The parking conundrum at resorts

[crgildart]

You'd probably need to have an allowance for people driving up to stay for the week, or people that own places up there. Otherwise, I agree... seems like with good bus service and parking at the mouth (better than they have now) it could be done well.

Problem with the shuttle buses used at NC resorts is they are school buses with seats and aisles built for children. Getting on and navigating the aisles and seats with a boot bag or even just boots on a string is horrible and kinda dangerous. Ski holder tubes on the sides aren't made to handle fat skis or big twin tails. It's just an "oh crap boot up at the car" show..

 

[dbostedo]

Problem with the shuttle buses used at NC resorts is they are school buses with seats and aisles built for children. Getting on and navigating the aisles and seats with a boot bag or even just boots on a string is horrible and kinda dangerous. Ski holder tubes on the sides aren't made to handle fat skis or big twin tails. It's just an "oh crap boot up at the car" show..

LCC and BCC aren't nearly that bad I don't think (though I haven't used them). And I'd imagine it could be made nicer - tourist type busses with lots of ski racks on the outside and room enough over the seats for bootbags maybe? And frequent enough that they aren't packed with standing room only?

Of course... who pays for that? Do you charge enough for parking to cover it? Do the resorts pay it out of lift ticket and pass costs?

 

[crgildart]

LCC and BCC aren't nearly that bad I don't think (though I haven't used them). And I'd imagine it could be made nicer - tourist type busses with lots of ski racks on the outside and room enough over the seats for bootbags maybe? And frequent enough that they aren't packed with standing room only?

Of course... who pays for that? Do you charge enough for parking to cover it? Do the resorts pay it out of lift ticket and pass costs?

There is still the inevitable ... damn, I forgot my whatever at the car *&%$*&$*%*(*^! Might take over an hour to catch shuttle to satellite lot X, wait there for another shuttle back to get your goggles or missing glove.

 

[dbostedo]

There is still the inevitable ... damn, I forgot my whatever at the car *&%$*&$*%*(*^! Might take over an hour to catch shuttle to satellite lot X, wait there for another shuttle back to get your goggles or missing glove.

Yep. The best answer is, don't forget stuff.

 

[scott43]

Yep. The best answer is, don't forget stuff.

It's the kids...brain damage..

 

[sparty]

If you care about your skis, they come inside the bus, not on the racks. Yeah, for drier climates and really cold days they may not get blasted with grit (or worse, salt), but one poorly placed puddle and you've got a mess to clean up.

Also avoids the issue of someone grabbing your skis by mistake (or intent).

 

[Philpug]

From KOLO8 News

By Bridget Chavez |
Posted: Thu 5:48 PM, Jan 02, 2020 |
Updated: Thu 6:09 PM, Jan 02, 2020
TRUCKEE, CA A new paid parking plan to help alleviate congestion at Northstar California Resort has some season passholders furious.

"Well of course I was outraged and I thought surely they can't mean this," Ron Code, who has been skiing at Northstar for more than 20 years, said.
Northstar announced in October of 2019 that it would begin charging for parking at Village View. The lot was previously free of charge to park in. Now, patrons have to pay $10 for weekdays and $20 on holidays and weekends.
"I was furious, I was really upset actually," Steven Knoll, another longtime passholder, said.
Code and Knoll renewed their season passes in April of 2019. They said they had the understanding that they would receive the same pass as years before which did not include extra charges for parking.
"After we had fully paid for it they changed those rules to our detriment and refused to give us any refund even though we hadn't used the passes even," Code said.

There is still an option for free parking at Castle Peak, but you have to take a shuttle to get to the Village. Code and Knoll said at their age, shuttling and climbing large staircases is not an option.
"When you're a season passholder, where they've already taken your money and they've deliberately kept the knowledge from you that would have prevented you from buying the ticket in the first place," Knoll said. "If we'd known in advance we wouldn't have renewed."
Northstar said the plan will help to reduce traffic congestion along Northstar Drive.
Code and Knoll are now suing Vail Resorts for $400,000 for fraud and breach of contract.
"In my offer of settlement to Vail, I said I don't want to fight here, I just want to ski, they're preventing me from skiing at my favorite place," Knoll said.
We reached out to Northstar fin regards to this matter and the resort said it would not comment on the pending lawsuit.
Copyright KOLO-TV 2020

 

[crgildart]

I think Wintergreen has gated parking for the premiere passholders and property owners. After President's Day the gates stay up and I park there with no issues. Sinage is still there saying it's for special people or whatever.

Ya, I'd be pretty pissed if I paid for a pass then they sprung an additional $20 parking charge. I guess you don't have to take a car to use the pass but still. If it were me I'd try to come up with a way to hose the multi pass visiter folks and not the local pass folks. Also give a credit back to folks paying the already obscene walk up ticket window prices if they show a parking pass paid for that morning in the lot. Rolling in from out of town in an Icon or EPIC pass??? Get the revenues from the visitors. Heck, they charge more at Disney World to out of state visitors than they do for folks with a Florida ID. Gouge the visitors LOL!

 

[dbostedo]

If you care about your skis, they come inside the bus, not on the racks. Yeah, for drier climates and really cold days they may not get blasted with grit (or worse, salt), but one poorly placed puddle and you've got a mess to clean up.

Also avoids the issue of someone grabbing your skis by mistake (or intent).

Huh... I've used external racks on busses or shuttles probably 10 or 15 times... and I've never had an issue. Never even considered it until now actually.

Still, I think dragging your skis onto the bus (and then having to hold them the whole time so they don't move around) - which I've also done a few times - is enough of a PITA that I'd prefer not to. But that's not a huge deal if most people would prefer to bring them on-board. But if it were up to me? I'd go for the outside racks.

 

[PinnacleJim]

I spend most of February each year in Summit County, CO. Parking situation there is mixed. The big gondola lot at Keystone is free, but all the closer in lots are pay, including the one by the Mountain House that used to be free. Breck is all pay except for the "Airport" lot which means a shuttle bus and then the gondola to get to Peak 7 or 8. Not as bad as it sounds. Copper had huge free lots with a good shuttle system to East or Center Village. Closer in lots are pay. And A-Basin is free except for the prime "beach" slots in the spring.

 

[Pat AKA mustski]

Before Alterra, when Mammoth bought out BBMR, they instituted a $20/car parking fee on weekends. There are free parking lots and a decent shuttle service. The biggest problem it caused - and continues to cause - is a huge traffic snafu. When parking was free, the attendants waved everyone through and got all the cars parked quickly. They then moved to filling the street parking and then the shuttle lots. Now, every car has to stop to pay $20 which keeps traffic backed up along the main Boulevard and prevents access to a number of businesses. The local sheriffs have to direct traffic and keep it moving through some backstreets to free up the main Boulevard. This does not work very well. Residents have a very hard time getting in and out of their neighborhoods. On the bright side, if you get to the mountain early, there won't be any crowds on the runs until 11:00!

 

[James]

There is still the inevitable ... damn, I forgot my whatever at the car *&%$*&$*%*(*^! Might take over an hour to catch shuttle to satellite lot X, wait there for another shuttle back to get your goggles or missing glove.

How do people do it??

 

[crgildart]

How do people do it??

Boot up at the car and check to be sure everyone has helmet, goggles, gloves on. With kids, quick inspection before klunking over to the shuttle bus line. 2 kids with bags and skis???? Hell ya someone's going to be missing something crucial that then gets bought at the base lodge ski shop for ten times what it costs online.

 

[Wasatchman]

PowMow pass next year?

Except I don't live in Ogden. Vail/Alterra could triple prices next year and I'd still pay it. I'd bitch, but I'd pay it. Sad thing is I wouldn't even hesitate. I'd ask may I have another please as I hand them my credit card.

 

[DanoT]

LCC and BCC aren't nearly that bad I don't think (though I haven't used them). And I'd imagine it could be made nicer - tourist type busses with lots of ski racks on the outside and room enough over the seats for bootbags maybe? And frequent enough that they aren't packed with standing room only?

Of course... who pays for that? Do you charge enough for parking to cover it? Do the resorts pay it out of lift ticket and pass costs?

Utah Transit Authority run the buses up BCC and LCC. I think it is $5 each way, half price for seniors. Last season, if you had a Ikon pass the UTA bus was free. However you had to go in person to Guest Services at Solitude in order to validate/activate the Ikon pass for free UTA bus rides.

My first 2 days I went to Alta/Bird, showed the bus driver my Ikon pass and told him that I hadn't yet made it to Solitude for Pass Activation, both days, coming and going there was no problem.

3rd day I get on the bus to Solitude, show my pass but the driver insists that I pay $2.50 senior rate. I ask for a receipt.

When I go into the office at Solitude to get my Ikon pass activated for riding the bus, I give them my receipt and ask for a refund. I am told that they cannot give me cash but offer a $5 gift card good towards ski rentals or food. So I end up with a net free bus ride and $2.50 free food. WIN.

 

[murphysf]

The Northstar lawsuit seems like a reasonable argument. But I suspect that free parking in a specific location is not a requirement.

The parking fee at Northstar was definitely a surprise, especially because the whole parking situation was not ideal even when it was free!

 

[Goose]

Didn't read this entire thread so dont know if its been mentioned. And if it has Ill mention it again .

Its no secret the great economic impact and dependability first timer, beginner, weekender families have on ski resorts. Its enormous income. And we all know (as been discussed in other past threads) the great hurtles a beginning ski family has to endure and also understand why it is that the sport ends up with so many one timer but never ever returners. One of those many hurtles is of course the cost. Especially when considering the actual fun via skiing return which is usually very minimal vs the enormous efforts as well as the cost for the first time family. Hence why the large amount of never ever returners even if they somewhat enjoyed it.

Now just add expensive parking or being forced to traverse (either long walking or shuttle) for free parking to the whole daunting task for the first time family on top of everything else. It may not seem like much to some and may to some seem understandable. But (right, wrong, or indifferent) it does become yet another added hurtle , daunting task, and expense, and therefore is yet another deterrent which on top of everything else further adds reason for more first time but then to be never returners.

But to be fair I also speak a lot from my area which is mostly about the small over crowded hills of the Poconos and or lower NY where even experienced ski families can be deterred and turned off due to crowds, short runs, long lines, little to offer in wonderful views (relatively speaking) and much less a return vs the cost and efforts. Perhaps things out west where just the simple size , spread, and beauty of the ski resorts/ mountains in itself makes it far much more attractive and therefore a bit easier to mentally overcome the hurtles only in the sense that it feels much more worthy.

IDK but I can see where its possible the whole pay for parking thing may hurt the business more than help it in the long run.

 

[fatbob]

If these places really cared about the environment they'd all splash out on some land for big remote lots then run free and continuous buses on biodiesel while banning private vehicles from even dropping off. But of course it's a large dose of greenwashingwhile they extract $$$. Credit to Aspen they seem to do it very well.

 

[crgildart]

Didn't read this entire thread so dont know if its been mentioned. And if it has Ill mention it again .

Its no secret the great economic impact and dependability first timer, beginner, weekender families have on ski resorts. Its enormous income. And we all know (as been discussed in other past threads) the great hurtles a beginning ski family has to endure and also understand why it is that the sport ends up with so many one timer but never ever returners. One of those many hurtles is of course the cost. Especially when considering the actual fun via skiing return which is usually very minimal vs the enormous efforts as well as the cost for the first time family. Hence why the large amount of never ever returners even if they somewhat enjoyed it.

Now just add expensive parking or being forced to traverse (either long walking or shuttle) for free parking to the whole daunting task for the first time family on top of everything else. It may not seem like much to some and may to some seem understandable. But (right, wrong, or indifferent) it does become yet another added hurtle , daunting task, and expense, and therefore is yet another deterrent which on top of everything else further adds reason for more first time but then to be never returners.

Actually, the first timer/never evers are the ones least likely to be hauling a boatload of gear for a family with a couple small kids.. and instead are most likely to be renting all the gear except what they are wearing. It's the just went all in and bought gear for everyone who are suddenly faced with another $20 and/or find out how big of a hassle it really is to haul all your gear a half mile via walking or shuttle bus while managing little kids and their gear too.

 

[Goose]

Actually, the first timer/never evers are the ones least likely to be hauling a boatload of gear for a family with a couple small kids.. and instead are most likely to be renting all the gear except what they are wearing. It's the just went all in and bought gear for everyone who are suddenly faced with another $20 and/or find out how big of a hassle it really is to haul all your gear a half mile via walking or shuttle bus while managing little kids and their gear too.

Yea I suppose your right, that would be true for many folks but also many will rent off mountain too in hopes of saving money (which are very many people as well). But either way the preferred parking thing can act as just another negative to add to the list of the many reasons skiing can be hard to justify as for hooking in a new family.