# Ski Sundown - 12.17.2011



## gmcunni (Dec 17, 2011)

*Date(s) Skied: * 12.17.2011

*Resort or Ski Area: * Ski Sundown

*Conditions: * machine groomed 

*Trip Report: * First day out for me this season.  Was VERY happy to see Sundown able to open despite weather which resulted in many other mountains, even those much further north, postponing their openings.

Conditions were what you'd expect but it was good to get out.  I only skied for a few hours in the afternoon, by which time there were a lot of scraped off areas.  With only a few trails open it isn't surprising what the skier traffic did.

i won't pronounce judgement yet but the new RFID system has me worried.  Season passholders were essentially relegated to a singles line while day pass holders (and employees with the old style season pass) had multiple line options. i'm sure they'll figure something out because it was not a pretty sight today.


----------



## planb420 (Dec 17, 2011)

gmcunni said:


> i won't pronounce judgement yet but the new RFID system has me worried.  Season passholders were essentially relegated to a singles line while day pass holders (and employees with the old style season pass) had multiple line options. i'm sure they'll figure something out because it was not a pretty sight today.



I FEEL THE SAME WAY, however I wanna give em time to figure this out before I get too upset. I just dont like watching day trippers flying past me while I wait in a line with fellow season pass holders (thats crawling at best) :flame:. A HUGE flaw in the system is people that are mixed passes...meaning season pass holders in groups with day tickets. Many times people would go through the gate and wait on just on the other side for their friends. With the limited space given between the RFID Gate and the loading zone this cannot be allowed to happen IMO. But after a small rant I hope it gets streamlined soon. 

Otherwise it was a great day for what was to be expected. I got there early enough to get first chair and I must say the first hour or so was pleasent and smooth riding. I really like when the snow is thin this time of year as it allows you to ride more of the natural feel of mountain. THANKS SNOWMAKERS w/o you guys I would have had nothing to do today!!


----------



## Greg (Dec 17, 2011)

planb420 said:


> I FEEL THE SAME WAY, however I wanna give em time to figure this out before I get too upset. I just dont like watching day trippers flying past me while I wait in a line with fellow season pass holders (thats crawling at best) :flame:. A HUGE flaw in the system is people that are mixed passes...meaning season pass holders in groups with day tickets. Many times people would go through the gate and wait on just on the other side for their friends. With the limited space given between the RFID Gate and the loading zone this cannot be allowed to happen IMO. But after a small rant I hope it gets streamlined soon.



Try being an employee dad with your season pass holder little kids. I'm VERY thankful my 5 and 8 year old are pretty stable on skis and can get through the turnstile pretty easy without help. Had this been 2 seasons ago it would be a real nightmare for me.

But like you said, I'll be patient and give them time. I'm sure they'll sort it out. Aside from that, I thought the surface was pretty good. Gnar'easta was particularly gnarly today (and fun). Thin cover, undulating terrain below, etc. My kids attacked it without blinking. I was thrilled by how well they skied right out of the gate, and also how much fun they seemed to be having. This year is going to be a breakthrough year for me. So while not the best opening day, still great to be back out there and seeing familiar faces!


----------



## powhunter (Dec 17, 2011)

Nice !!  Were the guns a blazing??

Steveo


----------



## gmcunni (Dec 17, 2011)

powhunter said:


> Nice !!  Were the guns a blazing??
> 
> Steveo



not when i was there in the afternoon


----------



## planb420 (Dec 17, 2011)

Greg said:


> Gnar'easta was particularly gnarly today (and fun). Thin cover, undulating terrain below, etc.



FAVORITE RUN OF THE DAY, get it while the gettin's good soon those rollers will be buried in SNOW!8) Sounds like its gonna be your year Greg...get after it!


----------



## Madroch (Dec 17, 2011)

Great opener.  I'll give them some time to work out the RFID thing.... Hint, think more than one  gate per lift and further from the load on one lift (not lift 1).  

  Kudos to mtn ops for great work for even getting open today.


----------



## gmcunni (Dec 17, 2011)

My RFID lift line plan *






* i have no idea how to manage lift lines.


----------



## gmcunni (Dec 17, 2011)

^ disregard, doesn't work for mixed family/group with pass holders and day trippers.


----------



## bvibert (Dec 19, 2011)

powhunter said:


> Nice !!  Were the guns a blazing??
> 
> Steveo



They turned on the full 130 gun arsenal at some point Saturday evening and ran them all the way through Sunday to today.  They were estimating having to shut them down at 8 or 9 am this morning.  There was a ton of snow put down during that time, it didn't even look like the same place on Sunday, compared to Saturday.  All 130 of the guns were positioned on the already open terrain, they'll start expanding in the next round.


----------



## bvibert (Dec 19, 2011)

The RFID stuff is definitely a work in progress.  We'll be working on a maze design that's more optimized for the RFID gates, as well as better line management.  The gates themselves are pretty slick and are quicker than getting scanned, they just need to be utilized more effectively.


----------



## 2sons (Dec 19, 2011)

My son just started ski racing for the Sundown team and I'm very impressed with the whole setup there. 
Considering I'll be spending considerable time there I was wondering if anybody knows about the Guest Services deal. Can you work just weekends and do they give you a season's
pass? Btw I already bought my pass- thinking ahead to next year.
Thanks.


----------



## Madroch (Dec 19, 2011)

bvibert said:


> The RFID stuff is definitely a work in progress.  We'll be working on a maze design that's more optimized for the RFID gates, as well as better line management.  The gates themselves are pretty slick and are quicker than getting scanned, they just need to be utilized more effectively.



I expect it to be all worked out by 5:30 today when I arrive... , or in the alternative, I will wait in line gladly if the bumps have been taken out of summer storage....


----------



## planb420 (Dec 19, 2011)

Madroch said:


> I expect it to be all worked out by 5:30 today when I arrive... , or in the alternative, I will wait in line gladly if the bumps have been taken out of summer storage....



NO BUMPS TODAY


----------



## bvibert (Dec 19, 2011)

2sons said:


> My son just started ski racing for the Sundown team and I'm very impressed with the whole setup there.
> Considering I'll be spending considerable time there I was wondering if anybody knows about the Guest Services deal. Can you work just weekends and do they give you a season's
> pass? Btw I already bought my pass- thinking ahead to next year.
> Thanks.



Guest services is a volunteer position.  You volunteer a certain amount of hours a week and they give you a bunch of day tickets in return.  I think there's also an option to get a season pass instead.  Check out the job fair next fall for more details.


----------

