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Why is it so hard for resorts to have a decent policy for cafeteria tables?

Stephen Witkop

switty
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Skiing half days on weekends helps
I was very surprised this season to see how many people were doing this. I've never gone back to the truck before the end of the day until this Covid season so I don't know if it's normal but at lunch (11:30-12:00) it looked like maybe 25% of the cars were already gone. I assumed it was due to Lodge restrictions but maybe more people do this on a regular basis than I realized.

I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed tailgating for lunch, I was able to make it all season without going into a base lodge. I did miss a good sandwich and beer for lunch upstairs in the Bullwheel at the top of Mt. Snow though. :beercheer:
 

Marker

Making fresh tracks
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Kennett Square, PA & Killington, VT
This is also one those things I feel really does add enormously to the list of daunting tasks and negative sides to skiing which can lead to being the difference between a newer family becoming ski addicted vs never returning.

I mean think of it for a moment. All the hurtles to endure for a first time ski day for a fam within 2 or more hrs drive of a ski hill. Or even an avid skier dad with a first time family ski day.
Got to get all the clothing prepared for the family the night before. Get up perhaps 5am get everything and everyone ready and in the car. Stop somewhere for breakfast or make plans to have something while driving.

If your renting off mountain you have to stop at rental shop and take care of all that and load the car. Dress and boot up the fam at the car. Or if renting on mountain, we are still dressing everyone at the car and making way to lodge. Deal with lift tix purchasing or (nowadays) if pre-purchased) still have to obtain the passes. Then of course the kids and likely also parents have to hit the bathroom. then you hit the rental area and go through that usually fairly slow ordeal. Now once all things are set and all equipment is set and been through the lines and waiting (even if early still have lines) you have to boot up, dress up the fam, need a place to put your stuff so you rent a locker or find a space or go back out to put stuff in the car (if close enough). And finally its now about 9am after feeling like youve already had a full days worth of labor since 5am you can head on out to perhaps the first time lesson for the kids but the wife is in a different group or perhaps private, whatever the case.

So now you got the fam after lessons and are slowly making your way along the bunny hill/s area and dealing with the falling, and whos feet hurt, and whos cold and etc. Now of course someone has to hit the bathroom. And so you figure we all may as well go again so as to get it over with. deal with removing skis and racking them and the lodge is getting filed and bathroom lines etc. Then its again boot up. dress up again and back out for round 2.

Well, now its lunch time and the kids are thirsty and hungry. Dismount all from skis and find a rack to place. And on top of all the daunting tasks you been through you make your way inside to find no tables to sit at. So you walk and view the room three times over and still no tables. After standing around for 10 clueless moments with the kids you finally eye up a table who looks like they are done and go to ask if they will be leaving. They say yes in just a few moments. So you wait for them to finally decide to gather thier things and leave. And just as they are (if your not standing over the table) someone else runs over and tries to claim the table. And if the people who were at the table dont vouch for the fact that you were patiently waiting on them you now have a problem with thie new table claimer. I seen it numerous times. .
I mean its like "F this crap". Who the heck needs all that daunting efforts and money spent already and now have to deal with lunch (instead of a pleasant break) being an even larger daunting task. And we still have the rest of day to go yet and then basically do everything in reverse till your home and all unpacked. That crap right then and there at luch can actually be enough for one to say ..."screw this S#!t Im outta here" and never return. That overcrowded lodge not capable op handle its own load can be one the ugliest parts of the day and instead of being an asset towards ones decisions to return it actually adds a huge detriment. For first time people the zoo of a weekend at a small crowded hill in the lodge can be the straw that breaks the camels back. Speaking of which CamelBack PA is about one the worst ones for this I can think of.lol .
While I've only skied Camelback once mid-week at the end of the season (empty on a surprise snowy day!), I endured this at Blue, Jack Frost, and Bear Creek for years. The PITA factor of skiing is real. If you list it out as you have, it does seem daunting, but we did this a few times a year until we bought our own equipment and started taking trips to NE. So in some ways that increases the PITA travel but simplifies things at the skiing end. Resorts like those in the Poconos near metro areas have to walk a fine line between new infrastructure and short seasons. Blue has put in a bit more lodge space and outdoor seating and services, probably just barely enough to make it tolerable on a typical weekend, not a weekend surge after a snow event. I think the worst I've seen was Bear Creek on some random MLK/President's weekend. My wife and I marveled at the parents with small children, while ours were early HS and more self reliant.
 

DanoT

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jt10000

步步高升
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While I've only skied Camelback once mid-week at the end of the season (empty on a surprise snowy day!), I endured this at Blue, Jack Frost, and Bear Creek for years. The PITA factor of skiing is real. If you list it out as you have, it does seem daunting, but we did this a few times a year until we bought our own equipment and started taking trips to NE. So in some ways that increases the PITA travel but simplifies things at the skiing end. Resorts like those in the Poconos near metro areas have to walk a fine line between new infrastructure and short seasons. Blue has put in a bit more lodge space and outdoor seating and services, probably just barely enough to make it tolerable on a typical weekend, not a weekend surge after a snow event. I think the worst I've seen was Bear Creek on some random MLK/President's weekend. My wife and I marveled at the parents with small children, while ours were early HS and more self reliant.

you dont even need a brick and mortar lodge expansion. Something like just simple as a tennis bubble for table space could do wonders. Of course there needs to be room to place one.
Yup. And signage in the lodge could help and is low cost.

The story I relayed earlier contributed to my boy saying he never wanted to go back to that particular resort. We did eventually, but it took some persuading.

On the personal side, we did full-season rentals for the whole family really quickly - such a timesaver plus I could work on the kid's stoke feeling at home.
 

Goose

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renting via off mountain whether for the day or the season does have its cons too. I know its rare especially noways but it does happen when something goes wrong with a ski or boot whatever. Nothing worse than having that off mountain rental that needs to be changed or fixed. Thats bad enough when you have to now leave the resort just to head to the place you rented. But when the season rental or even weekend or daily came from a shop back home 2 hrs away what do you do/ Your screwed and although it may be very rare it does happen.
 

jt10000

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renting via off mountain whether for the day or the season does have its cons too. I know its rare especially noways but it does happen when something goes wrong with a ski or boot whatever. Nothing worse than having that off mountain rental that needs to be changed or fixed. Thats bad enough when you have to now leave the resort just to head to the place you rented. But when the season rental or even weekend or daily came from a shop back home 2 hrs away what do you do/ Your screwed and although it may be very rare it does happen.
Sure that's possible.

We rented the first full season, and there was a problem with the tension on the bindings on my wife's rental. But we were able to have an on-mountain shop fix it. So no big deal (other than some reasonable service fee that would have been free back at the original shop - I don't remember how much but it wasn't bad.)

In the worst case, we could have done a day/weekend rental on the mountain, but that wasn't necessary. Those skis were later stolen/taken by accident, so I wonder if they were jinxed :)

I expect we'll be doing seasonal rentals for our boy for a few more years. My wife and I bought our own stuff for our the second full season.
 
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