Wednesday, February 24, 2010

skiing and uphill traffic updates

the skiing yesterday was better than it had been, as the snow softened in a few spots.  still pretty stiff. but sun is sun around here, and best to enjoy it while you can, for as you can see, it is gone today.  see you in a month, dear sun.

as for uphill traffic.  we most all know of the severe limitations being put on uphill traffic.  if you are someone with a regular job, and really relish the time after hours to stretch the legs, blow out the lungs and feel the wind in your face, all by 7 pm, well, have some fun for 5 more days, learn some sneaky routes and most importantly, send you comments to the big mountain. 

they continue to say this remains an open discussion, but i have my doubts.  if you have time, look back at one of my uphill updates and get the facebook page discussing this matter.  there are many good ideas, but mostly it is a conversation by a few, not the masses.  we need the masses. and read ALL the comments on this page.  some are constructive and hopeful for a better tomorrow.  one, by phil, realizes the present and has an interesting perspective.  can this idea of boycotting foley business really do much to change the corporate ideology pervasive throughout the big mountain management?  probably not, but it is an idea.  and i really like his thoughts on why the groomers might be a bit upset.  and of course, if suddenly the big mountain has to begin drug testing and can no longer employ $10/hour stoners to run their $200,000 dollar groomers, they might have to pay going rates to machine operators, which i am sure they would not be very happy about. 

i am trying really hard to stay positive towards a better compromise, and not just bitch about poor decisions, but it will become increasingly difficult. 

6 comments:

  1. Yo Chris,
    I hope I didn't sound too sympathetic to WMR's dilemma in my facebook ramblings, but I'm just trying to be realistic. I totally agree with Phil that WMR is putting profit above all else. That's what corporations do, and it's why unbridled capitalism is inherently unethical. If a business is out there to make money, then why should they give a rat's pitootey about what a bunch of endorphin junkies want to do after work when there's no opportunity to force 3 dollar bags of junk food down their throats at the summit house? And it's a bit naive to think that the same corp would go out of their way to implement a complicated and difficult to enforce uphill pass system just to keep us happy. Anyway, I still enjoy all the high speed lifts that Foley shelled out for, so I guess he's not half bad. And remember, like I said on facebook you can still rally up to Chicken Bones or wherever from the bottom of Chair 6 after work if you want to stay legal and still get a sweet bushwacking workout. Pete

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  2. Hey everybody,
    Shall we organize a mass Toni Matt climb for Sunday at 4:30 pm? It would be sort of cool to see 200 people trudling up the hill on the last legal day. What do you think? Pete

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  3. Let's get Black Star to donate the beer.

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  4. yes, a mass uprising (up hiking) on sunday at 4:30 and beyond is a great idea. it is a full moon sunday night, so let's make a party. bring some beer to stash up top during the weekend. SPREAD THE WORD!!!!!!!!

    i will always be hard pressed to give foley any credit. so he put up some money. are we really better off with three chairs loading or unloading at one place, and no new terrain? chair one should have gone all the way down, then no more parking issues, less congestion, etc. as for making money. okay, hikers will never pour the money into the amenities like day customers, but they might buy a beer or two at the stube, or some nachos at hellroaring.

    and as i think more about this, i realize, the people hurt the most by the new rule are, imagine this, the locals. we are the ones hiking at night! although we are some of the ones hiking during the day, this is when non-locals hike. it is really only locals at night. another policy without concern for us.

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  5. Not impressed at all by your labeling of cat operators as "$10/hours stoners". All of these guys (and gals) are just as "local" as your selves. Please show a little more respect in the future.

    TP

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  6. sorry anonymous, but if you can't say who you are, no respect. i know many groomers, and i would call them what i did. i have had groomers lash out at me for skiing on newly groomed trails, but no where near their cats, because they did not want their "pristine" slopes skied. in the altercations with the public this year, who lashed out first, the groomer or the skier? i bet the former.

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