KCSKI

Well..strange that this has happened to people that only post on here..as I've never had it happen to me..and other than some people forgetting to clock/in (happens more than you would believe)...that is the only issue that I have ever seen. I've been there now 9 seasons..lots of checks...never once had an issue, and my bank is a bitch to cash a check at even if they know you. I'll just walk around it! Wait for the sale date...go to the hearing..and you will find out that it's been taken care of and there will be no sale.

Thank you...yes, I'm loyal..but I'm also loyal to the customers, you as well. This issue has been resolved, again it's one of those things that keep popping up. Actually it's a non story to be honest, but the rag I guess had a slow news day...I dunno, but...once again I'm sure I'll be saying "I told you so". Here are some pics I shot TODAY, like an hour ago as I was up there for a very important meeting of some of the work going on, so..yeah, we'll be open, count on it new Snow Gun placed between Spur & Whistler..always a "dry" area...not anymore. Restricted access barriers to the terrain park...yes, I don't know for sure but it looks like we're gonna contraol that a little better this year as far as access..don't quite know yet but we're ready if we do. Same thing to the left but I'll save all of you from a boring pic. New trail going under Long Haul at the top to eliminate that slight upgrade that was a pain for some people to get up from the Iron Horse lift. Same trail, other side of Long haul desending and curving "skiers left" toward whistler below the second headwall. So..yeah....and, btw..the water park is exceeding all expectations as far as ticket sales, so guys, c'mon...give us the benefit here. This is old stuff that keeps getting kicked back into the fire. We're good..and...we're fine. Just remember last years weather..and we survived that. You sound like a broken record already...Change the song. Like I stated, my checks never bounced, not EVER..and the only ones that might have had issues were more employee related problems, like not having ID when they went to cash them at Wal-Mart..or something stupid like that. Do you honestly believe many of our long term year round employees would stay under those conditions? I think not.

Lol..yeah...the good old Scranton Times....my friends...(Sarcastic) That again is some misimformation as all of that has been cleared up..one of those things that they really won't tell people until the day of this so called sale. Regardless, if anything it will help to get the mountain management to move a little quicker on finalizing all the financial loose ends that have been hanging on us....but...that will be taken care of. You've trusted my word before when the shit hit the fan, or was supposed too, Trust it again. By the way...we have some new trail work going on, and of course other stuff....have been moving snowgun towers to weak points around the mountain to improve our snowmaking. We've been grading trails and we also put in a new crossover at the top of the mtn to allow easier access to fast track and runaway, eliminating the small incline that skiers used to have to deal with. I'll have pics of this this weekend. Also......and I'll know more after the weekend........ummm.....never mind, but I think some will like the change. I'll let it go at that. So, let's see... in the past we had no money, Long Haul will never run again, Snowmaking sux, Lights don't work, ect, ect...ect. I guess this is once again some more "Sno is Doomed" stuff from my favorite fish wrapper...starting earlier than last year.

Noted and thanks for the observation...sometimes we get into that "tunnel vision" mindset on colors and insist on using the company flag colors as it were, and while it looks good on a monitor, it may get washed out on a billboard, esp the new LED ones when the sun hits it. I'll pass this along to our art dept. While we're at it...some of the groudskeeping suggestions made earlier as far as getting rid of some rocks and other things brought up are moving along. With an unexpected but welcome surge in off season mountain activities happening now or coming up (the water park is off the charts as far as attendance, esp these past few days, plus the Allman Bros Band Concert/Peach Festival on the mountain and the camping we're allowing....plus the Mudfest...."Stoketoberfest"...ect later on...we're busy. I'm also personally involved in bringing a venue to the mountain that might add to our Fall festivities and if it works out well, it will be added as a permanent attraction in '13.

Lol...I always have a full plate on the weekends...I run 3 BMX race teams, 2 of which are national teams that have riders all over the country, I announce and shoot pics for the local track on Saturday evening..and then Sundays are devoted to the other teams the shop is involved in, from Park/Skateboard/scooter to my own riding and also other photo shoots. Fortunatly I have a "window" on Saturday of a few hours that allows me to get up Sno and also fortunatly all their special events for the water park are on Saturday's as well...so it kinda works out.

We are, and as for the comments about the place being empty, I beg to differ....many of the shots were taken early, some before we opened, and I could not stay past 2:30 or so as I had to be at another sport activity to shoot later that day..reports were the place was packed Sunday & Monday. Regardless, any big crowds we probably won't see until school is out and we go to a full schedule.

Everything was open with the exception of the Mat Racer and the bumper boats....ended up having a huge crowd for the weekend. This upcoming weekend is the wine/beer fest. http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150990986791138.481086.288781601137&type=1

I'm not sure....I do know they added some smaller features for the young kids & were fine tuning the other attractions. I'll know more tomorrow as I'm doing pics. There is talk of some off park features & activities, could be in the planning stages so I won't elaborate atm. I do know they sold a helluva lot of season passes to the water park, so that is definitly a good sign. Just hope it stays dry & sunny this Summer unlike last Summer. Look for the ZipRider to be packed again as that was a sellout each weekend last season.

Correction on this now......just have been informed they are opening on FRIDAY May 25th...I'm assuming the same time but check the site just in case or call...1-800 GOT SNOW

Just some stuff going on at Sno starting with the water park opening this weekend, Saturday May 26 at 11am and the following weekend is the Wine/Beer fest. Check out the website for info on prices and times, ect. http://www.snomtn.com/

Not really too much, although I will be up there for special events, and I will assume that means this one as well. As far as camping...hmmm....I'm gonna guess since it's the most level section close to the lodge it would be on top of the bunny hill between tubing and the lift if they are going to allow it on the actual slope area. Just a guess though. I will be there for opening day of Sno Cove, which is set for Memorial Day weekend..so I'll try to get some more info.

Yeah..I hear you...even now as in yesterday i had a guy ask "You mean they were open?" !! We figured it would be a good idea to bomb the facebook page and stay on it constantly with updates several times a day to try to combat the perception of being closed, and...it did work. This was something that was not done in the past. I'm a FB wiz and use it to promote my business and it increased mine by 38% and I was sure it would work for Sno. One thing people need to see are pics and I made sure they had them, every weekend new folders, even that silly one tagged "Lift Follies" was a real big hit. I remember back last Fall when were still hearing on this site about the lack of people at Sno..until I bombed the topic with like 40 or so pics showing that yes...there are people on the mountain..LOT's OF PEOPLE ,on any given weekend. Those pics silenced a lot of critics at that point and made people realise that yes..we do have a great customer base. Media relations def needs a step up..but..forget the newspapers. That one that did the article about our so called issues didn't even have the decency to print, even on the back page..that we opened. The billboards worked nicely, FB def worked..went from 300 likes to over 3000 this season alone..and....since I ask people where they heard about whatever we happen to be doing..they have mentioned this site as well. "Winter".....I like the idea of specialising in Glades. I'm an old school Mountain Biker who loves single track riding, and I imagine Glade sking to be akin to that. Developing a niche' in todays market is really not a bad idea, some may say you are compartmentalising too much..and with Sno being real close to a metropolitian customer base, we need to be careful that we don't scare the locals away, but having that something special would be neat. "JF skiDan"....Again..single tracking comes to mind, but I will ask about it. Laying out a trail course would take time, and..like I stated in the past, i don't have the authority to say yes, but I will pass this along to the boss (he reads this everyday anyway, so he'll see it I'm sure) There may be some insurance issues as well with this, so..it may be more involved.

I can't deny that this has been an issue with the mountain as far as rumors of "Doom", as I put it. Then again you have to look at the history and all the political nonsense that the mountain has been tied up in from the county owned days. Also, that article that that one certain newspaper printed on us in October was a suckerpunch as far as I'm concerned and everytime they came up this year they did everything they could to paint us in a bad light, even the pics they took were rotten & downright unprofessional from my pov. I have my own personal theory as to why they creamed us, and it all has to do with us shutting power down in October to do line maintenance & a certain radio station getting knocked off the air...but..I will keep that to myself but knowing the connections of said media people & the political corruption of this region, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out. Also, this forum here has been a breeding ground of rumors as well....in the past. I admit it's a whole different attitude now that people see we're doing our best and we accomplished what we said we were going to do this past season, but we have taken a beating..and there are still one or two here that keep bringing up real old issues just to try to stir the pot. Negativity around these parts is overwhelming and people thrive on it...if Negativity was an Olympic sport we would have Gold Medals the size of manhole covers. All I ask is, if you have a question ....ask. Don't make things up and don't add to a story if you don't know the facts. Remember, you are talking about a ski resort and business that is effected by things sometimes out of our control, like weather, but we take doing our jobs very seriously and do our best for everyone.

All you need to do is ask.

Good point..and....nice to see people not being led blindly just "Because" they think we should have one.

Nice...keep it coming...and yeah, I knew the HSL was gonna come into play. A few years ago, and this can be just speculation/rumor, there was talk of adding a new lift to replace LH that would coincide with a planned slope expansion from the Glades down that side of the mountain and finishing up in the apx area of the LH loading station...again...speculation and maybe some thinking out loud going on, but it is a novel idea...doable, but will take a ton of $$ to pull off. Melissa, I like your idea a lot about the pavilion/snack/fireplace area at the top of Pheobe..even though it's more a cosmetic fix it still would be a good addition. Lighting is being worked on..we're aware of those issues..we have a new electrician that has been painstakingly doing rewiring and replacing, concentrating on the lodge/base area first and will go from there. Ok...and not to get focused on just the HSL as we all know that is the mother of all topics when we look for suggestions....trust me, it's duly noted....what else? BTW, plan on seeing the $10 Tuesdays again....that was one of those promotions that no one believed at first..until it was plastered on billboards all over the region and we stuck with it all season. Let me ask...are you guys happy with the FB stuff we've been doing? I know I bombed the page with around 2000 pics since the season started and I would like for it to continue but like anything else I don't want it to go stale...ideas' for that?

Here is the latest update on passes and as I get caught up a little and can spend more time on the Sno Mtn infonet, I'll kkep passing things along. Opening day is May 26th! We are looking forward to our Sno Cove water park season that will start on Memorial Day weekend. Due to high demand, we will be having a “second chance” sale for our Summer Season passes the will start on April 1st and last until Easter Sunday. Summer Season passes will be $60 a piece or 4 or more for $50 each. The sale will be ONLINE only so check back for details. We have a multitude of events booked that include an Irish Fest on May 19th & 20th, Wine Fest on June 9th, & Beer Fest on June 10th. Please continue to check back for details on all events and don’t forget to visit us at SnoCove.com for your summer fun plans. http://www.facebook.com/SnoCove http://www.snocove.com/

I know, I know..the first item will be "More Snow",,lol.... but that is left to a higher power. Just put down what you would like to see. I'm not gonna promise that everything will get done, but at least we have an idea of what areas might need to be addessed coming from the customers point of view. I think we did good on some things, the 4/$50 deal..$10 Tuesday's..ect..and some other things I'm sure we screwed the pooch on, although not intenionally. So..let's hear it!

^ Thanks all of you for the props...we still have a ways to go..I know the park has been an issue, but the lack of winter put a crimp on some plans. One thing that did not get implemented was the "Rail Garden" next to the tubing hill, which would have afforded those using that area the use of the magic carpet to get back to the top instead of hiking up. I think that would be a big hit...also, after talking to my "Park rats"..kids that are always there...they seem to have fallen in love with those huge PVC pipes we had set up at the bottom of the park. I discussed that with management and there might be a possibility of seeing those scattered throughout the resort next season. Air bags came into discussion as well....my boss is for it...I have my reservations..and even most of the kids said it would be worth more to expand stuff in the park than lump all the $$ into one attraction. Thoughts anyone? Now would be a good time to hear things. The Summer activities are starting to get worked on now...and I will post a new thread on that as soon as I am done here...the Zip rider is of course our big attraction and sold out most days it was open last year. We also discussed opening an area for paintball, we do have a group from the Allentown area that is interested in setting up Mountain bike trails..and I am pushing for a skatepark soooo bad I'm surprised I haven't had a snowboard lobbed at me yet. So..yeah...we're working on things...not everything is gonna happen tomorrow but the main thing is to show all of you that we are forging ahead. As far as me, like Melissa stated, all you need is someone that likes to talk and promote. That's me. I had a great time this year and other than setting the maze lines up in the mornings for the Lift Department & filling in when they needed me to step back into a supervisor role..my job primarily was to take pics, talk to people...and listen, and then take that and turn it into a constructive attitude and put it into motion. Many in the past said Sno doesn't listen to anyone. That's not true, we do...some of what you see done this season is either your suggestions, and even some of mine. Sometimes it doesn't get done all that quick to suit some people, but we have a zillion things that might be in front of the line. I have all of you to thank once again as let's face it..we were the punching bag on this site for a while, and it's nice to see that all of you have an open mind and waited to see if we would prove ourselves. For that..once again...Thank You.

Thank you..and...will do.

The weather finally beat us. So, with that said it brings an end, at least for us... to what is going down as the worst Winter for ALL ski resorts and anything cold weather related as far as sports,..hell even the snow plow contractors took a beating this year. I want to take the time here to thank all of you for believing in us this season. It was a rocky start, a lot of misinformation, lack of snow/cold...everything bad that could be thrown at us was, but..we prevailed. I'm glad that I was able to show some doubters here that we would survive and continue to improve. Good things happened this year, perfect snow making, Long Haul Spinning, lighting being added...lol..even new pads on Phebe. I kinda want to say "I told ya' so!", but...I'm just happy things turned out well for the most part for not just us, but you as the skiing public and we got a chance to prove to all of you that we can pull it off. On a personal note, I take my leave now from the mountain, with the exception of some photo shoots for the water park, the Festival in May, but I plan on returning once again next season, camera in tow, bitching about hiking UP the slopes for that shot I just gotta have. And, I woudn't trade my job for anything. Keep an eye on the facebook for the mountain as there are great deals in the works for next season starting up in July, and even great deals for the water park starting in April. To all of you, have a great Summer! Kevin@SnoMtn

Nice pics and thanks for the report. Wish there was more real stuff on the ground to show you, but...can't do thing one about that I guess. A little late in the season I guess now but I would really like to hook up with the PASR crew to get some pics. If we can arrange it for next season I think...like a PASR Day...I'm all for it.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150685354631138.452905.288781601137&type=3 These..along with the other 1,900 pics I shot this season..all on FB.

Bumping again...back in effect for the remainder of the season as is our $10 Tues.