Ascutney 1-19-04

[John Cotton]

Ascutney - home of the slow speed quad! <BR> <BR>First time to Ascutney in a few years- previous trips always had the same conditions- icy trails, poor grooming, little snowmaking, and lots of bad skiers. <BR> <BR>so i decided to give the place another shot- Same result but with a new twist - they are running the high speed quad at half speed. I asked around why since i wanted to hammer some vert before I froze...answers were - "towers need realighnment" (say what?), "chair is overloaded" (chair is half empty), and finally "it's frozen". Turns out they won't run it unless there is a line- so why advertise or let alone buy a high speed quad if you won't use it to attract customers? great way to make an impression... <BR> <BR>Also they claim 95% snowmaking- yet only half the mountain is open - only a little going on down at the bottom. Don't get me wrong - I like the mountain, has great pitch and nice new england type cruisers- just poorly managed I guess. Does Okemo have this problem? <BR> <BR>As for the skiing - one expert run was open but occuppied by race - one other expert -otters slide -really a blue was a sheet of ice. No snomaking occurring on other expert runs including signature run blind faith. Other runs varied from so so snow to glare ice. <BR>I guess I'll try it again to be fair...

 

[Anonymous]

Does Okemo have this problem? <BR> <BR>i assume that was an example and not a real question, okemo is one of the best managed mountains, if not THE best managed mountain in the east

 

[billski]

I used to go there a lot 4-5 years ago with my family when they were all still pretty low-end skiers. At that time it had just been bought out by a couple from NY. The skiing was fine then and the infrastructure was good, but the service wasn't. <BR> <BR>I am getting the sense now that the area is having a bit of a cash flow problem. Reports about reduced snowmaking/grooming, limited service hours and lodging facilities that are beginning to look rough around the edges.

 

[billski]

Okemo has much deeper pockets. It's a real money machine for them. They've carved out their niche - wide, blue trails, lots of amenities, things a yuppie boomer family is happy to drop a couple of G's at. <BR> <BR>One of my ski bud's grew up on the backside of Okemo - Belmont, VT. We still go back there regularly, but don't ski Okemo any more. <BR> <BR>We loved the pomas because they were kickin' fast and only the strong skied there. Sadly, we don't ski there anymore either because it's become boulevard heaven - wide, open, groomed swaths, great for low to mid intermediates, which is where the money sweet spot. They're not makin money off you and me. They're makin it off the $6 burgers and $8 beers, and making every amenity it real easy. A chinese or mexican restaurant in Ludlow is still called "foreign food" by the locals. <BR> <BR>So I guess I have to agree with you that the O is well-managed, it's just not my cup of java any more. <BR> <BR>p.s., The locals have abandonded the the term "flatlander". It seems they got word that every flatlander is using the phrase and finds it cute. Instead, they now refer to outsiders as "foreigners", or if they are being particularly grumpy, "strangers".