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Doug Briggs

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

I'd add eye-opening. I don't recall A-Basin and Loveland ridiculing each other over their competition. They would shake hands and continue to be friends. All the jabbing has been at VR's expense on this one. Keystone seems to have taken the high road and not dissed A-Basin but reveled in their return to really early opening days.

I take the VR bashing a bit hard (the skiing at their resorts is terrific), but I try to put the positive spin on it. In the end, though, it is just skiing. 'Friendly' competition, losing and winning can really bring out our bad sides.

On a related note, according to 9News and Al, the late afternoon opening is nothing new. It was news to me, though.

 

Green08

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I'd add eye-opening. I don't recall A-Basin and Loveland ridiculing each other over their competition. They would shake hands and continue to be friends. All the jabbing has been at VR's expense on this one. Keystone seems to have taken the high road and not dissed A-Basin but reveled in their return to really early opening days.

I take the VR bashing a bit hard (the skiing at their resorts is terrific), but I try to put the positive spin on it. In the end, though, it is just skiing. 'Friendly' competition, losing and winning can really bring out our bad sides.

On a related note, according to 9News and Al, the late afternoon opening is nothing new. It was news to me, though.


I watched the Killington vs Sunday River race out East for years. It always had a collegial tone, even if one side tried to get tricky to win. They were always congratulatory. I never saw Mike or Jeff post something like what Al put up.

The blog post seems so shocking because it is very much a departure from the collegial norm of friendly competition. On offer to let Keystone employees ski for free on Friday would have been more in line with past practice, than reposting a jab at VR.

I don’t judge where I want to ski based on the public media persona of a resort executive. However, Al’s post and all the comments on the blog are of a different tone vs last season, and I Hope are not indicative of what the new ABasin vibe could become.

Last thing people want is for ABasin to become a bitchy “stay away Ikon skiers” resort.
 

Green08

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I also would draw attention to ABasin’s own social media. Al’s blog posted a humerus Reagan era meme. However, when ABasin PR staff created links to the blog post, as they do almost automatically, it is clear the judiciously edited what would be seen on social media.

When your PR guys are editing and spinning something, it indicated it was perhaps less than a perfect blog post.

And now of course we also get to debate if opening weekend is going to be a financial bust for ABasin, Keystone or both.
 

coskigirl

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Given that we can't see Keystone's lift lines I don't think we can pass judgment on what their crowds are like. While Abasin probably has overall lower turnout, I think that's what they wanted. They probably made a good amount on $15 lift tickets on Friday as I'd guess a small fraction of the crowd were Abasin pass holders and anyone killing an Ikon day on a couple of hours when they could buy $15 tickets would be silly.
 

jmeb

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Abasin's blog today explicitly calling out that this lack of crowds is what they'd hope would happen.

I know a few Abasin passholders that are stoked right now. We'll see if this lack of crowds holds up. I think if Abasin can handle a slight down year due to lack of crowds, they will sell a lot more season passes next year as people buy into the new model.
 

mikel

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I know a few that would have normally been at A Basin for opening ended up going to Keystone. Wow, sounds like Al is happy and he and the core passholders are getting what they were hoping for. Doesn't seem like the Ikoners are willing to blow an early season day. And maybe the A Basin price increase has kept some of the last second day trippers away? I guess I wasn't paying attention and didn't realize it cost $95 to ski that WROD now. And I was also told the pics on here of Keystone might be a little deceiving.
 

RachelV

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The new bathrooms aren't open yet. :)

I skied A-Basin on Saturday and the lack of crowds was amazing. If this is the new early season A-Basin experience, sign me up.

I skied Keystone on Sunday and it was full, but not "I'm risking my life by being here" crowded. I do have to say that, while the terrain they have open is a green, the quality of the WROD was overall better.

And who did I run into on Saturday at A-Basin but @Hotchocolate, who is back from living in Honolulu and is now in Aurora. :) We were sliding onto the same chair together and made awkward eye contact for a solid few seconds before we both said, "I know you!"

IMG_6658.jpg

A+ opening weekend all around. Psyched for ski season. :)
 

SBrown

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...

And who did I run into on Saturday at A-Basin but @Hotchocolate, who is back from living in Honolulu and is now in Aurora. :) We were sliding onto the same chair together and made awkward eye contact for a solid few seconds before we both said, "I know you!"

View attachment 82095

I love this!!
 

focker

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I saw more than a few posts on Twitter calling A-basin out for being petty and other things over the way they opened and some meme's that were retweeted.

Overall I think this first to open deal is a bit overblown anyway.
 

SBrown

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I saw more than a few posts on Twitter calling A-basin out for being petty and other things over the way they opened and some meme's that were retweeted..

The funny thing to me about the continued use of the word "petty" is its definition: the second definition is "small-minded, mean, ungenerous ...," but the first one is "trivial, trifling, minor, small, unimportant, insignificant,..." Who is being petty here? lol
 

coskigirl

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The funny thing to me about the continued use of the word "petty" is its definition: the second definition is "small-minded, mean, ungenerous ...," but the first one is "trivial, trifling, minor, small, unimportant, insignificant,..." Who is being petty here? lol

People were so pissed about the Ikon deal causing crowds with no actual knowledge of numbers and wouldn't let it go and let it play out, condemning Abasin without any proof. Now they insist that Abasin was petty, vindictive, adolescent, and so on for this. I give up.
 

Blue Streak

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If A Basin really wants to reduce crowds and improve the overall experience, the solution is obvious: ban snowboarders.

If they did that, A Basin could occupy the same iconic space that Alta does.

But simple does not mean painless.

It will never happen, but we can dream.
 

Ken_R

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If A Basin really wants to reduce crowds and improve the overall experience, the solution is obvious: ban snowboarders.

If they did that, A Basin could occupy the same iconic space that Alta does.

But simple does not mean painless.

It will never happen, but we can dream.


:golfclap::yeah:
 

raisingarizona

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If A Basin really wants to reduce crowds and improve the overall experience, the solution is obvious: ban snowboarders.

If they did that, A Basin could occupy the same iconic space that Alta does.

But simple does not mean painless.

It will never happen, but we can dream.

I like riding with my snowboarding buddies
 

skibum4ever

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Looks like A-Basin is opening Lenawee this afternoon.

I also note that Keystone has opened several more front face runs.

A little more terrain plus no snow at Mammoth is going to lead us to a very early season drive to Colorado.
 

Noodler

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Looks like A-Basin is opening Lenawee this afternoon.

I also note that Keystone has opened several more front face runs.

A little more terrain plus no snow at Mammoth is going to lead us to a very early season drive to Colorado.

I didn't stay long enough for the opening, but the word on the hill was 2 p.m. It definitely looked ready to go, but I'm sure it's a total rock garden up there.
 

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