Stevens Thursday- What has happened!

Been Skiing Stevens for many years and beginning last year Patrol has started opening hte front side first with DD chair and back side chairs delayed. For such a small area, this really creates a bottleneck at DD with not a ton of options. Yesterday (Wednesday), Patrol did not open DD until 10. Great blower type snow, some crust defiantely in play under the low density snow. Front side skied better. Today, Thursday, Patrol teased us. First it was "9:30" then it was 9:45, then it was 15 minutes and suddenly with over 75 people in line for DD to open on a great powder day, we were informed "Not opening". Thats after we watched 3 lift attendants skiing Double Diamond Trail.  The excuse patrol provided was they were worried about people hiking up the ridge to Skiers Left of Southern Cross (That short steep pitch).  Why can;t patrol eitehr rope the hike, put s sign and a. patroller there, or at the very least, or let the folks that stood around for an hour first ups to the back. No sense in waiting in liine at 10AM back at the front lower chairs.(We were there at 7AM) just to get to the other chair on the backside. Went home after 0 runs. I understand AVY control, and respect closures.  They could have done better!  Some might disagree. Also patrol did say that small hike area, even if it slid naturally would not impact the inbounds areas. They also said if they put up a rope or sign that folks would ignore it. I am not liking the new delayed openings. Stevens is not a gigantic mountain like Vail. Having that terrain open early will disperse the crowds. 

It is a sad state of affairs up there. They have had a huge turn over with patrollers and Vail also did something with not allowing volunteer patrollers help. Doesnt sound like its going to get better anytime soon. First season we were not allowed to tour inbounds before opening and we missed out on an amazing november of skiing in the resort (they should have had lifts spinning, but im sure Dec 4 is historically when stevens turns a profit so thats when they decided to turn chairs)  My only hope is that if we are a bad enough sheep they will let us go, but im afraid the only reason they aquired stevens was for pass sales in seattle area to help with getting people up to Whistler. They are ruining a community here. 

Except Stevens now is Vail

Agree! I need to be careful being in the industry here, but am drafting a niceish letter to operations folks at Vail, perhaps the CEO, and others. I think most feel the same. If they can only make some patrol or operational skier experience issues better we will be good to go. The fact they delay DD or not open at all is the most frustrating experience. I am not a fan of the lower lifts personally. It's still a good mountain. I agree with you on November! One of the best early seasons, others were open. Big bust. 

Lowly East Coaster here......but seeing some of the same.  Hunter, now a Vail property, made the call at almost 10:00 this morning that they wouldn't/couldn't open for the day, after people had purchased tickets and/or showed up at the hill.  Apparently it's a patrol issue.  Seems some number of patrollers tested positive for COVID, and with whatever rules Vail has they couldn't get enough patrollers on the hill to open safely.  At least that's the official story.

Today, Jan 5, I caught first Tye Mill chair to the top (snow on it still) and went right to Southern Cross and it had already been skied a bunch (but not skied out) This was at 10:00, so they must have had DD opened earlier.

I talked to a patroller today who said that they are way understaffed. When they open the mountain they have to start with Brooks then work to Skyline then Hogs then Chief before they get to Tye and the backside. They only have a limited amount of patrollers qualified to do blasting and so everything gets delayed.  Vail = #?^!%.