A serious discussion about resort crowding

BigPurpleSkiSuitGonna leave it pretty open, but apart from spring pow days 2 years ago when Snowbird was the only mountain open in May or June and it dumped a huge storm, this weekend was undoubtedly the worst lines that I have ever seen. I will always be a resort skier at Snowbird, but damn.

I know the mountains will always be attractive, and everyone deserves to ski, but waiting 30-45 min at a time is not my idea of a good time, nor anyone's. It's clear that the Epic and Ikon passes have made accessing world class resorts far easier, but damn if the crowds are almost unacceptable.

My solution:

A reservation system only for Ikon and Epic pass users. I buy a season's pass to one mountain, and I do feel somewhat entitled to not have to deal with hoardes of ikon pass users from out of state every single pow day. Limit the total number of ikon pass users that can book a single day. They only get 5 days a season, make it so that we don't get a day like this past Saturday where every single one of them was at one resort. Open to suggestions, but yes, as a local, I'm getting a bit fed up. My idea here will probably never happen because lone resorts sold out the minute they got on ikon and Epic passes. I remember hearing that Jackson got 52 dollars per day one year per ikon pass day used. Then you have food, lodging, the whole 9 yards. That's a lot of money, and it sure fucked the resort line, but that's a lot of money.

TLDR: Jaded local who is not alone rants about overcrowding at resorts, and the ikon pass causing it while feeling powerless to do anything.

SFBv420.0aints you a banker?
bob bonar called said
fuck yo discussion
"show him the money"
walk on lifts all weekend at pow mow
maybe a serious discussion on
a new home mountain
would fix yur crowded problem

RparrPerfect north, Indiana this past Saturday:
https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/990346/trim-C746BE5D-73D0-4862-B085-24A8A0174E07-MOV
All of the resorts in Ohio have been like this too every single weekend since opening. Luckily for me I can still get quite a bit of skiing done on weekdays, but weekends are pretty much fucked and it’s disappointing

BiffbarfJust share a lift with strangers, this problem will be solved.

Sitting side by side strangers in an open air vehicle - problem

Painting the toilet arms reach away from 2 dozen of your closest strangers in a bathroom with barely any circulation - no problem

This shit can't be over with fast enough.

ski_salmon69The problem with reservations is at least for epic pass is being punished for canceling the day of. People aren’t given the option to change their minds if conditions don’t get as good as they thought

BigPurpleSkiSuitGonna leave it pretty open, but apart from spring pow days 2 years ago when Snowbird was the only mountain open in May or June and it dumped a huge storm, this weekend was undoubtedly the worst lines that I have ever seen. I will always be a resort skier at Snowbird, but damn.

I know the mountains will always be attractive, and everyone deserves to ski, but waiting 30-45 min at a time is not my idea of a good time, nor anyone's. It's clear that the Epic and Ikon passes have made accessing world class resorts far easier, but damn if the crowds are almost unacceptable.

My solution:

A reservation system only for Ikon and Epic pass users. I buy a season's pass to one mountain, and I do feel somewhat entitled to not have to deal with hoardes of ikon pass users from out of state every single pow day. Limit the total number of ikon pass users that can book a single day. They only get 5 days a season, make it so that we don't get a day like this past Saturday where every single one of them was at one resort. Open to suggestions, but yes, as a local, I'm getting a bit fed up. My idea here will probably never happen because lone resorts sold out the minute they got on ikon and Epic passes. I remember hearing that Jackson got 52 dollars per day one year per ikon pass day used. Then you have food, lodging, the whole 9 yards. That's a lot of money, and it sure fucked the resort line, but that's a lot of money.

TLDR: Jaded local who is not alone rants about overcrowding at resorts, and the ikon pass causing it while feeling powerless to do anything.

YungLunchboxLmao 10bucks says resorts are going to start offering “fast passes” to skip lines at the lifts. Almost like an amusement park. Everything is pay to win these days.

GrandThingsI'd love to hear some other East Coasters chime in because TBH other than getting dressed at my car and having to ride the chair by myself, this season has felt pretty damn normal to me. (I have the Nitro pass so no need for any reservation/booking anything like that.)

eheaththis already exists and has for a very long time.

eheathPark City is busier than its ever been, the reservation system doesn't limit anything.

Skiing is just become more popular, especially in Utah. It has been steadily increasing since I moved to utah (2007) and the last 5 years have been insane, slap covid on top of all of that and you get tons of random ppl skiing who will probably not ski next year when they can do stuff indoors without a mask. Hopefully this spike in popularity is just a fad, otherwise its about time to find a new place to ski IMO

ericformanNeed a good recession. Stocks going up too much got too many people with too much money. Or just get rid of rocker and sidecut on skis and don’t groom anything. Make skiing miserable for the masses boom problem solved.

GrandThingsI'd love to hear some other East Coasters chime in because TBH other than getting dressed at my car and having to ride the chair by myself, this season has felt pretty damn normal to me. (I have the Nitro pass so no need for any reservation/booking anything like that.)

SkiBum.I skied Park City bell to bell Sunday and never waiting in line more then 5 min. But I got there early, and knew where to go and where to avoid.

LonelyWait, didn't you post a photoshopped picture photoshopped to look like it's from ikon, saying that the ikon pass would be shut down indefinitely, which was false, and then get mad that vail called you out and told you to stop posting lies?

I mean, for clarity here cuz I'm still confused about this

You posted this on your insta, which to my knowledge is fake

So vail sent you this because you were lying about the pass in a way that could directly affect their business

And you responded with this.

LonelyWait, didn't you post a photoshopped picture photoshopped to look like it's from ikon, saying that the ikon pass would be shut down indefinitely, which was false, and then get mad that vail called you out and told you to stop posting lies?

I mean, for clarity here cuz I'm still confused about this

You posted this on your insta, which to my knowledge is fake

So vail sent you this because you were lying about the pass in a way that could directly affect their business

And you responded with this.

BigPurpleSkiSuitbut waiting 30-45 min at a time is not my idea of a good time, nor anyone's.

LonelyWait, didn't you post a photoshopped picture photoshopped to look like it's from ikon, saying that the ikon pass would be shut down indefinitely, which was false, and then get mad that vail called you out and told you to stop posting lies?

I mean, for clarity here cuz I'm still confused about this

You posted this on your insta, which to my knowledge is fake

So vail sent you this because you were lying about the pass in a way that could directly affect their business

And you responded with this.

katrinaIt's been frustrating with the lines but I do think it's great there is so much interest in skiing and snow sports this year. I'm sure resorts are hesitant to make large scale adjustments given this year is such an anomaly in terms of global circumstances. I'm sure if this proves to be a long term trend changes will be made to improve the crowding.

But who knows when sports and bars are back to normal maybe people will be over skiing. Guess we just have to wait and see.

BigPurpleSkiSuitYep, not a fan of them at this point, nor is anyone else, and I think it's hilarious to fuck with them.

eheathYou realize that Altera and snowbird are both just laughing at you while they absolutely rake in cash, right? Snowbird willingly joined the IKON pass, they knew this was going to happen, they don't care about so called "jaded locals" you're not effecting their bottom line my dude and you're being a child about it.

BigPurpleSkiSuitThe problem is that no one will build new lifts to accommodate for the increase in people.

BigPurpleSkiSuitThe problem is that no one will build new lifts to accommodate for the increase in people.

little_boy_primeAre general skier/snowboarder numbers going up, or is it just certain areas like salt lake that has seen an increase in skiing interest?

eheathThis isn't a solution at all, most resorts can not expand, especially in LCC and BCC. The biggest issue in Utah isn't necessarily the mountain, obviously holidays are busy, pow days are busy (especially in a historically bad season) the traffic and parking is the bigger issue and its not sustainable with the current amount of growth in the outdoor industry.

BigPurpleSkiSuitYou're right about that. To clarify on my gram post, I made that last year, ironically right before COVID shut down all resort skiing. It felt like time to bring it back. Alterra asked me to take it down today, so I did. It looks real, and that's what makes it funny to me. Am I taking a chunk out of a multi billion dollar corporations profits by posting that on my instagram with 300 followers? I doubt it. Was it a bit of a knee jerk response to Saturday's absurd lines, both in the canyon and in the lifts? Yeah definitely. Growth in the outdoor industry is a good thing, but somehow resorts have made ends meet for years and years before everything went to a duopoly under Vail and Alterra. Now that they have so much more clientele, why not expand things a bit? I'm sure you're unhappy about changes at Solitude in the past few years too since that place got blown to all hell, so I don't quite understand how you look at this and just go, "oh well." Also, I thought snowbird had blueprints to expand into the next Gulch over from Mineral?

BigPurpleSkiSuitAlso, I thought snowbird had blueprints to expand into the next Gulch over from Mineral?

eheathYeah I stopped skiing Solitude because of the Ikon pass, I will return to the cottonwoods but I decided to just stick to PC this year cause of covid, I'm glad I wasn't in the cottonwoods this weekend.

PC was crowded but, but the mtn wasn't that bad, the traffic getting to the resort was the problem. A 10 min bus ride turned into 50 mins, my buddy and I jumped off at the afresh because we were over waiting and just walked the rest of the way. Its a ton of ppl driving up to the resort and trying to park, when the lot is full. PC has a huge problem on their hands, the traffic is really bad when its busy and snowy, bout to walk to the resort the next pow day haha.

I think we will see a nice relief as holidays pass and more snow falls, we have many good days ski days in the future, we're having a historically bad snow year right now so TBH not the worst year to have weird covid guidelines and long life lines. Xmas time was insane, so many people were at PC and there was like 50% of the mtn open, PC should get better now because we finally have the entire mountain open, but pow days will always be busy.

BigPurpleSkiSuitI just feel like there should be some solution other than resort profits increase astronomically while everyone waits in hour long lift lines. More profits should mean more lifts being built, but that's not how things work in corporate finance since every single director, investor, CEO, and executive would rather see greater profit on a balance sheet as opposed to a new lift in a new area. My biggest fear with the duopoly of Vail and Alterra is that eventually, they will continue to increase pricing while simultaneously leaving things exactly the way they are. Another great example of the corporate greed affecting the industry is how PC patrollers are running routes right now with explosives on their back and no concrete plan for health insurance on slave pay wages.

BigPurpleSkiSuitThe problem is that no one will build new lifts to accommodate for the increase in people.