A wish/suggestion list for Gore 2010-2011

[adksara]

I've been thinking back over this season and going over some of the changes that have happened on the mountain that were for the good & bad.

So here's my idea... post to this thread your positive & constructive ideas for a more successful Gore 2010-2011 season. Keep in mind two of the previous words were 'positive & constructive', this means I don't want to read any whining about what did or didn't happen this year... it's over & finished with... think forward and both short & long term. If you can come up with a 'wish/suggestion' list of a few things I'd like to gather them all and compose a letter to Mike & the powers that be at Gore.

My wish/suggestions look like this:
1) Reconfigure paid parking at a 90 degree angle to its placement this year. Run the entire paid parking along the left, below the ski patrol building and in front of the new lodge. Leave the other 1/2 of the parking lot open & free for early birds. Have a split at the top of the access road with signs pointing to Paid Parking so the lot attendants don't have to stop every car causing traffic jams.

2) Balance snowmaking and coverage better, rather than slap snow lightly on many trails, cover the main arteries well & deep to make sure it will last the early season & late season weather changes. And be honest about difficulties with snowmaking, if the compressor broke, if pipes burst, if a giant Polar Bear chewed through the electrical - just say so & give updates as to how the fix is going.

3) Lifts: Run the High Peak chair more during the midweek. Once the terrain is open, the Dark Side is a fantastic afternoon haunt, cutting off that chair limits the summit and changes the mountain for midweek skiers.

4) Saddle Lodge: Bring back the big tables in the open area, the 'cafe' chairs and tables are a viable sitting arrangement around the fire, but I've seen too many families & ski school groups (little ones) come in and scan the lodge with little luck of a space big enough for all of them.

5) Bring up a picnic table or two to the top of Burnt Ridge. I had a few great days over on the ridge & would have loved to stash a pack to eat my lunch rather than return down to the lodge.

6) Start planning a better warming hut/lodge for the summit. On those cold days the warming hut at the top is cramped at best and looking at other lodges/mountains Gore would be better served to have a more up to date lodge & bathroom at the summit. Maybe not ever food service, but a lodge with chairs, tables, space & views!!!

[Spongeworthy]

1) Reconfigure paid parking at a 90 degree angle to its placement this year. Run the entire paid parking along the left, below the ski patrol building and in front of the new lodge. Leave the other 1/2 of the parking lot open & free for early birds. Have a split at the top of the access road with signs pointing to Paid Parking so the lot attendants don't have to stop every car causing traffic jams.

Great idea. I was thinking about this all weekend. You would think that the people who are paying -- a minivan full of kids, for example -- would prefer to be close to the Northwoods Lodge. Running the paid lot from the width of that lodge to the back of Lot A makes sense. The walk from the back of that lot to the Northwoods Lodge would be shorter than the walk from the far left front. Then the early birds can still get a good spot.

[Snowballs]

6) Start planning a better warming hut/lodge for the summit. On those cold days the warming hut at the top is cramped at best and looking at other lodges/mountains Gore would be better served to have a more up to date lodge & bathroom at the summit. Maybe not ever food service, but a lodge with chairs, tables, space & views!!!

For Crying Out Loud......Get rid of the old Summit Gondi Building!!! Seriously. What an unnecessary PIA obstacle! We're " sorta " used to it, but if it wasn't there, it would truly be an " OMG!!! Why did they not move it before?!! " feeling.

Get the ball started to erect a new Summit Hut. Locate it atop the very summit near Cloud. Panoramic Mtn views on almost all four sides People ! Use half or more of the old Summit Gondi Building for the shell. Cut it in half and drag it over there. Yes, it's that simple to move old, dried out buildings like this one.

Sara's correct. A new Summit Lodge is needed. A great one would add business! One as I describe would be a Signature, Designer addition to Gore. It would have the best lodge views in New England. It would have a sizeable WOW! factor attracting/retaining more customers. If I did it, it would be the coolest spot to hang. Skylites, window walls, stone work, nice wide decks for sunny afternoons enjoying expansive views of the High Peaks and the VT Green Mtns all around you. I'm telling ya.....

Even during low money times, I could get it done. So can Gore/us. Big Tupper was resurrected, saved from the abyss, by a volunteer group of workers.

That's my third suggestion. Gore should make plans to utilize volunteers during the economic down turn period.

[SIAWOL]

I suggested this one last year---and I don't even go to North Creek:
***Sell "menu space" in the gondolas for local restaurants to post their menu/specials/hours/etc. I don't want adds for chapstick and granola bars, but rather use the ad space to support local business.

Here are some others:
***Open boundary policy WITHIN the mountain limits. If you can see it you can ski it.
***Actually light a fire in the fire pit on the deck. Add a second one! Encourage folks to congregate outside! Who wants to sit in a stuffy base lodge?
***Let half of certain trails bump up throughout the season: Hawkeye, Lies, Topridge, Sagamore, Echo....
***Adjust entrance to Wild Air to either middle or skier's right---maybe even with a "gate" to navigate--reduce the number of folks zipping down Sunway and right into the park without even slowing down, cutting everybody waiting for the features.
***better "trail" markings in Cirque glade. I know, I know...it's a glade....but several times I've found myself losing sight of the yellow blazes on the trees...and I'm a seasoned woods skier. Winding up in a drainage or rampant puckerbrush is not on my "to do" list.
***Get the SB Quad lifties to actually SLOW the chair down on busy days. They get that cranked all the way up and the fact is a lot of people can't navigate onto the chair safely and quickly enough--especially loading 4/chair--so as a result it shuts down multiple times on the way up. It probably takes longer to get up when they run it that fast for that very reason.
***Picnic tables in saddle lodge. Cafe tables and chairs are a minefield to navigate and folks set up shop in there with nary a free seat to be had. Very frustrating even for just my daughter and I. Picnic tables just lend themselves better to "hey, can we slide in here?"
***Wider slots on gondola ski boxes. Today's fatter skis don't fit in well. I know some of the cars have a wider design. But the majority of the cars still have the narrower one--my Pocket Rockets don't fit in there together, so one ski goes in one box--at an angle--and the other ski in another box. And they're hard to get out. And I just took up a slot from somebody else.


FWIW, I thought Mountain Adventure was VERY well run this year. Staff was friendlier than ever, lots more activities to keep kids engaged: drawing safety posters, runs down the NASTAR course, scavenger hunts on the mountain, etc. Great job, folks!

[baitman5238]

I think these are good suggestions and would add "first tracks program like WF" - for the early birds, a nice treat and really enjoyed it at WF.

I would say the suggested expenditures are wishful thinking given orda situation, but the stuff that takes effort versus money makes plenty of sense.

WF has MacKenzie for bumps, seems like Sagamore s/b Gore's bump trail, instead of 1/2 of 5 different trails.

Btw, i think the crew at the SB Chair should have a tip jar because for the most part, they really do work their tails off on that lift and again, for the most part, grab the chair and pull it down to help people get on. I think they do a great job.

Just one bait man's opinion

[adksara]

These are all great ideas so far!!!

As an FYI Harv & I are scheming together to use both his blog & the letter/email to Mike (maybe even a sit down) to see where we can take this!

Keep the cheer & keep the good ideas and thoughts coming!

[TomCat]

I would like them to find another trail for the racers. Closing Twister makes access to BR a chore. The area is underutilized.

Some snow fence or shrubs near the Saddle to help keep the snow on the trail when the wind picks up.

Maintain the snowmaking equipment during the off season so that it's 100% by November.

Have a good summer!

tom

[Frostillicus]

Snowmaking. Snowmaking. Snowmaking.

FWIW- I don't mind skating around the old gondi building. I think of it as a "warm up".

[adkskier]

Great ideas so far. Here are a couple for the base lodge:

1. The entry/exit doors are a bottleneck that will only be really fixed when they install 4 or more doors together. In the interim, put up "In" and "Out" signs on the doors since many skiers are not courteous enough to enter single file and keep right.
2. On race weekends, the lodge is a zoo. How about taking the big room on the lower level (where rentals used to be located) and calling it the "Racer's Lounge". Install bulletin boards and an award podium and funnel all the racers to this space. They'll be more comfortable and so will we!
3. Create a free (staffed) bag check room in the Santanoni or the Tahawus room and establish a "no bags on the floor" policy. Other ski areas (Mt Snow, Whiteface, Stratton) have done this. They post polite signs indicating that one should use the bag check and that bags left on the floor/tables will be checked by staff. So many times people park their tremendous bags and coolers under the tables leaving no space to fit one's legs while eating. the bag check area will take little space and the kid working it will make good tips.

[TomCat]

I don't really mind the bags on the floor. But I do mind people leaving tablecloths and coolers on tables for the whole day as if they own the table.

tom