The Official Skiing / Snowboarding / Playing in the Snow Thread

[Numbernine]

Bite your tongue! There's no such thing as a bad day on snow!

Spoiler

But rain can make it a close call.

Yeah spoken like a true ex Icecoast skier, if a bullet doesn't bounce off and you can't see the through the 3' base to the grass underneath they call it packed powder.

 

[imatlas]

That's when it's time to break out the Go-Fast sticks!

 

[otc]

Yeah spoken like a true ex Icecoast skier, if a bullet doesn't bounce off and you can't see the through the 3' base to the grass underneath they call it packed powder.

Either way, they still call it skiing!

 

[Numbernine]

Either way they still call it flying

 

[otc]

On a related note...**** this covid ****. I pull up the WSJ this morning and read this:

Stay away Californians! I had this idea first!

 

[imatlas]

Sugar Bowl is just about at their new, reduced capacity and is "pausing" sales:

Sugar Bowl has decided to pause sales of all 2020/21 season passes in order to provide the safest possible ski and snowboard experience for guests and staff this winter.​

As we all work together to slow the spread of COVID-19, we recognize the importance of physical distancing and avoiding crowded environments. Although an uncrowded experience has been part of the Sugar Bowl brand ethos for decades, in this pandemic climate we must be especially careful not to overwhelm the resort by selling too many season passes and lift tickets.​

We had already decided to limit daily lift ticket sales this winter and to require advance, online purchases so we know who is coming and when.​

For season passes, the situation is more complex. There are essentially two options: 1) limit the number of passes sold, and/or 2) require daily passholder reservations with a limit on how many passholders can visit the resort each day.​

Recently, neighboring resorts announced their plan to implement the passholder reservation option. In contrast, at Sugar Bowl – a smaller, independent and nimble company – we believe a limit on pass sales is a better approach for our customers, while still allowing us to stay within our safe, comfortable capacity every day and to maintain adequate social distancing between guests and staff at our pinch points near lifts and lodges. That said, even with a cap in sales, we cannot entirely rule out the possibility of also implementing a passholder reservation system. Pausing sales now, however, gives us the potential opportunity to avoid that scenario.​

Sugar Bowl season passes were available starting in March. Sales have been surprisingly strong, pacing faster than expected this summer. We’re using the word “pause” to describe our stop in season pass sales because it may turn out that, after further analysis and consultation with our local and county government partners, we have a little more space to add a few more passholders. We encourage you to keep checking your email, visit our website and follow our social media channels for the latest information.​

We recognize that this news may be disappointing to those who intended to purchase a pass but have not yet had the means to do so. We did not make this decision lightly and the financial consequences to our business are significant. However, we cannot lose sight of our guiding philosophy, which is to provide memorable outdoor experiences while embracing our shared responsibility to slow the spread of COVID-19. Protecting the health and safety of the guests, staff and local communities we serve will always be our top priority.​

Our pause in pass sales does nothing to slow our preparations for the upcoming ski and snowboard season. September is here. The days are shortening, the nights are cooling and soon the mountains will receive their first blanket of snow. We look forward to that day.​

 

[Numbernine]

Sugar Bowl is just about at their new, reduced capacity and is "pausing" sales:

Are they on any of the multi passes like Ikon or epic?

 

[imatlas]

No, they're independent.

 

[Newcomer]

 

[otc]

Nice sticks.

So I spent a lovely few days camped in the Whitefish/Kalispell area...drove through a number of neighborhoods peeking at places to live.

This covid **** is ruining it for me. Everything has just blown up in price. The one RE agent we randomly called was so obviously not hungry for our business and was telling us how the appraisers basically skipped over two valuation bands since June. Prices were all way above what they seemed to be a year ago.

Really hoping that's more driven by the scarce supply than by an actual huge permanent demand change. But even if people start to be more comfortable listing homes in the spring and a harsh winter scares away all of the Californians (no offense) who discover that living in MT is not the same as spending weekends in Tahoe...they are going to want to get prices similar to their recent neighborhood comps.

 

[Newcomer]

Thanks!

Yikes, that is bad to hear. However, I have a slightly different idea in terms of what I am looking for. Specifically, I'm looking for something like this, and I haven't seen any changes in terms of pricing:

Porcupine Rd LOT 13, Placerville, CO 81430 | MLS #37181 | Zillow

For sale: $435,000. Look at the Little Cone Ranch map and one can see what makes lot 13 arguably the finest stand alone 35 acre tract in the subdivision. Set away from other impacts on the northern edge of the ranch. Private driveway from Porcupine Rd. leads one up on a gentle grade to a...

www.zillow.com

 

[imatlas]

Thanks!

Yikes, that is bad to hear. However, I have a slightly different idea in terms of what I am looking for. Specifically, I'm looking for something like this, and I haven't seen any changes in terms of pricing:

Porcupine Rd LOT 13, Placerville, CO 81430 | MLS #37181 | Zillow

For sale: $435,000. Look at the Little Cone Ranch map and one can see what makes lot 13 arguably the finest stand alone 35 acre tract in the subdivision. Set away from other impacts on the northern edge of the ranch. Private driveway from Porcupine Rd. leads one up on a gentle grade to a...

www.zillow.com

Wait until you start getting bids from contractors and suppliers...

 

[otc]

Luckily (unluckily?) CO was mostly already expensive pre-covid...especially on lots that are serviced by good high speed internet! Less likely to tempt the WFH crowd.

Like...we liked this one neighborhood on a wooded hill between Whitefish and Kalispel. There were two homes we saw that were pending and closing within a week according to the agent. Both were 4beds and at 539k and 549k.

137 Mallard Loop, Whitefish, MT 59937 | realtor.com®

View 69 photos for 137 Mallard Loop, Whitefish, MT 59937, a 4 bed, 1 bath, 2,816 Sq. Ft. single family home built in 1992 that was last sold on 10/05/2020.

www.realtor.com

Looking on zillow in the same loop and I found a January 2019 sale of a 5bed on a bigger lot for ~348k (after sitting on the market for a while after having been initially listed above 400. Also a December 2018 sale of a 4bed on a larger lot (with pond frontage) for ~369k.

I can't speak to the qualities/finishes of the homes themselves (they were all built similar times, but plenty of times for renovation/upgrades) but back of the envelope math makes it seem like prices have gone up 50% in the past 2 years.

I mean, it isn't unattainable, but it kind of puts a kibosh on the idea of buying a reasonably priced house on a big lot, with extra space for guests that we could then keep as a vacation/part time residence after we leave. In the 5-700 range, I wouldn't want to try to carry that if we move back to the city...at which point buying is a silly idea if we don't think it will be a long term home.

The 3-400 range now seems to kick you in too small spaces, small lots right next to your neighbors (who moves to MT for that?) and valley floor locations with no mature trees or natural features...

edit: and yeah, this is all still dirt cheap for you bay area folks...still cheap compared to where I'd look in Chicago too...but that's the problem--these realtors are loaded with incoming CA clients who won't even blink at paying $200/sq.ft.

 

[Newcomer]

Yeah, that is a substantial increase. 300k is a whole lot different than 400k.

@imatlas - I am in the buy it and sit on it phase right now. This is my contingency plan when my city is underwater/ravaged in hurricanes.

 

[otc]

Yeah, that is a substantial increase. 300k is a whole lot different than 400k.

@imatlas - I am in the buy it and sit on it phase right now. This is my contingency plan when my city is underwater/ravaged in hurricanes.

In our explorations, we saw multiple instances of what looked like people living in their sprinter van on their empty or just-began construction lot. And I am sure there must be more where someone plops a full size RV/trailer on their lot for a good chunk of time before/while they build. Especially if utilities are in place.

Not sure where local laws would fall down in CO (MT is almost certainly more permissive about what you can do with your property) but a well designed #vanlife vehicle should look indistinguishable from a contractor van...especially from the boundary of a 30 acre property.