Hi all,

I just received the operating hours. Hours are cut back like last season

NIGHT TRACKER | SKIDOME .ORG   click on the hours of Operation Toggle.

• Mon-Wed 9am to 8pm
• Thurs-Fri 9am to 10pm
• Sat 8am to 10pm
• Sun 8am to 8pm

• Mon-Tues 9am-6pm
• Wed – Sun 9am-9pm

• Mon-Wed 9am-5pm      
• Thurs-Sun 9am-9pm

This is slightly better than last year if I remember (at least at Liberty). What I don’t understand is the short hours at Whitetail.

Hopefully Liberty doesn’t close the back side at 7:15 on the 8:00 nights…but these hours at least give me some hope in some post work skiing any day that I want.

I have a feeling we will never see the 10pm closing 7 days a week again, which is disappointing.

Well that just killed any thought of buying a Epic local pass. Being 20 minutes from Whitetail and knowing what it is like on weekends, I was hoping for night time skiing. Liberty is ok, but not challenging enough. 

I guess because Liberty has base area lodging Vail wants to cash in on it. Whitetail is now the red headed stepchild of former Snowtime Resorts.  Thank you Vail Resorts. Go Alterra!

Liberty has 116 rooms and 3 bars and 3 restaurants. Close to the population.  

I would suspect the reason is many.  No one can tell what covid will do to school-type night buses this winter. 

I am sure Vail has the numbers which we do not have.  

Staffing issues will remain this season for sure. J1 and H2B Visa issues. South American workers. 

Vail increased the pay scale for workers. 

While rehabbing the Neck fusion I have completed my 6 Sigma yellow belt and am almost done with a Green belt. this course has given me new management tools using statistics to decide on many things such as operating hours. 

= linked in learning is free via a public library card.

linkedin.com  yellow

https://www.linkedin.com/learning/paths/become-a-six-sigma-green-belt

 I ran a nightclub for 20 years. Over 1000 people over that timeframe. Total gross sales  1/4 million. 

50% only went 6 times or less a season, 50% went more than 9 times a season.

Some got in 15 to 20 visits.  I was going 30 times a season. 

US Census for this area shows demographics have changed over 20 years.  Age groups for one.  Some long-term skiers are retiring and moving west or south. 

Zardog 

Question for those of you ski weekday evenings and live in DC metro area:

1) How do you find the traffic on 270 weekday afternoons?  

2) How long do you ski in evenings?

3) How long is the drive usually from NoVA to Liberty / Whitetail? (For weekend mornings, usually it takes me 1.5 hour one way from Alexandria to Liberty.)

4) Do you find driving at night difficult in winter, esp. after getting off 15 to Liberty? 

5) What time do you suggest one should hit the road in afternoon for evening / night skiing? 

I will have Epic local pass next year and am thinking of skiing Friday evenings at Liberty / Whitetail.  

ZARDOG wrote:

All about numbers and staffing they already know staffing will be an issue this season just like last season. Vail has done surveys and the yearly financials come out in Sept. Same for quarterly results. 

 They had all summer to plan for staffing. I’m seeing emails and social media for many of the ikon resorts with job reqs. I know vail increased employee pay and benefits so hopefully that will help, but I’m surprised I’m not seeing more from vail.

I hope they also streamline things.. copper had self service kiosk for tickets for example. Breckinridge we had to stand in a line for 30 minutes to have a buddy pass activated on a card that we already had (from whitetail). 

People got encouraged to retire early, some people are going to single income households because they realized how much they were spending on child care. The workforce has shrunk and companies need to adapt. It’d be nice to see vail do this in a way that doesn’t reduce services.

The Monday to Wednesday hours at Whitetail are especially disappointing to me. I’m retired and prefer skiing weekdays to avoid the weekend crowds. But I’m a slug in the mornings and often don’t make it to Whitetail until the afternoon. Thursdays are actually usually not crowded there but I have a regular evening commitment that day and normally can’t go then.

Last year Liberty closed one of its lifts after 2:00 because of staffing and I’d be surprised if that’s not a continuing issue. I’m getting the Epic pass again this year but may have to reconsider it for the future, depending on how much I’m able to make use of it with these reduced hours. I primarily ski locally.

ZARDOG wrote:

Hi all,

I just received the operating hours. Hours are cut back like last season

NIGHT TRACKER | SKIDOME .ORG   click on the hours of Operation Toggle.

Slightly off topic, but I know you are the man to ask....

Any update on NASTAR running at Roundtop this season?

as for Roundtop and NASTAR, I have seen nothing official yet. 

Zardog