I’m Resigning as Forum Moderator

[highpeaksdrifter]

Over the four years this forum has been in existence both Whiteface and Gore have undergone major improvements while most other ski areas in the Northeast have basically stayed status quo. We’ve discussed these changes and all thinks WF and Gore and for the most part it has been positive, fun and informative. I’d also like to thank Greg, the owner for putting this board up and appointing me to be the moderator. I’ve already told Greg of my decision via PM.

No business is perfect and constructive criticism can be valuable in helping a business improve and grow. Lately, on the Gore side of the forum, nasty, negative and IMO naive comments have been pervasive and IMO unfounded.

Let’s take Gold parking for example; from reading most of the comments about it you would think it is some kind of evil plot against Gore customers. IMO, Gold parking is another revenue stream for Gore to generate in order to pay their expenses. Would it be better for customers if ticket prices or food prices were raised instead? With gold parking those who can afford it and are willing to pay can, those who can’t or won’t can walk by. Gore gets more revenue with no additional expense to ticket buyers or pass holders.

Gore is making great strides in adding to and improving their infrastructure. IMO, they are well on their way to becoming one of the top ski area destinations in the Northeast. This will not only benefit Gore skiers/riders, but will give North Creek and surrounding communities a needed economic boost. The money for these improvements has to come from somewhere.

I can’t control what people what to think or post, nor would I want to. I can control my participation in this forum and that’s what I’m doing by resigning. I want to be part of building WF and Gore up not part of trying to tear them down.

Many people have sent me very encouraging PMs over the years and I’d like to thank those who have. I’ve had a good run and a lot of fun as moderator, but it’s time for me to stop.

[baitman5238]

i hope you will reconsider. i agree with your thoughts and beliefs and think most of us on the board do. for example, i see all the stuff on gold parking, but was happy to fork over the $10 for a front row spot at 815am (amazing) as i only ski about 12 days a year at gore and the $10 is no biggie for me and if it goes back into the mountain, that's great. i think for the most part, the people who work at gore are friendly and try their best to provide great service. most of the complaints are about things that the people in the trenches can't do much about. please stick around and keep promoting the positives of gore - there are a ton of them

[ComeBackMudPuddles]

sad to see you go, HPD....after some of the other BS that's gone on with this forum (the bannings, the shut down, etc.), i'm surprised that it's the gold parking cry babies that got you to quit, but ever person has to know when to say when.

thanks for your service all these years.

[Harvey44]

This is a huge loss.

I wish you the best HighPeaksDrifter.

[Raymo40]

:( Sorry to see you go HighPeaks Drifter. Hope you get to ski more now that you don't have to watch over us. Now thats an idea. Stop bitc*ing and go skiing. I know when i'm on the slopes I don't think about Gold Parking or work or how many bills I have to pay. I'm enjoying myself... Let it Snow!

[Denison]

I dont think he's going anywhere folks. I hope HPD keeps posting WF info and visits Gore more often. Thank You, HPD for being a positive force behind SkiADK forum.

[jmokes]

I can appreceiate some of your opinions high peaks & i don't think anyone likes to bash a ski area, person, mgt. just to bash them. but when questions are raised months in advance of an improvement i.e. paid parking & no response is given until that person's boss is asked those quesitons & then said questioner is directly lied to about what the scope of the paid parking will be v. what it actually is i think we have a right to be upset. it's not about the walk, it's about a misguided decision & not providing any answers when reasonable questions are asked. Here's a few that i have emailed to mike & ted on several occasions that have never been answered:

why 3x as many spots as WF?
why is it 1/2 the lot when you specifically said 1/4 of the lot?
why not valet like deer vally/wf does/used to do?
what is the solution for single parents who used to get there early to park close but now have to drop off?

Further, gore doesn't control what Centerplate charges for a burger or a beer, centerplate does. And i really don't think an add'l $20,000 - $30,000 in renue will result in vast improvements or help pay down that nut. do you know what would? how about if gore controlled the concessions & made 100% of the profit instead of a % of the profit? how about if gore owned all of the lockers & collected $250 in rental fees instead of only getting a % of what centerplate collects? how about raisng the ticket prices .50? any of these ideas would casue far less ill will than a misguided parking lot.

and on the topic of snowmaking i think if they just came clean & said publicly that "we lost power, guns froze up, not much we could do. sorry" instead of letting themselves get bashed on their FB & every other post they'd be a lot better off.

i think these frustrations coupled with a mountain that's mostly unskiable mid week incl. fridays due to lifts not turning to save money has really pushed a lot of the old timer, loyal skiers over the edge. we feel like we're a part of the mtn with some inbred sense of personal "ownership" & only want what's best...managable growth while maintaining a certain level of service. NYS budget cuts suck when we're affected personally. however, honesty is the best policy & i think if mike was able to be a little more honest with his major constituency (maybe he can't for fear of the wrath of ORDA) we would all be a little more forgiving. i really don't believe mike & co. @ gore have a "screw 'em, they'll ski here anyway" attitude. he's prob under a ton of pressure to produce better results with less funding but i think he needs to listen to us more closely & maybe we can help him solve those problems.

[ka2kci]

HPD...I'm sorry to hear that you won't be moderating the forum anymore. I have found Ski.Adk to be very informative and I check both the Whiteface and Gore posts every day so that I can get a good idea of when to go out skiing. I have been able to avoid plenty of marginal days by heeding the postings on this forum. Despite my criticisms of Gore, I really like the mountain and have been skiing there for over 35 years. I just don't like to see it deteriorate and find that many of the posts here are valid. If Gore management is willing to listen to its customers, and take suggestions seriously, than we can all benefit. Gore is poised to be taken to another level with the additional lifts, terrain and connection to the Ski Bowl. I hope that ORDA can come to grips that Gore shouldn't be treated as a forgotten stepchild. It has many qualities that Whiteface doesn't have and a very loyal customer base. Good luck in the future, and I hope that you will continue to post here. Matt

[HudsonHiker]

HPD is right the Gore site has gotten nasty in the last few months. It has gotten so I could care less to even check it out. I go here to see constructive ideas, fun stuff and reports on the conditions. Seems a lot of that has been lost in the criticism. I just want to say “Shut up and Ski” like I’ve always told my daughter.

[adksara]

HPD... thank you for all that you've posted and done.

Now as my Dad just told me in the PP, I'm going to "Shut up & ski!" and enjoy the turns I get on the trails & in the woods. Things will sort themselves out... always do.

[SIAWOL]

HPD is right the Gore site has gotten nasty in the last few months.

Amount of "nastiness" is inversely proportional to the amount of snowfall.

Man we could use a couple of 6" storms. That's not asking too much to brighten everyone up, is it?

[Spongeworthy]

Man we could use a couple of 6" storms. That's not asking too much to brighten everyone up, is it?Yep, 6" of powder would solve a lot of problems.

[jmokes]

Duscussion baords are for lots of things...compliments, complaints, criticisms, general conversation, etc. That's why they exist. And since Gore eliminated their's due to too many criticisms & really not answering any legit questions asked of them, this seemed like a good forum. But apparently some skiers here find the criticisms too biting. Checking other FB sties, boards, etc. for other areas there's no way near as much negativity as there has been toward Gore this year so that's gotta say something right?

I typically do "shut up & ski" & accpet things for what they are but with expansion comes an increased toll on skier services & if Gore is having a difficult time now, how will they be able to handle all of the expansion, draw new skiers in a brutal economy on a very limited marketing budget & keep their primary constituency happy? Tough balancing act for Mike & co. but I hope it works. But as my dad used to say "if you can't stand the heat get the hell out of the kitchen". So for those of you who don't like to read the negatives remember that those who write them has just as much of a right to post what they might feel are legit shortcomings as well as those who post positives or tend to overlook things like paid parking or no way to ssafely drop off your kids right now.

[Jeff]

HPD, first thank your for your past efforts.
While it may be true that there has been negativity on this site with regards to Gore, I think that negativity reflects some serious concerns with how the ski area is being run. Gore happens to have a number of significant issues converging simultaneously right now. I didn't think that the purpose of this forum was simply to be a repository for glowing customer testimonials. The discussions we are having are serious and appropriate for this forum, IMO. I feel I've been respectful in my posts, as have most others. I'm sorry to see you bail, and I respect your decision. But blaming this negativity on the individuals who express their concerns on this forum is missing the point: the problem isn't the individuals posting here, the problem IS the issues on the mountain that are creating this negativity.
Again, thanks and good luck. I'm sure we'll be hearing from you in the future. And I'm sure I'll appreciate what you post, whether I agree with it or not. That, after all, is what this board is for.

[x10003q]

HPD, first thank your for your past efforts.
While it may be true that there has been negativity on this site with regards to Gore, I think that negativity reflects some serious concerns with how the ski area is being run. Gore happens to have a number of significant issues converging simultaneously right now. I didn't think that the purpose of this forum was simply to be a repository for glowing customer testimonials. The discussions we are having are serious and appropriate for this forum, IMO. I feel I've been respectful in my posts, as have most others. I'm sorry to see you bail, and I respect your decision. But blaming this negativity on the individuals who express their concerns on this forum is missing the point: the problem isn't the individuals posting here, the problem IS the issues on the mountain that are creating this negativity.
Again, thanks and good luck. I'm sure we'll be hearing from you in the future. And I'm sure I'll appreciate what you post, whether I agree with it or not. That, after all, is what this board is for.

Well said.

[Snowballs]

+ 1000's. Word