The snow report is useless

Eddytheyetti · Post by **Eddytheyetti** » Jan 14th, '23, 20:39

“Happy Martin Luther King weekend Beast Fans! Our team here at Killington has been working hard to prepare the best skiing and riding conditions possible and we have some fun events as well. For more information on the events and activities we have planned click here. Remember that this Monday is a Peak Day, and we will be operating as if it was a weekend, everything will be open other than The Yurt and Wobbly Barn. It is looking to be a great long weekend here at The Beast and you are not going to want to miss out!”

I know nothing now!!!!

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snoloco · Post by **snoloco** » Jan 14th, '23, 20:46

Sometimes you wonder if whoever is writing the snow report has actually been out on the mountain. Doesn't seem like it. While snow reports will always put a positive spin on things, at least make them informative.

newpylong1 · Post by **newpylong1** » Jan 14th, '23, 21:13

I try not to complain about that stuff but the snow reports the last two years are the absolute worst I've ever seen at a big hill. It's mind boggling someone higher up in the Marketing food chain hasn't caught on. I read them daily and it's a rarity if there is a shred of information about actual conditions on the hill or where the trail expansion is headed. Not only that it's the same report for days upon days.

Plenty of time for 4 Instagram posts per day though.

Eddytheyetti · Post by **Eddytheyetti** » Jan 14th, '23, 21:16

Agreed it could be positive but still include formation like “finishing up on skyburst head there in the morning”. They don’t have admit that it will be an icy helscape by 1pm. But some info to help us plan the next morning would be helpful.

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rogman · Post by **rogman** » Jan 14th, '23, 21:35

I do not blame the intern that is doing this job. I blame the people in charge who thought it was a good idea to give this job to an intern. It clearly isn’t important to them or to the mountain, just a box to check on the list of things to do every day. It is a missed opportunity, hard to fathom in an era where clicks are generally valued. If they don’t get it now, unlikely for them to have an epiphany about it going forward.

Post by **Bubba** » Jan 14th, '23, 21:56

Hey! It’s technically honest. The team has been working hard to give you the best skiing possible. In other words, they’re doing the best they can with the sh*t hand they’ve been dealt.

skiadikt · Post by **skiadikt** » Jan 14th, '23, 22:27

there's so much real-time info out there (like here) and they're afraid that most folks can't handle "the truth". so they'll keep passing off meaningless fluff not to chase anyone away. but killington's not alone in this ...

here's okemo's report. not much better. what does it say when they're suggesting the library in ludlow:
It’s the start of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Weekend here at Okemo, and with it comes the awesome temps and great snow that you expect! Everyone is up and working their hardest to make sure our terrain is ready for the long weekend! It seems like a good time to mention that there’s other things to do at Okemo besides skiing and riding. There’s pools, hot tubs, plenty of dining, hiking and there’s even a quiet quaint library down in Ludlow for those that need to take a break from all the excitement that Okemo has to offer.

maybe stowe's a little better:
Today featured some colder (but seasonable) temperatures than we’ve seen in some time, along with some tough visibility at times. It was a great day for a clear goggle lens. The snow surface though recovered nicely from yesterday’s rainfall. Tomorrow’s forecast calls for partly sunny skies, so fingers crossed for a bit better visibility and brighter skies than we saw at times today.

stratton at least mentions the trails they made snow on:
Thanks to everyone who came out on this chilly Saturday. Snowmaking took place today on Suntanner, Janeway Junction, Upper West Meadow, Lower West Meadow, Drifter Link, Get My Drift and Black Bear. Over the next 24 hours, snowmaking will be active on Upper Tamarack, Bear Bottom, Village Walk, Lower Standard, Tink’s Link, Flukey’s Run, Bear Down, Lower Slalom Glade, and Grizzly Bear. Tomorrow plan to enjoy 54 trails, all of which will be groomed overnight.

sunday river. other than patting themselves on the back. not much to see here:
The constant snow flurries provided a winter wonderland experience throughout the day. The sun wasn't out, but clouds stayed high, allowing for good visibility and colder temps. The snow stayed firm and grainy for the day. A second grooming tonight will take care of this and make all the difference.

of course mad river and even they're not giving much up. seriously a lovely blanket of snow????:
The Thursday and Friday storm has ended and left a lovely blanket of snow. The Sunnyside Double is now open! Main mountain skiing is recommended for advanced skiers only. The 3-4″ of wet snow we received at the tail of the week locked into place as temperatures dropped well below the freezing mark and gave us the snowpack needed to reopen some main mountain terrain. Grooming operations will be limited to the man-made snow for Sunday but don’t be surprised to see a pass or two on some of the main thoroughfares as Mountain Operations prowls the hill early in the morning.

Finn · Post by **Finn** » Jan 14th, '23, 23:45

The snow report is basically useless. It has been poor for the last two years. It’s not a good job for an unskilled intern without any ski and snow knowledge.
. Whoever is higher up in marketing should put a real report out there. Creative embellished writing isn’t what the masses want to see in a snow report. They flock to k on the Epic or Ikon pass while the only K pass people and skilled skiers and riders have to put up with the unskilled masses. I am glad that K is making money. Please tell me what trails are groomed and what the snow is like.
Tell me the snow conditions frozen, ice granular or sand.
Man made snow etc. The conditions determine what skis many people might ski on that day.
Please do a better conditions report.

Finn · Post by **Finn** » Jan 14th, '23, 23:46

Enjoy you ski days

Mister Moose · Post by **Mister Moose** » Jan 15th, '23, 07:25

The Griz report!!!

simpletwist · Post by **simpletwist** » Jan 15th, '23, 08:40

Bubba wrote: ↑Jan 14th, '23, 21:56 Hey! It’s technically honest. The team has been working hard to give you the best skiing possible. In other words, they’re doing the best they can with the sh*t hand they’ve been dealt.

Is the part where they report 1" over the last 24 hours "honest", an oversight, or just misleading?

HomeyTim · Post by **HomeyTim** » Jan 15th, '23, 08:49

There is a great scene in a Warren Miller film (I think it was Storm but not sure)... Warren says "Since the invention of snowmaking, no ski resort has ever reported conditions worse than "frozen granular"... this is frozen granular"... cut to video of people (even a dog) trying to walk up solid ice to get to a lift and sliding back down... then Warren says "these people drove all the way from Ohio for these conditions..." I think the video was shot @ Hunter mtn. Conditions reports have always sucked..

Asking for useful information from the marketing department is a bit much. I'd settle for timely operational updates sent to my phone. For example, a few weeks ago I started my day @ Snowshed @ 9a planning to head directly to Superstar... unfortunately, when I got to Superstar lift, it wasnt opening until 10a for unspecified reasons. Killington knows I'm on the hill because I'm tracking with their app - how about a text message or something saying "Dont force yourself to take the slog to K1 or bubble - SSQ is closed because the lifties had a late party last night - try Needles instead."

I'm experimenting this season with listening to their radio system (which got a big upgrade this fall) to get a little intelligence on the mountain. I learned long ago that if you plan your day based on the Lift & Trails report there will be nothing but disappointment.

brownman · Post by **brownman** » Jan 15th, '23, 08:56

It’s not the fault of the messenger that the skiing sux so bad.
We rarely look at the report. We either go skiing or don’t.
Does one really need a report to confirm what most already know

FYI .. the best snow reports are generally from resorts that feature snow

https://www.alta.com/weather

hillbangin · Post by **hillbangin** » Jan 15th, '23, 10:27

brownman wrote: ↑Jan 15th, '23, 08:56 It’s not the fault of the messenger that the skiing sux so bad.
We rarely look at the report. We either go skiing or don’t.
Does one really need a report to confirm what most already know

FYI .. the best snow reports are generally from resorts that feature snow

https://www.alta.com/weather

TRUE - amazing how many of my friends ask how was the skiing......If there ain't new snow - you may not want to go.....

Just back from J Hole - insanely expensive - but priceless!

skiadikt · Post by **skiadikt** » Jan 15th, '23, 12:57

Finn wrote: ↑Jan 14th, '23, 23:45 The snow report is basically useless. It has been poor for the last two years. It’s not a good job for an unskilled intern without any ski and snow knowledge.
. Whoever is higher up in marketing should put a real report out there. Creative embellished writing isn’t what the masses want to see in a snow report. They flock to k on the Epic or Ikon pass while the only K pass people and skilled skiers and riders have to put up with the unskilled masses. I am glad that K is making money. Please tell me what trails are groomed and what the snow is like.
Tell me the snow conditions frozen, ice granular or sand.
Man made snow etc. The conditions determine what skis many people might ski on that day.
Please do a better conditions report.

did you read the reports from the other mtns. NONE of them are giving anything up. they're not gonna tell anything specific about the conditions particularly if it's not positive. you wanna know what trails are groomed. simple answer - all of them because if it ain't groomed, you ain't skiing it. also there is a lift and trails report with that info. tell you what, the masses come no matter what. they leave with smiles on their faces. what they get here is way better than what they get on their podunk hills.

btw ikon passes are blacked out this weekend and epic passes don't work at K.

KillingtonZone.com