Colorado A-Basin sneaks by Keystone by opening for 2 hours on October 11!

[coskigirl]

“A ski lift is a mechanism for transporting skiers up a hill.” Okay, offer to drive people up the hill in a pickup truck.

Not sure where you got your definition but Dictionary.com says "a conveyance that carries skiers up the side of a slope, consisting typically of a series of chairs suspended from an endless cable driven by motors."

 

[Doug Briggs]

Meh. I'm sitting here contemplating my next session of PT. It is nice there will be two white ribbons.

Whoever wrote the actual press release was worried this was going to happen.

"Keystone positioned to be first open". That's some clever writing to hedge your bets.

I noticed that, too.

I'm currently sitting just minutes from VR headquarters. I wish I could go listen into their conversations right now.

Just open a window. I'll bet you'll hear something.

 

[Green08]

Funny things is it seems Vail May have won the PR battle. Several national media outlets ran with Keystone announcing a first opening. ABasins later surprise happened after publication.

VR can still claim first full day opening in US. If point was to grab free media attention, then the job seems to have been done by Keystone and VR.

ABasin still wins the title, but it does little to dent the news that Keystone is a real player in first to open and will have more than twice the vertical available.

hats off to the ABasin mountain ops pulling out the early open

 

[Green08]

Early season snowmaking is all essentially marketing dollars.
ABasin sniping the win actually makes this more of a story. Keystone opening is going to get just as much coverage if not more now. VR maybe should have waited a couple hours. But at 9am tomorrow Epic Pass holders will know where to ski, and how the new early season will look for VR.

hope somebody has BMX screenshots from last year to compare crowds at ABasin

 

[SBrown]

It is nice there will be two white ribbons....

I don't know why my brain does these things to me, but this was my first thought.

 

[mdf]

I don't know why my brain does these things to me, but this was my first thought.

... of death!!!!

 

[SBrown]

... of death!!!!

Well, he didn't say that part.

 

[Ken_R]

Abasin should've made today free. How badass would that have looked -- "yo, we're first to open, and you can ski for free for 2 hours."

That actually makes more sense. Why deal with ticket sales and scanning tickets. Just get people on the lift a let er rip. They make more on the beers and bloodys anyway

 

[Doug Briggs]

That actually makes more sense. Why deal with ticket sales and scanning tickets. Just get people on the lift a let er rip. They make more on the beers and bloodys anyway

One word: liability.

They could have given physical tickets for free, but I don't know if that has the same legal strength as having to pay for the ticket.

 

[coskigirl]

One word: liability.

They could have given physical tickets for free, but I don't know if that has the same legal strength as having to pay for the ticket.

It doesn't. A valid contract requires offer, acceptance, and consideration. In this case there would have been an offer of the right to use the lifts, acceptance of that offer by the skier/snowboarder, but no consideration. Without that contract there are no terms that outline liability (outside of the Colorado Skier Safety Act).

 

[Ski&ride]

One word: liability.

They could have given physical tickets for free, but I don't know if that has the same legal strength as having to pay for the ticket.

Must be a Colorado thing.

Here in the east, many mountains have closing day ski for free. But you do need to stop at the window to get a paper lift ticket.

(One year, I did something like 3 or 4 mountains on closing date, all for free, just for the novelty of it)

 

[David Chaus]

I don't know why my brain does these things to me, but this was my first thought.

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!!!!!

Or is it Marsha?

 

[jmeb]

Crested Butte has had ski for free days early on for years. Discontinued just in the last couple I believe.

My understanding -- from my lawyer friends -- that the legal bits on the back of a ticket are more to deter people rather than actually carry the weight of law. Of course, the Colorado Skier Safety Act applies regardless of buying of a ticket. And that riding a chair is regulated by a whole nother suite of laws by the Tramway board. (Which is why incidents/injuries involving a lift require a much more thorough investigation than injuries incurred in the course of skiing or otherwise on the hill.)

But...IANAL.

 

[mdf]

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!!!!!

... of death!

 

[Uncle Louie]

Well done Alan

 

[jmeb]

Al is one of the industry's best marketers. He just posted this on the official Abasin blog....

http://arapahoebasin.blogspot.com/2019/10/funniest-thing-on-internet.html

 

[Dave Petersen]

This well-known meme comes to mind.

 

[Green08]

ABasin technically won the race to open. But it seems the marketing dollars and storyline are favoring Keystone’s efforts.

It won’t change what I like about ABasin, but Al’s blog and many of the comments make ABasin come off more than a little petty. Gloating when you win, and jumping on the Ikon ship reveal some doubts regarding the viability of your ski area without partnering with one of the evil empires. Stand on your own two feet and take pride in your work. But don’t stoop to the level of vindictive humor—especially when it comes at the hand which paid for BMX, BML, Zuma Bowl, And Beavers.

 

[SBrown]

I have a hard time wrapping my mind around any other interpretation than "this is hilarious!"

 

[coskigirl]

I have a hard time wrapping my mind around any other interpretation than "this is hilarious!"

This. I just can't understand why people are so upset by this. Words like "petty" and "vindictive" seems like a gross overreaction to a friendly race to open that has been going on for years.