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Core2

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less than two months out from skiing, let the countdown begin!
 

Dryheat

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I've passed on an AZSB passes thus far. I may end up grabbing a Loveland pass in part because of the reciprocal days.

I have a Taos pass, but may be spending time in CO.
 

Pat AKA mustski

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If the conditions are decent, we plan to hit Snowbowl on our way home from Taos. We love Flagstaff and it's the obvious stop off on the way home to Big Bear.
 
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Core2

Core2

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I've passed on an AZSB passes thus far. I may end up grabbing a Loveland pass in part because of the reciprocal days.

I have a Taos pass, but may be spending time in CO.

With how busy Snowbowl was last season I am probably going to opt for some more CO trips this season too just to beat crowds.
 

New2

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Looks like Sunrise Park is on the Indy Pass this year: https://www.sunriseskiparkaz.com/indy-pass
Good for them for finally exploring some sort of cross-promotion! But the page on their website looks like it was written by a non-skier... calling out a handful of east coast resorts, then "see the full list below." Maybe they were just shy about mentioning any ski areas that are actually better than Sunrise?

The Indy Pass site (https://www.indyskipass.com/resort/sunrise-park-resort/) says Sunrise has 6 lifts. I know Cyclone and the backup chair on Apache have been out of commission. Did they also get rid of the surface lifts? Or lose another chairlift?
 
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Core2

Core2

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It’s feeling kind of drought-y right now.

High country never even really greened up this summer. I hope last season wasn't just a blip in the drought cycle but I wouldn't be surprised.
 
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Core2

Core2

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Looks like Sunrise Park is on the Indy Pass this year: https://www.sunriseskiparkaz.com/indy-pass
Good for them for finally exploring some sort of cross-promotion! But the page on their website looks like it was written by a non-skier... calling out a handful of east coast resorts, then "see the full list below." Maybe they were just shy about mentioning any ski areas that are actually better than Sunrise?

The Indy Pass site (https://www.indyskipass.com/resort/sunrise-park-resort/) says Sunrise has 6 lifts. I know Cyclone and the backup chair on Apache have been out of commission. Did they also get rid of the surface lifts? Or lose another chairlift?

Check out the map for this season and the nice MS Paint job they did on Cyclone.

https://www.sunriseskiparkaz.com/copy-of-mountain-info

Last season they were going to run a cat operation on Cyclone but I don't know if that came to fruition. There has also been talk of a few different lift configurations along with a Chondola to replace Cyclone but I haven't heard of any actual movement on construction. Doubt the tribe has the cash.
 

New2

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Check out the map for this season and the nice MS Paint job they did on Cyclone.

https://www.sunriseskiparkaz.com/copy-of-mountain-info

Last season they were going to run a cat operation on Cyclone but I don't know if that came to fruition. There has also been talk of a few different lift configurations along with a Chondola to replace Cyclone but I haven't heard of any actual movement on construction. Doubt the tribe has the cash.

That's some high-class MS Paint work! Still shows 9 lifts though, not the 6 reported on indyskipass.com. It'd be cool if the Indy Pass can inject enough cash for them to start rebuilding, but seems like a tough sell down in the southwest unless Indy Pass can sign up a few more in the region.
I think the indy pass could also make sense for someone in the far east valley who values uncrowded skiing. Drive time is similar from Apache Junction to Snowbowl or Sunrise; cheap flights are available at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway for long weekends at Red River (Billings), Lost Trail (Missoula), Castle (Calgary), Beaver (Ogden) and Hoodoo (Redmond). But that's a pretty specific niche market.
 

clong83

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That's some high-class MS Paint work! Still shows 9 lifts though, not the 6 reported on indyskipass.com. It'd be cool if the Indy Pass can inject enough cash for them to start rebuilding, but seems like a tough sell down in the southwest unless Indy Pass can sign up a few more in the region.
I think the indy pass could also make sense for someone in the far east valley who values uncrowded skiing. Drive time is similar from Apache Junction to Snowbowl or Sunrise; cheap flights are available at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway for long weekends at Red River (Billings), Lost Trail (Missoula), Castle (Calgary), Beaver (Ogden) and Hoodoo (Redmond). But that's a pretty specific niche market.
I really hope it works out and Sunrise bounces back. I haven't skied there in a very long time, but when I lived in Tucson it was my preferred place over Snowbowl, and it will always have a soft spot in my heart. Sad to hear that it has fallen on hard times and the rumors that the new management is even worse than the last. That was back long before Coleman bought Snowbowl and made a ton of improvements, and back when all the Sunrise lifts were working.
 

raisingarizona

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I doubt the Indy Pass is gonna save Sunrise. If anything I'd imagine there is some sort of government funding available to help the Tribe with their business but I don't really know. I think that the area is a lot more user friendly for a lot of Arizona skiers and that is in some part why it has been more popular than Snowbowl. For a long time they definitely had better lifts than Snowbowl but Snowbowl has been making so many improvements that they are leaving them far behind.

I took my daughter there once when she was really young but we didn't ski anything but some greens. Overall I thought that the area was mostly flat with a few short steepish sections. It looked like it would be cool if they cleared out some tree runs though. I guess they don't allow tree skiing though and that's too bad imo. I would like to go check it out when the snow is good but being a Flag local I can't imagine that that will ever happen. We have too good of back country here to go over there.

I'm hoping to take my daughter this season up to Colorado, I was thinking Copper and Loveland but we might have to settle for a Durango trip with maybe a day in Telluride.
 
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Core2

Core2

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I talked to my Sunrise patrol buddy up at Flagstaff Oktoberfest over the weekend. Cliffs notes are Sunrise is being managed by an ivy league tribe graduate that everyone hates. They don't have a lot of money, RIP Cyclone lift. They were supposed to let people HIKE Cyclone last season but the program never materialized. And the story about the worker who died on Cyclone lift goes as follows. They had the service chair up on a tower, this chair holds the tools and the workers. It also has a safety cable attached to the workers and the lift tower. The worker guy called to have the chair moved and didn't disconnect the appropriate safety cables and got pulled through something he shouldn't have. The tribe is trying to cover it up and keep it internal to prevent big lawsuits.

I hope they can keep it together out there. Might be worth a trip or two out to Sunrise this season just in case...
 
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Core2

Core2

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Sunrise replied to me on Facebook and they will have the cat operation running two new cats on Cyclone this season. It will be faster than the lift is the claim. Should be interesting. They also stated the new lift bid was 10 million and tribe doesn't have the cash.

It is looking and feeling like fall in N. AZ. I spent Saturday cruising the cinders OHV area outside Flagstaff. You ever seen anyone ever ski or ride these volcanoes @raisingarizona ? Almost seems like you could do it with no or minimal snow.

72195102_10157953373451614_4392631454991908864_o.jpg
 

raisingarizona

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Sunrise replied to me on Facebook and they will have the cat operation running two new cats on Cyclone this season. It will be faster than the lift is the claim. Should be interesting. They also stated the new lift bid was 10 million and tribe doesn't have the cash.

It is looking and feeling like fall in N. AZ. I spent Saturday cruising the cinders OHV area outside Flagstaff. You ever seen anyone ever ski or ride these volcanoes @raisingarizona ? Almost seems like you could do it with no or minimal snow.

View attachment 82208

It looks like such a short hike from the other chair that I bet you could almost hike faster for laps than waiting in a line for a snow cat ride.

The tribe might have to eventually bight the bullet and partner up with an outside investor but I wouldn’t hold my breath on that happening. I hope I’m wrong but I think that place will be completely run into the ground over the next 15 or so years.
 

New2

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It kind of seems like any manager, ivy league or not, who tries holding folks to expectations like "be at your assigned spot on time and ready to work" or "follow the documented procedures" would get a lot of pushback. It doesn't seem like there are any good answers. Having it actually shuttered would be a big blow to the tribe and the region, but mustering up the willpower to prevent it looks tough. I suspect the tribe's spent too long vilifying Snowbowl to ever countenance partnering with Coleman, and Vail or Alterra seem like long shots.I know some of the AZ tribes with better-located casinos have business development branches that extend off-reservation... I wonder whether there'd be any appetite to partner with one of them.
 

Fishbowl

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It kind of seems like any manager, ivy league or not, who tries holding folks to expectations like "be at your assigned spot on time and ready to work" or "follow the documented procedures" would get a lot of pushback. It doesn't seem like there are any good answers. Having it actually shuttered would be a big blow to the tribe and the region, but mustering up the willpower to prevent it looks tough. I suspect the tribe's spent too long vilifying Snowbowl to ever countenance partnering with Coleman, and Vail or Alterra seem like long shots.I know some of the AZ tribes with better-located casinos have business development branches that extend off-reservation... I wonder whether there'd be any appetite to partner with one of them.

The natives vilifying Snowbowl (Navajo/Hopi), are different to the natives that run/own Sunrise (Apache), so there may be no barrier to a partnership with Coleman. And, if you will forgive the cynicism, the use of recycled water is perfectly acceptable when it is being used on tribal owned golf courses (Ak-Chin, Wildhorse, Ft McDowell) and tribal owned ski resorts (Sunrise). So....who knows?
 

raisingarizona

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The natives vilifying Snowbowl (Navajo/Hopi), are different to the natives that run/own Sunrise (Apache), so there may be no barrier to a partnership with Coleman. And, if you will forgive the cynicism, the use of recycled water is perfectly acceptable when it is being used on tribal owned golf courses (Ak-Chin, Wildhorse, Ft McDowell) and tribal owned ski resorts (Sunrise). So....who knows?

Ain’t that the truth
 
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