I'm afraid trail-maps could go the way of airline meals or no free baggage (except for Southwest Airlines) as a cost saving measure. Unfortunately cell phone coverage on mountains can be iffy and I find it hard to look at the screen - especially on a bluebird day - also your battery runs don quicker in very cold temperatures!
Hopefully the lobbyist for the snowsports industry will fight to keep the trail-maps available for skiers/visitors at mountain resorts
I will also miss the hard copy ski maps, if this becomes an industry trend. Part of my love of skiing is the exploration and the ski map is an integral part of that.
What about this alternative?
Maybe lots of mountains are doing this and I just haven't been to the right mountains, but I skied Northstar CA for the first time in February and on each chair, on the safety bar, there was a trail map. Not huge (maybe 8"x12"), but definitely large enough to read clearly. There was, of course, some advertising flanking the map, but big whoop. It was a great distraction for my kids each ride and would help solve some issues if hard copy trail maps get phased out.
Now I can't understand what most ski areas don't do this. It wasn't some expensive piece of equipment that needed to be added. It was basically a molded plastic frame that clamped on to the existing safety bar. Seems like it could easily be paid for with the advertising revenue and made for a great skier experience. Are other resorts doing this and I just haven't been to those?
Anyway, I’m a new listener and am really enjoying the content, not just about skiing, but really the skiing industry. Keep up the great work.
Thanks so much, Tony. I've seen those same maps on chairs out west, and I agree that they're great. I want to say it was at Snowbird, but I'm not 100 percent sure on that. Either way, it's a good in-between. I'm hoping though that the paper map is not a permanent cost-cutting item and reappears at ticket windows everywhere in 2021-22!
So you had to make a reservation in advance to enter the lodge. I just went with the power bar lunch on the lift. Skied 10-3 solid and bounced. But it was warm and I was desperate to ski. If it was colder, I would have packed lunch to eat in the car for sure.
I'm afraid trail-maps could go the way of airline meals or no free baggage (except for Southwest Airlines) as a cost saving measure. Unfortunately cell phone coverage on mountains can be iffy and I find it hard to look at the screen - especially on a bluebird day - also your battery runs don quicker in very cold temperatures!
Hopefully the lobbyist for the snowsports industry will fight to keep the trail-maps available for skiers/visitors at mountain resorts
I will also miss the hard copy ski maps, if this becomes an industry trend. Part of my love of skiing is the exploration and the ski map is an integral part of that.
What about this alternative?
Maybe lots of mountains are doing this and I just haven't been to the right mountains, but I skied Northstar CA for the first time in February and on each chair, on the safety bar, there was a trail map. Not huge (maybe 8"x12"), but definitely large enough to read clearly. There was, of course, some advertising flanking the map, but big whoop. It was a great distraction for my kids each ride and would help solve some issues if hard copy trail maps get phased out.
Now I can't understand what most ski areas don't do this. It wasn't some expensive piece of equipment that needed to be added. It was basically a molded plastic frame that clamped on to the existing safety bar. Seems like it could easily be paid for with the advertising revenue and made for a great skier experience. Are other resorts doing this and I just haven't been to those?
Anyway, I’m a new listener and am really enjoying the content, not just about skiing, but really the skiing industry. Keep up the great work.
Thanks so much, Tony. I've seen those same maps on chairs out west, and I agree that they're great. I want to say it was at Snowbird, but I'm not 100 percent sure on that. Either way, it's a good in-between. I'm hoping though that the paper map is not a permanent cost-cutting item and reappears at ticket windows everywhere in 2021-22!
Testify!
What was the lodge, or lack there of, situation at Hunter? Did you shelter and eat in your car?
So you had to make a reservation in advance to enter the lodge. I just went with the power bar lunch on the lift. Skied 10-3 solid and bounced. But it was warm and I was desperate to ski. If it was colder, I would have packed lunch to eat in the car for sure.