re out west and they’re not, Vail does not understand the East Coast skier mentality.
It’s absolutely Vail and corporate. They absolutely fired a lot of core employees, and now can’t hire anyone. If you need proof go look at their job listings, every single position is open.
I don’t want to see my local mountain fail, but I think it’s too late for that. I hope COVID bankrupts Vail and they have to sell some of these mountains back to local owners. It’s become very clear now that Vail doesn’t give a shit about pass holders, the mountains and their local style, or their employees (I knew that already), and the only recourse is to boycott an Epic pass. Next year I’ll be only riding non-corporate resorts and buying a pass at a smaller mountain.
theabortionatorBeaver creek parks are dying hard. Im glad i saw that when i worked there in 2014 and ran the fuck away. Wishes i hadn't even done that season honestly. Cool mtn though. After getting there wasn't surprised why i had gotten a call back so quickly. In december when i decided to gtfo of ny kinda had to take it a jerb when offered. Got some other hits after i had locked in to bc.
They had some pretty cool features and rodeo was still worth lapping but now that most of their parks are gone whsts the point.
thatsGFunny how this became an olympic sport and vail resorts abandoned it
slitherysnake531man it would just be sick if some like ski shop or something would buy a piece of land and just have a rail jam set up. no corporate politics, no worrying about the real estate value of condos, just some raw ski amazingness for people to enjoy. I would gladly buy a second season pass to that along with my local mountain's pass
