snoloco
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2021
This has been discussed in a few places lately, but I thought it deserved its own thread.
ORDA's practice of waiting till the last minute to announce their opening, and not giving any indication of what terrain will be open is not only absolutely maddening, but is otherwise unheard of in the ski industry. It's so asinine that they are likely throwing money away by not having proper opening announcements, all so the governor's office can take credit for the announcement, instead of those actually operating the ski areas.
First there's the timing. Unless it's coming down to the wire and it's not certain whether there will be enough snow to open, openings should be announced 3-4 days in advance. That gives people time to make plans, purchase tickets, find carpool buddies, etc. If it's not announced by this time, then most will assume they are not opening, and won't go. ORDA clearly knows that they will be open this weekend. They are pushing whales out, selling tickets, and ordering food supplies. Let people know so they can plan to come and ski.
Second, there's no indication of what terrain will be available, beyond what can be seen on the webcams or social media posts. All Belleayre says is they want both Deer Run and Dot Nebel open. There's no indication whatsoever about there being beginner terrain on opening day. I can see on Gore's webcam that they are making snow on Bear Cub, but that's it for all 3 resorts. Others make it clear if they are expecting terrain for all abilities, or intermediate/advanced only even before they've confirmed their openings. Sugarbush for instance, while they announced their opening late, made it clear that there would be no beginner terrain. Stowe on the other hand, just announced their opening 3 days out, and confirmed that there will be terrain for all abilities.
This is why I don't mind fixed openings like what Vail does. Unless there is not enough snow, the opening date is set in stone, and you likely have at least a few days' notice what terrain will be available. The only time I find last minute opening announcements acceptable is for resorts that are really trying to push the season length, where a few degrees difference can mean the difference between opening, and not opening. But even Killington tries to announce 2 days before if possible.
ORDA's practice of waiting till the last minute to announce their opening, and not giving any indication of what terrain will be open is not only absolutely maddening, but is otherwise unheard of in the ski industry. It's so asinine that they are likely throwing money away by not having proper opening announcements, all so the governor's office can take credit for the announcement, instead of those actually operating the ski areas.
First there's the timing. Unless it's coming down to the wire and it's not certain whether there will be enough snow to open, openings should be announced 3-4 days in advance. That gives people time to make plans, purchase tickets, find carpool buddies, etc. If it's not announced by this time, then most will assume they are not opening, and won't go. ORDA clearly knows that they will be open this weekend. They are pushing whales out, selling tickets, and ordering food supplies. Let people know so they can plan to come and ski.
Second, there's no indication of what terrain will be available, beyond what can be seen on the webcams or social media posts. All Belleayre says is they want both Deer Run and Dot Nebel open. There's no indication whatsoever about there being beginner terrain on opening day. I can see on Gore's webcam that they are making snow on Bear Cub, but that's it for all 3 resorts. Others make it clear if they are expecting terrain for all abilities, or intermediate/advanced only even before they've confirmed their openings. Sugarbush for instance, while they announced their opening late, made it clear that there would be no beginner terrain. Stowe on the other hand, just announced their opening 3 days out, and confirmed that there will be terrain for all abilities.
This is why I don't mind fixed openings like what Vail does. Unless there is not enough snow, the opening date is set in stone, and you likely have at least a few days' notice what terrain will be available. The only time I find last minute opening announcements acceptable is for resorts that are really trying to push the season length, where a few degrees difference can mean the difference between opening, and not opening. But even Killington tries to announce 2 days before if possible.
