1/7/18...starting to get warm..carpet and chalk..

[Shadows]

I thought about bringing a turket fryer

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

3 hours ago, Burton0688 said:

I was there for the first time this year. Decided last night I was going to Blue for the morning. Would have sent a message earlier if I knew I was going.

Great first 3 hrs! Hit 62.7mph on Challenge my first run on ski tracks app which is a record for me at Blue. I didn't feel my face for an hour after that run. 

Were you in a tuck??  Radar gun had me at 64mph years ago on Razors. Nothing like the 80mph groomers at Jackson hole..I don't trust those apps they have Salty at 49mph and Root over 50

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

3 hours ago, Johnny Law said:

Today was the tits mcgee.....I can almost fully crank on nm/dw.....beer game is off the charts were do we go from here lol

Just wait till the spring when the fraggles emerge from the parking lot and Beau is handing out Jell-O shots. 

[indiggio]

9 hours ago, SallyCat said:

Just when it warmed up the runs got pretty chalky and scraped.  Still fun, though. Stayed until 1:30 ish. The crowds definitely came, but it wasn't overwhelming.  

Certainly there are more pressing global issues for humanity to contend with in these dark times, but the social contract that governs the VIP/Season Passholder lane at the six-pack lift is badly in need of reform. It seems that many passholders bring through the gate with them a radical libertarian worldview, a sort of queue-based ego-anarchism that causes them to slide alongside some number of other VIPs, look the traffic-directing liftie in the eye, and say "ONE." 

It is indisputably in the interest of all VIPs that everyone form groups of six whenever possible, because this moves VIPs off the line and onto the lift the fastest. The political philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau would say that forming groups is consistent with the General Will, which is synonymous with the best interest of the community as a whole and the interest of each individual within that community. Rousseau goes on to say that an individual who acts in a manner contrary to the General Will must be compelled to abide by it. "this means nothing less" he asserts, "than that he will be forced to be free." Despite the ominous, Jacobin undertones of that statement, I feel that it is the duty of all VIPs to set a good example and form groups, so as to show the occasional ego-anarchist the benefits of belonging to a civil society. 

On another note. the quad chair line appears to  have been designed by a Marxist with a sense of humor. There is indeed a "VIP" gate, but once though, the Important Person finds him or herself on line in the general corral with everyone else. The result is a long stretch of time spent in the company of non-Important Persons, and one can't help but assume that the designer of this arrangement is playing a long game.  Over time, those on line will no doubt come to see themselves not as "VIPs" vs. "Day Pass Holders" but rather, in a collective assumption of class-consciousness, will identify solely as "Customers." When that day comes, the VIP line at the six-pack chair will become unsustainable, and perhaps even fall to the revolutionary zeal of the Customers. 

Those of us that do run the 6 when they're gating know full well it's in our best interest to group up, as we want to get on the chair ASAP, so we take the bull by the horns and ask either the people in front or behind to group up.   It helps the attendant and us to get up the hill faster.  Most seasoned season pass holders know to do it.

The times I rode the quad yesterday, there was nary a line, so they probably didn't bother with an attendant.  On busy days, they do the same method at the quad as they do at the 6 and again it behooves one to group up to 4 as much as possible.

[SallyCat]

30 minutes ago, indiggio said:

Those of us that do run the 6 when they're gating know full well it's in our best interest to group up

Perhaps as the season progresses, the excellent example of more experienced passholders will cause this to be more generally true. In the meantime, I was almost knocked over by two people behind me who shouted "two" when the lift attendant looked our way and then bolted forward, between the four of us who were in front of them. I had to ski forward to get out of their way and then shuffle backward to get back in line. Another young fellow skied up directly beside me and before I could say anything, shouted "ONE" to the attendant. 

My interest in this issue is more anthropological than logistic. Why, for example, did the young man choose to sit with five random strangers from one part of the line over five random strangers from another part of the line? Interesting. 

36 minutes ago, indiggio said:

The times I rode the quad yesterday, there was nary a line, so they probably didn't bother with an attendant.

There was quite a line later in the day, with an attendant on hand. The race kids got their own chute, but the VIP gate opened to the general corral. 

None of this earth-shaking in importance, obviously; I try to only gripe about things that have an easy solution. The conditions on Sidewinder were terrible today, for example, but I understand that that's a big, weather-dependent operation and that they blew snow the previous night, which impacts grooming, etc., etc. and it would be churlish to complain. But Blue could easily throw up some netting to create a VIP chute at the quad, so I figure why not bring it to their attention so they can address it? (I sent them a brief, very polite message, btw.)

 

 

 

[indiggio]

10 minutes ago, SallyCat said:

None of this earth-shaking in importance, obviously; I try to only gripe about things that have an easy solution. The conditions on Sidewinder were terrible today, for example, but I understand that that's a big, weather-dependent operation and that they blew snow the previous night, which impacts grooming, etc., etc. and it would be churlish to complain. But Blue could easily throw up some netting to create a VIP chute at the quad, so I figure why not bring it to their attention so they can address it? (I sent them a brief, very polite message, btw.)

There's always Facebook to submit complaints/suggestions/recommendations. 
We pretty much know they read them and if nobody speaks up, I'm sure they believe everything's working fine.

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

 

They did a shitty job grooming sidewinder mid Saturday morning...they had five groomers on it and it was a pretty haphazard and rushed grooming job. 

 

Im still thinking about those first three runs on challenge yesterday and the several chalky ten out of ten runs on nightmare dreamweaver..one NMDW run was it was crowded it seemed like the 30mph skiers were staying to the left in the middle section letting the faster skiers stay right..and surprisingly with 30 people on the trail nobody was in my way in the sharp lefthander..

 

i should be back at Blue mountain the true mountain tomorrow night. 

[RidgeRacer]

Seriously jealous I missed a sick NMDW yesterday morning. Overall though Blue is just killing it this season. From the classy move that is the red chair, to seemingly great conditions daily this season to their usual excellent customer service. I'm definitely feeling the love right about now.