trackbiker

I was at JF today and since I got there early I parked a lot closer than most of the people paying $10.00 for slopeside parking. Gore has a similar close-in parking thing. Was there two weeks ago. A very nice bus driver picked us up right at the car in the free lot and dropped us off closer to the lodge than you can park in the pay parking area. At the end of the day he dropped us right at our car. I don't have a problem with people with more money than brains paying extra money for nothing to help keep lift ticket prices low. .

Nice place midweek. A bit of a zoo on the weekends but not any worse than Blue. Most of the people are on the Nile Mile and the other green trails from the top. If you stick to the black diamonds those trails are usually not crowded. Didn't Nile Mile used to be a green and Pharaoh a blue? Changing Pharaoh to a black was a good idea. It's not steep but it's narrow and usually a sheet of ice. I've seen a lot people yardsale at that second bend. Liftopia is great. I've used them several times with no problems.

Since they've been running both places for the last 5 years I wouldn't expect much to change. Now if we could only get them to buy Sno.....

I tried this yesterday and it said it was sold out. Just tried it again and it worked. They must have added more tickets? I remember last year the number of tickets available was very limited. Good deal. The offer specifically says that they are not valid on holidays and lists the dates.

Camelback has their 3 for $99.00 deal. Luk Oil has a coupon good for B1G1 up to Christmas and good on Sundays after that or $10.00 off any day except for the normal holiday blackout periods for all Peak Resorts areas including JFBB. Blue used to have some good weekday deals Men's Day, Ladies Day, Business Person's Day, etc. but I don't see them on their website. Seems they just offer a discount if you reload your ticket online.

From a marketing point of view, a more classic looking moose for the marketing material would be better. Actually, there are no moose in PA so it was a dumb idea to start with. But since it's there, you could use a classic, tough looking moosing similar to Elks elk or Deer Valley's deer for marketing material and still have the cartoon moose in the suit for the kids. You need to attact people from the population centers of NY/NJ and Philly to drive past Camelback, JFBB, and Blue. Promote the North Face for tough slopes and the top for easy, family skiing. "Drive a little farther and ski more." "Sno Mountain, It's worth the drive." I drove by Montage for years on the way to Greek Peak and Elk. Nothing ever enticed me to stop at Sno. I took one look at a trail map and said, "Nah". But then I admit I'm not you're big target market. I love Plattekill and Magic. Slow lifts don't bother me if there is no line. I know I'll be at the top faster than people standing in lines for high speed lifts. Most people don't realize that when there's a line, the uphill capacity is the same.

Great deal. Thanks for posting. I bought one last year. JF is not that crowded on a Sunday. You don't feel bad leaving around 1:00 or 2:00 for $25.00. I hope Sno has a deal like this. It would help them to attract new people who have never been there.

I hope you guys have a great season and keep us informed. Sno has a lot to offer to those of us who want to avoid weekend crowds and like steep trails. I like it on a Saturday or Sunday night. When Blue and CB are skied down to ice you can still find good conditions at Sno right up to close. I tell people I know to drive past CB and Blue during crowded times to go to Sno.Forgot to mention that I didn't see the deal for Sat. & Sun. night that you mentioned on their website.

I looked a few days ago and it was listed as sold out. I guess that was when they dropped Plattekill and added Gore. I just bought one. I know I'll use it for at least three mtns. which is a great deal and even if I use it at CB, Sno, and/or Shawnee for a night ticket it will still be a really good deal. I plan to get to Gore this year anyway so it could work out really well for me. How does the card work? Do they punch out which mtns. you used it for?

You need one light on the headwall of Boomer and you likely need to tell the maintenance guys to have it shine across and slightly down the slope so it doesn't hit skiers/riders in the eyes when they come over the lip. There is a light just above the headwall that now shines right into a tree that could be repositioned as well. On Whistler you likely need more than one. They added one last year in the middle. Before that the trail was literally completely unlit. Another flood light above and below that one would help to light the slope but more would be better. Those big mall parking lot lights do no light the trails well and should eventually be replaced by a completely new trail lighting system but I'm sure that is far down the list. I usually ski there at night so lighting is important to me. Thanks again for keeping us up on any improvements and responding. I've written emails in the past to Sno and never got a reply.

KCSKI, Thanks for your updates. Keep them coming. I hope you have a great year. i am a supporter but get those lights fixed on Whistler and the Booomer headwall and i'll be impressed. It's only one light on Boomer. Maybe two well placed lights on Whistler would solve the problem. I'll be up there regardless but the lights would be a BIG improvement for not so many dollars.

No it didn't run last year. To Santa. No one on here is a "hater". I don't think there is anyone here who wants to see any ski area close. Sno obviously has a lot of finacial issues and people were questioning the feasibility of them being able to pay that debt and make improvements to the ski area. We all have opinions about the Eagles too but that doesn't mean we can do a better job of coaching. It doesn't mean we don't have legitimate concerns.either. And we still haven't heard how they are going manage all that debt yet. And you haven't provided anything to substantiate any of your claims. Not saying that I don't hope it's true, we just don't have anything to substaniate any of the claims other than you say so. Nothing from Sno. You might want to be a little positive yourself if you plan to make a career in marketing.You haven't done anything to help make people want to go to Sno. They'll think everyone there has your attitude when you come off negative from the get go.

Still no specifics on how they plan to deal with all of the debt. Is what they told you a "secret" or did you get a Sno Job? For the record; I'm no Sno hater. Yes, I think they spent the $15 million unwisely. For that much you should be riding to the top on a high speed quad with a new top to bottom trail or two and I'm not talking about Rattler which is really just a connector that was already there that they blew some snow on. The Long Haul didn't even operate last year. No top to bottom lift. Which is no big deal with their layout. And would be OK if they were gradually improving the skiing experience without running up all of that debt.. The new snowmaking was great when they took over. What have they done in the mean time to improve the ski experience? I have skied there several times a season for the last few years. And the lighting still sucks. I don't care about the water park or what they did to the lodge. I don't spend any time there. I ski when I am there. I like the lack of crowds but what is there that will make the real crowds drive past Blue and Camelback to ski there?

The latest article didn't really provide any new insights other than they did have a job fair. The employees seem optimistic but they may be being fed a line of bull or information based on hopeful thinking. It appears they may have an "angel" investor in the wings. That's still a lot of debt for the place. Often those type of investors are just fishing for finacial information in order to make a bid for a business after it goes into backruptcy. Or maybe they are trying to take advantage of the EB-5 program like Jay Peak and Ragged Mt. where the U.S. Government essentially sells U.S. Citizenship for investment in U.S. companies? http://www.eb5jaypea...CFYTe4AodsyAo1g I don't think it would be too hard to find 32 Chinese investors to pay $500K each for them and their families to become U.S. Citizens. Our "free" trade policy has made a lot of Chinese millionaires. What we should really have is "fair" trade. But we'll see about Sno. I agree that their marketing has been terrible. The whole area trades on the coal mining and railroad heritage. The trails were all originally named after railroad themes. Now they have "Snake"? How does that relate to the moose? Snö is really pronounced something like "Snuoo". Which nobody knows what it means or how it's pronounced. They needed to break with the bad image Montage had but I'm sure they didn't consult with the local Chamber of Commerce or take advantage of any free marketing advice on the name. The moose is also clownish and has no relation to PA. Snake? Moose? Rattler? How do they relate? They have no consistent message. Like I've said many times before...I hope they make it and get some professional ski area management instead of a bunch of lawyers who just have experience in "billable hours". They could have spent a few thousand instead of a few million and significantly improved the ski experience just by fixing the damn lighting! I guess we'll see. Personally, I would prefer they get some professional management as opposed to the Chinese buying citizenship. The Chinese money would just eventually get pissed away as well unless they get some professional ski area management.

Good back of the napkin numbers, snoskier. Sno is not worth $16 million, waterpark and all. How many season passes are they going to sell and school ski clubs are they going to sign up with that negative publicity? I give them about a 50/50 chance of opening this year and that's if an angel investor steps in or possibly under Chapter 11.

Can't say I didn't see this coming..... Getting your power shut off is usually the final death knell. Hopefully someone with experience running a ski area like Snow Time, Inc or Peak Resorts will pick it up. I think Peak is maxxed out right now so it could be a good opportunity for someone like Snow Time. But with the liens and debt the price will likely be too high or make it too difficult to make a quick sale. I still think an experienced operator could make a go of Sno. To all the Elk naysayers who think Elk should put in a high speed lift etc., Seems like Elk's management is doing a pretty good job.

I'd like to see Sno make it but getting the power cut off is not a good sign. I think the delays in getting the water park open really hurt them. I think another operator experienced at running a ski area will eventually buy the place because it has a great snowmaking system and some potential regardless of the location. I'm not a huge fan of the trail layout but I like the good conditions and lack of crowds.

Didn't they sell off their lifts? How will you get up the hill?

Of course this is terrible news. Condolences to family and friends. Not to take away from the the tragedyy, but once again, a so called "reporter" makes a report that makes no sense. If the cab remained upright how was the operator thrown from the cab???? Did she think maybe that the cab did roll and then landed upright? No matter what happened, that reporter is clueless about what did happen and misinformed the public. "It's not about being right. It's about being first." No wonder the U.S. public is so misinformed about everything. Do they even teach critical thinking anymore? I would have thought they would in jounalism school at least. Question everything.

So you would you rather ski at Jack Frost than Okemo or do you just not like you parents?

I've been going to Okemo the second weekend in December for the last five years with a group of friends for a 4 day weekend. We pick Okemo for this trip because they have great snowmaking and the rates are really good as well. We stay at a slopeside condo off the Sachem trail and only one year have we not had ski in/ski out. The conditions have been really good every year with some years having natural snow trails open. Okemo is mostly a blue square mountain which is great for the first trip of the year. They also have some nice steeps and glades if you know where to look. Jackson Gore was a nice addition but usually doesn't have the steeps open early season. When they do have the black diamonds open it is really nice because they're empty. Skied there in January and March last season as well and like it more every time because I've learned where the good stuff is. A good early season choice. I think their snowmaking is more extensive than K-Mart and it's a shorter drive. Their grooming is better than K-Mart for early season as well.

Plattekill rocks when there is snow. They are adding some more snowmaking this year. No flat runout. Lazlo the owner is a great guy trying to compete against NY State run Bellayre who gives away tickets. They still have a lot of discount days and deals with local lodging like kids ski free. I usually stay in Margaretville but that whole area got wacked pretty bad by Irene. Plattekill came through pretty well unscathed. Lazlo offered all and any of his equipment to help anyone in the area who needs it. Support the local independant guy! Since this is the Elk thead I'll add; Elk does have the best grooming in PA and you'll ski on good conditions all day while most of the Blue regulars blow out by 10:00am on the weekends because it gets skied down to "Pocono Powder" (read ice)and the lines are long by that time. People who love high speed lifts will stand in line 20 minutes for a 5 minute ride to the top when you can be at the top at Elk in less than 15 minutes and that's only if there is a line. Elk also has a better variety of trails than any area in PA with no flat runout like Blue and Camelback. It's worth the extra drive.

Any word on how the water park is doing in their first full season?

I skied Tanglewood with my daughter who is a low intermediate two seasons ago. Nothing for experts but a great little family place. It was very uncrowded for Christmas week, and grooming and conditions were very good. No lift lines. I recommend places like Tanglewood, Alpine Mountain, Eagle Rock, and Ski Big Bear to people who are taking their kids skiing for the first time or who are low level skiers. Those skiers aren't skiing black diamonds anyway and would avoid the crowds of the Camelback's and Blue's. They just have to figure out how to market themselves to those type of skiers. Tanglewood is essentially on Lake Wallenpaupack. There are a lot of vacation homes there. They need to market to those people in the summer to get them to come and ski in the winter. I hope they make it as a ski area.

I don't have any figures but I think they must have seen a rise in attendance with the good snow years they had the last two years. Plus the word is getting out about Plattekill's terrain and vibe. Glad to see they're adding snowmaking capacity for the lean years and to get a base down on more trails for when they do get the natural. Plattekill rocks!