Colorado Weather Discussion Thread

**hatchgreenchile** · 12-19-2018, 08:32 AM

I heard the proceeds are going to the Loveland - A.Basin - Keystone gondola.

**Rideski** · 12-19-2018, 08:37 AM

Originally Posted by Foggy_Goggles

a little breeze up on the peaks this morning

https://avalanche.state.co.us/observ...ther-stations/

Bookmarked , thanks.

**Danno** · 12-19-2018, 08:48 AM

Originally Posted by The SnowShow

That’s how I read it too. You can still park for free near the Pali lift, but in fewer spots. It’s not that big a deal and doesn’t matter to me personally but I don’t like the trend that we’re seeing. It’s also kinda fucked up that they too are rolling this out after passes are bought.

Whoa, you guys are serious? I thought everyone was joking, riffing on the Eldora thing.

**smmokan** · 12-19-2018, 09:29 AM

The whole "the objective is not to make money, it's for the environment" thing from ski resorts is getting old. If they really cared about the environment, they wouldn't waste so much fucking water making snow so they could open in October every year. Get a new angle.

**KyleLanTheman** · 12-19-2018, 09:33 AM

This shit makes me livid. I would love if nobody paid for the first 200 spots and left them empty as a bug fuck you to Al and the clowns who bitch that the basin has no parking when they show up at 9:45 on a Saturday

**doebedoe** · 12-19-2018, 09:37 AM

Originally Posted by smmokan

The whole "the objective is not to make money, it's for the environment" thing from ski resorts is getting old. If they really cared about the environment, they wouldn't waste so much fucking water making snow so they could open in October every year. Get a new angle.

Thank you.

It's fucking A-okay to make money running a business. Just own up to it. If you want to reduce congestion and help the environment you'd make those spots carpool only. Want a spot at 10:00am on Saturday, show up with 4 people in your car.

**skaredshtles** · 12-19-2018, 10:00 AM

**RonMexico** · 12-19-2018, 10:09 AM

Originally Posted by Rideski

So how do they determine if you're car # 198 or 201 before you waste time dicking around on a powder morning in traffic line. They should have built extra lots years ago. Great foresight Henceforth.

I think this is a big issue that everybody is missing while they complain (justifiably so?) about the price.

How are they going to manage cars going into the paid section vs. the free section? Are they going to have to stop every car that enters and ask them 'free, paid, or carpool'?
What happens when the free section fills up, but there's still spots in the paid/carpool section? Traffic already gets backed up when the lots are clearly closed - how are they going to manage determining if someone wants to pay or has 4+ people in their car?
Will the paid section be free once people start leaving around Noon?

I just see this leading to a gigantic cluster that results in cars backed up on the road for miles.

**KyleLanTheman** · 12-19-2018, 10:19 AM

High volume days last season they had half the lot roped off for carpool only (gaper day etc) with a goober turning people away that weren't HOV - I'm sure they'll run it like that

**Foggy_Goggles** · 12-19-2018, 10:20 AM

waste so much fucking water making snow

Snow making is actually a very low consumptive use of water. It is a huge use of electricity however. [/water dork]

I can't think of an activity besides skiing where we put so much reliance in how a private business will be operated. They will do what they want to do. You will do what you want to do. Just how it is.

Switching dicks midstream is certainly weak sauce. That said, parking at resorts is not sustainable. I don't think the future is driving up from the city 1 or 2 in a car on busy weekends.

The ski areas are getting no help from CDOT etc. Places like Copper and Steamboat have well run shuttle lots. What should places like Wanker Park and A-basin do? There is really no where to put additional parking on the way to the ski area?

**GPP33** · 12-19-2018, 10:22 AM

Originally Posted by MCS5280

People are going to start kidnapping unsuspecting hitchhikers on their way up Loveland pass so they can meet the 4 person quota.

That's actually a great idea. Or get there before lifts open or on a refreeze day where it's not gonna be good until it warms up anyway and offer to ride in with people for $5. You could probably be part of 20 "carpools" in an hour.

**RonMexico** · 12-19-2018, 10:28 AM

Originally Posted by Foggy_Goggles

Places like Copper and Steamboat have well run shuttle lots. What should places like Wanker Park and A-basin do? There is really no where to put additional parking on the way to the ski area?

That's kind of the beauty of Abasin in that it is capacity constrained - and a big reason people love it.

It also leads to an interesting point that people are missing as they focus on how much money they're going to make from the parking fee. What is just as important for the resort is that the more 1-2 person cars in the lots, the less people on the mountain spending money at restaurants/bars, etc. So because they can only fit so many vehicles, they have a huge incentive to make sure those vehicles are crammed full of skiers.

I actually wonder if they've been looking at revenue this year - given that they've had a lot of days where parking is completely full - and have been disappointed in how much $ has been coming in on those days. Thus this being part of that solution - both in terms of the fee and putting more people on the mountain.

**Danno** · 12-19-2018, 10:33 AM

Originally Posted by Foggy_Goggles

Snow making is actually a very low consumptive use of water. It is a huge use of electricity however. [/water dork]

As a fellow water dork, I was thinking the same thing. But then, when most people go apeshit over "wasting water", what they're really apeshit over is wasting electricity/money or wasting a particular entity's rights to water. Actual consumptive use is rarely part of the thinking.

**smmokan** · 12-19-2018, 10:34 AM

Originally Posted by Foggy_Goggles

Snow making is actually a very low consumptive use of water. It is a huge use of electricity however. [/water dork]

I can't think of an activity besides skiing where we put so much reliance in how a private business will be operated. They will do what they want to do. You will do what you want to do. Just how it is.

I totally agree with you. But when their PR guys try to justify it by lying and telling their customer base it's "for the environment", it gets old. Just come out and say "the lots are busy as fuck, we want to try and capitalize on it because Vail Resorts is giving us the shaft on our slice of the Epic Pass." I've got no problem with that.

I also think that resorts (and maybe VRI as a whole) should start rewarding people for carpooling, not try to punish them. For anyone that shows up to the lot with 3+ give them a primo spot, give them BOGO coupons for lunch or apres, etc. I brought this up years ago and I'm surprised no one has given it a shot.... but I'm not really all that surprised, because it's all about the money.

**smmokan** · 12-19-2018, 10:37 AM

Kind of related, but mostly unrelated to this "argument"... I just found this article on water storage for the I-70 resorts, and it's pretty interesting. Copper stores part of its water in a reservoir formerly used as a tailings pond for the Climax Mine.

https://coloradosun.com/2018/10/15/c...drought-years/

**Foggy_Goggles** · 12-19-2018, 10:47 AM

I totally agree with you. But when their PR guys try to justify it by lying and telling their customer base it's "for the environment", it gets old. Just come out and say "the lots are busy as fuck, we want to try and capitalize on it because Vail Resorts is giving us the shaft on our slice of the Epic Pass." I've got no problem with that.

Wait...you think the ski areas feed that average customer a pile of shit? It is called marketing. Probably should get used to it.

**hatchgreenchile** · 12-19-2018, 10:59 AM

If we're bitching about parking, Triple Treat lot at Copper is now pay only.
It was nice when it was carpool friendly and the attendant was MIA half the time.
For $15 a car, how about they provide more than 2 cold portajohns?

**Name Redacted** · 12-19-2018, 11:03 AM

Abasin parking bullshit is total greenwashing. They just cut down thousands of trees for blue runs that the gapers can't even ski. Al is getting his wish of turning the place into Disneyland. Half the beach is already reservable spots that sit empty most days.

**Foggy_Goggles** · 12-19-2018, 11:06 AM

how about they provide more than 2 cold portajohns?

Is this where we just get to bitch? Public sanitation is so random. If the government shuts down, the National Parks will be open but the bathrooms are gonna be locked?

People gonna shit and piss. In the 20+ years I've lived in Colorado, the state has literally become covered in shit and shit paper. How come we don't do better to deal with this?

**wolfelot** · 12-19-2018, 11:11 AM

I think we need a new thread called The Official Bitch About Parking at Colorado Ski Resorts Thread.

**fastfred** · 12-19-2018, 11:22 AM

Ski areas are nothing but environmental waste. The amount of electricity used for snowmaking and lifts...... oh wait it all comes from solar and wind right? Getting people to and from ski areas is pollution.

All for recreation it's not like ski areas are solving world problems.

To start a policy part way through the season is stupid.

And my granite is stuck on 70 right now. Oh wait wrong thread

Sent from my SCH-I435 using Tapatalk

**simple** · 12-19-2018, 11:23 AM

Why stop there? Try to park at Jones Pass, Berthoud Pass, or Dry Gulch backcountry trial heads. You better come early. Still free but what a mess.

**cmsummit** · 12-19-2018, 11:32 AM

My opinion is that if ABasin truly cared about environmental sustainability, make all of those 200 spots 4+ people carpool ONLY and not available to those that are willing to pony up the $20. That's making a true statement.

In other news, this storm is completely over-delivering in Breck....storm total is up to at least 10" (4" + 6") on the snow stake.

**Telemarketeer** · 12-19-2018, 11:53 AM

Who the fuck goes to the hill with 4 people? Breeders. That’s who.

**Foggy_Goggles** · 12-19-2018, 12:16 PM

Originally Posted by ULLRismyco-pilot

Who the fuck goes to the hill with 4 people? Breeders. That’s who.

Yeah, the ones keeping the hill open. It ain't us eat and drink on the tailgate folks. You know where else they roll 4 in a car? Place where 4 in the car gets you preferential parking.

How many of ya'll are boycotting buying a pass next year because the parking scene sucks? Everybody thinks everyone else should chance. As said, the ski areas are trying to maximize profit with limited parking resources. We are just a pawn in the game.