Last weekends’ snowstorm brought over 90″ inches of snow to Solitude (yippe!), but it also brought a slew of skiers from Smallwood {you figure out the translation} as well (bummer). The “feel” of Solitude is laid-back, relaxed and unpretentious - and unwelcome change is certainly in the air once our quaint resort is inundated with U-turners from another canyon. Now we know how you Floridians feel when the “Snowbirds” from the Northeast (pun intended) overtake swimming pools, highways and bridge games every winter.
The Eagle will protect the innocent’s identity, but will keep her claws sharp with response. A few “words of encouragement” we heard from uninvited transplants:
“This place sucks - there’s not a lot of terrain open”
Well, Your WHOLE CANYON is closed. Don’t be ungrateful - you’ll develop unsightly frown lines.
“When will all this huntington canyon thing open”
As soon as you leave.
“I thought it wasn’t normally crowded at Solitude”
It isn’t. This isn’t a normal day. See all the skittle thugs out there. They’re not normal, nor are they normally here.
In addition to the dynamic shift felt on the hill, our inbox fills up with many short-sighted pseudo-guest comments. We had most of the upper mountain shut down for an hour and a half while patrol painstakingly did avalanche control work. This is the same day there was major slides in-bounds at other resorts, in the backcountry, plus several resorts and roads didn’t open until well after noon. Here were a few of the Eagle’s favorite…
“Why was Eagle Express not open right at 9? It was not safety related. Please don’t use safety as an excuse when there was a communication breakdown. You can only use Mother Nature as an excuse for so long…Otherwise, how is Solitude learning from these experiences?”
Sorry Dad, we’ll learn next time. 92″ of snow in 7 days is NO BIG DEAL. We’ll just open up terrain without ensuring it is 100% safe, because, after all, who wants to wait in the name of safety?
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“IT IS POSSIBLE to know that the slopes cannot be opened for 30 or 60 or “Z” minutes. It’s basic math. If there are “X” places that need to be re-inspected before an area can be re-opened, it then becomes “how many patrollers do we have working on those areas and how long will it take to just do the basics?”
Really? Avalanche professionals admit they cannot forecast when an avalanche will occur. They can get an idea, and do control work accordingly and recommend to close or open terrain. But this readers simple algebra equation has it figured out! Quick, someone nominate him for a medal!! For the record: We do alot more then just the basics. However, I think Mr. Basic math just nominated himself for guinea pig work.
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“I had to wait 90 minutes for a lift to open. This is not a way to treat loyal customers. Next time LCC is closed I will be going to Brighton.”
Hmmm. This makes you our loyal customer? How? We’re obviously your plan-b resort. Your loss. Please do go to Brighton or Park City next time. However, I doubt they will want your attitude. I’m thinking Colorado is a safer bet.
Meanwhile, at the ‘tude, we’ll be doing this…
Important editor’s note: We do agree that communication could be improved concerning what lifts will open and when. If and when we do have info available, we’ll post it to our twitter and facebook accounts. Follow us and become a fan - the girl who is getting first tracks in Milk Run is…
Posted by Eagle under People
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