MEADOWS BLOG

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Top Ten Thoughts on 05/06

Hi Folks,

As I think back on the 05/06 season on this last day of operation, I can’t help but share a few thoughts with you. Below is my “Top Ten” list for the 05/06 season.

Beyond the obvious, like great snow, an early opening, an epic January powder month, and the “Second Season” we rolled out this spring; a few things stick in my mind. These are in no order of priority.

First, expectations for skiing and riding out-of-bounds have changed in this part of the world. In several instances, this activity put not only our customer in harms way but also put our professional patrol staff at risk. We need to look at the trends and re-think how this is being dealt with.

Second, we entered the 05/06 season very tentatively. What I mean is that after experiencing the drought of 04/05, we were very cautious at the start of this season. I think this created an environment where our staffing levels were too low in the first part of the season and it took awhile to ramp up to where we needed to be. 

Third, Meadows has become very involved in competitions, freestyle venues, and events. As a result, we need to bulk up the staffing and resources in this area. The grooming department, parks and pipes staff, and race crew are impacted greatly by this and we need to rethink the staffing and resources in this area.

Fourth, customer service staff training is the key. We experienced some great outcomes this year by investing more time and money with a more focused and simplified approach to training. We’ve got a taste of the benefits of this and need to continue putting more resources into this. Our employees are our most important asset and always will be.

Fifth, on weekends, we need to make some changes in the lodge to create more seating for Food Services.

Sixth, the 4x4, 3x3, and 2x2 season pass products are great products that are priced right at this time. My feeling is that there should be a season pass in every pocket. Season passholders do continue to spend all throughout the season and they bring friends who don’t own passes. Every customer is important to us but season passholders are our core customer. Meadows needs to remember this.

Seventh, (and this one is controversial) the 9:00 a.m. opening is better than the 8:00 a.m. opening. For a number of reasons this is true. I took some heat on the change, and I’ll probably hear about it again by raising it here, but I still believe it’s the right thing to do considering all the issues.

Eighth, staying open on weekends in May (on a weather-permitting basis) with a May Challenge was an interesting experiment. I feel good about how it turned out this year. If we stay open next year in late spring we would definitely have to do it on the basis of weekends only and weather permitting like we did this year. I also think we have to have a “challenge” aspect to it. If it gets to the point that we’re turning empty chairs then we shouldn’t be open. It does have to do with the snow pack available at that time of year. It was tough on some of our employees who needed to move on to other summer jobs. Other employees really appreciated the extra income. I think it’s something that needs to be decided upon in the early spring each year based on what’s going on with the snow pack.

Ninth, I wonder what it’s going to take for people to figure out that it’s better to drive through Hood River to and from the mountain on weekends and holidays than going through Government Camp? Has it actually got to get worse on Hwy. 26 first?

Tenth, the blog has been a great way to communicate. I was kind of nervous jumping into this and there were times that I would spend lots of time each day managing it but I’m completely sold on the blog. It’s the best thing that has ever happened for me personally to be able to better understand and get closer to our customers. I like the format and the speed that it allows for communication. I looked back at the history and see that this is the 21st blog this year. Many more people read the blog than post comments. It’s also great for our employees to read the comments people post. Out of the hundreds of comments posted, I only didn’t post about 10. That was because they were using foul language or talking about something way off subject. Until something comes along that’s better, the blog will live on!

There are certainly more than 10 important things that happened this year but these are some big ones.

I’d like to thank everyone for a great season. Try and stay connected to our website this summer to track what’s happening at the resort. We’ll post some very interesting behind the scenes stories.

Have a safe and fun summer. We’ll see you on the slopes this fall!

Sincerely,

Dave

Posted: Jun 03 2006, 04:10 PM by Ski2Live | with 73 comment(s)

Comments

tsfoust said:

I was one of the ones in the beginning who fought the 9AM opening, and although I am still not excited about it I understand why it is done. Actually I kind of enjoyed the later opening mid-season - many people slept in and I was able to get a front spot!!! But... I really do think that if Meadows decides to continue the "2nd season" into their normal operations (depending on snow pack and other variables) that an earlier opening/closing should be thought about. I came up about every weekend this spring, but usually ended up leaving around 1PM due to the sticky snow conditions. If you were to open earlier (since it is lighter in the mornings in the spring) we could get extra time on the mountain with not so sticky conditions. Just an idea. Thanks so much for the great season!!!

Dave's reply: Regarding sticky snow, I think it had to do with the fact we were salting too soon. The groomers would do that on swing instead of grave. We'll look at making some changes in that next spring to address your point. Thanks for everything and have a great summer!
# June 3, 2006 4:52 PM

meadows is fun.. said:

you should stay open till 5 in the spring
that way we late risers can still get some turns in haha
the park was fun at times but lame at times and dangerous at times haha maybe...all my friends say that meadows park needs to get stepped up, i think if you put more focus on your park, more riders will turn out
thanks,
brandon

Dave's reply: 5:00 p.m.?! That's funny. The skiers want us to open at 7:00 a.m. and the snowboarders want us to stay open until 5:00 p.m. Oh man, what next!

Regarding the parks, we've got some interesting things in the works for next year. More on this in a future blog...
# June 3, 2006 5:21 PM

peter said:

Great job with the resort today. The pipe and park were awesome and they kept me busy all day. Please make sure you make a lot of blog postings about what is going on at meadows this summer though! It would also be pretty sweet to have a forum type thing where anyone can start a thread and respond, as was mentioned by another blog reader. This would give you a very good view of what the skiers and riders want. Thanks for the great season!

Dave's reply: I'll pass your comments on to Jason, our Freestyle Terrain Manager. He had some pretty soft snow to deal with last night and will appreciate your comments.
# June 3, 2006 7:18 PM

Alex Ing said:

this season was the best season of my life. i had only one injury that didnt keep me out for more than a week. i learned lots of new tricks and had an awesome season. i cant wait for next year. you did awesome. thanks

Dave's reply: Best in your life until next year :)
# June 3, 2006 8:01 PM

Linda & Bruce said:

Thanks for a GREAT season! Despite the "mist" during part of today, it was a fun day - no real precipitation. I wish that Moe Dixon could have been there one of those sunny weekends when the sun deck and beach chairs were full, because you would have seen what he really can do with a good crowd - be sure to have him back next spring! For those who don't know, Moe plays in Hood River in the summertime, in Copper Mountain, Colorado, during the winters, and in between he apparently has been touring the States - Chicago, Nashville, and more! We have been listening to him for over 20 years, and he still has something for everyone's taste - when he plays in Hood River the places are jammed with people dancing (children included!).

One thing you mentioned strikes a chord with me ... more seating for dining. My friends and I usually eat upstairs in the Cantina, going in between 11:00 and 11:30, and there were a number of times this year when people had left their bags all over the tables in the middle of the cantina to "reserve" a spot. Those people would not show up the entire time we were eating. That is not right at all. Please post some signs, or have someone patrol the area and move all that stuff to a corner somewhere.

And of course skis and snowboards should NOT be allowed in ANY of the dining areas, and it would be appreciated if more attention were paid to policing that. The more people get away with it, the more it happens, and it is a hazard to walk abound all that stuff. Someone is going to trip over it and get hurt. People who do it are not thinking about anyone other than themselves. If they care about their equipment they can either put it in ski check or spend around $10 to buy a lock and lock it to the racks you provide. Maybe bigger signs at all the entrances, as well as more policing by employees to keep the equipment downstairs or outside?

Here's hoping that next year is just as good as this one!

Dave's reply: I agree with everything you've raised. We can control people leaving bags and bringing in equipment better by hiring some more staff to manage that. See you next fall.
# June 3, 2006 9:00 PM

Kevin said:

The lunch line during the middle of the day is ridiculious! Have you ever considered another lodge like the main one where the hoodriver ticket sales office is? I think before meadows gets more riders at the mountain some expansions need to take place such as the Vista lift (great idea and much needed) The thought of more staff for terrain parks is very good in my opinion more staff and park feautures are needed. Thnx for the great season it truly was epic.

Dave's reply: We've talked about putting a mid-mountain restaurant in the area near the top of the Heather chairlift and extending the yellow lift to that location also and making it a high-speed quad which would get people out of the base fast and provide access to Star, Heather, and HR Express. Its a big project though and I think it will be down the road. We've got some ideas how to make the existing lodges work better for F&B though. More on that in a future blog. I'm glad you like the Vista lift. It really made a positive difference. Thanks for confirming the park & pipe needs. I think we're on the same page. Have a great summer!
# June 3, 2006 9:27 PM

Dave G said:

Being a Salem resident with a 2nd home in Rhododendron, I - like many - don't really consider the I-84/Hwy 35 route through Hood River a good alternative. When I can, I like to get to Hoodland a day before skiing and stay a day after. For Portland residents, it's a great option. A few more miles but a lot less traffic and usually a faster trip.

Thanks for a great season, especially for all your efforts and support of the Oregon Cancer Ski Out - without the continued support of Meadows and your purveyors, the Ski Out would not be the success it is! Mark Fellows and his food service staff do an exceptional job providing hospitality in the Finish Line every year for our participants, and kudos to the race crew for accommodating all of our needs on the mountain.

Dave Grimshaw
webmaster@cancerskiout.org

Dave's reply: Thanks for the kind remarks Dave. I'll make sure Mark gets your posting! We'll see you next year for the Cancer Ski Out.
# June 3, 2006 9:43 PM

Scott said:

Great season; great day today! Thanks for bringing Mo up for us. He was great.

I have appreciated the interest and efforts to extend the season this year. I've not been a big fan of Spring skiing in my almost 40 years f skiing, but I had a blast this year and look forward to a long season next year.

I bought a new pair of skis for the wife on the way out today, so she'll be looking forward to getting on the mountain early next year.

Thanks again!

Dave's reply: Spring skiing should be more important in the northwest than it has been. I'm hoping that is changing now. We put some good energy into making that happen this year and it seemed to help. Hopefully we'll be able to build on that next year! See you in the fall. Thanks for your support!
# June 3, 2006 11:08 PM

Bluie said:

First thanks for making bus transportation available from Portland. Then please provide that service into the second season. Perhaps challenge the bus riders for the spring season. I would have come up at least two more times if there had been transportation. The buses would probably get more passengers if the service was better known. Or maybe there is some way someone could set up a ride share spot?
Hope to see you all Thanksgiving if not before ;-)

Dave's reply: Hummm, we're going to have to work on this. Thanks for your input.
# June 4, 2006 12:06 PM

Jon B said:

I've read your blog all season with great interest; it has been really effective at making the resort not seem like a faceless corporation but the product of a bunch of people that care about the same thing the readers do. It's really made me sympathetic to your management decisions, educated about how Meadows works, and makes me root for the success of the resort. Please keep publishing next season -- it works!

Dave's reply: That's a really interesting comment to hear. I've always thought of the company primarily as a collection of really great people. Maybe because I works so closely with so many of them and see what they do day-in and day-out. The "corporate identity" thing has always bugged me because it doesn't seem real. I see people throwing themselves into incredible situations to meet our customers expectations so frequently - it's the kind of work that is required at a ski area on a volcano next to the ocean. We're not perfect though. Sometimes we totally blow it - just as real people do. The blog has created a great way for not only me but the other members of the company to hear first-hand what our customers are thinking, needing, wanting, etc. Thanks for taking the time to recognize and speak to the fact that Meadows really is nothing more than a bunch of really fine women and men doing the best they can. Much like any other company I suspect.
# June 4, 2006 3:48 PM

dan said:

Dave, have to agree that you've made superb use of the blog this year. As a pass-holder, I've really appreciated having an authoritative, trustworthy source for news from the mountain--no more listening to blowhards on the chairlift and their theories of why Meadows doesn't run in the spring, or can't open Cascade some days.

Still not happy about the 9 a.m. opening, and would love to see some kind of compromise solution, like opening MHX at 8 and other chairs at 9 or something similar. Soccer moms can't make it to the mountain at 8, but they're all up there for a 9 a.m. opening...it would be nice to have some time to play before spending the rest of the day skiing around them.

Finally, agree that the spring season rocked and I'm stoked that you're planning to continue the experiment until next year. Just one thing I'd like to see added: POND SKIMMING! :-)

Thanks for a great season and see you in the fall.

Dave's reply: We used to do what you're saying with just opening MHE earlier. We went to the 9:00 a.m. opening for a variety of reasons. I posted a blog on this several months ago that you may have seen. We did open the lifts earlier than 9:00 a.m. this year when they got everything ready to go. It was in the "happy surprise catagory". In the beginning of the 05/06 season, the staff would wait until 9:00 no matter what. Then we told them to open it when they had everything ready and received the necessary clearences from patrol, grooming, and lift maintenance. This allowed them to open it around 8:45 many times (mainly when no-deicing was necessary or avalanche control work on the bowls). This still gave us until 9:00 a.m. to deal with the "difficult conditions" mornings.

Pond skimming? Yes, our marketing director has been lobbying for that for a few years! Sounds like we need to give it a go!
# June 4, 2006 7:51 PM

Wild Bill said:

Great skiing. You are right about the Blog as a good information portal. I think that you're the only one using this as a tool. None of the other resorts seem to use this. Feedback is good for business as well as for the customers. Coming from Tacoma WA, I use the Blog to get upto date information such as rain cancellations. It saves me 3.5 hours of time.

Here's another suggestion. It would be nice to have more benches at the top of the lifts so that snowboarders or other skier's can use this as place to strap-on or rest for a snack. I've been to White Pass and they have at least a steel bench at the top of their lifts.
Keep up the good work!!!!

Dave's reply: Nice to hear from a friend from Washington! Glad you're participating in the blog also. Regarding the benches, we added 10 of them this year but it wasn't until spring...We should probably get more also. Thank you for the input.
# June 5, 2006 8:13 AM

Sara J said:

Thanks for a great season. I was able to get first tracks on Heather on some of the most incredible powder days I've seen. I didn't think anything would beat my pow days I had at Beaver Creek, CO but I think those days really just took the cake.

I really appreciate you staying open this past weekend. Unfortunately I wasn't able to make it but I heard it was tons of fun, and I went over memorial day weekend.

I have something to say regarding the parks though. It sounds like you are trying to build up the parks. Something you might want to consider is a park pass. Either have a fee to buy one or some sort of test or training to get in. Whistler has one, and it seems to work for them, and probably helps with maintaining the park. All too often, smaller kids are roaming through the larger features of the park, or else people who really shouldn't be starting out so large. It's frustrating to have kids making turns through the jumps because you don't want to blast past them and possibly hurt them, but the time it takes is almost aggrivating and I'm really not one to complain. The other issue is people who really shouldn't be on larger park features. It's very scary to see somebody go off a jump sketchily and while you may not feel it's necessary to keep them out, I guarantee many of these people will end up getting hurt eventually. Making certain everybody is aware of standard park etiquette is also very important. How that is/could be monitored, I don't know but being snaked when you are about to drop in is so frustrating.

On this note, I also had another suggestion regarding the parks. A few years ago (2, I believe) you used to have your smaller rail parks set up below Vista, and I know that is still going, but this season it was so poorly maintained with the worst rails that it completey defeated the purpose of having it there in the first place. I remember having somebody stationed there to constantly maintain the rails and also kind of watch in case somebody was hurt. There were also a few of the nicer rails/boxes so that you actually could learn stuff. At least for skiers, I know it's much harder to learn spins onto rails than onto boxes and not having flat boxes set up doesn't help this much. Having some kind of lip to get on the box would also be helpful...I know this is so skier specific but if you could pass that on to your park crew, I'd appreciate it. No more ride ons.

An another note regarding the park, I'd like to say thank you for some of the more creative features set up this season. The double barrel to box was tons of fun as well as the up-butter box to down rail. I'm sure there were plenty more things, but I just cannot remember. I had a very fun season this year in the park and definitely enjoyed everything that was set up. The HRM park was incredible and I loved theflow through that as well as the first 2 jumps on Cascade for the last few weekends. Thanks for a great year.

I'm sorry this is so long-winded, I just know my friends and I have talked a lot about the number of people in the park who really shouldn't be. I hope you take that into consideration. I won't even be in Oregon next year save a month in January, but I'm looking forward to skiing that entire month of January. Happy summer!

Dave's reply: Those are some interesting thoughts and comments. We'll bring them up in our planning meetings this summer. Don't appologize for being "long winded", we like the feedback.
# June 5, 2006 8:24 AM

Robert P said:

Great year. The following comments are negative, but all in all it was a fantastic season.
Seating in the dining areas. We tried everything in every eating location, but it still came down to hovering over people's tables while they finished what appeared to be their last bites. Luckily, everyone understood because they probably had to hover as well, but it's uncomfortable. Maybe a number system that is called out over a loudspeaker. If at least more than 1/2 of you total party is not present when called upon, you lose out on your spot.
To that end, we had 2-3 experiences with wait staff in which other sections were being handled much quicker than our section. On one occasion, the 3 surrounding tables had turned twice! prior to our water arriving. We're nice people, tip well, and understand that people get busy, but when the 3rd party sat down and had their drinks prior to our food order being taken we decided to not eat there anymore. From then on, we brought our bbq and cooler. At that point, you weren't making any money on our group (aside from the season pass residuals).
Lastly, we have been helping some of our friends become better riders. They eventually wanted to try jumps, but there was very little in the way of mid-sized jumps. All of them were far too big, or far too small (often with no lips on certain weekends).
Again, all in all a great season. We see the efforts and changes and appreciate them greatly!

Dave's reply: Thanks for the feedback. Just as a suggestion, if you ever have a problem with any service you're receiveing at Meadows, like what happened in the restaurant, please ask for a manager. They are empowered to make things happen if an employee drops the ball like that - which clearly happend and I appologize. I'm copying the director of F&B on this comment also. Regarding the intermediate jumps, we'll also put more into that. I agree, although the larger ones are desireable, the many people want what you're describing. Thanks so much for the input. I really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts and experiences.
# June 5, 2006 9:29 AM

Larry in Portland said:

Dave, I took your advice on going thru HR and man what a difference in stress level! On a sunny Friday in Feb I came up through Govt Camp and back through HR. Although it was about 5 minutes longer thru HR the drive on I-84 was easy and stress-free compared to 26. If a weekday was essentially the same drive-time I am certain the HR option is less time on weekends. I tell everyone to go this way, and that's their standard route now. One other suggestion, when Cascade is on weather standby, it would be nice to have a few more details (is it due to fog, wind, ice, avalanche danger?) and estimated opening time (or if opening seems very unlikely). It would help me (and others) better decide whether to make the drive from Portland, check again at 10:30 so I can get in a half-day, or go back to sleep (or work).

Dave's reply: You've raised an interesting point regarding Cascade Express. We're working to acquire some electronic LED signs which can be programed remotely to be able to communicate more details about why lifts are not open, etc. This won't fix what your talking about though in terms of more details from home. My lift maintenance and patrol staff are pretty reluctant to start "projecting" opening times becasue they are unable to accurately estimate the time to make things happen at times and don't want to get caught saying one thing and doing another. But, getting back to your point, I'm thinking we need to talk internally about how we can communicate more detail about what is going on without necessary nailing down the outcome. There are situations when opening it is highly unlikely yet we continue to say that its scheduled to open, weather permitting (that's because the staff doesn't want to throw the towel in too early). That can be misleading. Seems like we could do better than that! I know this all sounds a little vague - sorry about that. Anyway, we'll look into this. Thanks for your comment.
# June 5, 2006 11:29 AM

tvwxman said:

My kudos the the entire Meadows team for a job well done this year. Dave, I imagine you will look back on this season in the years to come and say "if only every year was like '05-'06".

I, too, must echo my sentiments about how effective this blog is in answering questions and concerns. Without exception, each of your blog entries answered at least one question I had about Meadows' operations... questions that I never knew how to ask. Great job, I know it's time consuming work, but I hope you continue your efforts in this area. I think it's well worth it.

Some future blog-posting suggestions for you:

1) Summarize Meadows' approved Master Plan and solicit feedback to see what aspects would be most welcome by guests;

2) Outlining the (incredibly complex & lengthy) process Meadows must endure before significant mountain improvements can occur;

3) The pros & cons of high-speed quad lifts at Meadows and how they have changed the way guests ski/board the mountain;

4) Your thoughts on snowmaking. It has long been assumed that the Pacific Northwest's climate is too warm and too wet to make snowmaking a cost-effective investment. Did the '04-'05 season change your opinion?

Finally, a comment about Cascade Express, Heather, and opening delays. I think a proper analogy is to compare this situation with airline flights. If you show up to an airport, and you see your flight listed as "on-time" (analogy: lift open), then all is good. If you show up and see "flight canceled" (analogy: lift closed), you're bummed, but at least you know what to expect. It's the "flight delayed" (analogy: lift on standby) phrase, unaccompanied by any other information, that is most frustrating. The good airline employees post estimated departure times with a qualifier that the time could change. That helps. The best airline employees post "update times"... a designated time when more information and a progress report will be released. All these things help bring people into the process, which makes them more content. At a ski area, it is more difficult to communicate that information... but your idea of LED reader boards is a good one.

Thanks for listening!

Dave's reply: You've got some beefy issues you've raised for future blogs! Items 1,2,and 3 could be dealt with in one blog. I'll consider that for a summer issue. I like that stuff anyway. It might bore the heck out of some people talking about the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the National Forest Management Act (NFMA), and the Administrative Procedures Act (APA), but I think several people would love to hear about how that all works. We do have a master plan with several projects that have been approved "conceptually" but not built. The master plan is considered "programatic" which means that site specific analysis and public comment has to be considered and evaluated to allow for construction of these projects that were approved conceptually. The technical description is that the "desired future condition" of the area has been established but the actual detailed construction plans go through another level of analysis and decision making. This also allows for another level of appeals and/or litigation. We're pretty used to dealing with all this but it makes for slower implementation at times. Anyway, let me skip to item 4 - snowmaking. I'm an advocate of snowmaking at Meadows. The warm and wet issue doesn't hold water (pardon the pun). If that were the case why make snow in North Carolina? The reason the east coast ski areas are so dependent upon snowmaking even though they get rain and extended warm conditions is that they have learned that if the ski area can put down a good amount of snow "when" it is cold, that will help you make it through a warm or dry spell more successfully. We've got a small system now with just 3 snowmaking machines but they really do help. We even used them this year all the way through December, then it started snowing so hard in January we put them away.

Great analogy on the airline example. I'll discuss that concept with the mountain department. Thanks for the post!
# June 5, 2006 1:22 PM

Meadows Season Pass Holder Consumer Advocate said:

I want to agree with Sara and Robert completely. Not just for the sake of repeating it, but to let you know they nailed it and many, many people share there sentiments. Regarding the kids making turns through the parks, there are many runs where they can do this safely without jeopardizing their own safety and the safeties of the people using the park. A park pass can cost five or ten dollars, it usually includes a waiver, and it keeps out the people that arent there to specifically use the park.

Second, Robert mentioned that attention was paid only to the biggest features. There were very few intermediate features and the beginner features were never maintained and never had lips. I guarantee that if you broke it down, 80% of freestyle skiers and snowboarders fall into the category of the beginner and intermediate jumps, while maybe 20% can really handle the massive stuff. It would be nice if the park crew got the concept that they are building jumps for everyone that comes to Meadows, not just for them and their friends. I have seen them standing on the top of the HRM park, hanging out, doing nothing but talking to their friends and smoking cigarettes, while some features were in dire need of maintenance. Please have a balance next year and please pay as much attention to the smallest jump as they do to the biggest jump.

Also, I have said it before, but the park needs one constant theme, one name which accurately describes the location and is used as a marketing tool for not only Portland but the entire state of Oregon and beyond. Mt. Hood Meadows featuring the "XXXXX" Terrain Park or whatever. (The X's can be filled in with anything). How about a contest to determine the name for a park? If it were me, I would call it the Consumer Advocate Terrain Park. Very catchy, flows right off the tongue...

Dave's reply: You've lost me. The beginner features were "never maintained or never had lips" - sounds a little over baked :) Regarding names of parks, on the one hand you're suggesting one name and brand for the terrain park, but on the other hand I think you recognize that we need different terrain parks for different ability levels, which means we have more than one terrain park. Don't you think the different parks need different names? Also, in order for people to be able to find them and tell people about the differences the parks offer don't you think they need different names? Our crew also has been exercising some innovation and creativity building some parks in places we've not used before. I credit them for trying new things like this. That's how we improve - by trying new things and new locations. Some we keep, some we don't. Regarding "kids in the parks" your talking to a dad with a 10 year old daughter who is now trying parks and pipes. She may not have the speed or flow that the experts have but she and others have to start somewhere. Being aware, exercising smart style, and allowing time between drops is a pretty easy thing to do.
# June 5, 2006 1:37 PM

Sarah said:

Thanks again for a wonderful season!

I just wanted to chime in regarding the jumps/parks also. I just started attempting jumps when I was down at Bachelor a few weekends ago. I came back to Meadows hoping to work on them, but found nothing but huge monster jumps that are way above my ability level. It was kind of a bummer. I'm not sure what was available in the way of beginner jumps during the regular winter season, but I'd like to see more options for beginners.

Dave's reply: You're correct. We'll get that covered this next year. In the spring, we tend to do the "super park" thing - which the expert riders are screaming for. Nevertheless, not everyone is an expert and we need to provide options like what you are describing. Thanks for your input, we'll take care of it.
# June 5, 2006 2:39 PM

Nathan Koenig said:

Dave,
I'd like to add my thanks as well for the current season's pass program. I think it is a fair price, and has motivated me to take advatage of Meadows far more.

In particular, I really appreciate that children six and under are included in my pass. Since I have two, it really makes it easier for me to get them on the slopes. Plus, as I'm sure you're expecting, they will be paying customers shortly.

With regard to the 9AM opening, I'd like to add my support for what I am sure is not a unique suggestion: Keep the 9AM opening for weekdays and have an 8AM opening for weekends (for MtHood Express). Since a common complaint is the crowding on weekends, it seems this might be a good way to spread out the impact a little. The more motivated get the opportunity to beat the rush on Saturdays and Sundays to get in a few runs before the crowds arrive. Many would then go home at 11, having had a pretty decent amount of skiing, and opening up spots for the slower arrivals.

Dave's reply: Hummm, I don't think I'm going to be able to say "yeah, you've got it" regarding the opening time. I think you can count on good pass products and pricing though. We'll be announcing the details soon on that. Thanks for sharing your thought and have a great summer!
# June 5, 2006 2:56 PM

Andrew said:

This was a great season and I learned alot about how to ski. Thae lessons that I took (4 of them) really heled me. I'm a skier and I'm windering if there lessons to learn how to grind and jump. I can jump but only on little ones. I try to find jumps on sides of runs but most are too small (width wise) and are formed/made for snowboarders. I try to jump of lips to rails but I'm afraid i might hit the rail. it would be nice to see small jumps in the parks or a whole new park for beginners. Another thing is that the rails are not skier friendly. I like long low to the ground tables where I could start to learn to turn my skis. lips to tables are also greatly apperitated. Some people want begginers out of parks so make a begginer park w/ small jumps and large funboxes. Just making suggestions for next season. as far as runs go every thing is fine.
Andrew

Dave's reply: Andrew, you are soooo right on. The trade association for North American Ski Areas (National Ski Areas Association) and everyone in the ski indusrty are talking your language. Your blog comment should be sent out en-mass to every ski area in the country. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I guaruantee your blog comment is going to get some traction at Meadows for next year - because you and the other people who want some high quality leaning features are correct.
# June 5, 2006 5:53 PM

Colin said:

With regard to terrain parks, I'd like to make sure MHM doesn't go overboard with them. Between the parks and the ski race areas, it gets really hard to cut from one area to another. As it is, with the in ground superpipe, when you come out of Mitchell Creek, you can't cut over to Speedwell in order to get over to Mt Hood Express, instead you have to carefully cut around Tbar Hill and then hoof it over to the lift. Not that easy on a snowboard towing a 6 year old.
Also, if the terrain parks become areas that only specially ticketed people can get to, then access to Elk, Yoda and God's Wall will be cut off. Just keep in mind that the main area of MHM is really not that big and most of the acreage comes from adding Heather Canyon.

Dave's reply: Very good points. I was thinking the same thing regarding Park Place. It does access the areas your describing. Things have changed on the mountain with the advent of parks and pipes, and some may say they have taken terrain away. I tend to look at it as a benefit though because as we have constructed these specialized areas it has "pulled" people who would otherwise be spending time "freestyling" on the sides of runs into areas that are designed specifically for that kind of riding and skiing. Also, the density of those areas is higher because they often walk instead of ride a lift back up (as in a rail park or pipe) which is a higher utilzation of the acreage and pulls people out of the lift lines. It's a matter of balance. I don't see Meadows becoming one giant terrain park. I do see having these "pods" of specialized terrain though, which is different than 5 or 10 years ago when everything was wide open everywhere. Thanks for your input. I find if valuable and confirming!
# June 5, 2006 8:07 PM

Peter said:

You're probably getting sick of all the park comments by now, but i just have to add my thoughts. First of all, I loved having the halfpipe up on Cascade. The location really took the big crowds that usually are around it away and allowed me to try it. I really loved it and got somewhat good at it. It would be great to see more than one pipe next year. Also, I gotta reiterate the comments asking for more terrain parks and particularly intermediate jumps and rails. The HRM park was sweet this year and i hope that you keep it. Also, how about putting in a intermediate to expert park in the run between the top of heather lift and the bottom of shooting star? This would allow the good people who ski heather to hit the park as well (eveyone there is good anyway so you could make it a huge park too:). This year i hated having to decide whether to ski the steep or stick to the park, and it would be great to be able to do both on the same run. Thanks for listening and i really liked having the blog this year!

PS: what level was the smaller of the two parks up on cascade considered to be???

Dave's reply: Actually, I was kind of concerned that after we closed that the feedback on the blog would die off. I'm really glad people are continuing to post. This is really good stuff. The run above the top of SS is called Outer Limits. The only problem with that area and the Arena park is that during the winter when we get much larger amounts of snow and wind loading we'd have trouble maintaining parks and a pipe up there because we can't even drive a cat up above the tree line without getting blinded and lost. We can build feature up high in the spring but even then, say March, its a risk. You've got some good points though. Our freesytle groomers have been advocating for 2 pipes also. I've kind of "cheaped out" on that because they take a tremendous amount of cat time with a really good operator and a very expensive cat/cutter. As you may remember, we had a shorter pipe up off upper Vista Express in the earlier part of the season. We later abandoned it because of the same problem - it was in a deposition zone. Its a great location for early season though for the same reason - it gets alot of snow there. The crew would build it and it would fill in overnight... Anyway, the point of having more intermediate features is something we're hearing loud and clear. The experts will still advocate for the big stuff though, and the beginners need the small features that are well maintained. This all gets back to allocating the proper amount of resources (labor, cat time, and managers and supervisors who really are motivated to make it happen). We're working on all that right now for next year.

The Bully Park would be considered upper intermediate.
# June 5, 2006 9:21 PM

Robert said:

Dear Dave,
I am a pretty expert skier and this year i tried to start skiing in the terrain park and pipe for the first time. However, the lines at the start of the park were so large and so many people were so good that i felt kinda unsure about trying the jumps and stuff. I didn't want to crash and screw everyone else up. It was only later this year when the lines went down that i really started to ride in the park, and i loved it. I know that now i will always ride in the park, but it makes me wonder how many people want to try it but are too afraid. I think that the idea of some beginner parks are a great idea, and they could even pay for themselves (for example, i am even considering buying a season pass next year because i got so hooked). I guess what i am trying to say is that more parks of different skill levels are needed in more parts of the resort. I think that something like that would turn out to be a major attention getter (and money maker)for your resort and it would definitly bring me up more.
j

Dave's reply: I agree. It all gets back to qualified staff, allocating the resources, and having the right rails, enough cats, etc. The problem with our performance in this area is consistency. There are times when its all happening great, then we get 6 feet of snow, have to pull all the rails to reset, get behind on rebuilding the parks and pipe, then we have events with deadlines... Then all hell breaks loose if we have cats break down. At one point in March we had 4 cats down with broken frames. This is a huge problem when the equipment breaks. This year we received over 54 feet of snow. That's not good for maintaining 1st class parks and pipes. Its enough to drive some very dedicated and talented guys nuts. We've got to get this all dialed in better with more staff, equipment, support and resources.
# June 5, 2006 9:35 PM

John t said:

dave- i am a good rider and like to ride in the big parks and stuff, but i would be totally against the park pass idea. I don't always go in the park, but if i was forced to buy a park pass everyday, i would feel like i was obligated to do the park all day. A park pass is unpractical for riders and skiers like me who want to hit some kickers but dont do it enough to pay extra for it. The only exception to this that i would support is a low cost pass ($5-20) that would last the entire year and would not be limited to only season pass holders. Also, I believe that a park pass would keep a lot of people from learning this skill, because i know that many of my friends never would have started riding in the park if they had to pay for it.

Dave's reply: I'm not sold on the idea of paid park passes at this point either. Very few ski areas are doing it for a variety of reasons. That will take more thought and consideration. Thanks for your input.
# June 5, 2006 9:54 PM

mark j said:

What do you mean by saying that you need to rethink skiing out-of bounds? I can understand the risk, but the risk is part of the fun, and i think that those areas need to be left open. Out-of-bounds skiing allows everyone to find their own little patch of mountain and meadows wouldn't be the same if areas such as God's wall wern't left open.

Dave's reply: Scroll to the blog I posed on October 12, 2005 regarding backcountry access. It will fill in more of the details that you are seeking. Thanks!
# June 6, 2006 12:01 AM

Philly said:

While i agree with many of the park comments on the blog here, i think that it is important to remember who is mostly posting on the blog: the hardcore skiers and riders. Who else checks a ski blog in June? We need to remember that there are a lot of skiers and riders out there who have very different views than the current blogers. I honestly think that it would be very unpopular with many people to create things like a park pass, which only really benefits (in my view) the live-to-freestyle people that would lay down the extra bucks.
# June 6, 2006 12:07 AM

Meadows Season Pass Holder Consumer Advocate said:

To the guy that was concerned about park passes...The way it usually works, and I have never seen it differ from this, is that it is five dollars for the whole season. Its not so much a financial thing as it is a, "I want you to be sure that you know what this run is and that you actually want to be on it" thing, and it benefits EVERYBODY.

And after reading Dave's reply of the complications of keeping a consistant park after a season with so much snow...There would be periods of time without snow, and periods of time with snow, where certain things were maintained, and certain things weren't. Meadows is always last to be in full operation as far as terrain park is concerned. I have heard arguments contrary, but spending the last decade spread out on about 15 resorts up and down the West Coast, I know what the reality is and I know what Meadows is capable of. Their needs to be a new mindframe for the incoming 06-07 park staff and Meadows should realize the importance of this.
# June 6, 2006 5:41 AM

Brandon said:

Hey Dave, first off thank you and everyone up there for yet another great season. This was my 7th season as a passholder, and it was one of the best. I get to ride a lot of different mountains, but I'm always glad to be back at Meadows. I would like to mention the service in the bar this year, however. In the past your bartenders and waiters have been exceptionally professional and friendly people, but this year I noticed a considerable decline in customer service. If it had only happened once or twice, I wouldn't be writing this, but on at least five different occasions my friends and I recieved service that was unacceptable. On two different weekdays, a friend and I went into the bar for lunch and took tables that were right in the front not hidden from anyone. The first time we sat at the table for over twenty minutes while we watched three servers stand over at the bar and talk to each other. Finally, I approached them and asked if it would be alright if we ordered some food. Astoundingly they seemed surprised, as if we had not been sitting 15 feet away from them for the better part of 30 minutes. They explained that the person whose section we were sitting in had gone home and thats why they hadn't noticed us...not much of an excuse. The second time this happened, after waiting for 15 minutes, my friend and I simply went back out to the mountain. I encountered a similar situation at the bar on another day. As I stood at one end of the bar waiting to order drinks for my friends and I sitting on the deck, I watched the bartender clean glasses for several minutes before acknowledging me. I hope you realize that I am not writing this to get people in trouble or simply to complain (this is actually the first written complaint I've ever made to anyone), however after several years of such excellent service it was a little dissappointing to have so many poor experiences in the bar this year. Again, thank you for a great season, and here's to a great next season.

Dave's reply: I sincerely appologize for this happening to you. Can you do me a favor and send me an email with your contact information. I want to follow up with you on this, get a few more details, and I have something for you also. Thank you.

# June 6, 2006 7:06 AM

SD Smith said:

Dave

I've read with intrest your blogs and the comments--you and your customers have throughly enjoyed and learned a lot from this communication forum. I could only wish all the area operators would do the same!

On the crowded drive home:

When Meadows first opened in the 70's, the only way you could get there was to drive up the gorge and then up highway 35--35 to 26 wasn't completed till the next year! I'll bet that most of your Portland customers could get home quicker if they used that route on busy weekends--and with a lot less fustration!

On snowmaking:

We went north To big W/B during that big clear cold spell in mid Febuary. They have extensive snowmaking on the lower mountain (there base is at 2300 ft.). Instead of skiing on hard ice on the lower mountian, we had new pow on every run with bright sun and blue sky--they ran those guns 24/7 (morning temps were around 10 degrees)--the fake snow was amazingly dry and you could ski thru a snowstorm with the sun shining brite--now that is a trip!! Meadows has those conditions from time to time and could use some extra base in the fall to get thing going when everyone is iching to stap on the boards--right!

Now about expansion plans:

What is going on with the land swap in Govy? If you get overnite housing there are you planning on running shuttle buses from there to Meadows? That could aliveate some of the traffic and parking problems--maybe you and TL could co-op and build a parking garage at Govy to help the parking problems at both ski areas and Govy--that's down the road-just throwing out ideas!

Dave's reply: Regarding the Cooper Spur / Govy land sway, its in the hands of congress right now. Its got a tremendous amount of support from not only us but the main environmental groups and the counties. Last winter, the 3 ski areas worked together and developed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which was pretty historic. That MOU found common ground on a lot of issues including parking and transportation.


# June 6, 2006 8:15 AM

Thomas said:

Dave --

Thank you for the WONDERFUL season. It has been amazing and I'll definately be back in a few months :)

Dave's reply: Thank YOU!
# June 6, 2006 6:59 PM

Josh said:

Thanks a lot for another great season at MHM, as a 4th year pass holder I can say this season was my favorite by far. Although I have my similar problems with traffic and crowding like many others here, the main issue I would like to state regards parks. I have been riding for 7 years but I have only just begun riding more park. As a freestyle begginer I feel there is a serious lack of good begginner to intermediate park. HRM park was alright but the rails were HUGE, I only saw a hanfull of people hit htem all year. And the jumps require that you hit them with as much speed as possible to have a chance at making the landing. I saw expert riders who were still landing on the deck. The begginner rail park on butter cup was cool because there were like 15 rails but it's on BUTTERCUP. I believe it was underutilized, it would also be better if it weren't all just one big clump so you can hit more then 2 rails in succesion. I would love to see some REAL begginer jumps and better usage of the begginer rails.

Dave's reply: Thanks for articulating this so well. You comments will be used in our planing this summer.
# June 6, 2006 8:21 PM

Kris said:

Hey the Advil payed off and stepped my riding up for the last day of the season! Hey I think this blog has come a long ways this season and I hope that it continues throughout the summer. May I put in just one thing that kind of jumped into my head that might help you with keeping the customer relations throughout the summer.
I was thinking that if you put a commercial together with footage from this season that just puts how well it went in a nut shell with the awesome snow the big events and things and just in that commercial say that you want people to keep going to the website to check the blog and post as much input as they can, because I think that it would create a build up of anticipation (I know me being a 20 year old I would get totally sold and get online that instant and catch up with the times) but lots of people are already looking forward toward next year so if you can just keep that spark going I think it would benefit you. and if you don't... guess what, that means smaller lift lines for Me(I would love the latter but I benefit from your benefit too)!!

Thanks again soo much for the awesome season and I'll keep in touch on the blog. thanks Dave!

Dave's reply: That's an interesting suggestion. I will continue to post blogs this summer with information about what's going on and I'm hoping people will continue to log on.

# June 6, 2006 8:50 PM

ACP said:

Dave - One blog that you did not mention was glading. Do you have plans for thinning over the summer? With weekend crowds and limited tree riding as is, removing selected trees (or just low branches after 10' of snow) opens new terrain, spreads out the crowd and creates late day powder stashes. Please let us know your plans....just remember, glade in phases starting in areas that will have the most impact MHE, Star, HRM especially at the start of the season. I think if people see the benefits in theses areas, the thought of thinning Jakes will be easier to swallow (although I still vote no).

One idea, replace Daisy by moving MHE to the Daisy location and install a high speed 6 in place of MHE. 10 charis moving people out of the lodge!! Vista helps crowds but not the start of the day lodge lift lines.

Love to see the Master Plan. Keep up the good work. Hope to see you in November!!!

Dave's reply: I'm a strong supporter of future glading at Meadows. At this point, we have not turned in any proposals to the Forest Service to do so though. We're doing some internal planning first.

Regarding lifts, Daisy is in our master plan to be upgraded to a High Speed Quad in the future. Upgrading Mt. Hood Express to a high speed six is down the list. There are some other projects that would help disburse people more effectively to less utilized acres. You're correct in identifying the goals (out of base capacity verses slope utilization) which are approached with different strategies.

Thanks for your interest and comments.
# June 7, 2006 7:26 AM

Zach said:

This year was awesome because of all the great snow. The only thing that Meadows did to make it awesome was actually stay open later in the spring. Dave, you say that pass holders are the "core" group and a great priority, so then why on week days when they snow was great and the conditions even better did meadows not open terrain usually open on the weekend? I have been a passholder for the last three years and each year I have felt neglected. The only time I like to go up is during the week to avoid all of the tahoes and their big rims, oh yeah and dont forget the gapers. But, you have made it clear that if I want to ride cascade I can only to that on the weekend. i understand that in may no one comes up during the week, but during heat of the season you should not limit the services offered during the week. If I pay 400 for a pass, it should give me the same benefits on the weekdays as it does on weekends.
And just a note on the parks... The big park on cascade was awesome. However, the lower parks on the mountain and the halfpippe could be much better if the park crew actually put in work on them instead of smoking out in their little hut at the bottom of the quarter pipe.

Thanks.

Dave's reply: Other than May, we don't differentiate our operational budget, staffing or opening strategies at all based on what day of the week it is in terms of opening Cascade or Heather. I've heard that rumor before. That is an incorrect assumption. Totally incorrect.

Thanks for your input on the parks and pipes. By the way, the old lift shack at the bottom of City Park is being removed this summer and we're making management changes in that department in order to get the results we all want from the park crew.
# June 7, 2006 7:54 AM

Steep & Deep said:

Howdy Dave and once again GREAT YEAR. I hear everyone talking about making better parks, thinning trees, etc.........

One Suggestion: make permanent bridges for access to Heather Canyon!

Dave's reply: We've actually thought about how to do that. It's difficult because the creek is prone to flooding, espcially in the fall and tends to "move around" in the bottom of the canyon below the lower terminal of the lift. We've thought about flying in temporary bridges by helicopter but some of the spans are up to 60 feet wide. In the olden days, probably 25 or 30 years ago, Meadows flew logs in to stack as bridges. They only lasted one year and were washed away with flood waters. Its something we will continue to study and seek a solution for but we have not been smart enough to figure this out yet.
# June 7, 2006 8:01 AM

Meadows Season Pass Holder Consumer Advoacte said:

To the person that mentioned that only hardcore skiers and snowboarders are the only ones checking the blog in June...The resort only closed a few days ago, so it might as well be March or April. I guess that makes everyone with a season pass or a ten times pass "hardcore"

Also, Dave, you mentioned that if you ever receive questionable service that you should contact a manager right away. I would say 9 out of 10 would prefer to just walk away rather than make it an issue. I will simply walk away and choose to go elsewhere.

Also, you deleted some very key, relevant, on topic points that I made on my last blog. You said that was the criteria for not posting comments. Is it only praise and constructive criticism that doesn't get thinned out? I am never, ever use offensive language and I think my points are very healthy for debate.

You still have yet to answer the question whether or not we will be able to select our own topics next year! Your readers are waiting!

Dave's reply: I didn't post your last couple comments because it was mostly repetitive with earlier comments you have already communicated. The other was fostering an argument between another customer. I'm not really into that.

Regarding your question as to whether topics are going to be selected by others, that's what I consider a chat room, not a blog. Feel free to suggest topics, I may or may not agree with the subject, you never know.
# June 7, 2006 1:21 PM

Conner said:

What do you think of having a normal half pipe, because for some begginers to intermediate riders the superpipe is to big but the mini-pipe is to small, so how about something in between? Just a normal halfpipe?
Thanx
Conner

Dave's reply: My Freestyle Terrain Manager has been advocating to purchase a new 12 foot Zaugg for that very reason. I'd like to hear if others feel that's a big priority also. Personally, I have a bit of a rough time getting above the lip of a 17 foot super pipe. Okay, call me a weenie.. need to spend more time in the pipe!
# June 7, 2006 6:20 PM

Brandon Pekc said:

hey dave, I posted the comment about the customer service at the bar...here is my email and phone number, I'd be happy to talk to you anytime. I appreciate your follow-up on my comments, and I just want to reiterate that I posted the comments because the experiences I had at the bar were so inconsistent with every other experience I have had a Meadows. 99% of the people I have dealt with at Meadows, from the lift attendents to the rental people to the ski patrol to the park crew to the people in the medical clinic have all been exceptional. Anyway, thanks again.

Brandon Peck
brandonpeck@comcast.net
503-341-6380

Dave's reply: Still though, I want to make good on this. I'll be in touch next week as I'm tied up in all day meetings Thursday and Friday - whoopee!
# June 7, 2006 6:39 PM

boarder said:

I too would love to see a halfpipe with 12' walls and I agree that Meadows needs to put more effort into building and maintaining beginner and intermediate parks.

Dave's reply: Thanks for the input!
# June 7, 2006 9:16 PM

Meadows Season Pass Holder Consumer Advocate said:

Short of a blog where we can pick our own topics, I would say fielding suggestions for topics is not a bad idea. I encourage everyone to mention ideas for what would be good blog topics and if there is enough interest it would nice to see it pop up.

I suggest a topic regarding the the terrain park and the 06-07 season and in addition to you being involved, it would be nice to have actual park management and crew be involved in the conversation. I think this would be good for business and worth your time.

Any other suggestions anyone?

The only reason I repeated myself is because I thought it was a good point and it should be reitterated!
# June 8, 2006 4:37 AM

felipe said:

Other than tiring of reading the argumentative poster professing to be an advocate for Meadows season pass holders, I only have a few relatively unimportant comments.

First of all, for the most part, I enjoyed my first season at Meadows.

Second, I agree with an earlier poster on an earlier post who suggested that Dave's heavy emphasis on profits of the corporation when discussing whether to stay open or not do not help convince me to come.

Rather, they make me acutely aware that I am merely a source of profit. I don't recall many other businesses so openly discussing their need to profit as an incentive for customers, particularly when a large percentabe of those customers paid up front.

Sure, it's obvious. But it's also obvious that skiing/snowboarding is an expensive endeavor and that we are customers. Meadows is not a lemonade stand, and it will not go out of business as long as there is snow on the mountain and there are people with enough money to fork out the cash for lift tickets and equipment.

I read your justifications, but it still smacks as bit pathetic that we should be as concerned as you are with your profit MARGIN.

Third, and I say as someone new to the sport of snowboarding, but not new to planet earth, I was frequently astounded by the utter lack of respect and civility by a relatively small, but consistent proportion of snowboarders. Yes, I found a number of skiers to be jerks, but far and away the most reckless and obnoxious people I encountered on the mountain were young snowboarders.

Perhaps this is more a commentary on the state of our so-called civil society, but it would be nice if people could maintain some minimum level of consideration and respect for other people and for the mountain (which includes not parking in packs in the middle of runs to have a good laugh).

Yeah, it's cool to be an individualist, even if everybody is wearing and using the same gear and listening to hip-hop, but that doesn't mean you need to disregard simple safety issues such as not blasting by people within a foot or less or even bumping them.

There's also no need to be a jerk in the lift line. I saw people yelling at others who they believed were taking too long to move forward to the chair lift (including one woman who was clearly a beginning skier and being jostled in the mad dash to the chair), people cutting others off to get on the lift one chair faster, snowboarders flying into the lift lines at speed and running into people waiting in line, etc.

This mentality seems to carry over to the highway on the way to and from Meadows. I snowboarded at Meadows at least a dozen times this spring, and without exception, I had obnoxious drivers tailgating me (in an apparent attempt to convey their displeasure at my traveling at the speed limit in snow), passing in no passing lanes, and generally being dangerous.

If the Meadows customer base is a "community," and we're all heading to the same place to have the same great time, what is the point of putting everybody at risk with reckless driving for the last 20 miles? Every time I hear of an accident in the vicinity of Meadows during ski season, I'm always prepared to hear that somebody just couldn't wait to get to the mountain or back to Portland.

In any case, I believe that there are very simple things outside of the corporate profit decision-making that could improve the experience for all people who utilize the services. Simple respect, consideration and basic manners are a good place to start.

Felipe

P.S. I also have a comment about the bar. As a foodserver/bartender/cook for many years, I found it completely inappropriate for the bartender to be wearing a nametag that said something along the lines of "Dr. of Inebriation." It might be cute or funny to some, but it won't be when somebody ends up dead after being served too much and then hitting the slopes or the highway.

Dave's reply: This posting pushes the limits for "on topic" but you get a mulligan this time :) Regarding the question of openly talking about the financial realities of the resort, I had a choice - A) be transparent about what was going on and stay open longer with everyone fully aware of the issues, or B) close as was originally planned back in April. I chose (A).

Thank you for your comments.

# June 8, 2006 9:44 AM

Sam said:

Regarding what a previous poster said about coming up with a unified name for the parks, I think he was referring to creating a brand/image. I was a Meadows passholder for 4 years, and am now in Mammoth most of the time. Mammoth has a unified "brand" for all their parks called Unbound. They sell stickers, sweatshirts and other gear under the seperate Mammoth Unbound moniker. Each park still has its own name, but the name unbound precedes it.

While I have not been to an area which has a seperate park pass, I think it might be a good idea for at least the biggest parks at Meadows. Enforcement would still be a problem though, because people are still going to duck ropes.

As far as future blogs go, I would like to hear about the Memorandum of Understanding and other issues surrounding Cooper Spur and Govy.

I also wanted to say thanks for the great season, even though my season at Meadows was just 4 days in December. You guys put on a great event for the SBX Championships and we had a lot of fun there.
# June 8, 2006 11:00 AM

Bill H said:

What a awesome year. I am for more tree runs. But I don't think anywhere that is already open needs to be thinned. Maybe in a couple little spots but otherwise I kind of like it the way it is. That is where I find my secret spots of powder on a busy day. (Not telling anyone). The HRM jumps were awesome. I think I rode those jumps and then ducked into the woods at the end towards Gods Wall like 20 days. Especially before the Canyon was open. Usually early mornings. I learned how to do a 360 on those. They were pretty constitent. So I always new how fast to hit them. Good job. I also like the idea of a 12" pipe. I know lots of people that are at that stage to hit something a little smaller. The really small pipe that was below the superpipe was so small it was only good for little kids. The only problem I had with any employees was a guy wearing one of those blue Meadows jackets with the big symbol on back that is in grey. I had waited like 10 minutes in line to hit the superpipe and right as it was my turn he cruised in front of me right before I dropped in. He skipped everyone. He did like 2 turns and then went on top of the wall and stopped. Then I went and did a couple of jumps then he redropped back in the pipe almost on top of me and made me wipe out. The only thing that makes me mad is that I wait so long to go off the pipe on a saturday just to have an employee cut me off twice on one run. Otherwise everyone else has been wonderful and I don't hold that against Meadows just the skipper. I guess I am just saying something so otherpeople notice and wait there turn. Can't wait for next fall!!!!! Thanks for the blog dave. It answers alot of questions that I hear people assume or start rumors about. Like why does the Cascade not open right away at 9:00. The pictures of the lift covered in snow helped shut alot of people up and understand how hard it really is. Thanks again for the blog. Keep it going. I hope every year is open till june. You can count me in every year. I even go to T line in the summer. Wish you guys had something in the summer though.
# June 8, 2006 12:15 PM

Snowboard addict said:

Perhaps there could be more options for transportation to Meadows, such as a park-and-ride from Sandy or Gresham. With enough customers, you might be able to run buses at different times in the morning and evening.

Even with $3/gallon gas, it only costs me $15 to drive myself, while the bus from Portland is $25. Plus, the bus only has a single schedule (which doesn't allow night-riding).
# June 8, 2006 5:29 PM

Meadows Season Pass Holder Consumer Advocate said:

Dave, what happened to no arguing with the other customers!? You let Felipe mention me by name! Well, he says he is tiring of reading my postings, but hey, at least he's reading em! You are right when you say that a skier trashing snowboarders is a bit off topic.


On another note, thank you Sam for using a great example of the point I was trying to make and it would be really great for Meadows to follow in those footsteps.

A good point Felipe did make, and this applies to everyone...I too very much tire of hearing about wrecks and seeing cars in ditches off the side of the road. It is soooo sad to see what started off as a great day of skiing and snowboarding end in tragedy. Rushing, speeding, passing cars dangerously will get you to the mountain five minutes faster than somebody obeying the speed limits and posted signs. Those five minutes are not worth your safety, or the person your driving might end up affecting. If you want to speed, or race, the mountain is not the place. If you are reading this, you can be the person that makes a difference, and makes HWY 26 and 35 safer for everyone.

Dave, this is also an important topic and one that should be slated for next October, just before the season starts....

Sincerely,

The Consumer Advocate Everyone Loves and Hates

Dave's reply: I have talked to more than a few people who are turned off. I think its the name you have chosen possibly more than the content. The name implies you have been selected to represent others - and that gets under their skin. Its kind of like you've self-appointed yourself with that name I'm told.

Something for you to consider anyway..
# June 9, 2006 3:20 AM

David Schor said:

As for bus service, I think the one big thing that kept me from riding the bus was the lack of night service. If I'm at Meadows, I'm there open to close, and I don't want to leave early. If there were a bus that would get me in line by 8:30 am and let me stay past closing (for one more beer), I would ride it. Even better? A bus pass for the season. Just a thought, but if season pass holders could upgrade for a nominal sum, it would create a base of bus riders that would guarantee the ridership needed to pay for the bus. Not sure how the cost would work out, but I think it could be worth examining. I know I would like this option.

Dave's reply: A frequent park and ride that runs several times a day really only works when the parking lot is much closer to the ski area. Otherwise many buses are necessary to provide the frequent pick up times. At this point, a charter bus like what we use for our current park and ride system costs almost $1,000 per day. So, at $25 it takes 40 people to break even. That's possible to do on weekends and holidays but mid-week or night I think would be very difficult to accomplish, espcially if the weather were anything but perfect.
# June 9, 2006 12:53 PM

John Wood said:

Hi Dave!

Thanks for saying you'll be taking the cat out to smooth down the big jumps. I think that will allow the plants to grow and will spread out the salt too. I know this is in response to a different blog posting.

For the Top Ten though, the 9:AM opening was disappointing, but having it stay at nine when the Daylight Savings Time begins means a couple of hours of prime snow are then lost. Could you go to an 8:AM opening after DST? It might confuse some people but not more than once (when they get there and see they have missed first tracks).

Also, I continue to be concerned about cutting the trees in Jack's. I skied it a lot this year (saying goodbye) and was actually impressed by how far apart the trees actually are. They just have nice big padded branches obscuring the sightlines, but I was able to go third gear through all of it without getting caught up in any close-outs or boxes. Plenty of room. No cutting advised.

See you,

John

Dave's reply: Hi John. Thanks for checking in. As you know, I'm busy talking with your "Friends" these days and am not planning on pursuing any projects in Jack's this summer as a result. Have a good summer!
# June 9, 2006 3:08 PM

Felipe said:

Just to clarify, as I said, I am not a skier ripping snowboarders. I am a new snowboarder ripping snowboarders.

Dave's reply: That's a new one :)
# June 10, 2006 7:56 PM

Jim said:

Dave.........

Been reading the blog for several weeks now and finally feel compelled to offer some comments.....I am a refugee from the sixties and seventies hippie ski bum scene and retired from skiing in 79. Spent 9 years at Jackson Hole sharing the tram with your best 3 buddies and neck deep powder for the whole month of January. Out of this world corn in the spring and no crowds. Alack, the best thing must end and Jackson ceased being the sleepy cowtown it was when I got there. So I moved on and found myself back in the Northwest. Skied maybe a half dozen times in the last 25 years and it was fun to turn em again but not really earth shaking. Big difference from over 120 days on skis a year.

Fast forward to a day late March '06, found myself at Meadows with a pal prepared to ski hard one day and probably not walk for several more and there was this $99 pass deal.....

Well, guess what? I'm hooked again, had a great dozen days thru May and brought my two early teens and got em boarding, even considering trading my old 210's in for some new sticks, and season pass for the whole family next year. Dammit Dave, look what you've done!!!!

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. I think the whole Meadows staff to be great. Friendly, happy, helpful bunch from lifties, trollers, instructors, the whole lot. Reminds me of the old home town ski hill from days gone by. Keep it up and we'll be back next season.

Jim

Dave's reply: Hi Jim! Wow, that's a great life story. You're what the ski industry affectionately refers to as a "revival". Earlier you were "lapsed". Many people drop out of the sport when they have kids even though it's a great family sport. There are few winter outdoor sports or activities that the entire family can do together for an entire day other than skiing. The industry has realized that getting lapsed skiers to come back to the sport is often more difficult than to get someone to try it for the first time. It shouldn't be that way though! We're the ones who remember those perfect powder days with slow chairlifts and little grooming of yester-year. Meadows through out a few ETicket deals last year that were really cheap. It was funny how many lapsed skiers showed up. I think most lapsed skiers think the sport of skiing has gotten too expensive because they remember the days of $12 lift tickets. But, Meadows has so many ways to not spend a pile of money and still enjoy the mountain and time with the family. Season passes are a great value but many other options exist. 10X passes, Costco 3 packs, multi-week program packages that can even included bus transportation, and night skiing are all options from a full-priced weekend lift ticket. Personally, I don't know why anyone who skis (or used to ski) and lives in this region doesn't own a 4x4, 3x3, or 2x2 season pass. What the heck is there that is better to do during the rainy 5 month period in the Willamette Valley or the Gorge from November through April? Gosh, I'm starting to sound like a commercial. Sorry about that...Anyway, I'm glad you're back in the sport and have decided to bring the family with you. One last thing, PLEASE trade in those 210s for some new shorter all-mountain skis. I don't know why it took the manufacturers so many decades to figure out how to build a ski correctly but they finally have - and they are far better, easier, and much more fun than what you're on right now. It may feel a little odd the first day you try them but trust me on this one. Thanks for sharing your story and stay in touch!
# June 11, 2006 8:16 AM

Colin said:

If you haven't used Google Earth, do so.

If you have used Google Earth, then note that Google has just uploaded some really, really detailed pics of Mt. Hood including MHM. Crane down low and see the topo that you've been skiing. The pics look like from early in the winter this year.

C
# June 12, 2006 12:43 AM

Jason said:

Thanks for a great season. Have you considered offering day passses for season pass holders from other resorts on a reciprocal basis? I think it's a great way encourage people to visit our mountain and is a benefit that costs nothing. I was at Red Mountain in BC and they said they would be happy to do