Lift access after ski season is over

[Patrick]

When is a closed ski area not really closed? When they'll sell you a season pass to a closed ski area.

And that's precisely what Snowbird is doing right now. For a mere $45 they're selling an unlimited Summer Pass for as many tram rides as you can handle. And yes, you can bring skis "until the snow's all gone," the ticket seller advised. That makes the pass pay for itself after only 5 runs. That's less than most ski resorts' day tickets. I kid you not. And it'll be good for mountain biking even after the snow's all gone! That's got to be the best bargain in the ski industry.

This has got me thinking. I believe we had a similar discussion about late season skiing in the East that we be access via a lift after the ski season is officially over.

Admin mentioned how Snowbird allows skiers to use the Tram and ski the snow after the ski season is over.

Is there anywhere else this is permitted?

What seems prevalent is what schubwa described at Bachelor. Summer season is for tourist, not skiers.

The Summit and Sunrise chairs are reopening for "sightseeing" on July 4 weekend. When questioned about the possibility of transporting skis up, the patrolman answered NO. Too bad, we could be doing hot laps well into the dog days on this year's pack. So you can have a pass, the lifts are open but no skiing. Any tourist from Arkansas could slide to the hospital down an icy face in their flip-flops but no skis allowed.

What can any more areas that run the lift anyway during the Summer do what Snowbird is going and let the skiers sign a waiver and let them ski? Wouldn't this bring extra people on their lifts and cash without the slow summer months?

Bravo to Snowbird. =D> Who else does it?

Does who could join and make the crazier skiers out there happy at no extra cost. This would be good PR and some people would really appreciate it.

Does who could? Remember, the lift have to be running for the tourist.

Here is a list of places that could or should do the same.

Mammoth (I think Tony was the exception last August).
Bachelor

In the East:

Killington runs the K1 for mountain bikes and tourists. The same for the following.

Ste-Anne, QC, with the gondola.
Tremblant, QC with the gondola. The ski areas closes in mid-April. Check out Lucky Luke report one week after the lift have closed.

http://forums.zoneski.com/index.php?showtopic=5680


Other tourist lift during the Summer months.

Cannon with the Tram.
Whiteface and the gondola.

These ski area definitely have snow when the hill shut down for skiing, so why not make some skiers happy by letting them bring their skis?

 

[riverc0il]

cannon usually doesn't reopen the tram for summer tourists until the snow is long gone. i have no idea when kmart begins running the gondi for summer tourists, but i suspect it isn't worth it for skiers. from the looks of admin's pics, there is amazing skiing still to be found for quite some time at bird/alta, well worth the lift. i am actually surprised they don't charge more!!! i would pay $100-200 easily for that type of lift accessed slack country.

mount washington auto road is the only area in new england that has missed this possibility where it is feasable (automatically eliminating the cog of course, let's not go there). when i skied the auto road last week, it seemed a lot of the workers were surprised by the number of skiers heading up. they really could promote it and cator to skiers. currently, if you want a ride in the van, they require you to pay for the "hiker's shuttle" which is $26 EACH WAY (not a very good price point, imo). the wear and tear on a car for $20 + $7 for each additional skier plus gas seems like it would suggest riding the shuttle could be more convenient. less white knuckling on narrow roads as well. the auto road would do well to consider perhaps a $35 road trip for skiers. the auto road would make a LOT more money at $35 a head vs. $20 + $7 for additional and would reduce the impact and number of cars on the road. auto road could make an event out of it. not sure what the liability issues are, but they already do shlep skiers up and down in the hiker shuttle so it must not be an issue.

any ski area with gondis or trams in new england don't run the tourist rides until the snow is gone, so i don't see this being an issue in the east.

 

[Tony Crocker]

Yes the snow is long gone in the East before summer tourism. As far as Mammoth is concerned, California is a more litigious state than Utah, and the bozo factor among skiers and boarders is higher. I was not the only one last August, so I think if you were a local or someone they knew you could arrange privately to sign a waiver.

The locals at Bachelor should start lobbying, loudly, for summer waiver lift access, plus having it accessible on weekends immediately after closure of the ski area. For June and later skiing, Bachelor is far more reliable than either Mammoth or Snowbird. The last 2 seasons have been huge at the latter 2 areas but it's not like this on average. I ran into still another Bend resident at Mammoth May 20 who was bad-mouthing Bachelor's new management. My impression is that some fences need to be mended here, and this might be a modest step in that direction.

 

[Patrick]

Yes the snow is long gone in the East before summer tourism.

Okay, maybe not summer tourist. Tourist in general.

Unless I totally mistaken, I believe the gondola at Tremblant, Ste-Anne, Whiteface and maybe Killington makes laps right after the ski season is over.

As you can see from the link from Lucky Luke, snow is far from done at Tremblant when they stop accepting skier. The same does for Ste-Anne where the North had enough snow to remain a few weeks. Whiteface has still snow remaining at the top of Little Whiteface and under the summit quad when they closed.

It true for Kmart, that the amount of snow left near K Peak was probably minimal once the skiers are turned away.

 

[riverc0il]

last year, kmart was not spinning the gondi for summer tourist traffic when i earned turns on 05/29/05. at that point, it would be more hiking to bring your gear up on the gondi and hike down vs. climbing up superstar from the base. i am unsure about the other areas you mentioned. summer season really doesn't start until memorial day in the states which is normally the last weekend of may or so.

 

[Patrick]

i am unsure about the other areas you mentioned. summer season really doesn't start until memorial day in the states which is normally the last weekend of may or so.

I'll try to get the info a definite answer for Tremblant and Ste-Anne. These had definately alot of snow left when the ski season was over (as always). :roll:

About Kmart, I remember seeing the K1 running with tourists when only Superstar was open a few ago. However that might have been at or after memorial day a long time ago.