Survey reveals ski resort visitors' top concerns for upcoming winter

[TNtoTaos]

Same question here about Epic reservations. e.g.
1) if daily cap at 200,
2) 200 people reserved that day
3) all 200 w/ reservations show up
4) by 2pm 100 people left.

Would they release / open additional slots remaining of the day?

It would be helpful if they could institute some sort of a waiting list, for people who wanted to be on it, based on the RFID info. Locals, or those staying on-mtn could get a text letting them know that spots had opened up for afternoon skiing.

 

[Ski Sine Fine]

Vail has the EpicMix app, which can be used to manage your reservations. They can implement a “done skiing” button for the reservation to let the mountain know you’re done for the day. Your pass will be turned off and a reservation slot becomes available. As an incentive to actually using the button, maybe they can load some coupons or discounts for mountain food or shopping.

 

[Ski Sine Fine]

2) slip / fall / fracture from walking on skis boots to parking lot for lunch, since can't use indoor dining.

Time for CatTraks or some such.

3) My bad knee will not hold..... I have not been exercising or strengthen my knee even though I have 8 months for rehabilitations.

Eeek, I didn’t get the sense your knee was that bad? Did you hurt it again?

 

[marzNC]

A slight aside on the topic of ski passes and reservations. It appears that for the time being many Mountain Collective member resorts will not be requiring reservations, even though they require them of the Ikon pass holders. I am guessing that the mountain collective numbers are so much smaller that they are not worried about the impact.

That's probably why the price for the MCP went up $100 last week, instead of the usual $20. A higher price will naturally limit the number of late purchasers as people realize how limited day tickets and discounted lift tickets will be this season.

 

[alison wong]

Keep in mind that Epic resorts use RFID. Keeping a count with plenty of associated data is standard practice.

Understand Epic uses RFID. But does it have the ability to track when people leave? I don't think so?
The point of my question is if half the people leave by early afternoon, can Epic / will Epic release additional tickets so people on wait list or w/o reservation enter the mtn.?

It would be helpful if they could institute some sort of a waiting list, for people who wanted to be on it, based on the RFID info. Locals, or those staying on-mtn could get a text letting them know that spots had opened up for afternoon skiing.

If I decided to go skiing that day, I'd want to know I can get to ski for sure (it takes 1.5 hour driving time to get there)... Prefer not to deal w/ the uncertainty. Unless there are other activities on the mountain that you can do while "waiting", in my case, there is not much else to do.

ail has the EpicMix app, which can be used to manage your reservations. They can implement a “done skiing” button for the reservation to let the mountain know you’re done for the day. Your pass will be turned off and a reservation slot becomes available. As an incentive to actually using the button, maybe they can load some coupons or discounts for mountain food or shopping.

This is a great and clever idea. You should bring this idea to them. Seriously.

Time for CatTraks or some such.

I bought one , never used it and end up returning it. It is a hassle. You put it on to walk from parking lot to slope, take it off, put in baggy then to your pocket or backpack (it's a bit bulky in size). When you done, put it back on..... you may go to bathroom w/ this thing, then you need to take it off. The thought of it's been to bathroom floor and I need to use my hands to get it off. It grosses me out.

There is another kind: vibram soles for ski boots. Boot fitter needs to put them on, cost around $100. I can't justify that kind of spending consider the # of days I ski.
I do find my ski boots a bit slippery, more so than my last bucket boots. I fell couple times already, need to be careful walking.

Eeek, I didn’t get the sense your knee was that bad? Did you hurt it again

I hurt my L knee last year at Liberty before I went out to Taos. The Taos trip actually worsened it.

I am the type of skier once I start skiing, I don't want to stop (if my knee holds), I just want to keep going until it closes, esp. skiing in PA, we have night skiing here. Only problem is, I don't like driving in the dark on mountain roads, so I must stop by ~5pm before it gets dark.

 

[alison wong]

A slight aside on the topic of ski passes and reservations. It appears that for the time being many Mountain Collective member resorts will not be requiring reservations, even though they require them of the Ikon pass holders. I am guessing that the mountain collective numbers are so much smaller that they are not worried about the impact.

Really glad I went w/ MCP this season, bought it before resorts announced their reservation system. I was surprised to learn that JH requires Ikon pass holder to have reservation but not for MCP. Ikon has higher starting price, plus base pass needs to pay additional for skiing JH. I guess I lucked out

 

[Ski Sine Fine]

You put it on to walk from parking lot to slope, take it off, put in baggy then to your pocket or backpack (it's a bit bulky in size). When you done, put it back on..... you may go to bathroom w/ this thing, then you need to take it off. The thought of it's been to bathroom floor and I need to use my hands to get it off. It grosses me out

I almost always boot up at the car. I only use CatTracks from car to lodge and lodge to car. I don’t walk around the resort with them on. I don’t put them on again until it’s time to leave. I don’t put them in my pocket or a backpack. I loop each through my boot cuff carry straps and tug them under the pants hugging around the boots. Yes, you get dirty snow on your boots and inside the gaiters. It doesn’t bother me and I feel so much more sure-footed. I leave the CatTracks on the boots all the time to set the elastic. I don’t have a problem putting them on or off one-handed.

 

[TNtoTaos]

I loop each through my boot cuff carry straps and tug them under the pants hugging around the boots. Yes, you get dirty snow on your boots and inside the gaiters. It doesn’t bother me and I feel so much more sure-footed. I leave the CatTracks on the boots all the time to set the elastic. I don’t have a problem putting them on or off one-handed.

Now that's an interesting idea! I also find them bulky -- they don't fit easily into any pockets, so I don't use them as much as I should. I'm going to have to explore this option! Thanks!

 

[alison wong]

I almost always boot up at the car. I only use CatTracks from car to lodge and lodge to car. I don’t walk around the resort with them on. I don’t put them on again until it’s time to leave. I don’t put them in my pocket or a backpack. I loop each through my boot cuff carry straps and tug them under the pants hugging around the boots. Yes, you get dirty snow on your boots and inside the gaiters. It doesn’t bother me and I feel so much more sure-footed. I leave the CatTracks on the boots all the time to set the elastic. I don’t have a problem putting them on or off one-handed.

Good to know. Thanks for the info. For some reason, I was under the impression / assumption that you put it on once you get off your skis. You need to show me how you use it next time! Maybe I will change my mind.

 

[Ski Sine Fine]

If you ever saw someone with CatTracks, skis and poles slung across the back like a bo staff, walking to the parking lot with a cup of coffee, that’d be me!

 

[marzNC]

The point of my question is if half the people leave by early afternoon, can Epic / will Epic release additional tickets so people on wait list or w/o reservation enter the mtn.?

While it's clearly possible from a technology standpoint, I'll be surprised if VR will try to get people in just for the afternoon. Same for creating a wait list. Adding complexity to the software also means adding potential unforeseen problems. The thinking is that the reservation system will only be used for 2020-21.

One of the key decisions that VR made was to have the same approach to handling capacity limits for all Epic locations. That means that the reservation system may not be the best fit in some cases.

Alterra is taking a completely different approach. As are Powdr and Boyne Resorts. We'll see what works better. Or it could be that the advantages and disadvantages will balance out.

 

[marzNC]

Good to know. Thanks for the info. For some reason, I was under the impression / assumption that you put it on once you get off your skis. You need to show me how you use it next time! Maybe I will change my mind.

It's personal preference. My Massanutten instructor has had a lot of work done on the bottom of his boots. He puts on Cat Tracks pretty much any time he's going to be walking anywhere around the base. I don't use Cat Tracks at small bases. But I've used them at large resorts like Squaw or Northstar where it's a long walk from the parking lot. Folded in half I can put them in a jacket pocket or in the small pack I usually carry at a large resort.

 

[gingerjess]

Adding complexity to the software also means adding potential unforeseen problems. The thinking is that the reservation system will only be used for 2020-21.

This is what my focus would be if I were building the software. Rather than try to handle that use case, I might pull data on the proportion of people who ski only in the morning or only in the afternoon and inflate the total number of available reservations by some amount to account for it.

 

[alison wong]

Adding complexity to the software also means adding potential unforeseen problems. The thinking is that the reservation system will only be used for 2020-21.

This is what my focus would be if I were building the software. Rather than try to handle that use case, I might pull data on the proportion of people who ski only in the morning or only in the afternoon and inflate the total number of available reservations by some amount to account for it.

Agreed 100%. Understand it is hard to justify developing something that might have a 1-time use case. But from data collection standpoint, it would add values and information, e.g. staffing allocation, logistic planning. In a way, data "tells" a story.

 

[marzNC]

A survey was done Nov. 10-16 for just Colorado skiers. Most of the respondents were pretty well off financially and adults ages 25-49. 63% don't have kids in their household, which could include people who have adult children. About half were married. The gender split was about 50-50. Over 80% are resort skiers/boarders. Half are on snow 25 days or less. The study was based on interviews, not just answers to multiple choice questions.

A key question was "Are you or your family considering not skiing or snowboarding at all this season because of the coronavirus?" Overall, 31% of the almost 800 respondents answered "Yes." The major ideas that came out of interviews were:

• Risk from Others Not Following Guidelines
• Frustration with Reservation Systems
• Money is Tight / Not Worth the Money

Dec 2020, Magellan Survey on The Know of the Denver Post
https://theknow.denverpost.com/wp-c...oard-Community-Survey-Presentation-112520.pdf

Every region is in a different situation regarding the pandemic. Colorado is relatively unique in having so many people within reasonable day trip distance of major resorts or relatively large independent mountains. A survey with the same questions might well come up with very different reactions in the flatlands or the northeast.

 

[altagirl]

You can always switch to telemarking. The boots are way more comfy to walk in - no CatTracks required...

 

[SkiBam]

A lot of the concerns I initially had haven't really materialized as yet.

I've skied three days so far at Tremblant. No reservations required for passholders so that's easy. I can only report on the north side (where we always go) but so far so good. Parking has been close - not more than a 30-second walk to the car.

We can boot up indoors - though it's a small area and I don't know how this would work with more people - though I'm perfectly happy booting up at the car (world's easiest boots to get on and off). Can't leave bags indoors. Can eat one's lunch indoors. There are the usual mask requirements, hand washing etc. when going inside.

I believe the cafeteria is open but to access it you can't take the interior stairs but must go outside, up the stairs and in to buy your stuff. Not sure if one can eat there. There's also a tent thingie set up but I haven't seen anyone using it yet. Maybe for when there are more people.

One thing I had said I wouldn't do is ride the gondola. Well, that didn't last. The gondola is an eight-person but I think restricted to four unless one family. Yesterday my friend and I got on and when they asked if two others could join us, we said no - and there was no problem. We thought if necessary we could play the age card, claiming we're in a high-risk group so want to minimize exposure. Would keep mask on or face covered in gondola or on a chair with a stranger.

No lineups yet during the week. But when heading for the lift I pull up my neckwarmer, maybe doubling the layers (and this seems acceptable). I can't stand to ski with my mouth covered so that doesn't happen. And I cannot see how skiing down the mountain unmasked could be considered dangerous at all.

Now, this is early days and I'm sure that once we get any good snow things will change. But I know more than one person (keen skiers) who are totally not sure if they'll activate their pass or not. Me, I'm of the opinion that if people stay away (and no tourists come) the potential for some great uncrowded skiing exists. We'll see...

 

[ski diva]

I loop each through my boot cuff carry straps and tug them under the pants hugging around the boots. Yes, you get dirty snow on your boots and inside the gaiters. It doesn’t bother me and I feel so much more sure-footed. I leave the CatTracks on the boots all the time to set the elastic. I don’t have a problem putting them on or off one-handed.

I'm having a hard time figuring this out. Could you take a picture and post it?

 

[Jilly]

Ski Sine Fine...are you talking about the power strap? Or do you have a handle on the back of the boot. It's actually used to pull your boot on with.

@SkiBam - I was into the Grand Manitou for a coffee on Sunday. You go down the tented exterior stairs to access the doors by the washroom. Once that side gets open you may be able to ski down. Then there is divided walkway using really heavy clear plastic (kind used for exterior tents) with "door ways" to access the tables. No food sales downstairs. Limited options for food in the main cafeteria. Even to get the coffee you had to ask for the cup, milk, sugar and lid. Then you could go over to the machine and self serve. Not sure what the food options were. Although my one friend likes the noodle bowls and they were not being offered.

Seating - the tables are divided by this heavy plastic. There is a plastic card on the table that you turn over when you get there. That tells the staff that the table needs to be cleaned and no one should use it till it's done. I would say they are at about 1/3 capacity of usual. The crepe bar is closed too.

I have 6 coffee/hot chocolates left over from last year's privileges package still.

Bags were being allowed in, but not left behind.

 

[Ski Sine Fine]

I'm having a hard time figuring this out. Could you take a picture and post it?

Ski Sine Fine...are you talking about the power strap? Or do you have a handle on the back of the boot. It's actually used to pull your boot on with.