From: rwaters@spdg.com (Rolland Waters)
Subject: Actual Vail Comments, (was Re: Ms. Information and the Humor Challenged (was: Something about Vail))
Organization: Stratos Product Development Group (Seattle)
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 18:07:11 GMT

In article <1992Nov4.221815.13954@fcom.cc.utah.edu> klaus@ced.utah.edu writes:
>> I don't know about the rest of the people hanging out on this group, but I
>> find this attitude very bothersome and at odds with other newsgroups I read
>> on the net.
>
>Oh boy.. Here we go again...
>
>Try reading Comp.sys.sun, comp.os.os2, comp.lang.c, etc. You don't read
>many alt groups either, eh?

Or rec.motorcycles, or rec.backcountry, or...  why is it that the highest
S/N ratio group is rec.crafts.brewing?

Death of the Net!  Film at 11!  


Ob Skiing:

My Vail comments.  I don't attribute these comments because I'm not
arguing, I'm communicating my personal experience, which is what
Usenet is about and good for, correct?

I've been there once, for 10 days, immediately after Thanksgiving last
year.  Lots of snow, YMMV. No, I didn't pay for the trip.  :-)

> 1.  It's crowded, typically 45 minute waits on the front side quad lifts.

I was generally on the slopes immediately after the lifts opened and never
went back to the bottom until the early afternoon; I never waited long,
by New England standards.

> 2.  I don't like the front, because it's like skiing a giant staircase.
>	You ski down a little, then traverse over, ski down, traverse
>	over, ski, traverse, ski, traverse.

I can think of a few other major Rocky Resorts of which this is far
more true than Vail.

> 3.  The bowls are fantastic...when there is powder, this is about
>	1/3 the time.  The bowls are south facing the get crusty
>	even on overcast days.

It snowed a lot when I was there, but there wasn't a lot of bowl 
skiing to be had.

> 4.  After skiing down most of the back bowl runs, you have to traverse
>	quit a ways on cat walks at the bottom to get to a lift.

And at the top, to get to fresh powder.

> 5.  The town of Vail is the first linear city.  It looks fake and is
>	fake.
> 6.  It also has a high percentage of fake people.

Fake?  Vail Fake?  This is one of the most outrageously true statements
ever to grace the halls of rec.skiing.  Very fake.  Bavaria in the
desert, I was really embarrassed to be near any Germans who might
think I was there because I liked the architecture.

> 7.  It is way too expensive for tickets, parking and food.

Beats me, I essentially only paid for food, which had its usual killer
resort markup at Safeway.  Lunch time specials in town are *very*
reasonably priced, and quantities are reasonable FART [For A Resort
Town].  Stayed in the Westin for a bit, it's nice 'cause it has it's
own lift up and trail back, so you neither wait nor get run over.  I
wouldn't want to think about staying in Vail on my personal VISA card.

> I will only go to Vail in the middle of a blizzard, when there are no
> people on the slopes and lots of fresh untracked powder in the back bowls.

Eugene, splap a tracker on this guy, and a detector at Eisenhower
tunnel!  We've got a powderhound to follow! 

Other than that, people were really friendly, but people are almost
always friendly to me.  :-)


Rolland