lonbordin Posted January 6, 2022 Report Share Posted January 6, 2022 The latest from their FB page, below. I reached out for some inside info... there's hope they will open the 14th. I thought the Vail buy might be good for PP. I do not think so anymore based on the info I received. I'm actually more bummed than I've been... I guess I'm going to have to start making the drives over to Perfect North... oof.The team is gearing up for the next 48 hours of cold temps UPDATES (to provide transparency ) Opening Date - TBA Tubing Date - TBA Many have asked, we will NOT be open the weekend of Jan 7 We hear you loud and clear - we wanted to provide a status. Keep thinking cold for us, we can't wait to welcome you back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobble Posted January 9, 2022 Report Share Posted January 9, 2022 vail bought afton alps in minnesota. this year they've reduced their operating hours. used to be open 10AM weekdays and now it's 1PM. i don't ride there often but many people are upset. the problem is when they open at noon the ski teams show up at 3pm and take over the place. it's not fair to season pass holders. from what i hear not all of the chairlifts at afton are running and the lines are ridiculous. i don't know what is driving this. could be global warming. could be covid. could be vail/afton can't get people to work because they're too cheap. good luck at PP. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktv Posted January 9, 2022 Report Share Posted January 9, 2022 Similar here at Mad River in Ohio, owned by Vail. Finally opened this weekend, but for the season, the hours are greatly reduced. In the past: M-Th 10am - 9pm F 10am - 2am Sat 9am - 2am Sun 9am - 9pm This year: M-F 3pm - 9pm Sat/Sun 10am - 5pm Yesterday was the most crowded I've seen by 12pm. I'll be going to Perfect North on Tuesday to get a day in, even though I have a season pass to Mad River. I'll probably buy a season pass to Snow Trails in Mansfield next year. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Donnelly Posted January 9, 2022 Report Share Posted January 9, 2022 30,000-plus sign petition accusing Vail Resorts of deceiving consumers for profit The Associated Press Jan 6, 2022 https://www.outtherecolorado.com/news/30-000-plus-sign-petition-accusing-vail-resorts-of-deceiving-consumers-for-profit/article_b7ff3f20-6f18-11ec-a903-bb4a673bf4a6.html 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNSurfer Posted January 10, 2022 Report Share Posted January 10, 2022 On 1/8/2022 at 6:06 PM, bobble said: vail bought afton alps in minnesota.... from what i hear not all of the chairlifts at afton are running and the lines are ridiculous. i don't know what is driving this. could be global warming. could be covid. could be vail/afton can't get people to work because they're too cheap. good luck at PP. Weekends (Sat/Sun) open at 9:30, and weekdays are 1:00. Splitting hairs, but still, it's a bummer for those of us who like to get in those quiet, weekday morning turns. This point last season, I'd been to Afton maybe 15 times. This year; 2. As Bob pointed out, both those sessions were ended because of lift lines. My best guess is this is partly driven by labor shortages. Look around the resort, and you see almost no staff under the age of 40 (at last outside of the chalet). Maybe that's a Vail decision? Years past you'd always have "kids" working the lifts. That doesn't appear to be the case, now. Last visit, the Alps and Main lots were full before the lifts even started turning. One, singe, lonely lift/run in Highlands. Plenty of 'snow', things were groomed, just 1/2 the hill was roped-off. They could have easily opened every single lift, and in years past, they would have. Again, I'm guessing they, like many other businesses, simply can't find the personnel. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 10, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2022 So, the board members saw the future.... Hours posted: Thursday, January 13, 1pm - 8 pm Friday, January 14, 1 pm - 8 pm Saturday, January 15, 11 am - 6 pm Sunday, January 16, 11 am - 6 pm To put those 28 open hours in perspective, which apparently will be the operating hours this season, Paoli before last season was open 90 hours per week. Apparently, they won't even be open for President's Day a huge Monday for them typically?! Additional things that are unavailable this season: - Park features - Pro Shop - Ski lessons - Snow monsters (kids ski daycare) - The bar (not that it was ever consistently open before) - Web cams I'll be taking a long hard look Thursday to see if Vail has made any investments as it likely will tell the future. As of last season you wouldn't know Paoli was a Vail/Epic property from an on-site visit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 10, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2022 (edited) So Alpine Valley and Paoli Peaks share the distinction of Epic resorts that haven't opened yet, Joy. I wondered what are the hours of the rest of the Epic resorts in the MidWest and NorthEast. So I scraped the sites of the resorts and made a table. (Speaking of that is there a way to insert tables in our forum?? Sorry about the formatting!) So Alpine Valley, OH & Snow Creek, MO & Paoli Peaks, IN all share something in common. Closed days. Which is odd since the season is so short one would think you'd want your resort to be open daily at minimum. It's crazy to think that Paoli Peaks would've been up there with Roudtop and Liberty hours just two seasons ago. Perfect North Slopes in Lawrenceburg, IN is privately owned and they are open 12 hours per day Sun-Thurs and 14.5 hours per day on Friday & Saturday. I'm a bit put out that I paid for a full price pass with the understanding they would be open daily like they have for the past ~20 years. Resort Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Weekly Night Region Alpine Valley 0 0 0 0 5.5 7 7 19.5 Y MidWest Snow Creek 0 0 0 0 6 7 7 20 Y MidWest Paoli Peaks 0 0 0 7 7 7 7 28 Y MidWest Hidden Valley 4 4 4 4 4 8 8 36 Y MidWest Mad River 6 6 6 6 6 7 7 44 Y MidWest Wildcat 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 45.5 N NorthEast BM&BW 6 6 6 6 6 8 8 46 Y MidWest Hunter 7 7 7 7 7 7.5 7.5 50 N NorthEast Attitash 7 7 7 7 7 7.5 7.5 50 N NorthEast MT Snow 7 7 7 7 7 8 8 51 N NorthEast Okemo 7 7 7 7 7 8 8 51 N NorthEast MT Sunapee 7 7 7 7 7 8 8 51 N NorthEast Crotched 0 0 8 12 12 12 8 52 Y NorthEast Stowe 8 8 8 8 8 8 8 56 N NorthEast Wilmot 7 7 7 7 7 11 11 57 Y MidWest Afton Alps 7 7 7 7 8 11.5 10.5 58 Y MidWest MT Brighton 8 8 8 8 8 12 10 62 Y MidWest Whitetail 8 8 8 12 12 12 12 72 Y NorthEast JF&BB 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 77 Y MidWest Roundtop 9 9 12 12 12 13 13 80 Y NorthEast Liberty 11 11 11 12 12 14 12 83 Y NorthEast Edit: Sorry for the doom-n-gloom.... I'm going to try to focus on the positive... Edited January 10, 2022 by lonbordin sorry 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trent Posted January 10, 2022 Report Share Posted January 10, 2022 yeah, this sucks donkey balls! it's not even worth going to afton at this point on the weekends. lines and runs are crazy long/crowded 45 min after opening. vail is doing an excellent job at losing all the long time pass holders. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNSurfer Posted January 11, 2022 Report Share Posted January 11, 2022 1 hour ago, trent said: yeah, this sucks donkey balls! it's not even worth going to afton at this point on the weekends. lines and runs are crazy long/crowded 45 min after opening. vail is doing an excellent job at losing all the long time pass holders. From the west Metro, Powder Ridge isn't all that much further. Gets a guy thinking, that's for sure. Sorry for hijacking your thread @lonbordin Back to Paoli... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Donnelly Posted January 11, 2022 Report Share Posted January 11, 2022 With slopes limited, do Stevens Pass skiers have recourse? Lift ticket fine print bars a class action lawsuit, saying passes are non-refundable. But those might not be the last words. https://www.heraldnet.com/news/with-slopes-limited-do-stevens-pass-skiers-have-recourse/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MNSurfer Posted January 11, 2022 Report Share Posted January 11, 2022 I've only been to Steven's once, on a random weekday, 5-years ago. So, pre-Vail, and bar-none, the busiest place I've ever been to. I just couldn't believe the number of people there. Literal ants-on-a-sugar-hill. And it was raining! Cars lined-up, just waiting to get in the (full) parking lots. Did I mention it was raining? We left after 3 "runs", which was some of the most nerve-racking people-dodging I've ever done. Now, if that's how it was before Vail got ahold of it? I can't even imagine it any worse. Anyway, just my one, random experience. Next day we went to Mission Ridge; $20, real (eg. 'dry') snow, not a lift line in sight, and all of us wondering why we didn't just drive a few more hours, the day before. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeS Posted January 13, 2022 Report Share Posted January 13, 2022 On 1/10/2022 at 7:51 AM, lonbordin said: Hours posted: Thursday, January 13, 1pm - 8 pm Friday, January 14, 1 pm - 8 pm Saturday, January 15, 11 am - 6 pm Sunday, January 16, 11 am - 6 pm Not good! I don't like to go on weekends and Fridays so that leaves one day for me. I usually like to do a morning session and leave before 1, so that's out also. 30 something days is not much of a ski season. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 14, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2022 (edited) Opening day and you know I was there at open. 3 runs open, 1 lift , and the magic carpet. More than half of the hill was blocked off and plenty of grass showing on Oak. Said the base was 18"... I struck dirt twice. My carves maybe deep on occasion but not that deep. Two of the heads of OPS were playing the roles of lifties. It was great to be on the snow again. Wow I've really missed it. Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/USakLNM4pLJRidHj9 Edited January 14, 2022 by lonbordin Certain muscles are talking to me tonight! 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trent Posted January 14, 2022 Report Share Posted January 14, 2022 at least it didn't look crowded. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 15, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2022 (edited) Day two. Focus was on dialing in the new boots. Some grass coming through in the center of Mindbender. Woo, thin. Speaking of thin I hope they are able to hire some people! Nice afternoon and made some real progress with the setup. Oh and they made a last minute change to be open MLK day from 10-3pm. Edited January 15, 2022 by lonbordin Yeah short report... I'm tired feeling old. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobble Posted January 15, 2022 Report Share Posted January 15, 2022 8 hours ago, lonbordin said: Day two. Focus was on dialing in the new boots. Some grass coming through in the center of Mindbender. Woo, thin. Speaking of thin I hope they are able to hire some people! Nice afternoon and made some real progress with the setup. Oh and they made a last minute change to be open MLK day from 10-3pm. what's the reason for closing at 3pm? not enough staff? save money on lights? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 15, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2022 48 minutes ago, bobble said: what's the reason for closing at 3pm? not enough staff? save money on lights? Good questions. Up to yesterday they weren't going to be open at all. From what I've heard and seen it's staff, as in they don't have any. But that's expected... there are lots of places hiring in the Paoli region that start at way more than 11.25 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeS Posted January 15, 2022 Report Share Posted January 15, 2022 Thanks for the photos. You're the only source for real condition info. Maybe you won't hit dirt next week! My board's only been on snow a few days and I really don't want any dirt riding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 16, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2022 Vail Co. Sucks, there I said it. The amount that's being asked of the local OPS crew is simply absurd. I sure appreciate their efforts and I think upper Vail Co. management should resign. Disgraceful, all in the name of shareholder profit. Whew... I feel better. Got to ride with the one and only Deisel Mike and his son and my son. That was great! The surface conditions were less than optimal and I was working on the new boots. I definitely need to do some further tweaking on my setup as it was also less than optimal. My riding was not good, out of wack. Still it was a lot of fun to tailgate Mike. Already did some tweaking... might try a short am session tomorrow to test. Oh, they opened the quad lift... that side needs a lot more time with the groomer!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 16, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 16, 2022 (edited) Was back at PP today. Got the boots straightened out and a little of my mojo back... They had blown some snow. It was probably a top five busy day in all the years I've been coming here. The ticket line went around the west side of the building. Luckily the reduced staff greatly slowed their exodus to the snow. The quad lift side still needs more grooming passes but it was better than yesterday. Photos (note the line for the magic carpet. You can walk uphill MUCH faster than the carpet.): https://photos.app.goo.gl/4MY7L9V6R6fs3zhd9 Edited January 17, 2022 by lonbordin Of course I left before the slopes got nuts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 21, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2022 Back this evening. Between the time I left home and got to the hill they had shut down the quad lift so only half the hill was open, sigh. FIRM They had blown some snow but some how even at these low Temps they managed to blow some ice. Luckily there was one smoothish run that was carveable so I lapped that. First night under the lights felt kind of normal. They were charging the system to start blowing at close. Should be the best snowmaking conditions they've had all season. Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/5Y7PCM4WbsWPNHDPA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 22, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2022 Back this evening. Mindbender was the best. It was marginally better than yesterday. They made snow and plan to make more tonight. Very surprised at all the frozen water everywhere with such low Temps. It was actually cold this evening. The Faststik worked well, first test. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 23, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2022 Back today. They blew more snow last night. Some of the runs were great! Apparently they limit walkup sales so even though the parking lot looks crazy it's really not bad on the snow. Great day... so tired, so old. Zzzzzzzzzzz Photos https://photos.app.goo.gl/ExzPphN5ZYJ5gBED6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 24, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2022 Even better this afternoon. Had stuff to do this morning and didn't make it to the hill until 1500. Snow was in decent shape. I had a blast. Started the session on softies then moved on to HBs. Photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/1CKxbYERtLFrKeGV7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonbordin Posted January 28, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 28, 2022 One of the OPS leads told me they made champagne snow last night. Too bad only TWO runs and one lift were open tonight. I f@#king hate Vail corporate. So we have two senior OPS guys working the lift. The OPS guy who's on charge is running the groomer on our third run so only two runs. It's like insult to injury. 10 Patrollers earning their wings so I have to time my blue runs when they are not on the run then do the green when they are on the blue. It's past a little frustrating at this point. PP still isn't opening their tubing. PP's balance sheet is going to be no Bueno this season. Snow was good, worked on technique and zen koans. Photos- https://photos.app.goo.gl/PJjUqD4EArHnTp3F9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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