Blue Mountain Park Improvements 09-10

[method9455]

I thought it was 4?

 

I might be missing the joke but its definitely unlimited. I don't think a lot of people are using the system right now but I am used to another forum where people really use it a LOT and it actually matters so I'm doing it on basically every thread I read.

[RootDKJ]

To add to Kevin's point...I don't think Blue does a good enough job getting their message across on this side of the Delaware. On the radio, I'm always hearing commercials for Mountain Creek, JFBB, Camelback and Ski Shawnee but never Blue. Co-workers of mine will often ask me where they should take their kids snow-tubing and I always tell them to go to Blue and they tell me they've never heard of it.

[AtomicSkier]

I might be missing the joke but its definitely unlimited. I don't think a lot of people are using the system right now but I am used to another forum where people really use it a LOT and it actually matters so I'm doing it on basically every thread I read.

 

I think you only get 4 negative/day

[nick malozzi]

I might be missing the joke but its definitely unlimited. I don't think a lot of people are using the system right now but I am used to another forum where people really use it a LOT and it actually matters so I'm doing it on basically every thread I read.

No I was wrong. It is in fact 4. Jeffy said so.

[Justo8484]

To add to Kevin's point...I don't think Blue does a good enough job getting their message across on this side of the Delaware. On the radio, I'm always hearing commercials for Mountain Creek, JFBB, Camelback and Ski Shawnee but never Blue. Co-workers of mine will often ask me where they should take their kids snow-tubing and I always tell them to go to Blue and they tell me they've never heard of it.

i'm fine with that from the standpoint that i don't need more people in the park sitting on landings. from a financial perspective, yes, they could probably be catering to the loaded folks in central/north jersey a little harder.

[method9455]

I think you only get 4 negative/day

 

Oh, thanks that explains it. I don't do much down voting unless it actually deserves to be.

 

Thanks Root, I really don't think Blue or even the people on internet forums realizes how few people in NJ know about the mountain. They could make some serious gains through marketing in NJ.

 

Sadly I finally convinced some friends to start going despite the drive, and on our second day there we got yelled at by patrollers for going too fast on Paradise, so now they won't go back with me.

[Rodeo Steve]

http://snowboarding.transworld.net/videos/snowqualmie-video-with-forum-team/

 

This video has some real sick features. I remember Bear trying the butter pad a few years ago and it was a lot of fun. Not saying any mountain around here is capable of it but it would be a lot of fun to ride.

 

As for the airbag, I think its gonna be a lot more fun than most of you think. It may not be where you want the money to go, but it will be awesome for learning tricks instead of trying tricks onto ice or driving out to Lake Placid for the water ramps. Heres a video of one that looks sweet, not sure if its the same size or anything that Blue got, but if executed right it has potential.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYpQZ72EIls

[Freeski919]

Personally, I think Blue's marketing model is fine. They realize that they are the southernmost major mountain, so they take advantage of that fact. They draw their business from the Lehigh Valley, Philly, South Jersey and Delaware. Why spend money competing directly with mountains they have a disadvantage against? They draw plenty of business from the areas they do market. Or would we rather see the trails more crowded on Christmas week?

[method9455]

Half the cars in the lots at Blue are from Jersey...and when I drive back from Blue around 11AM on a weekday..there are so many Jersey cars enroute to Blue because they are easy to spot with their front plates..the Jersey gapers also make up alot of the Asian invasion...personally if I lived in North Jersey..I'd just go tot he Catskills or VT

 

The Catskills are not always the best option. None of them really have a good park. They have better terrain but I feel like only Hunter has decent snowmaking/grooming, and it can still get very icy. And the crowds get outrageous at Hunter on the weekends which is the only time I can go because the drive precludes going after school/work. I had a Belleayre season pass for 2 seasons and it was great for free riding but I stopped last year when it wasn't clear what was going to happen with the NY state budget cuts.

 

I'm sure NJ people go to Blue, but I'm telling you as someone who lives in Jersey and worked in a ski shop for multiple years - most skiers and snowboards do not know Blue even EXISTS. They could be making a lot more money if they corrected that.

 

The whole "the gapers only come from Jersey" thing is bullshit and you either know it and refuse to admit it or you are one of the people I have met at school that come from PA and reflexively think NJ sucks. I love the line about how NJ smells, when I've never walked outside of my house in NJ in my life and smelt something yet 1 in 5 days in DE I walk outside and it literally smells like shit from the mushroom farms in PA if the wind is blowing from the NW.

 

Gapers come from all over but in my experience the highest concentration of them at a PA/NJ/NY mountain is at Blue - it is not even comparable when you ski a Saturday at Blue and a Saturday at Mountain Creek or Camelback. Who knows the reason it just is.

 

I spend my winter hitting a lot of different places 2 or 3 times each. I spend a lot of those days buying lift tickets to mountains on Saturday and Sunday and skiing the whole day. You ski the same place over and over and over. And you have a season pass and from your daily TRs I know you leave early on the weekends (which I do when I have a season pass too for obvious reasons). But ski at 3pm at MC, Camelback, Blue and JFBB on a Saturday like I did last winter and compare. You will learn a lot about the mountains. M

 

Mountain Creek has the worst lifts by far, you will spend your whole time waiting in lift lines.

Camelback's layout doesn't hold up too well to a lot of traffic but there are hidden lifts and trails that stay solid all day.

JF's east mountain can't handle that many people and gets scraped off but the rest of the mountain is solid all day.

BB's park is not big enough for that many people but the snow holds up.

Blue has a lot of gapers and they make the park completely un-useable and the snow gets really sandy.

 

Going on a Wednesday from 1pm-4 is always going to be gaper free and good conditions. You compare Blue during the times you ski which is about as ideal as it gets to the other mountains on the few times you've been there at less than ideal times.

[Nidecker]

Hey, Kinda off the Topic but 70% of everything posted on here is off topic anyways. But I was wondering where Park Crue was going to fit in the "two" stair cases for this year? I personally liked the case after the rail garden and between the jump line.... Unless they will move them to the new park RIP half pipe.... Though I never liked it. Oh by the way hi everyone im John no one knows me on here besides Rodeo Steve.

 

Figured I would join and say whats up since I actually ride park lol. I read some funny spats going back and forth between guys and thought it was rather funny when someone said "if you dont ride park you dont belong in a park thread" or something in those lines hehe.

[toast21602]

Hey, Kinda off the Topic but 70% of everything posted on here is off topic anyways. But I was wondering where Park Crue was going to fit in the "two" stair cases for this year? I personally liked the case after the rail garden and between the jump line.... Unless they will move them to the new park RIP half pipe.... Though I never liked it. Oh by the way hi everyone im John no one knows me on here besides Rodeo Steve.

 

Figured I would join and say whats up since I actually ride park lol. I read some funny spats going back and forth between guys and thought it was rather funny when someone said "if you dont ride park you dont belong in a park thread" or something in those lines hehe.

 

the multiple stair combinations are going to be where the pipe was. its being filled in as we speak.

[Nidecker]

the multiple stair combinations are going to be where the pipe was. its being filled in as we speak.

 

 

No shit, nice im stoked on the central park or whatever the hell they are going to call it. Can't wait to see the set up.

[Nidecker]

So im guess they are going to make the old terrain run just a free flowing run like shuttle or home stretch? well maybe not after all Blue finally updated the trail map and it has it as central park and terrain run is still set up as freestyle.

Edited October 28, 2009 by Nidecker25

[toast21602]

So im guess they are going to make the old terrain run just a free flowing run like connector?

 

no that is going to continue to be the 'beginner park' with the smaller, easier, low lying features to learn on.

[Nidecker]

this is what SkiTown.com has to say about Blue.

 

Blue Mountain will be featuring 4 terrain parks this year plus one snow-cross trail.

~ Sidewinder Park: 3,500 ft designed for advanced skiers and boarders which includes a 40 ft double barrel straight, 40 ft down flat down, 35 ft 180 degree C box, down flat down S, street staircase, 8 ft wide butterbox with grindable rails, 70 ft jumps, rhythm sections, and tabletops

~ Come Around Park: 1,700 ft of intermediate hits and features

~ Terrain Run Park: 1,200 ft of novice hits and features

~ Central Park: "Bringing the streets to the slopes" with 2 brand new, one of a kind stair sets from snow grind, among other street related elements

[Justo8484]

this is what SkiTown.com has to say about Blue.

 

Blue Mountain will be featuring 4 terrain parks this year plus one snow-cross trail.

~ Sidewinder Park: 3,500 ft designed for advanced skiers and boarders which includes a 40 ft double barrel straight, 40 ft down flat down, 35 ft 180 degree C box, down flat down S, street staircase, 8 ft wide butterbox with grindable rails, 70 ft jumps, rhythm sections, and tabletops

~ Come Around Park: 1,700 ft of intermediate hits and features

~ Terrain Run Park: 1,200 ft of novice hits and features

~ Central Park: "Bringing the streets to the slopes" with 2 brand new, one of a kind stair sets from snow grind, among other street related elements

 

they seem a little confused/outdated/uneducated...

[nick malozzi]

they seem a little confused/outdated/uneducated...

I hope you aren't surprised by that.

[method9455]

Blue is gaper central..I never said it wasn't...there are plenty of gapers midweek..just not in the same numbers as on weekends. Most people ski/ride less than 10 days a season..have crappy gear and don't have very good skillz...and ask stupid questions like,"Does this lift go all the way to the top"...the amount of gapers in Jackson Hole is astounding..they are just wealthier gapers..who wonder why there isn't any fresh cord when it snowed 15 inches overnight. From what I remember I think you skied Blue like maybe 3-4 times in your life and liked the place. Blue is a small mountain(big by PA standards) that does a ton 300K+ of skier visits annually..their snowmaking and grooming is inferior to most resorts and that sandy..mad sweet and low snow stinks. I pretty much just ski Blue 8AM-11AM on weekends/holidays and a couple hours 4-7ish afterwork Monday-Thurday and 1-5ish on Fridays..no way you will catch me at Blue at 3PM on a weekend..shit is beat by 11AM so I can't imagine what it's like by then..one of the disadvantages of all their lift capacity..oh well. Oh well..I'm happy with Blue, Stowe and Jackson Hole..

 

I only live 20 miles at most from Dirty Jersey..I know there are alot of nice areas as I am there weekly for work. Where you are from is one of the wealthiest areas in the United States and very nice..and convenient to NY/New England..but Pennsylvania people will always hate on Jersey..it's free to drive into NJ but to go back to PA you have to pay a toll. NJ has that douchbag guido reputation...Long Island west..and some of the trashiest people imaginable in Atlantic City..but you have the Wu-Tang Clan, Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen..

 

I'm not hating on you or Blue Mtn, I'm just sick of the "Jersey Sucks" meme, I get it at school all the time - mostly from people who don't have a clue about Jersey beyond the Turnpike and the Parkway. It takes me almost 40 minutes to get to either.

 

I've been to Blue more than that, I went twice in 05/06 and 06/07, but I went more like 6 times each the last 2 years. The midweek deal is really good for college students and it is close from UD, and our ski club goes there. I like it a lot, and I think they could be making more $$$ by attracting more NJers, which maybe they could parlay into some better snow making equipment.

[Justo8484]

Get used to it..Jersey just has that reputation...your entire life people who think they are funny are gonna ask you what exit you're from. Remember the bumper stickers....don't Jersey Vermont..lol...well in Montana they have bumper stickers that say don't Vermont Montana because they aren't fond of liberals..oh well..anyway NJ is a very affluent state with a large number of skiers and riders and I see alot of people with NJ plates at Blue..but you're right..alot of them are from South Jersey..where they have Philly accents..Holla

 

On topic..I'm hoping they put a couple tabletops in..I don't think I saw any tables at Blue last season..maybe one in the Come Around park..

 

tables are nice, but take a ton of snow to make properly. you can accomplish the same trajectory/airtime with a properly built stepover style jump, which they should have no problem doing now with a winch cat. less snow + scary drop off the lip if you roll it = less gapers rolling lips, at least in theory.

[Rodeo Steve]

tables are nice, but take a ton of snow to make properly. you can accomplish the same trajectory/airtime with a properly built stepover style jump, which they should have no problem doing now with a winch cat. less snow + scary drop off the lip if you roll it = less gapers rolling lips, at least in theory.

 

x2. Step overs would definitely be nice. As for a few posts up with the outdated park information... I have never seen a legit 70ft lip to knuckle kicker at Blue. Like ever. At many points it may have been like 57ft at the most which was usually "rounded up" to 70 but there is no way in hell any jump ever reached 70ft.

Edited October 28, 2009 by Rodeo Steve

[nick malozzi]

I fail to see any point in wasting all that snow on a "70ft" jump that 5% of the park riders can actually hit, and less then that can actually do something aside from straight air. I've seen the pics of the jumps, the lips and build quality is always garbage. Build NICE smaller jumps that more people can actually do something off of.

 

Edit: Oh and, I'm guessing the "70footer" is a marketing thing. Something they can toss around in ads. You want good ads, build nice well maintained jumps and head out with a camera and snap some shots of kids just killing it. You're not going to get better marketing material then that.

Edited October 28, 2009 by nick malozzi

[method9455]

I fail to see any point in wasting all that snow on a "70ft" jump that 5% of the park riders can actually hit, and less then that can actually do something aside from straight air. I've seen the pics of the jumps, the lips and build quality is always garbage. Build NICE smaller jumps that more people can actually do something off of.

 

Edit: Oh and, I'm guessing the "70footer" is a marketing thing. Something they can toss around in ads. You want good ads, build nice well maintained jumps and head out with a camera and snap some shots of kids just killing it. You're not going to get better marketing material then that.

 

Very true.

 

I like the idea of tables too but you really can't on sidewinder, the pitch is too steep for most of it. In my mind nether JFBB or Blue can pull off a table line for that reason. When you do see a line of tables it is usually on a section that is basically flat. The only place I could see is right before the cement mixer put in legit 20' table instead of the little 8' one they have had. I'm not sure where you would have to drop from for that but I feel like if you stop a little higher it would be perfectly doable. The little one doesn't make much sense leading into that feature, I always had to either skip that jump or not have enough speed for the cement mixer because if you hit it a reasonable speed for that feature you overshot the little jump by a mile.

[Justo8484]

x2. Step overs would definitely be nice. As for a few posts up with the outdated park information... I have never seen a legit 70ft lip to knuckle kicker at Blue. Like ever. At many points it may have been like 57ft at the most which was usually "rounded up" to 70 but there is no way in hell any jump ever reached 70ft.

 

i wasnt there for big air this past season, but from what i've heard that jump was pretty big. nothing they ever had on sidewinder was even approaching 70 feet. honestly, 50 would have been a stretch. i'd take a nice floaty 40 footer over a dangerous 70 footer any day.

[Rodeo Steve]

Very true.

 

I like the idea of tables too but you really can't on sidewinder, the pitch is too steep for most of it. In my mind nether JFBB or Blue can pull off a table line for that reason. When you do see a line of tables it is usually on a section that is basically flat. The only place I could see is right before the cement mixer put in legit 20' table instead of the little 8' one they have had. I'm not sure where you would have to drop from for that but I feel like if you stop a little higher it would be perfectly doable. The little one doesn't make much sense leading into that feature, I always had to either skip that jump or not have enough speed for the cement mixer because if you hit it a reasonable speed for that feature you overshot the little jump by a mile.

 

 

I like the idea of making the little table by the cement mixer bigger, although the little one always caused a huge problem cause everybody stops on that last berm to drop the table. If that could be worked out that would definitely be a nice spot.

 

A triple jump line is definitely ideal, but I actually wouldnt mind only have two jumps in the jump line. 90% of the time its only possible to hit two of them in a row anyway. Having three jumps on that short section results in shitty transitions, basically meaning if you dont land perfect, the rest of the run is ruined. If there were only two jumps, the transitions could definitely be better, and more snow could be put into each jump which = more of a landing. Just an idea. I just remember having to hit the first jump and bomb from there into the third to even have speed for a 3.

Either way well see in a month or two and Im sure it will turn out nice. Rice is doing a good job with the park.

[Rodeo Steve]

i wasnt there for big air this past season, but from what i've heard that jump was pretty big. nothing they ever had on sidewinder was even approaching 70 feet. honestly, 50 would have been a stretch. i'd take a nice floaty 40 footer over a dangerous 70 footer any day.

 

 

My bad, I forgot about the big air. That was pretty big. It may have actually been close to 70.

 

Would of been one of the best jumps on the East Coast in my opinion if it didnt have a shitload of bumps before it. Was nice in the morning but speed got slow as the day went by. I was dropping from like 1/2 way up challenge and still cased it.