Dropping the Vertical at Snowbasin
AstroPax
the Editors of Skiing Magazine.
---
In reference to Skiing Magazine, "The Inside Line, Snowbasin, UT" (Dec
2002, page 51):
Someone must have secretly raised the top of the Olympic Tram, or they
lowered the base area, because Snowbasin certainly doesn't offer a
vertical drop of 3500 feet.
Even if one calculates the vertical drop of Snowbasin by using the
summit of Mt Ogden as the uppermost point (9570 feet), and the base
area (6400 feet) as the lowermost point, the total vertical equates to
a grand total of 3170 vertical feet (well below the Skiing Magazine
published figure of 3500 feet).
But Mt Ogden is not lift served, and it is way Out-of, (and
above)-Bounds. Even the Snowbasin web site <www.snowbasin.com>
advertises a total vert of only 2940 feet.
2940 feet is the correct answer.
I have no idea where in the world Skiing Magazine obtained an
inaccurate figure of 3500 feet, but it certainly doesn't exist at the
Snowbasin I've been skiing down for the past 30+ years.
-AstroPax, Utah
http://www.xmission.com/~hound/astro/
---
-Astro
Endlessseason
GREAT JOB, AstroPax!!
I can't believe they're still trying to inflate their vertical, even
though you brought this out in the open a long time ago.
I wonder if Holding himself signs off on this kind of flagrant
deception? That's just wrong.
People reading "Skiing" will believe that Snowbasin's vertical is in
the same league as Heavenly or Sun Valley, when in reality, it's more
like Sugarloaf, Maine, and even less vert than Marmot Basin in
Alberta!
What a bunch of crap!
I hope "Skiing" does the right thing and places a correction
prominently in the mag to expose what Snowbasin was trying to do.
Endlessseason
for those who wish to know true vertical when making your ski plans.
(I don't make any money from this effort. It is a labor of love...;))
((*
*))
JQ
"Endlessseason" <skis...@cramski.com> wrote in message
news:d4f36f8.02111...@posting.google.com...
Great work!
JQ
Dancing on the edge
Bob Peters
> FYI, the following is the full text of an e-mail I recently sent to
> the Editors of Skiing Magazine.
> I have no idea where in the world Skiing Magazine obtained an
> inaccurate figure of 3500 feet, but it certainly doesn't exist at the
> Snowbasin I've been skiing down for the past 30+ years.
Good luck in getting a response.
Earlier this fall, I sent a similar email to the editors of Ski
complaining about their choice of the phrase "helium-light" to
describe the usual powder conditions at Jackson Hole. Anybody who
knows me is aware of the fact that I *passionately* love the mountain
and the skiing at Jackson, but "helium-light" is hardly a proper
description.
Anyway, I wrote them in September and have yet to receive a response
of any kind. I'm pretty much convinced the ski press could care less
about truth in advertising or in reporting.
Bob
AstroPax
wrote:
>I hope "Skiing" does the right thing and places a correction
>prominently in the mag to expose what Snowbasin was trying to do.
<fume>
For some unknown reason, I suspect that Skiing Magazine is the guilty
party.
In the same article on Snowbasin, Skiing Magazine states that it takes
15 minutes to hike from the top of the Strawberry lift up to the
entrance of "Lone Pine Chute". The longest it's ever taken me is 5
minutes.
Obviously, the Utah point of contact for Skiing Magazine doesn't know
his ass from a hole in the ground.
I really feel sorry for the poor suckers that actually use these
misleading publications to plan a trip. I mean really, imagine
forking over a few $grand$ to take the wife and kids on a
once-in-a-year ski vacation to this big, highly rated, 3500 vertical
foot ski area in Utah, only to find out that it's really a mere 2,940
feet, at best. And, due to the low elevation, the "greatest snow on
earth" has turned to Sierra Cement by day number two after a big storm
(meanwhile, at Solitude, there is still plenty of fresh, untracked,
nice and soft pow).
Anyway, I usually don't purchase any of the ski mags. I think they
are a total waste of $$ and trees. I just happened to be at the local
Albertson's grocery store flipping through the pages...doing my
monthly intake of free-reading (Powder, Ski, Freeze, and Skiing) when
I came across this article with the bogus numbers.
And of course, Skiing Magazine didn't bother to mention that
approximately 50 percent of the advertised acreage at Snowbasin is
un-skiable due to the exposed vegetation (IMO).
Worse yet, Skiing Magazine had the gaul to compare Snowbasin's Philpot
Ridge to the Vail Back Bowls. Trust me folks, Philpot ain't a Vail
Back Bowl.
</fume>
-Astro
x-Vertigo
http://www.xmission.com/~hound/astro/02-03/index.htm
Eric A Holeman
AstroPax <as...@skiutah.com> wrote:
>I really feel sorry for the poor suckers that actually use these
>misleading publications to plan a trip.
Back when it was better, Powder used to publish an annual travel guide that was
a lot of fun to read and reasonably accurate. I wonder if they still do, and if
it doesn't suck.
--
---
Eric Holeman eholem1 at uic,edu Chicago Illinois USA
Tony2turn
> editors of Ski
>complaining about their choice of the phrase "helium-light" to
>describe the usual powder conditions at Jackson Hole.
Helium Light? that's the snow we got on the east coast last year. It just
floated past us, it never fell.
-2turn
Jack Wan
article. Never been there but normally do the bird and Alta yearly. I was
lured to SB because the Olympic downhill and the article. I guess I will
think twice before jump in. I was going to do it for two days any how, would
that be advisable?
Walt
>
> Worse yet, Skiing Magazine had the gaul to compare Snowbasin's Philpot
> Ridge to the Vail Back Bowls. Trust me folks, Philpot ain't a Vail
> Back Bowl.
What's the difference? Lift lines too short?
--
//-Walt
//
// Vail - Where everybody goes to be seen (waiting in a queue)
JQ
"Tony2turn" <tony...@aol.comnospam> wrote in message
news:20021120020930...@mb-fz.aol.com...
So that is what happened to our snow.
Doug Vance
it something you order apres ski?
Doug
AstroPax
wrote:
Sure. Don't get me wrong. Snowbasin is a good place to ski, and the
Skiing Magazine article was, for the most part, accurate.
Just don't expect 3500 vert, or the same quality and quantity of snow
that one would find in LCC or BCC Canyon.
Snowbasin has excellent lifts, good groomers, and some really decent
hike-to terrain.
Do it.
-Astro
x-Vertigo
http://www.xmission.com/~hound/astro/02-03/index.htm
AstroPax
wrote:
>I hope "Skiing" does the right thing and places a correction
>prominently in the mag
According to the assistant editor, that's exactly what they plan to
do.
-Astro