Storm Skiing Podcast with Vail Inc. Eastern Head Honcho

[raisingarizona]

No
I guess I’m referring to people in general, not somebody specific.

Ok. Got it. Whatever…

Just to clarify, the cheap comment was related to what I mentioned in my long post about small business owners. It wasn’t about the epic pass people. My thoughts get scrambled at times. Trust me, that sucks but 15 concussions do that sometimes. But, it was all related with thoughts on numbers.

If I offended anyone here I apologize. Not my intentions.

 

[Low Angle Life]

Then I thought about the people buying an epic that predominantly ski the weekends and stand in those horrific lines to ski dangerously crowded slopes. The ones that keep doing it. They can’t be about the experience, or do they actually like that? Or maybe it’s more about the water cooler convos on Monday about their rad weekend at mountain x and what a deal their pass is and how they are headed to Jackson to wait 2 hours for a tram lap. Don’t tell me you don’t know those types, and yes, those are poseurs. These folks are annoying as well.

What I think is also important to keep in mind relating to your point here, the average skier or rider is getting anywhere from 5-15 days in a season. Think about any other outdoor activity people participate in throughout the year and perhaps identify themselves with. To spend so much money and so little actual time participating in the actual physical act of skiing is pretty nutty regardless of how you break it down. To your point though, it allows one to be part of the club, it's a frustrating trend I see creeping into other outdoor sports. Buy your way into looking the part, make it your whole personality, and post all over the internet about it. Some folks just want to look and feel the part while lined up at the bar.

 

[sig]

I have not been a passholder for quite awhile. if it doesn't snow i have no interest in crowed weekends on limited terrain. I made the decision to forgo savings and just go for quality. if it snows a ton I had a ball and spent a lot of money. i can make this up by cutting back in other areas. if it does not snow I am not fretting about the $800 beans i spent on a pass. when retired i will rethink the season pass. I also say stupid shit all the time. mainly because my mouth is always running.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Last winter was my first-ever season pass, Loveland. Although I only got 12 days out of it (including reciprocal days at Cooper, Monarch, Silver, and Schweitzer), it was a good bean-counting purchase at $31.25/day. I'd absolutely buy the pass again; however, I'm going back to my pre-pandemic habits this winter with two trips to the Alps.

 

[Ripitz]

I'm going back to my pre-pandemic habits this winter with two trips to the Alps.

Care to share where? Or is it a secret?

 

[Harvey]

The average skier and rider gets about 4-5 days.

I wish all of us would give each other the benefit of the doubt more. I'm including myself in that.

I have some strongly held beliefs and I do express them. It really should be none of my concern if someone wants to value cost per ski day ticket above all else. It's always been true that I think somewhat differently than other consumers. If I want to be accepted for that, I need to accept others too.

I had a long convo with a friend and forum member last night about this. It changed the way I view this topic. Or at least the way I am going to express myself.

 

[Benny Profane]

What I think is also important to keep in mind relating to your point here, the average skier or rider is getting anywhere from 5-15 days in a season. Think about any other outdoor activity people participate in throughout the year and perhaps identify themselves with. To spend so much money and so little actual time participating in the actual physical act of skiing is pretty nutty regardless of how you break it down. To your point though, it allows one to be part of the club, it's a frustrating trend I see creeping into other outdoor sports. Buy your way into looking the part, make it your whole personality, and post all over the internet about it. Some folks just want to look and feel the part while lined up at the bar.

Thus, Sprinter vans.

 

[Ripitz]

Maybe we should just stick to sharing recipes.

 

[Campgottagopee]

Then I thought about someone I know that every time I run into him on a pow day his first question is, “how many runs did you get?”. Not because he really cares but only so he can tell me how many he got. It seems like some sort of dick waiving contest. I like him but that’s really annoying to me. I never give him a number, I always say I don’t know, even if I do.

LOL
I have a buddy like that too. I simply tell him I've skied them all, and let it go at that.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Care to share where? Or is it a secret?

No secret, it's just that these trips are often fluid and can go exactly as planned or change completely at the drop of a hat.

Originally, I booked a late January flight to Toulouse to try (for a second time) to do a nine-day road trip through the western Pyrenees; however, British Airways cancelled its afternoon connecting flight so it became too much trouble or too many FF miles. The Pyrenees will have to wait for retirement, when I'm living the entire winter over there.

I'm now flying nonstop to Milan twice as a gateway to these two regions within two hours (each ski area on the itinerary is marked/zoom in a bit to see most of the lifts and trails on the maps):

• January 28 - Feb 6: while based in Brig (Switzerland), I'll hit a pile of big and small ski areas in the Aletsch Arena region of southern Switzerland. I like the idea of being in one hotel the entire time.
• March 4 - 13: the Hautes-Alpes of southern France including Serre Chevalier and the Forêt Blanche (White Forest).