Article on Crowding on Slopes

[tomahawkins]

If you think skiing is crowded, check out this article on Walt Disney World. People pay hundreds just to take a class on how to navigate the crowds and waits. Cell phone/app expertise critical.

From the article:

Others have used the service of independent guides, a practice Disney has been cracking down on.

Looks like skiing and Disney are converging on similar customer experiences. One sign of a monopoly: when there's a crackdown on entrepreneurs trying to make the system more efficient.

 

[HardDaysNight]

One sign of a monopoly: when there's a crackdown on entrepreneurs trying to make the system more efficient.

Follows directly on another sign: the complete absence of concern about the quality of the experience the system produces. Cue Vail Resorts shutting down major lifts at PCMR this week and stranding “guests” for hours on others. Complete lack of even basic maintenance.

 

[tomahawkins]

Follows directly on another sign: the complete absence of concern about the quality of the experience the system produces. Cue Vail Resorts shutting down major lifts at PCMR this week and stranding “guests” for hours on others. Complete lack of even basic maintenance.

Not a fan of Vail, but every time we go to Whistler (which is not often) we get a good experience, even if it is busy on some trips. One thing I do notice however, is a lack of patrollers. Maybe they’re there; I just don’t see them. Contrast this to Baker (my home mtn), where I see a patroller on almost every lap.

 

[James]

Outside of the conglomerates- Magic, Saskedena 6, Bolton.

 

[4ster]

I posted this in the Utah thread but thought I would share it here as well. I found it alarming…

If you are unfortunately involved in a collision, exchange information with each other. It's important to treat everyone on the slopes with respect and accidents can happen. Be sure to call ski patrol dispatch to report the accident, even if no one is injured, at 801.620.1017. If someone is injured, place your skis or snowboard upright in the snow above the accident to help others see you and steer clear. If one of the parties involved does not stay, try to get a detailed description of them and report it to ski patrol dispatch.

^This is direct from Snowbasins Conditions Page^. Seems to me that if they are compelled to post this on the front page everyday, there is a serious problem! Again, my perspective is that the unskilled skier/rider is the biggest threat & for some reason Snowbasin attracts an abundance of these warriors.
A friend was in a collision last week at Snowbasin, he ended up in the hospital for a few days with a collapsed lung, 7 fractured ribs & a fractured clavicle. I don’t know the details of the incident but he is an expert skier, aware of his surroundings & although he skis groomers a lot, he skis in control.

 

[AmyPJ]

I posted this in the Utah thread but thought I would share it here as well. I found it alarming…

^This is direct from Snowbasins Conditions Page^. Seems to me that if they are compelled to post this on the front page everyday, there is a serious problem! Again, my perspective is that the unskilled skier/rider is the biggest threat & for some reason Snowbasin attracts an abundance of these warriors.
A friend was in a collision last week at Snowbasin, he ended up in the hospital for a few days with a collapsed lung, 7 fractured ribs & a fractured clavicle. I don’t know the details of the incident but he is an expert skier, aware of his surroundings & although he skis groomers a lot, he skis in control.

They are approaching this from the wrong angle, but I don't expect that to change. When you invite a 1000% increase in skiers to visit, there are going to be more collisions. But hey, instead of maybe doing something to dial back those numbers, just report it, OK?

Sorry to hear your buddy got his and hurt that badly. That is my worst fear and with my most recent medical diagnosis, even more of a scary prospect for me.

 

[Pat AKA mustski]

There is no doubt, crowds ruin (and shorten) a ski day for me.

 

[Quandary]

I'll bet you Ari from Fort Collins moved here from California in addition to being a front ranger........

 

[fatbob]

There are a couple of runs like that ^ at club med Val Thorens. It is the one everybody has to ski out on in the morning and another for back home at the end of the day. Both of these get busy like this at meal times and morning start time. The end of the day is the worst because the run has bumped up and there are many trying to ski it who don't know how. At least the morning run was nicely groomed, but it still was bumped up quickly on a few days after much overnight snow fall. It was crazy but the rest of the time, everyone was well spread out.

I know a couple of guys who have been known to take a beer and sit on a rock above "carnage corner" to which you refer to enjoy the spectacle. Accelerated of course by people coming out of the Folie who can barely walk let alone ski back to town.

 

[4ster]

I'll bet you Ari from Fort Collins moved here from California in addition to being a front ranger........

Who is Ari?

 

[dbostedo]

Who is Ari?

The person that wrote the editorial piece that started this thread.

 

[James]

A friend was in a collision last week at Snowbasin, he ended up in the hospital for a few days with a collapsed lung, 7 fractured ribs & a fractured clavicle. I don’t know the details of the incident but he is an expert skier, aware of his surroundings & although he skis groomers a lot, he skis in control.

I know someone hit last week with very similar injuries. In his 70’s, freestyle competitor back in the day. Couple days in the icu after the collapsed lung and fractured ribs.

 

[Wilhelmson]

Venice is testing a tourist charge and NYC is trying to start a Manhattan driving toll. Probably a sign of things to come like more tolls or even access charges, who knows. Where theres a will to collect more money, there is a way. Then again the nyc hotel taxes and fees are already sky high.

 

[justplanesteve]

Then again the nyc hotel taxes and fees are already sky high

Not really ski related, but since you brought it up, it does address the "corporate monopolization of once vibrant free market industries by using (paying) the legislature to effect laws that enable your monopoly"

I'm sure i am not the only person who used to stay at Union Theological seminary in vacant guest rooms with private bath & parking under Riverside Cathedral, or similar other college facilities sprinkled around the city, or down on Avenue A in an old 5 story walk up former bank, converted to B & B units for Euro travelers (& the owner would lend you her membership cards to events and museums around the city), or any number of other cheap, clean well managed lodgings & ad-hoc hotels sometimes with mix of cost options for private, or for shared bathroom down the hall in each quadrant. Plus you got to meet & interact with people in informal common spaces if you wanted to.

All gone now, illegal for the last decade and ever more tightly enforced.

 

[MnLakeBum]

Many professionals have the ability to work remotely most of the time and IMO that is the new normal. My wife still works and went from being in the office 5 days a week pre-covid to about 40 days a year now. With so many able to flex where they work, it’s not just crowding at ski resorts but busier golf courses and more boats on the MN lake where we spend our summers. Real estate prices in these recreational areas is way up since 2020 and shows little sign of softening. Any of the private golf courses in FL I would want to join have 3-7 year waiting periods and initiation fees have gone up 50-100% since covid. The better golf clubs all now charge $125k or more to join. My golf club in MN has more than doubled their initiation fees and have a waiting list of a couple years.

My adult kids skied Jackson Hole and Park City his winter and then went on a family ski trip with us to Big Sky March 23-30th. They told be horror stories of the big lift lines at Jackson and Park City and my CA buddies that ski in the Tahoe basin all tell me the crowds are way up from when we lived and skied there from 1998-2018.

My entire family was happily surprised at the lack of crowds at Big Sky(My last visit was 1991). We only waited about 10 times in lines longer than 5 minutes for our entire week there and had 23+ runs each day. Maybe it was so late in March that it was past peak but because of uncrowned slopes I’m planning on buying a Big Sky season pass and will be heading back there next February and March.

 

[raisingarizona]

Colorado Hit-And-Run Collision Leaves 66-Year-Old Skier With Two Broken Ribs

Jonathan Babcock broke two ribs and hairline fractured his pelvis after a snowboarder allegedly crashed into him while skiing at Winter Park.

unofficialnetworks.com

 

[Bozzenhagen]

Unfortunate. This will keep happening until winter sports get exclusive again, or strict financial punishments are in place for collisions and such.
Winter sports is a solid middle-class activity now IMO. No longer for the uber-wealthy unless we are talking about the Yellowstone Club, and such.

 

[raisingarizona]

An injury like that can put someone that age into the fast track to hospice. That's obviously the worst case scenario but it's not impossible either.

It seems like a lot of ski areas are finding ways to get more skiers on busy days than their suggested capacity numbers. It's very dangerous imo and a good lawyer could probably use that in court.

 

[Tex]

Interesting article Wifey shared w/ me this morning.

I didn’t think anything in the article was interesting, no solutions suggested, just same old same old complaining about over crowding….

And this is just incorrect:

“What’s even more frustrating is the apparent greed driving this situation. It’s evident that the pursuit of profit is being prioritized over the quality of the skiing experience and the safety of the guests.”

There are only 2 ways to fundamentally fixed the problem, simply and demand.

Many things you can do on the demand side, the obvious one is increases prices, this goes against the quote above. They would make way more money increasing prices, but lines would go down.

The best solution is increase supply, build out more terrain, more lifts, more hours of operation, faster lifts.

 

[dan ross]

Outside of the conglomerates- Magic, Saskedena 6, Bolton.

Don’t forget Bromley which had its last day on Monday.