Wildly variable snow conditions and the ski trip

Is there a need for a new travel service?

Hello Friends,

I has been a long time since I have written. A replacement hip, challenges getting AFIB under control, family concerns….Blah blah. We all have our challenges in life, so I won’t bore you with mine. Let’s talk about skiing and an old idea I have that is being put into practice this season.

A couple years ago I was at Big Sky and the setting was terrible. The snow conditions were awful. Steep powder runs were either closed or risked injury if you didn’t see a big rock hidden by 1/2 an inch of snow. Blue square groomers had what felt like gravel spread across the run. The base area was overrun with people. It was like skiing on a freeway that dumped into times square. I took one run and quit. If I wasn’t skiing on a pass I think I would have fainted. Imagine if I had paid hundreds of dollars for a single day lift ticket. Makes me sick to my stomach just thinking of it.

What is the one thing all skiers (no matter their age and ability) desire in a skiing experience?

Good snow

Sure, there are other factors that make for a good ski trip.

• Some people value the resort experience or ambience.

• Some expert skiers love powder or moguls.

• Being with friends

• Other recreation options such as Nordic skiing, site seeing, snowshoeing, shopping…

But if the actual skiing is important, crappy snow conditions will ruin the experience. In the past, most mountain ski areas could almost guarantee at least tolerable conditions between January 15 and March 31st. Sure, you might not get deep powder or perfect “corduroy” groomers but the conditions would rarely be really bad. On 12-31-23 things are bleak at many favorite North American mountain resorts*:

• Big Sky - 41% mountain open - 129 of 317 trails open - 23” base

• Palisades Tahoe - 23% mountain open - 61 of 270 trails open - 26” base

• Jackson Hole - 47% mountain open - 62 of 131 trails open - 36” base

• Winter Park - 78% mountain open - 131 of 168 trails open - 37” base

• Revelstoke (Canada Rockies) 69% mountain open - 29 of 42 trails open - 42” base

• Whistler Blackcomb (Pacific NW) 59% of mountain open - 141 of 240 trails open - 42” base

• Telluride - 56% of mountain open - 82 of 147 trails open - 28” base

*Data from Open Snow

To be sure, it is a down season thus far for snow in North America. However, there are a few resorts that are above average for the year and some that are close to their average. How much value would you place on a ski trip with great snow versus terrible snow? For me, it is everything. I would rather not go than spend the money and time skiing in terrible conditions.

So this year I proposed a unique ski trip to my friend Charlie. We set some firm dates but not the location. Charlie named it the fixed date-variable location ski trip. We did place one restriction, it must be an Ikon location as we bought Ikon passes. Will we drive? Maybe. Will we fly? Maybe? Will it be one location or two? Don’t know. Charlie has a friend in Anchorage and Lake Tahoe areas. I have a friend at Taos Ski Valley. Those options could lower our lodging costs but the #1 factor is snow. By using Open Snow to show us current and near term forecasts we can pick the area with the best snow and hopefully be “guaranteed” powder skiing without the high cost of a helicopter or snowcat. Sure, we will likely pay more for air and lodging but isn’t that worth it rather than wasting time and money skiing on ice or rocks?

Now on to the sub title of this post…. “Is there a need for a new travel service”

Putting a trip like this together takes time, patience and faith. It is certainly not for everyone. Some people like certainty and the comfort of a familiar vacation spot. For me, it is all about the conditions. I believe this kind of trip it is best for two so that lodging and transportation arrangements will be easier to make. The biggest challenge is lodging. Ski in ski out could be sold out or expensive. However, it is also possible a last minute reservation could reveal a discount since rooms will likely go empty if they are not rented 5-7 days before arrival.

I have contemplated this type of trip for a few years now. The first the idea was to drive my camper to where the snow is. The common phrase is chase powder. This was way too much driving and living in a small cold camper. No matter how well insulated and customized for winter a camper/RV is, the experience is rough. I enjoy camping but I also enjoy warming my toes by a fireplace and soaking in a hot tub. A camper/RV is also a small space. Even spouces or best buddies will get cabin fever when stuck in a camper from last chair to first chair day after day. In a previous post I detailed many of the challenges with chasing powder out of a camper or RV.

Since this concept of “date specific location variable” has been so difficult to perfect, it occurred to me that maybe there is a small business opportunity helping others pull off this type of trip. Below are two ideas that occurred to me:

1. Custom travel arrangements. Find the best resort to arrive in 5-7 days.

   1. Maybe sorted by pass type or geography.

   2. Find a couple lodging options. Higher dollar ski in ski out type and something more affordable not on the hill.

2. Become a broker or create a newsletter that produces a list of available last minute lodging where the conditions are forecast to be great.

I will give you updates on our trip as the dates grow closer. I’d also love to hear any feedback you might have on those small business ideas. Is this a type of trip any of you would be interested in?

The essential message is…do you want to ski this.

Or this

Follow along as we put together a trip to ski where we know “this” is waiting for us.