eaf

Yeah, Toast totally ruined it with the very first response. What a party pooper. My heart soared when I saw the screenshot.

This is great, Salty!! Do you think there will be spring access this year to current season pass holders? I was procrastinating all day yesterday and didn't put storage wax on yet. Do post updates!

Your math is abysmal. In reality you paid for the first 8 of your visits, which barely covered December, and then skied for free, you cheapskate! Should be ashamed of yourself.

That's another misconception. Just look at $189 window prices and the $699 cost of Epic passes as Doug said in another thread. Someone coming to the window would think that wow, what a deal, the pass will pay itself off in just 4 visits and then I'll be skiing for free. What he misses in that comparison is why the price of the one day ticket is so freaking high in the first place. Skiing is not worth $189 a day at any resort. And nobody's skiing for free at Blue. I pay for the contract in advance, they agree to keep the lifts spinning. I'm at a loss on a President's day weekend when every family shows up paying them window prices. They're at a loss on a March weekday when season pass holders can finally ski the trails without feeling that they're sardines in a can. So it's fair. There was a mountain called Alpine that liked to randomly close on their season pass holders. They felt they could really abuse that, also probably thinking along the same lines that it's not profitable to spin the lifts when there are no people. Well, maybe for another reason, but they didn't even up well.pp

I have a pass. I'm just saying, and not targeting your comment in particular because I saw people commenting similarly before, that whether the mountain loses money on a particular day or not is irrelevant and can't be an excuse for stopping the lifts. Because they do have obligations to season pass holders that gave them a lump sum of money up to a year before and expect to have service available, whether it's profitable on a given day or not. Freaking CB was open just fine on Friday and I had my share of talks today on the lifts from their season pass holders about how BM can't hold a candle to CB.

19/20 of course. Thinking of 20/21 Ikon pass already.

Well, my feet are wet, I'm tired and am heading home. Trails that held through the day the best were Raceway, Nile Mile, Lower Cleopatra as well as every other trail that is difficult to get to or from. Prime blacks became choppy in the afternoon. If only there wasn't terrain park on Pharaon! This likely concludes the season for me. It's had its ups and downs, but wasn't bad at all. Many thanks to Blue for sponsoring my last visit to CB this year. Good timing too. People already start diving next week, so I'm gonna be changing gears as well. No spring Colorado this year.

People seem to be be having fun today! Was already offered beer twice on the lift. No CB hot chocolate and cookies though. Maybe Salty was right...

Raceway

Getting STICKY! And I got to the east side. Nile Mile is so nice, all groomed, no spots, no ice. The bad part about skiing east is that they've put a terrain park on Pharaon since I've been here last time. Makes traversal to Raceway more difficult. And shoot, Caesar is all dirt. I think it's the only way back to the main Lodge, so that kinda sucks.

What you're saying would be true and relevant if they also weren't selling season passes. Once they start doing it, all talks about one or two weeks being non profitable are moot. They didn't do a thing yet to justify me paying them for the 20/21 pass, so I feel at a great loss already.

Btw, I don't know what's gotten into them, playing country near the lodge, but "You can buy me a boat" is right to the point. It's warming up, and the sun that came to replace early clouds isn't helping.

I'm yet to see the east side. Express is running there btw.

Good skiing here, at CB. On average snow is worse than what's been at Blue in the middle of the week. The number of greenish ice/water spots has definitely increased since last weekend, especially on the very west side of the mountain where it's been firm and icy in the early morning. I didn't know yesterday why I decided to sharpen my skis all of a sudden, and now I do. Big Pocono and the top to bottom diamonds are veeeery nice, white, soft and fast. The new DD trail reminds me of Lower Sidewinder and is no more difficult than that. In this snow it's kinda boring too. But it's great that they've managed to open a whole new trail even though there is no snowmaking in it. Initially I thought I'd ski the Sullivan express until crowds pick up and then move to Raceway or so, but there's nobody here! Skiing right to the chair with no wait time. And speeding down Honeymoon or Lower Cleopatra is niiiice and refreshing with nobody's on them. Btw, getting a free lift today was a chore. Had to go to guest services, fill out a waiver with addresses and all, and inly then did they give me a ticket. Lack of year stamped on the pass didn't bother them. All in all, Salty, throw away your calendar, for it has screwed you up badly. Everybody who I've been on the lift with had to comment on how nice today is.

You sound overly depressed today. Did you buy the pass yet?? Would suck if you'd miss the last remaining quantity on the last day of the season, would have to go for CB Value Pass, and I'd have one less familiar character to see on the mountain. Btw, should that ever happen, remember, there is still MC with its three peaks.

The weather calls for something stronger than that. I bet, that's exactly what's in Salty's mug. Makes him look so happy.

It's not that bad really. And because the two expresses are critical for full access, they typically do spin. Which is not to be said about Blue that managed to create crowds out of nowhere on several occasions this season, weekdays and weekends included, because they didn't feel like running two expresses at the same time.

This is what last Sunday in March looked like a year ago.

You never know. He beats everybody here in terms of mm. Which brings up an interesting question... How long are your skis?

My friend was there last weekend. He's saying, no lines at the two expresses, snow was good all over except for the new DD trail showing some brown spots. A few water sogged spots randomly showing up in the afternoon.

Salty, this is Da Chance!! Let's close the season with fanfares on the mountain that can be Epic w/o Vail's help! Let's face it, the light of Blue is dimming. Closing in March, a ghost town already. People are fleeing in all directions. Some are finding new places with glades not covered with ice and untracked powder not requiring an airline ticket. Others can't bring themselves to buying next year season pass and are washing away the sorrows with fortified beer in Blue's parking lot (while they can). So, take those trusty 170 RTMs of yours back from storage and come face 70F weather on the mountain, the fun mountain!

Leaving right now. Lazy is the smoothest and most pleasant. Paradise is awesome on top and kinda rough in the middle. But if one keeps to the right, it's ok. Someone has knocked the poles over that rock, so Sidewinder turned into a mine field.

But Master... Did you not teach us that there aren't bad conditions?

Well, I'm not sure what conditions upset GSS so much yesterday, but today it's quite alright. Sure, there's chop, but no more than it was around noon last Sunday, plus it's soft and gets cut rather easily. Paradise has lost half of its top segment width, a lonely boulder is peeking on Sidewinder, but other than that there's not much to write about. Oh, something came and abducted all the people. Makes me a little uncomfortable.