Overcrowding at Epic and Ikon resorts

[j’aime skier]

Mammoth mountain has a special annual pass available for $10,000 yearly or $15,000 for a couple, $20,000 for a family of five… includes a special lift line, front row parking, access to a members only mid-mountain restaurant, and other perks none of which I will ever experience

 

[vickie]

How I'd hate to be child #4 in that family!

 

[Christy]

I know we talked about demographic shifts. So many of these places that are really busy are the places that are relatively close to urban areas, particularly in the West.

Related, but I don't know if this has specifically come up – – We hear about the little ski areas that are closing, and people craft the "skiing is dying" narrative from it. Are the ski areas that are closing in geographic areas that are losing population and where all sorts of businesses are going under because of that? In other words, maybe it doesn't have anything to do with skiing at all?

Wendy's article today where the ski industry rep quoted the numbers of ski areas that have closed made me think of this.

 

[Christy]

This was in today's New York Times. @contesstant might be surprised to hear that Snowbasin is undiscovered and uncrowded.

Utah Powder and Steeps, Without the Crowds https://nyti.ms/39KaaNz

 

[ski diva]

Wendy's article today where the ski industry rep quoted the numbers of ski areas that have closed made me think of this.

You can find it here.

 

[Mermimi]

Today A-Basin announced that it's leaving the Epic Pass family. It cited one of its main reasons as overcrowding. (A-Basin's decision is being discussed in this thread).

I talked to a few local folks when I was at Squaw Valley last week- they reported that the blackout weekends are noticeably less crowded than the weekends before or after the holiday and posited that it's due to skiers buying the Ikon base pass and staying away during the blackouts. I'm a midweek skier at Squaw and Alpine and haven't noticed a difference during the week due to the Ikon pass. We do need more snow, though!

 

[ilovepugs]

Even with the Epic pass blacked out this holiday weekend, Sunday afternoon was crowded at Stowe! I'm not terribly surprised as Saturday was fairly quiet throughout New England due to the temperatures.

Apropos to this thread: I knew it was too crowded and time to go home on Sunday afternoon when I started yelling at people - first to the instructor who almost ran me over (he was obviously going too quickly in what I call the "beginner hell zone" off the Spruce lift on Lower Main Street and slipped) - and then to the beginners who were stopped dead center in a narrow catwalk ("Don't stand in the middle of the trail!")

Obviously, the crowds were expected for a holiday weekend afternoon, and just as obviously, it was time for me to leave before I got too cranky and actually misbehaved!

 

[contesstant]

This was in today's New York Times. @contesstant might be surprised to hear that Snowbasin is undiscovered and uncrowded.

Utah Powder and Steeps, Without the Crowds https://nyti.ms/39KaaNz

Yesterday was as bad as I've ever seen it there.

 

[marymack]

Even with the Epic pass blacked out this holiday weekend, Sunday afternoon was crowded at Stowe! I'm not terribly surprised as Saturday was fairly quiet throughout New England due to the temperatures.

Apropos to this thread: I knew it was too crowded and time to go home on Sunday afternoon when I started yelling at people - first to the instructor who almost ran me over (he was obviously going too quickly in what I call the "beginner hell zone" off the Spruce lift on Lower Main Street and slipped) - and then to the beginners who were stopped dead center in a narrow catwalk ("Don't stand in the middle of the trail!")

Obviously, the crowds were expected for a holiday weekend afternoon, and just as obviously, it was time for me to leave before I got too cranky and actually misbehaved!

Oh do you mean the sharp left hand turn to drop to right hand turn right before you can turn off towards sensation? My DH and I call that "carnage corner"! Everytime we go down we stop at the bottom to admire the mayhem and comment that they should have a sign that they can change from green to black diamond each afternoon!

 

[NYSnowflake]

Oh do you mean the sharp left hand turn to drop to right hand turn right before you can turn off towards sensation? My DH and I call that "carnage corner"! Everytime we go down we stop at the bottom to admire the mayhem and comment that they should have a sign that they can change from green to black diamond each afternoon!

Yes I agree that spot is treacherous, trying to navigate the ice and crowds of beginners weeble-wobbling everywhere!

 

[marymack]

Yes I agree that spot is treacherous, trying to navigate the ice and crowds of beginners weeble-wobbling everywhere!

Plus it often gets bumps on it!

 

[ilovepugs]

@marymack @NYSnowflake you got it -- that's the one! "carnage corner" is a good name too!

 

[skibum4ever]

So far no overcrowding at Alta, Snowbird, and Solitude. Though I commented to a chairlift partner today about how empty it was, and she said that there were a lot of people. The longest lift line was 2 minutes.

We are going to try Deer Valley tomorrow. I guess we'll see how it is on a Saturday.