East a Joke

[Shreducator]

John,

You've known me to always be preaching how great the carving is at East, and even West for that matter, and that I'm always stoked, regardless of how bad the snow, or how crowded the slopes. (I still don't think there is a such thing as bad snow) Additionally, any issues that I felt needed resolution were emailed to you directly, as I was always confident it would be promptly taken care of, and making it anything public was unnecessary. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Previously, I sent an email thanking you for keeping the jumps somewhat under control. I'd like to retract that praise after seeing you and the MH staff have utterly ruined the East resort.

You have alienated a large amount of skiers and riders who love the wide open slopes at East. The Mountain High Race team is now only able to run drills on Sundance, having limited vertical set in the trees, while great for technical skiing, does not train skiers adequately. A race team of skiers used to 500 feet of vertical reflects poorly on a resort, particularly when potential customers for East are those whose interests encompass racing.

Now, to speak to the "core freeriders". You, as the Marketing Director know that MH's proximity to LA is both a boon and a curse. East is littered with "freeriders" dangerously straightlining Goldrush. Previously, they had near infinite visibility and could avoid accidents, even with their limited control. You, as a hardbooter, most likely share the same sentiment about straightliners, and certainly would not want to limit your "crash radar" when looking up the slope. You have done exactly this, and have created a major safety issue for in-control carving skiers and snowboarders who rapidly traverse the slope. Continuing the lunacy, you have completely alienated the skiers and snowboarders you are trying to attract with these giant jokes on the slope. This is similar to the late 90's when many resorts were opening superpipes that were largely unridable for most riders, leaving giant swaths of waster terrain. Explain to me how causing displeasure and obstacles for, according to another poster, more than 90% of your customers at East reflects well on Mountain High as any kind of a decent resort?

East was once an area where I could bring my 183cm long, Olympic caliber Giant Slalom board and let it rip down the slope, in all of its crazy glory. Now, I'm more than happy to take it in the trees at Baldy and bound around in the moguls because I know I won't get hit by some out of control jumper on a mile wide jump, or have to try and turn it inside of a 30 foot lane while maintaining a safe speed. I'm more than happy to core shot an $800 custom made board at Baldy than try and squeeze in a few safe turns at the JOKE of a mountain you're now running.

The website now needs fixing as well.  

 "Mountain High is home to not one, but three distinguished resorts.  Even though they are only a mile apart, they offer stunning differences in both terrain and atmosphere."

"East Resort: The East Resort boasts the longest trails in Southern California serviced by a single high-speed quad.  It is also known for its thrilling moguls, gladed tree skiing areas and breathtaking views of the Mojave Desert. Rising as high as 8,200 feet, the East Resort offers traditional skiers and snowboarders a true alpine experience without having to journey far from home."

Seems like a big oops to have all this misinformation on the site now.

I'm not a ski snob, I'm a 16 year old snotty-nosed punk from Southern California. I happen to hardboot, but I appreciate ALL the snowboard culture. I love watching jibs and big hits, it just happens that I only like to compete in Alpine events and my plank of choice is big and fast. But to ride up to West, and see those 3 wannabe thugs on the board which previously had very tasteful pictures of skiing and riding in the San Gabriels makes me laugh.

I hope your meeting with Lance, the other hardbooter who has been in contact with you, goes well and you can resolve these issues with the resort without adversely affecting revenue.

I genuinely loved my 50+ days last year at the resort, and I enjoyed all the chances I had to speak with you about the resort. I'm confident that we can find a resolution to the issues at East that take into account both the freestyle and more traditional riders and skiers, and I'd appreciate a chance to speak with you in person about these issues in addition to Lance's input.

Yours Respectfully,

Theo




 

[Chief Marketing Officer]

Read your post.  And I'm sorry that you are unhappy.  For what its worth, I understand.  Jumps are no friend to a hard booter.  But, for the time being, they are here to stay. 

Please know we are watching them very closely though, both from a usability and flow aspect, and we'll see what develops.  Our goal is to create a safe and fun environment for as many guests as possible and we'll keep tweaking things until we get there.

Best wishes.

[Shreducator]

Please know we are watching them very closely though, both from a usability and flow aspect, and we'll see what develops.

I wish I could say I've seen these efforts transpire at West, but there is not much thought put into placement there, either. From what I can see, Faultline finds a spot where the trail is wide, and slaps a pile of snow there. The Exhibition Chair, one of my favorites isn't worth the virgin groom on Calamity and Vertigo because the traffic bottleneck is littered with 2 large jumps and a jib. There are two narrow arteries on either side of a lift tower as the ONLY access to the lower mountain from Trestles, Coffey's, Gunslinger, Chisolm, Calamity, and Vertigo. I'm not a park designer, but such a layout does not lend itself to good flow for ALL the guests.

Take the jumps off upper Goldrush. There is no reasoning in their placement. Find me another resort that uses a highspeed quad to serve a SINGLE trail 20 feet wide with jumps in use by fewer than 10% of the attendance. It's a safety issue, it's a traffic issue, and it's simply illogical. Seriously, it is a non issue for EVERYONE if you remove the upper jumps. Us "carving purists" as we've been called are all more than happy on Sundance, and often spend all our time over there to avoid the mess. Remove the upper jumps, the complaints are GONE from my end..and I'm probably the most stubborn on this topic. You keep the upper mountain for what East is famous, and lower Goldrush is a fantastic place for jumps and jibs.

PMs I've received since my post: "Excellent post on the East! I am in complete agreement, they need to take a SERIOUS look at their decision to add jumps there."

"thank you for your post!! i got hit by some idiot the other day!"

Go figure..

[Shreducator]

Conquest features coming? Count me out for a season pass next year.  

Britt said: There are 17 trails at East, with only 1 run that has features on it. I'm sure that there is more than enough room to still enjoy a "true alpine experience".

There is ONE run for a significant part of the mountain, on which ALL people at the resort are forced. Seriously, you guys have the craziest logic..

I seriously feel bad for the hardbooters and traditional skiers stuck in town with Mt High