Dear Mr. Solimano

[skibikeclimbguy]

Next time there's a huge storm coming, maybe you can call in some extra resources, earlier than usual, to get the mountain up and running. I call bull sh*t on the weather being the sole cause of the delays. I'd love to hear why there were seemingly limited resources on the mountain today and multiple mechanical delays NOT related to the weather.

[skibikeclimbguy]

What? Are you all scared to speak the truth? I love what Mike has done but let's get real, the mountain is a disgrace. You all make fun of Okemo and Stratton but they must be doing something right!

[skibikeclimbguy]

http://www.killington.com/site/culture/ ... on-for-the

A reminder:

LOOKING FORWARD, A NEW VISION

...With tough economic times and our focus on efficiencies, at times we lost sight of what has made Killington great. Our approach moving forward will focus on bringing back the best of Killington and truly live up to our name, “The Beast”. Killington is the biggest mountain resort with the most extensive and varied terrain, offering more snowmaking horsepower, more snowmaking coverage, and more lifts than just about anyone else in the East. These are the superlatives that describe who we are and what we do best. We need to regain that swagger that allowed us to have bragging rights in almost every measurable category of operation. Look for us to return to the roots and essence of whom and what we are.

I may be mistaken, but what I saw today was FAR from swagger...

What happened to regaining "bragging rights in almost every measurable category of operation."?

Everyone here can make excuses, management of the mountain can make excuses, but the reality is Killington is a disgrace.

[Highway Star]

You're a tool. Almost every lift had cable icing and a foot of snow on it. Do you expect them to bring in a small army at 4am...?

[skibikeclimbguy]

You're a tool. Almost every lift had cable icing and a foot of snow on it. Do you expect them to bring in a small army at 4am...?

Based on your previous post, it's a fact that you weren't on the mountain today.

Can you tell me, specifically, which lifts were closed solely due to icing on the rope?

Can you tell me, specifically, which lifts were closed due to a lack of personnel?

Can you tell me which lifts had non-weather related mechanical issues?

If the closures were due solely to the weather, why was there a glaring lack of resources to run the mountain on a holiday?

I love that you think you run the mountain, but you don't. If you can provide factual answers, based on feedback from Jeff Temple or Mike Solimano, I'll listen.

Even better, Mike or Jeff, did you consult with Highway Star before opening the mountain today? Is his feedback valuable?

[skibikeclimbguy]

I think a candid and transparent response from management would be greatly appreciated by Killington's loyal and dedicated customers. What is the reality of the delays? Did everyone show up for work? Did Killington not realize it was going to snow? That's impossible because they stated on Facebook the day prior to the storm "It's been snowing on the upper mountain since the early afternoon, and now we have snow falling hard at the base areas and below. See you tomorrow!" Was Superstar quad scheduled to run? If so, what delayed it? Why was K1 delayed? At 8 o'clock not a single cabin was out of the barn. Why? Prior to 8 o'clock, it looked like everyone at Snowdon was STUNNED that it snowed. Are there any procedures in place to deal with snow? Is snow an unexpected and unmanageble event for Killington? If so, how do other ski areas deal with snow? Have the lifties been trained to use shovels? Does Copper manage to get lifts open? Is Killington truly free of POWDR's evil management? Did Mike choose to limit resources today, or did that come down from Utah? Mike, you've done some great marketing, but it's time to make some real changes. It's cute that you pick up trays and hand out cookies, but that only goes so far.

[ME2VTSkier]

You're a tool. Almost every lift had cable icing and a foot of snow on it. Do you expect them to bring in a small army at 4am...?

Yes, they are expected to adequately take into account what is necessary to be done during and after a storm, as so they can be open for business on time, NOT JUST STARTING PREPARATIONS at the opening bell. If you have to start at 0400 to be open for your patrons that are willing to pay $92 for a FULLY SCHEDULED day, then so be it! It's a ski resort, which normally deals with cold, snow & ice and customer flow management.

[Highway Star]

You're a tool. Almost every lift had cable icing and a foot of snow on it. Do you expect them to bring in a small army at 4am...?

Based on your previous post, it's a fact that you weren't on the mountain today.

Can you tell me, specifically, which lifts were closed solely due to icing on the rope?

Can you tell me, specifically, which lifts were closed due to a lack of personnel?

Can you tell me which lifts had non-weather related mechanical issues?

If the closures were due solely to the weather, why was there a glaring lack of resources to run the mountain on a holiday?

I love that you think you run the mountain, but you don't. If you can provide factual answers, based on feedback from Jeff Temple or Mike Solimano, I'll listen.

Even better, Mike or Jeff, did you consult with Highway Star before opening the mountain today? Is his feedback valuable?

One of my housemates is nearly full time ambassador that is there at the crack of dawn every morning, and knows what is going on. He was there today, it was obviously all hands on deck with very challenging conditions.

......and you're still a tool. But we already knew that. Don't make me call you out for a ski off....into the ground.

[skibikeclimbguy]

You're a tool. Almost every lift had cable icing and a foot of snow on it. Do you expect them to bring in a small army at 4am...?

Based on your previous post, it's a fact that you weren't on the mountain today.

Can you tell me, specifically, which lifts were closed solely due to icing on the rope?

Can you tell me, specifically, which lifts were closed due to a lack of personnel?

Can you tell me which lifts had non-weather related mechanical issues?

If the closures were due solely to the weather, why was there a glaring lack of resources to run the mountain on a holiday?

I love that you think you run the mountain, but you don't. If you can provide factual answers, based on feedback from Jeff Temple or Mike Solimano, I'll listen.

Even better, Mike or Jeff, did you consult with Highway Star before opening the mountain today? Is his feedback valuable?

One of my housemates is nearly full time ambassador that is there at the crack of dawn every morning, and knows what is going on. He was there today, it was obviously all hands on deck with very challenging conditions.

......and you're still a tool. But we already knew that. Don't make me call you out for a ski off....into the ground.

You didn't respond with an answer, specifically, to any question. Maybe it was all hands on deck, but they were clearly short very many hands. Ambassadors have no knowledge of mountain operations. Today, the ambassador at Snowdon was telling people the lift wouldn't spin until 9:30a at 8:45a. It started loading at 8:50a. If the ambassadors are all knowing, why was that one so grossly misinformed? And, again, if you were not at the mountain today, why do you think you know what was happening? Perhaps your housemate ambassador can weigh in with facts? And, I've seen the video of you skiing... perhaps the next time a US Ski Team coach offers you a critique, you should take it.

That being said, I'd still like to hear from Killington management. Or did I miss the fact that Mike Solimano = Highway Star?

[Highway Star]

I personally prefer it when they don't run many of the lifts at kton, it keeps the whiners away from the goods.

[Highway Star]

And, I've seen the video of you skiing... perhaps the next time a US Ski Team coach offers you a critique, you should take it.

Hey did you ever see my other video?



I'm a seriously snazzy dresser and interior decorator aren't I? My singing isn't bad either!

[livia01]

an ambassador or 2 or 3 to help clean the snowden quad chairs would have been much appreciated!
At opening bell there was 1 liftie and every chair filled with a foot of snow.
A pretty daunting task for 1 person. That boy deserves something!
Didn't see a single ambassador.

[hillbangin]

You're a tool. Almost every lift had cable icing and a foot of snow on it. Do you expect them to bring in a small army at 4am...?

Based on your previous post, it's a fact that you weren't on the mountain today.

Can you tell me, specifically, which lifts were closed solely due to icing on the rope?

Can you tell me, specifically, which lifts were closed due to a lack of personnel?

Can you tell me which lifts had non-weather related mechanical issues?

If the closures were due solely to the weather, why was there a glaring lack of resources to run the mountain on a holiday?

I love that you think you run the mountain, but you don't. If you can provide factual answers, based on feedback from Jeff Temple or Mike Solimano, I'll listen.

Even better, Mike or Jeff, did you consult with Highway Star before opening the mountain today? Is his feedback valuable?

One of my housemates is nearly full time ambassador that is there at the crack of dawn every morning, and knows what is going on. He was there today, it was obviously all hands on deck with very challenging conditions.

......and you're still a tool. But we already knew that. Don't make me call you out for a ski off....into the ground.

Wow - one of your housemates is a nearly a full time ambassador - the ambassodors are useless - they don't have radios, they don't help with anything except giving their opinion on old information, and they don't know what is going on in real time - they also have no authority to pull over reckless skiers.

If Griz tell them that elves messed with the cable overnight so K1 isn't running - that's what they tell the crowd.

It's too bad - the snow makers and groomers have been great lately - the lifts are a complete sh*tshow.

[Skizoo]

What? Are you all scared to speak the truth? I love what Mike has done but let's get real, the mountain is a disgrace. You all make fun of Okemo and Stratton but they must be doing something right!

I live in Ludlow, but Ski K more than O, and was at K Monday & don't disagree with many of the comments here, but just for the record, Okemo only had 2-4" of snow and all major lifts had issues Monday, took till after 1 PM to get everything running there. Not saying it's an apples to apples comparison, but Killington wasn't the only area in the region to have issues related to weather, but it's also true there were other issues causing problems at K

[RENO]

I think a candid and transparent response from management would be greatly appreciated by Killington's loyal and dedicated customers. What is the reality of the delays? Did everyone show up for work? Did Killington not realize it was going to snow? That's impossible because they stated on Facebook the day prior to the storm "It's been snowing on the upper mountain since the early afternoon, and now we have snow falling hard at the base areas and below. See you tomorrow!" Was Superstar quad scheduled to run? If so, what delayed it? Why was K1 delayed? At 8 o'clock not a single cabin was out of the barn. Why? Prior to 8 o'clock, it looked like everyone at Snowdon was STUNNED that it snowed. Are there any procedures in place to deal with snow? Is snow an unexpected and unmanageble event for Killington? If so, how do other ski areas deal with snow? Have the lifties been trained to use shovels? Does Copper manage to get lifts open? Is Killington truly free of POWDR's evil management? Did Mike choose to limit resources today, or did that come down from Utah? Mike, you've done some great marketing, but it's time to make some real changes. It's cute that you pick up trays and hand out cookies, but that only goes so far.

Yeah, I'm pissed off about those freakin cookies and demand a response from management. Were they baked fresh in the morning like Stratton's? They were warm, but I think they were reheated. Were all hands on deck to prepare enough cookies for everybody? Could they have been from as far back as Saturday? (God forbid!) Were the cookie bakers not able to get there because of the snow? Did the bakers have to go out to clear the snow off the chairs and turn on the heaters for the K1 loading area? Did Nyberg tell Solimano to hand out stale cookies? This is horrible. Horrible I tell you! I'm pissed! I need an update from Solimano right F'n now or no season pass for me next season!!!!!!!