rcdude

Somehow, I got 17/20. I guess I'm good at guessing, since roughly half of them were guesses.

I'm planning to go apply at Knott's tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be able to get a job but I don't know yet. I've never had a job before, and I want to work at a theme park, but if not Knott's the only other option nearby would probably be Wild Rivers.

As of right now, I have been on both Vortexes, Mantis, Riddler's Revenge, and Shockwave (in terms of stand-ups). I have to say that Shockwave is dead last. I rode it once, and I said I would ride it again if and only if there was a two train or shorter wait. It wasn't exceptionally bad, but I didn't notice anything specifically good about it. It was, however, my least favorite coaster at Kings Dominion. The one thing I will give it credit for is that it is a completely different experience from the B&M stand-up coasters, which is the only reason I would ride it again.

I've been on several car rides, but only two stand out as being noteworthy. The first is Disneyland's Autopia. Not only is this one of the few left that still has a gas pedal, but it is also one of the longest. Whenever I visit Disneyland, I always ride this if the line isn't that bad. If it is long, I'll sometimes grab a fastpass so I can ride. The second is the Gilroy Gardens Car Ride (forget the actual name). This was a lot of fun, and is the best landscaped car ride I've done. Unfortunately, it is a bit short, but when the line isn't that long (when I visited it was about ten minutes) the ride is definitely worth it. I'm slightly disappointed that I missed the Rockin' Roadway at Dollywood. I was going to ride, but a thunderstorm moved in and they closed it. Maybe next time.

I've only been to these parks once before (in August of last year), but here is what I would say based on my experience. Busch Gardens: This would probably be the better choice for Saturday, as although it will be crowded they have QuickQueue. Even the regular version is useful, and it isn't outrageously expensive. Go buy this, then focus on the attractions you want to ride that are not included with the pass. You can then use QuickQueue to get on most of the major rides whenever you want with little or no wait. The only downside is that you will not be allowed to choose your seat, but that seems like a small price to pay. When I visited, everything I would consider must ride was on the QuickQueue, but it is possible that it may have changed for this year, so pay attention to the ride list. Kings Dominion: This park will likely be crowded as well, and I'm assuming that the beginning of the season will result in slower-than-normal operations and possibly one train on most coasters. That being said, here is what I would do: 1. Get to the gate early. If you are not waiting for the gate to open about twenty minutes before the scheduled opening time, you are probably too late. 2. Immediately go to Dominator. If you can get on one of the first few trains, that's good. 3. After Dominator, ride Volcano. Even with two trains, the line crawls on this one. 4. Do any other attraction you want to ride in the Congo now unless they are not open yet. 5. From here, it is up to you. The crowd should be dispersed by this point, so pick and choose what you are willing to wait for. Other, more experienced visitors may have better advice than this, but if I was in your situation this is how I would attack the park.

^I'm glad you enjoyed it. When I write reports, especially in this thread, I try to be as detailes as I can, since I know a lot of people will not get a chance to visit the places I describe. It takes a long time, but I feel that if anyone actually takes the time to read what I write, it is worth it. I love Mammoth, and I am sure you will have an excellent time there. It now appears I may have one more day of skiing this year. Last weekend, So Cal got tons of snow at all the local mountains. If it is still good in two weeks, I may go skiing somewhere (probably Baldy or Waterman). I want to get this up to date before then, so without further ado, time for another update. March 14th, 2011: Alta Ski Area Just as we did the day before, we got up at 7 A.M., had breakfast, got partially dressed, then headed up to Alta. We got there and parked at the Albion Lodge before they even started selling tickets, so we had to wait around. Surprisingly, there were very few cars in the parking lot when we arrived. After we purchased tickets and got our ski equipment on, we headed over to the lift to find a significant crowd lined up for the Sunnyside Chair. Fortunately, once they opened the lift, the line moved swiftly. Within about five minutes of the first chair up, we were on the lift and headed up the mountain. This day ended up being the only one of our four days that was relatively stormy. The mountain kept everything open, but there were areas of whiteout, a condition where it is impossible to see. At some points, visibility was about one lift tower (~400 ft). In addition, it was light snowfall for most of the afternoon. This was fun, and didn't really have a negative impact on the day. In fact, it probably kept crowds away. Alta Ski Area For a large ski area, Alta really doesn't look that large. On the trail map, it is hard to tell how much open space Alta really has since the whole thing isn't drawn to scale. However, the mountain is big. Alta offers 2,200 acres of terrain with a total vertical drop of 2,020 ft. On this mountain, there are 116 trails, some as long as 16,800 ft. This terrain is serviced by a relatively simple network of 11 lifts (2 High-speed quads, 3 triples, 3 doubles, and 3 surface lifts). Another thing the trail map doesn't really depict is the style of mountain Alta is. There are marked runs all over the place, but Alta is a type of mountain known as "See it, Ski it." In other words, whatever you can see and access from a chairlift (with or without hiking), you can ski. If there is an area clearly designated as closed, then of course that is off limits. Otherwise, there are no restrictions as to where you can make your tracks. This is a 2007-2008 map, but the ski area has not changed since then. Map from skimap.org. As the above map shows, Alta is naturally divided into three sub-areas. On the left side of Alta is Albion Basin. This is the largest area of the resort, and features terrain suitable for all ability levels. We spent most of our time here. The right hand side of the ski resort is called Collins Gulch, and is for more advanced skiers. Although there are a few intermediate trails, they are more difficult than what can be accessed on the Albion side of the mountain. Finally, both sides are connected by an unnamed flat area. I will refer to this as the Lodge Zone, as this is where most of the on-site lodging is based. Albion Basin The Albion Base lodge is the less popular of the two starting points, but it is where we chose to begin our day. At this base, there are two lifts up onto the mountain. The Albion chair is 5100 ft long with 800 ft of vertical. However, it is an old Lift Engineering double from 1976 (the oldest chair on the mountain) and only runs on the most crowded days. Nearly parallel to this lift is the Sunnyside chair. This Garaventa CTEC high-speed triple is only 4700 ft long, but has the same amount of vertical as the Albion chair. The lift was added in 1999 to increase the uphill lift capacity to this side of the mountain. Both the Albion and Sunnyside chairs service the same terrain: primarily beginner, with a little intermediate. This is an excellent beginner area, possibly one of the best in Utah. In addition, it can be skied for free after 3 P.M. for those who only want to ski for a couple hours. At the top of the Albion and Sunnyside chairs is Alf's Restaurant, a mid-mountain dining location. From here, there are two additional lifts that can be accessed. The Cecret chair is another old double from 1981 that is 2600 ft. long with 300 ft. of vertical. Just like the Albion and Sunnyside chairs, this lift accesses beginner terrain. It is also free to ski, although unofficially. While most chairs have gates that scan your ticket and bar access if it can't be read, they were not installed on this chair. For intermediate and advanced skiers, the Sugarloaf high-speed quad provides plenty of terrain. At 5000 ft long with 1300 ft of vertical, this chair accesses some excellent terrain and was one of my favorite lifts. There is one more lift on the Albion side of the mountain. In the far right, accessable by either the Cecret or Sugarloaf chairs, lies the Supreme chair. This triple chair is not for beginners, and was one of my favorite areas to ski as well. Not only is the ride up great, but the terrain is excellent. There are intermediate trails down for the less skilled, but there are also black diamonds that are skiable by competent skiers, as well as an entire area devoted to experts only terrain. In addition, this lift is one of the easiest to load. when skiers reach the loading area, they come to a set of gates not unlike those found on a roller coaster. As the chair passes in front of them, the gates open, and skiers push out onto a conveyor belt. This conveyor moves at close to, but slightly slower than, the chair does, so when it arrives everyone just sits down and they are on their way. Collins Gulch Collins Gulch is the more advanced area of Alta. This side of the mountain has no beginner terrain, and very little intermediate terrain as well. It is serviced by only two chairs, Collins and Wildcat. Collins is a two-part high-speed quad installed in 2004 by Doppelmayr CTEC. The chair begins at the base area and ascends 700 ft over a length of 2700 feet. At this point, the lift detaches from the cable, slows down, and passes by a mid-loading station. To allow for loading, one out of every ten chairs is left empty, in addition to normally empty chairs. This allows skiers to board here, but at a rate of only 4 per minute, the line moves very slowly. Since it wasn't very busy the day we were there, approximately one out of every four chairs was empty. After the turn the line makes here, the chair continues for another 3500 ft, gaining another 1000 ft, before it reaches the top terminal. The other lift on this side of the mountain, Wildcat, is a 1980 Lift Engineering double. The chair is 4200 ft long with 1200 ft of vertical, and it ascends quite steeply. From up here, there is only one way down that is not rated black diamond. It seemed to get very few riders, but on a more crowded day it may be a more popular chair. Due to the limited terrain, we spent much less time on this side of the mountain. After three rides on Collins and two on Wildcat, we were ready to return to the Albion side of the mountain. We did so using the third area. Lodge Zone The lodge zone is completely flat. Well, not completely, but almost. There is only about 100 ft of elevation change between the Wildcat Base and the Albion Base. Along one side of this area is the nordic trail, along with the runout for the trails coming off of High Rustler. The other is home to a few lodges, the only places to stay at Alta, on top of a small incline. A rope tow, handle tow, and triple chairlift ascend this small incline at various points. Along the bottom, connecting the two base lodges, is the Transfer Tow. The Transfer Tow is a custom built rope tow, created by Lift Engineering in 1992 as an easy way to ski between the two base lodges. On a normal rope tow, there is a single rope that is strung between the two end points. This rope drags along the ground, or near to the ground, in one direction, and returns on top of towers coming back. To ride the rope tow, riders simply grab onto the rope and hold on as they are pulled up the hill. This setup works great for short rope tows, but the Transfer Tow is 2400 ft long. To keep from having a superheavy rope, this rope tow is built much similar to a platter lift. A cable is suspended from towers in both directions, and hanging from the cable at about sixty foot intervals are hangers. Between two hangers, there is a section of rope. Skiers may board this tow at any point and ride it to the end. Also, it is free to ride. Below, one of the pictures shows off the Transfer Tow, in case my description is not easy enough to understand. Despite the number of places I've skied at, I'd never ridden a rope tow before. I quickly found out the do's and dont's of rope tows, as well as why they aren't really around anymore. They SUCK! Holding onto the rope is difficult, especially over a long distance. I don't recommend trying this, but if you want a similar experience have a friend tie a rope to the back of their car, get on a skateboard, and hold on to the rope while they tow you up a hill for half of a mile at about eight miles per hour. They other thing I found was that you shouldn't grab onto the rope all at once. Instead, you must use your hand as a clutch. Put your hand around the rope and slowly tighten your grip until you are moving along. If you grab all at once, you will get a good jerk and likely be pulled over. Finally, and this only applies for this one, don't straddle the rope. What happens when you do? See this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-6pQwo_9r4. Overall Thoughts Alta was really good. It may be my favorite ski area on the trip, although thinking back on it Snowbird may have been slightly better. One thing I really enjoyed about Alta was...No Snowboarders! Alta is one of three remaining ski areas in the United States that does not allow snowboarders. While I have nothing against the majority of snowboarders, I will admit that they unnerve me a bit. The worst are the ones that speed down the trail way faster than I'm going, and go by so close that it is necessary to nearly stop or turn to avoid them. I also hate it when they are either A. sideslipping down the trail because it is too difficult for them or B. sitting in the middle of the run, not off to the side. Again, I don't hate snowboarders, but it is nice to experience skiing as it was thirty years ago. Alta is definitely a very nice area. They have more than enough terrain for skiers of any ability level, and on weekdays crowds are not an issue. The biggest downside is that if you have beginners in your group, they will be off on their own for the day, as none of the intermediate or advanced chairs have easy ways down. There is a bit of a large step from beginner to intermediate here, but other than that Alta is excellent. Best Bet for Beginners: Sunnyside and Cecret chairs (no other suitable options) Best Bet for Intermediates: Any blue runs on Collins or Sugarloaf chairs Best Bet for Advanced: Collins Express Apres Ski After we were done skiing for the day, we went back to the hotel and showered, then headed to the nearest light-rail station. Why? We had decided to go see a basketball game. The Utah Jazz were playing the Philadelphia 76ers and we decided it would be something different to do for a night. Neither of us are really basketball fans, so this was more just because we wanted something to do. Since our super passes included the TRAX, we took that to Energy Solutions Arena in downtown Salt Lake City, then purchased tickets, got hot dogs, and went to our seats. It was fun, but I prefer baseball games instead of basketball games. As for the game itself, it was an exciting game, but pretty poor basketball. The Utah Jazz got ahead early, and at some point during the third quarter they were ahead by 21 points. In the fourth quarter, they lost the lead, and nearly lost the game. However, they ended up tying and going into overtime, in which they won by 4 points. After the game, we got back on the TRAX and took it back to where we boarded, then drove back to our hotel and watched TV until we decided to go to bed. Pictures: Due to the weather, I did not take that many pictures of Alta. Here are the few that I did take. Here we are at Alta. This is High Rustler, the most famous terrain at the ski area. The Albion Lodge. This is where you purchase tickets, do rentals, etc. The only thing that was in the other building was the restaurant. Transfer Tow. This connects the two base lodges. We didn't ride it until later in the day. Here's the first lift of the day. Weird that they chose a high-speed triple instead of a high-speed quad. The chair heads up this way. The lift you can see is the Albion chair, but the Sunnyside chair is pretty much parallel. Time for this chair...the Supreme lift. On Supreme. This chair starts out flat, then gets really steep really quickly. Here's what the ski area looks like from Supreme. As you can see, the fog is moving in. At this point, I put my camera away for the rest of the day since it started to snow. Here is what it looked like from our car as we were getting ready to leave. Fortunately, it cleared up as we drove back down the mountain.

Since those are weekdays, you should be able to do everything in one day without a flashpass provided you get there at opening and stay until closing. You may have to sacrifice some non-coaster rides for coasters, but you can definitely do all the coasters. If you want re-rides or a shorter/more relaxing day, you might want to consider going for two days or purchasing a flash pass. You could also do two days, and spend part of one day at the waterpark (separate admission) if you enjoy those.

Great Pictures. I've been here a few times and have always enjoyed it. I've gone both winter and summer, so I've done the alpine slide, water slides, and snow tubing. You are correct about the waterslides not being anything special, but if you want to cool off they are pretty cheap and never have a line. I should tell my sister to show her friends this report. She's going here for her birthday next weekend. I was going to go with her, but I got bumped because there's no more room in the car.

It sounds like your experience could be summarized by this: "The park has some great rides, but they just aren't worth the ordeal involved to get to them." Honestly, based on what you have said, I would recommend trying to visit again. I was there for WCB, and they explained that the second train on Apocalypse, as well as two of the three Tatsu trains were currently undergoing maintenance. They said that whenever possible, they WILL run two trains on everything, but they have to do maintenance at some point and would prefer to do it now than in the middle of summer. At Knott's, the maintenance areas are uncoverd, so it is easy to tell when trains are being worked on, but at SFMM many of the maintence areas are in their own buildings, so it is not always easy to tell that a train is disassembled. Did you visit on a Saturday or Sunday? This can make a huge difference. When I visit in the off-season, I always pick a Sunday, as Saturdays are much more crowded. To give you an example, on a Saturday, I have waited over forty-five minutes for Tatsu when it was running two trains, while a Sunday had a three train wait. Both visits were in the same month of different years. Also, avoid any weekend that is a school break, as these weekends are extra crowded. I agree that the lockers are expensive, but they do increase loading speed. The park is supposedly working on an alternate solution to these, although I am pretty certain they will not be removed from X2 due to the way it loads. I also am surprised you were unable to get a map prior to entering. They really should have maps availiable on request at Guest Services. As I said, I would strongyly recommend giving the park another shot next time you are out here. Visit on a Sunday that is not a holiday weekend, or a weekday during the summer, and you will probably have a decent time. Tatsu, X2, and Apocalypse are all among the best of their types, and many of the park's other coasters are excellent as well.

I've started adding reviews to parks I've visited. To make it easier, I just sorted it by state and am just going down the list. I have posted a review for every operating park in California between Adventure City and Disneyland, and will get to the rest of California and some others later this week or this weekend. So far, it is working great. Maybe the 500 character limit will help me reduce the length of my trip reports. Currently, they usually consist of about five pages of text followed by ten to twenty pictures. I've been getting this too. For some reason, it auto-scrolls as far down as it can when it opens the page. It's not a big deal since the page is so small, but if it isn't supposed to do this it might be something to look into.

If I wasn't doing a TPR trip this summer and didn't have finals the week after this, I would be 100% in. Unfortunately, unless something happens, I won't be attending. I'm still hoping for a TPR Texas trip in 2012 or 2013 so I can visit these parks (I would have signed up for the 2009 trip but the timing just didn't work out that year).

I've ridden the Hi-Miler a number of times at the Orange County Fair in Costa Mesa, California, as it shows up here almost every year and is better than the spinning mouse. I will say that the thing looks extremely unsafe. The whole structure sways and rattles each time a train passes by, and the entire ride is kept level by wooden blocks placed under specific points on the ride base. That being said, although it looks unsafe, I've never felt unsafe on the thing. To my knowledge, carnival rides (especially newer ones) are just as safe as attractions at permanent amusement parks. The Hi-Miler is an older attraction that appears to be mostly (or completely) controlled by manual controls. I don't know how someone died on it, but given how the restraint functions it seems as if they would have had to undo it themselves mid-ride in order to get ejected. My guess is that this was one of those "dumb guest" cases, but we'll have to wait for the official investigation to know for sure. I'm still looking forward to riding Hi-Miler this July/August if it shows up again. If not, then maybe RCS will finally get another decent coaster to replace it. Their current spinning coaster is incredibly weak and doesn't spin much at all.

Once again, I've had a great time at West Coast Bash. Thank you to Robb & Elissa, as well as everyone involved at both parks that did something to make this event awesome, including the event planners, Q&A panelists, tour guides, and ERT operators. I can't say how much I enjoy this event, and I can't wait to see what happens for WCB 2012. Here's a summary of my thoughts on each day. Six Flags Magic Mountain Morning ERT was great. It was unfortunate that Riddler's opened late, but I got to do everything else. Also, surprise Superman ERT was outstanding, especially with racing trains and multiple runs. I told my brother he didn't need to run up the hill to get in line an hour before park opening, but he went up there early and ended up being one of the first to ride (he, my sister, and my dad are all in the S:EFK race team photo. I was stuck on Tatsu at the time ). I still got to ride it several times, and I have to say that it is THE BEST possible improvement to the ride. Going at 100 mph and up 400 ft is what really made the difference for me, and the backwards cars also have two advantages: you don't know exactly when you're going to reach the tower, and you can actually see how high up you are relatively easily. It will be difficult for Green Lantern to top this as best new coaster experience. The backstage tour of Bite II was also really good. Now that I've seen how much work really goes into some of these mazes, I'm really leaning toward going to the Knott's haunt event if it happens again. I've never actually been to Halloween Haunt/Horror Nights/Fright Fest, but with a Six Flags pass and the Knott's event I might try them out this year (Universal is a little pricey for me). The Tatsu photo tour was also neat, but wasn't especially exciting. It is fun to see attractions from areas you can't normally visit, so I enjoyed it, and knew what it would be like, but this was the least exciting bonus in my opinion. The Q&A session was great as always. Unlike previous years, I think Revolution and the Metro have been retired as common questions, and Road Runner Express replaced them. Neal and Tim are great, and come up with some pretty good answers on the spot (as well as having prepared answers). The Revolution skit was funny and I hope it is foreshadowing, as were their responses to a couple of questions (although I'm not getting my hopes up yet). Night ERT was fun, and wasn't spoiled by the rain. Everything that could be run was operated once again, and this year we had a few bonuses as well. Batman: Foggy Nights was probably my favorite of the three "special" rides. It is surprising how much dense fog and lighting add to a ride. There are moments where it is difficult to tell what is going on, and the ride also looked awesome from a distance. I really hope they bring this one back for Fright Fest. Psychedelic Scream was honestly a little bit of a disappointment, as it consisted of one strobe light and one speaker setup. I like Scream, so it was still fun, but the special effects didn't really make a difference in my opinion. Finally, X2: Ripped Off Rocket was fun, but difficult to hear. I caught some parts of it, but others I couldn't tell what was playing. I hope somebody recorded this audio track, but if not I guess parts of it will be lost. Knott's Berry Farm Both morning backstage tours were great. It was really neat to see the inner workings of Xcelerator, as I am fascinated with that kind of thing. I guess if I want to design thrill rides one day, I should be. The real highlight, however, was the Timber Mountain Log Ride tour. I knew we'd get to see inside the ride building. I did not know we'd actually get to walk in the flume. This was much better than last year's Calico Mine Ride tour (which I enjoyed as well) and I hope the park continues to offer these or similar tours in the future. Morning ERT was fun, but at Knott's I don't find ERT much different than a zero crowd day. There were about five other people on the Silver Bullet train when I rode, and about three at Sierra Sidewinder, but the crowds picked up toward the end as people finished their tours. The rides all shut down due to rain for a short while in the middle of the session, but I still got all the rides in I wanted to get. I couldn't stay for night ERT, but I hear that was fun as well. Windseeker construction tour...meh. When I saw hard hat tour, I thought we'd actually be allowed to walk around the entire site. Unfortunately, we were confined to a small area. It was more interesting listening to the guide than looking at the hole in the ground. Well, whatever, I guess it is what it is. Lunch was good, and TPR quest was a lot of fun. I was one of about three or four people who played this at ECB (I was on the IntimidaTour) so I knew what to expect. Beer or no beer, it is a ton of fun. This game needs to be played at ALL TPR events in the future provided the crowd is the correct size. The presentations were really good, especially the Knott's Preserved talk. I never realized that Bud had so much to do with the early years of Knott's. I enjoy his attractions there, as well as the attractions he created at Castle Amusement Park (a couple of which came from Knott's). The Q&A session was hilarious. At SFMM, they try to come up with serious, yet comedic answers, but the Knott's crew seemed like a true comedy performance. I don't remember how many times one of Jeff's responses got the entire audience to crack up. Even though it contained a lot of joking around, there were some serious answers in there. Overall, both days of WCB were outstanding. While I don't think SFMM surpassed last year for a number of reasons (most of which are understandable, and the event was still on par), KBF certainly did. As long as TPR continues to run this event and I remain within reasonable distance, I plan to contine attending. Once again, thanks to everyone involved for one of the best weekends of the year.

March 12th-16th, 2011: Cottonwood Canyons Trip Up until this year, I had never been skiing anywhere outside of California. This year, I got to visit Utah for the first time. My dad and I planned a trip for the first part of my spring break to the Cottonwood Canyons in Utah. Over four days, we skied at Alta, Brighton, Snowbird, and Solitude. All four of these ski areas were great, and with the exception of Mammoth and a couple other California areas (in Tahoe), they were better than anything out in California. Due to the size of each ski area, I will be breaking this report up into three parts. March 12th, 2011: Travel Day Just as when we went to Brian Head, we got up at 6 A.M., got dressed, loaded the car, and took off. We drove out to Baker, where we stopped at the same Ihop for breakfast. We then headed onward, past Buffalo Bill's, past the Las Vegas strip, past...wait. We exited the freeway at Sahara Avenue, drove over to the Sahara hotel, parked, got out, and went inside. Why? About two days before we left, I saw the news article posted that Speed-The Ride was closing in May, most likely for good. I had told my dad about this the night before, but told him that I had already been on the ride. What I forgot was that he hadn't. Since the Sahara is one of the easiest Vegas hotels to get to, and we had plenty of extra time, we decided to make a slight detour. We went to the Nascar Cafe, got our tickets, and boarded the ride. Now, for the one roller coaster related review in this report. Speed-The Ride-I really like Speed. The ride may be short, and it may cost $10, but it is really good. The initial launch and loop aren't all that exciting, but then the ride really kicks it up with a surprise second launch. I knew it was there and it still caught me off guard. In addition, the vertical spike is second only to the new Superman: Escape From Krypton in terms of reverse points. Finally, Speed is very smooth, and has a much more interesting layout than most shuttle coasters. It is the type of ride that I would probably be willing to wait an hour for at any amusement park, provided the dispatch times were more like once every couple minutes instead of once every 15. In conclusion, Speed is great, and if anyone has the opportunity to ride it before it closes (aka you are in Vegas for some other reason), don't pass it up. I'd rather spend $10 on Speed than $8 on Desperado, $7 on Canyon Blaster, or $16 on the Roller Coaster anyday. Also, if you have time to hang around, a day pass is only $15, so you can get several rides in for a good price. After our detour, we got back on the freeway and drove to Mesquite. Here, we got gas and a light lunch, then continued on our way. We stopped for dinner at some random Carl's Jr. in Utah, then drove the rest of the way to Murray, a town about ten to fifteen minutes south of Salt Lake City. Here, we checked into our hotel (Crystal Inn Midvalley), brought luggage to the room, watched some TV, and went to bed a little before midnight. March 13th, 2011: Brighton Ski Resort We got up at 7 A.M. and headed down to the hotel's lobby for the hot breakfast. Since it was a Sunday, breakfast was very crowded. Here, we decided where we were going to ski that day. Before the trip, I had figured we would do Solitude Sunday, Alta Monday, Snowbird Tuesday, and Brighton Wednesday. However, when we looked at the trail maps, we realized that although Brighton was physically smaller, they appeared to have more trails. For this reason, we decided to switch Solitude and Brighton, as on Wednesday we would only be able to ski for a maximum of about four hours. We also figured that Brighton might be less crowded. We drove up to Brighton and found that we were able to park right at the base of the ski area. We were literally less than fifty feet from the bottom of the Crest Express chair. We went and got our tickets, explored the lodge a little bit, got dressed, then walked up to the lift and boarded the chair to begin our day. Brighton Mountain Resort Brighton is probably the smallest mountain I can call a large resort. At 1,050 acres, it is only slightly larger than some mid-size ski areas. It is the smallest of the four ski areas we visited on this trip, but that doesn't mean it's the worst or it's boring. The mountain has 1,875 ft of vertical, much more than any of the So Cal ski areas. It also has 66 trails, the longest of which is 15,840 ft. These trails are serviced by 7 lifts (5 quads, 1 triple, and 1 carpet). Brighton also holds two claims in the ski industry: it has the largest night skiing area in the United States, and it is the only ski area in the US to be 100 accessable by high-speed detachable quad chairs. Although the mountain has a relatively simple layout, I think it would be better for me to post a trail map below. This trail map is a bit outdated (2007-2008 season) but there have been no significant changes to the ski area since that season. Map from skimap.org. As you can see, the mountain is naturally divided into two sub-areas: Majestic and Millicent. Majestic side The Majestic side of Brighton is where I spent most of my day. The area is serviced by five different chairs. Crest Express is the one of these chairs that I liked the best. It is the oldest chair on the mountain, a 1991 Doppelmayr high-speed quad, but that doesn't make it a bad lift. The chair is 5700 ft long with a 1100 ft rise along its length, and from here a number of good intermediate and advanced trails can be accessed. The lower section of this area is also serviced by the Majestic chair. I tried to avoid this lift when I could, as it is a fixed-grip quad and runs slow, but I ended up riding it at two different points during the day. Also out of the base area is the Explorer chair, but at only 800 ft long with 100 ft of vertical, this 1992 CTEC triple is nothing but a beginner lift. Although it is not obvious from the map, the Great Western Express can also be accessed directly from the base area via a traverse across a flat area. The Great Western Express is a 1992 CTEC high-speed quad, 6600 ft long with 1700 ft of vertical. This is the longest chair at the ski area and is the only one that allows access to true expert terrain without hiking. For intermediate and advanced skiers, there are also other ways down. Due to the length of this lift, I only rode it a couple times. It is a good lift, but in my opinion the runs are a little too long and can tire you out pretty good. Maybe I would have gotten a different experience if I had gone over here earlier in the day. The only chair that is not directly accessable from the base area at Brighton is the Snake Creek Express. This 2001 Garaventa CTEC high-speed quad is 4600 ft long with 900 ft of vertical. Although most of this lift is not too steep, the top is where most of the vertical is gained. This was a fun lift to ski, but it got crowded in the afternoon. In the morning, however, there was untracked powder on Pioneer and Ziggy as a result of a few inches of snow the day before. This was great, and meant we spent a while here before moving on. Millicent side The base of the Millicent side of the mountain is located across the parking lot from the base of the Majestic side. There is a trail between them, but beginner skiers cannot use it. This is probably a good thing as Millicent is significantly steeper than Majestic, and even though there is one green trail, the upper part is just as steep as some of Majestic's blues. Millicent is serviced by only one chair, Milly Express. This lift is a 2007 Doppelmayr CTEC high-speed quad, and is the newest lift on the mountain. Although it is only 3700 ft long, the lift rises 1100 ft during that length. This results in some expert terrain, some advanced terrain, and some intermediate terrain that would be considered advanced if it wasn't groomed. Even though there is only one lift on this side of the ski area, it doesn't get crowded enough to have much of a line. We did a few runs over here in the morning and, after deciding the Majestic side was better, returned there for the remainder of the day. Overall Thoughts I really liked Brighton. It's not my favorite ski area, and was probably my least favorite of the four we tried, but it was still a lot of fun. I can't think of a significant negative, and would definitely ski here again. It is probably the best of the four Cottonwood ski areas for intermediates, as they can ski plenty off any lift. Also, any of the black diamonds that are groomed here could probably be tackled by a strong intermediate. There are some challenging trails, but they require hiking (mostly from the Milly chair). Best Bet for Beginners: Lost Maid and Mary Back off Majestic Chair Best Bet for Intermediates: Any blue runs on Great Western or Milly lifts Best Bet for Advanced: Great Western Express Apres Ski After skiing, we went down to the hotel and went swimming in the indoor pool. This was followed by a sit in the hot tub. Once we were done here, we decided to drive up to Park City and check it out. At one point, we had considered adding on a day to ski here, and we have also discussed it as a possibility for our next ski trip, but after seeing how crowded the area was, I doubt will be doing that. The town of Park City was very crowded and congested, and although the historic main street may have some old buildings most of the shops and restaurants seemed fairly modern. We decided that unless you could stay right next to the town chair it would probably be more hassle than it is worth. That being said, if TPR ever does an official winter trip to this area, I'd strongly consider going provided that it would include at least two or three days of skiing. Nevertheless, it was nice to see Park City ski area (from the parking lot), Deer Valley and the Canyons (from a distance), and Olympic Park (from the entrance road). After finishing in Park City, we drove down the mountain and went to a random Wendy's for dinner. For whatever reason, they are all over Utah. After dinner, we went and drove around downtown Salt Lake City. We went past the Capitol building, the Mormon temple, and the Energy Solutions Arena, as well as down a few other random streets, then got back on the freeway and headed back to the hotel for the night. Photos This place looks familiar. Time for a little detour. Let's go get a farewell ride on Speed. This is the best coaster in Las Vegas, at least for a few more months. For those who don't know much about Speed, it is a LIM Shuttle Loop Coaster. The ride launches out of the building, then goes around a turn and dives under ground. The ride emerges into this weird vertical loop, the ride's only inversion. It then launches again, goes around a couple turns... And ascends this spike. You then do the entire thing in reverse. I enjoyed my final ride on Speed, and it is sad to see it go. Onward. Most of the drive through Utah looked something like this. The Wasatch Mountains. This must mean we are getting close. At this point, we were only a little over an hour from our hotel. The next day, it was time to go skiing. This is the view from our car. We were literally twenty feet from the base of the chairlift. Here's the base lodge. This building only contains a restaurant, while the other building had other facilities. Brighton is divided up into two separate sub-areas. This is the Majestic side. And there is the Millicent side. Between the two is Mt. Millicent. This area features some good hike terrain, but you can't get to the top with a lift. Let's start off our day with Crest Express. It would be nice to own one of these houses. They were scattered all over the lower part of the ski area. Lower Majestic, the main trail back to the base area. The top of the Majestic chair. This lift really isn't that long and is primarily a beginner chair. Upper Crest Express. This was my favorite lift, as well as the one we skied the most. There's another house. The view from the top was great. According to a sign, you could see Sundance from here on a clear day. Time to head over to this lift. Which one do you suppose it is? Milly Express. That's correct. Even though this lift is somewhat isolated, it has its own restaurant at the base. I'm guessing people with season passes probably just go right over here in the morning. In case you've ever wondered what a Doppelmayr CTEC chair looks like, here it is. If you know who Doppelmayr CTEC is, you win bonus points. The bottom of Milly Express. This is much steeper than any other lift on the mountain. You get a good view of the Great Western Express from over here. Riding up Milly Express. I put my camera away after this because it began to get a little chilly. After we finished skiing, we drove up to Park City just to see it. Historic Main Street. This area was quite busy. Of course, we also went to check out the ski area. For whatever reason, they don't use the Eagle Chair at night even though there are lights under it. Even though this isn't a credit, I want to ride it. Unfortunately, it only ran from noon until 4 P.M., so I didn't get a chance. Maybe next time. Olympic Park. If TPR ever does a winter trip, I hope they go here to ride the bobsled. We then headed to downtown Salt Lake City. I have no clue what significance this arch has, but I took a picture of it anyway. The Capitol Building. After we got here, we headed back to the hotel as it was starting to get late.

Pony Express after lunch at WCB. It would have been Xcelerator but the rain was too heavy after the Q&A and I couldn't stay for night ERT.

Since I didn't actually start counting until a few years ago and didn't keep track of dates specifically until last year, the accuracy in #1 and #50 is pretty low. Credit #1: One of these: Matterhorn Bobsleds, Gadget's Go Coaster, Freeway Coaster, or Timberline Twister Credit #50: It was definitely at Magic Mountain, but it could have been Batman The Ride, Scream, or Viper Credit #100: Afterburn at Carowinds Credit #150: Will happen this summer, and will probably be the first coaster of the North East Trip (most likely Wooden Warrior) Credit #200: May happen this summer, and if it does will be a coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure

I'm glad people are enjoying this thread. I figured there'd be some others out there who do something different than theme parks, especially in the off-season. It's a little too late this year, but maybe next winter we should try to organize a ski day at Bear Mountain/Snow Summit, or another So Cal area where we can all meet up. Just a possible idea that may or may not become a reality. Now, time for an update. Since the ski season usually runs until around Easter, I am setting that as the date I want to have all updates finished by. February 25th-27th, 2011: Mammoth Mountain Out of all the ski areas I have been to, Mammoth Mountain is the one I visit the most often. It is where I learned to ski, and where my dad learned to ski. Since the 1997-1998 ski season, I have spent at least one weekend here all but two winters. I used to commonly frequent this ski area over three day weekends and longer breaks. Now, however, due to my more restrictive schedule and my dad's lower number of vacation days, most of my trips are weekend trips. Each time I go, I enjoy Mammoth just as much as I always do. Even though I have been to a number of high ranking ski areas in Lake Tahoe (and recently in Utah), Mammoth Mountain is still my favorite. On this trip, we were able to leave mid-afternoon on Friday, February 25th, because my dad got off work early. This allowed us to avoid the rush hour traffic common on the 91 and 15 freeways, and although we hit some, it wasn't that bad. Once we got on highway 395, it was smooth sailing. We stopped at a small roadside restaurant called the Ranch House Cafe for dinner (I recommend this place), then continued on toward Mammoth. As we were driving along the road between Independence and Big Pine, it began snowing. This is much lower than it usually snows, although I've heard that some years Owens Valley is covered with it. After passing through Bishop, we encountered chain patrol. Either chains or four-wheel drive with snow tires were required. Fortunately, since my dad's Subaru Outback has all-wheel drive, we didn't need to install chains and were able to proceed up the mountain without further delay. Due to the snow on the ground, it was difficult to see lane markers on the road. This meant that most people simply lined up behind the snowplow. A few people, however, decided to take a shortcut and passed everyone by going up the wrong side of the road. My dad and I were shocked at the stupidity of these people, and it ended up costing them when the first car along in that direction was a CHP officer. He pulled them all over and started handing out tickets. Other than this incident, there was little to report on the drive up, and we arrived at our hotel in Mammoth Lakes, the Alpenhof Lodge, at around 10 P.M. The next day, we got up in the morning expecting it to be storming. Instead, it was sunny. As quickly as we could, we got dressed, grabbed donuts, and headed over to the Village to catch the gondola up to the ski area. We spent the morning skiing in the Canyon Lodge area, then stopped for an early lunch. After lunch, it began to snow, so we headed over to the Eagle Lodge area, then made our way over toward the McCoy Station. After a short break there, we began to head back toward the Canyon Lodge. After skiing, we headed back to the hotel and sat in the indoor hot tub for a bit. I hadn't been in this particular tub before, and we quickly discovered that the jets made it into a mini wave pool. You had to half-stand in order to avoid being splashed in the face by the water. Once we were done here, we showered, then headed to Burgers for dinner. This is one of my favorite restaurants in Mammoth Lakes, and is another one that has been there a long time. If you like hamburgers, you'll like it. Otherwise, it may not be the place for you, but they do have some other stuff. Just be sure to go early, as it is somewhat small and very popular. After our dinner, we went over and walked around the Village for a bit, then headed back to the hotel. On Sunday, we got up and packed up the car, checked out of the hotel, then headed for the slopes. On this day, it was sunny and overall nice weather. We skied all over the mountain, ending up at the McCoy Station for lunch, and finishing at about three. We then headed back to the car, got changed, and began the drive home. We stopped for dinner at a Wendy's right next to the 15 freeway in Hesperia, and made it home by about 10 P.M. Okay, there is a summary of the trip. Here is the review of the actual ski area. I'm trying a new format that I plan to use for my reports from the Cottonwood Canyons ski areas, so I hope it works like I plan it to. Mammoth Mountain Mammoth Mountain is a large ski area, and the statistics show it. The ski area covers 3,500 acres, which is big, even for a ski area. In terms of an amusement park, this is almost ten times the size of Cedar Point. In addition, Mammoth Mountain has a vertical drop of 3,100 ft, although it is rare that you will ski this all in one run. There are a variety of trails on the mountain. The ski resort's 150 trails are split into six different difficulty categories: first-timer, beginner, lower intermediate, upper intermediate, advanced, and expert. To give a comparison, an expert trail at Big Bear would be comparable to an upper intermediate trail at Mammoth, so some of these runs are quite difficult. The longest trail at Mammoth is about three miles long (precisely, 15,840 ft), and descends all the way from the 11,053 ft peak to the base area. How are these trails accessed? Well, Mammoth Mountain has the best rated lift system in the United States. Twenty-Eight lifts, composed of 3 gondolas, 2 high-speed six-packs, 9 high-speed quads, 1 fixed-grip quad, 7triples, 3 doubles, and 3 platters service this vast expanse of terrain. All together, these lifts can transport 50,000 people per hour up the hill. Now, with this many lifts, the ski area has a very complex layout. I am not even going to describe it in words. Instead, I will post a trail map. 2009-2010 Trail Map. All maps I post in here will be borrowed from skimap.org. Big, isn't it? When people first visit this ski area, they are often confused, as the lifts are not named, but simply numbered in the order they were originally built. To help with discussing this ski area, I usually divide it into five sections. These are shown in the modified map below. Each area will be discussed in detail. Refer to this to see what area of the mountain I am discussing. Main Lodge The main lodge area of the mountain is the original ski area. Back when Dave McCoy drew the original plans for the ski area, he took a picture of this region of the mountain and drew three lines on it. These lines became Chairs #1, 2, and 3. They were all originally old double chairs, but today they are high-speed quads. Chair #1-Broadway Express was the first high speed chair installed at Mammoth, opening in 1988, and is one of the few remaining Lift Engineering high speed chairs. This 3,200 ft lift with 900 ft of vertical provides access to a lot of good intermediate terrain, and rarely has that much of a line after the first hour or so of operation. Chair #2-Stump Alley Express, a 4500 ft long, 1000 ft vertical Doppelmayr high-speed quad that opened in 1997, accesses the same terrain as Broadway Express, but starts down at the Mill Cafe. In the morning, this is the best place to start your day if you drive up to the ski area. Beware, however, that Stump Alley Express is Mammoth's most popular high-speed chair. As Chair #3 is part of the upper mountain, it will be discussed there. The Main Lodge itself has two other lifts that can be accessed immediately, both of which are Doppelmayr high-speed quads. Chair #6-Thunder Bound Express is 2600 ft long with 600 ft of vertical and opened in 1997 as well. It replaced an old T-bar, and primarily serves to access the terrain park in the Main Lodge area. In the morning, it also provides an alternate way to access the rest of the ski area, although the upper mountain can't be reached. Although it is numbered Chair #6, it is about twice the length of the original chair #6. The other chair directly out of here is Chair #11-Discovery Chair, which is the beginner chair in the Main Lodge area. This lift is only 1800 ft long with 500 ft of vertical, so it is a bit too short to be worth it, even for a beginner chair. It replaced two parallel doubles, Chairs #11 and 27, in 2009. In addition to these chairs, the Main Lodge is also the location of the Lower Panorama Gondola, an 8-person Doppelmayr Gondola that replaced the original 6-person gondola. The lower stage is 3800 ft long with 700 ft of vertical, and was installed in 1999. In addition to Stump Alley Express, the Mill Cafe base area has two other lifts that can be accessed directly from the parking lot. Chair #10-Goldrush Express is a 1998 Doppelmayr high-speed quad. The lift is 5700 ft long with 1100 ft of vertical, and is one of my favorite chairs in the Main Lodge area. The lift provides access to intermediate and advanced terrain, and is one of the longest chairs on the mountain. It is longer than the original Chair #10 double, which only ran to about the top of Roller Coaster Express. The other chair in this area, Chair #21, is a 1980 Lift Engineering triple chair, 2700 ft long with 400 ft of vertical. This lift was installed primarily as an alternate to Chair #10, as it is less exposed when it is windy. Although it looks close to the lodge on the map, this lift is actually a short walk uphill from the building. There are two lifts in the main lodge area that require other lift rides to access. Chair #5 is another Lift Engineering triple, and is the other Main Lodge chair that I really like. You need to be a strong intermediate to ski this lift, and although most of the runs off this lift are rated advanced, Face of Five is one of the best test trails to determine if you are ready to ski Mammoth's black diamonds. If you can handle this, you should be able to handle anything that is rated as a single black, provided that it is groomed. The other lift that requires a ride to access it is Chair #12, a 1972 Lift Engineering double. This chair is 3000 ft long with 700 ft of vertical, and is one of the oldest operating lifts on the mountain. It accesses a great intermediate area that has a relatively low amount of traffic, so there aren't many others to worry about. Canyon Lodge Unless it is closed, the Canyon Lodge is usually where I start my day. Up until the early 2000's, this was a very empty base area. Now, due to the Village Gondola it is the most popular. This gondola, installed in 2002, runs from the Village at Mammoth to the Canyon Lodge in just over 4 minutes. It is a Doppelmayr CTEC product, 5100 ft long with 200 ft of vertical. Although Mammoth claims that the cabins hold 15, 12 is a much more accurate capacity. There are eight seats inside each cabin, and enough standing room for four people and their equipment. The Canyon Lodge itself has a number of chairs that ascend out of it. From left to right, they are Chair #8, Chair #16-Canyon Express, Chair #17-Schoolyard Express, and Chair #7. Chair #8 is a Lift Engineering triple, and is one of my favorite chairs on the mountain. It usually doesn't have that much of a line, and accesses a large variety of terrain. The lift was a double when I first started skiing, but has been upgraded to a triple to deal with the morning crowds. Canyon Express is the most crowded lift here, but is another lift I like. This Lift Engineering high-speed quad, installed in 1994, ascends 1200 ft over its 5600 ft length. From here, it is possible to ski directly to over half of the mountain's chairs. For upper intermediates, this is an excellent area to ski, as there are numerous ways down. Schoolyard Express is one of the mountain's newest chairs, installed by Doppelmayr CTEC in 2004. The lift is 3100 ft long with 500 ft of vertical, and is the best beginner chair on the mountain. By the second day of ski school, most are capable fo skiing down from this lift. Chair #7 is another beginner chair that has fallen into disuse as it doesn't access any unique terrain and requires a long push across a flat area in order to reach it. The Canyon Lodge is also home to two of the ski area's platters, Poma and Heimo's Express. Both of these are good for ski school, but at only about 600 ft long they aren't good for anything else. According to my dad, they've been around since the mid-70s, and they both appear to have been built by Lift Engineering. As a side bit of information, a Platter is fixed grip while a Poma is detachable, but both involve putting a stick between your legs and a disc under your behind. Even though one of these is called Poma and the other is an express lift, both are indeed platters. In addition to the Canyon Lodge, there is also a ticket booth at the bottom of Chair #4-Roller Coaster Express. This is a 1998 Dopplemayr high-speed quad, 3700 ft long with 800 ft of vertical. It is an outstanding lift for upper intermediates, and is probably the favorite lift of many coaster enthusiasts purely because of its name. It is not, however, a credit (not a coaster credit at least, but a ski lift credit, if you count such things). Next to this lift is Chair #20, which is very similar to Chair #21, but is about 200 ft shorter. This lift is a backup lift for Roller Coaster Express, and almost never operates. I have only ever see it run on holiday weekends, so if you are a chairlift credit whore (like me), you will need to brave the crowds at least once to get this one. The only chair in this area that can't be accessed from a parking lot is Chair #22 a 1982 Lift Engineering triple. The chair is 3600 ft long with 1400 ft of vertical, and services almost exclusively expert terrain. This is one of my favorite lifts because of the ride, but the only trail I've ever skied off it is Relief. Eagle Lodge The Eagle Lodge has only one way up: Chair #15-Eagle Express. This 2000 Doppelmayr high-speed six-pack replaced two separate parallel chairs, Chairs #15 and #24. Chair #15 was a double, while Chair #24 was a fixed grip quad. The Eagle Express is 5300 ft long, but with only 900 ft of vertical, it is suitable for second-day beginners and low intermediates. From the top of Eagle Express, the other two Eagle Logde chairs can be accessed. Chair #9-Cloud Nine Express is the newest lift on the mountain. This 2007 Doppelmayr CTEC high-speed six-pack is 5300 ft long with 1600 ft of vertical, and replaced an old, slow double chair. It is popular during the springtime as it has some excellent spring skiing, but other than that the lift doesn't see too much traffic. It is a six-pack primarily so it can operate in stronger winds. The other chair here is Chair #25 a 1985 Lift Engineering fixed-grip quad with 1100 ft of vertical and a slope length of 4300 ft, is my favorite chair on the Eagle Lodge side of the mountain. The only negative is that this chair is LONG. The ride is almost 10 minutes, and when there is wind or snow, the chair is a miserable ride. Upper Mountain The Upper Mountain is the section of Mammoth with the most challenging lift-serviced terrain in California. Although this area is large, it is serviced by only three relatively short lifts. Chair #3-Face Lift Express is the shortest of these three. It is a 1997 Doppelmayr high-speed quad with a length of only 2500 ft, but a vertical rise of 900 ft. It replaced a double chair, just as almost every high-speed chair on the mountain did, and has a unique feature at the top terminal: 90 degree unloading. When the chair decelerates, you do not unload. Instead, the chair makes a turn, and then skiers disembark. This turn is particularly fun if you are on the end of the chair, as you swing around it. Chair #23 is the other chairlift up here. It is a 1982 Lift Engineering triple, and is a very steep lift. Although it is only 2700 ft long, this lift ascends 1100 ft. Due to the wind on the top of the mountain, this chair ends inside of a building. It is the most popular lift for skiers of Cornice Bowl, and is also the only way to access the challenging Dropout and Wipeout Chutes. The Upper Panorama Gondola begins inside the McCoy Station and ascends 1400 ft to the summit of the ski area. Although officially labeled as a separate lift, this gondola is physically connected to the Lower Panorama Gondola. It is longer than the lower leg, at 4400 ft, and was installed the year before, but is the same type of lift system. Skiers can board and disembark at any station along the route. Due to the hassle involved in riding a gondola and the lack of any trails from the summit I like to ski, I rarely use this lift. The Backside The backside of Mammoth only has two chairs, and they are both old, slow Lift Engineering doubles. Built the same year as Chair #12, these two lifts are labeled Chair #13 and Chair #14. Chair #13 is 2200 ft long with 400 ft of vertical, and is the best chair on the mountain for lower intermediates due to it's relatively low crowd level. Chair #14 is 3300 ft long with 1000 ft of vertical, and is a fun lift as well. I rarely ski on the backside because of the difficulty of accessing it, but have found it to be a fun and relatively uncrowded part of the ski resort. Retired Chairs Looking at the map, you may notice that several chair numbers have been retired. The chairs #24 and 27 were already adressed, but here are the others. Chair #18 was a triple chair that started about where Chair #21 is now and ended where Stump Alley Express currently does (the original Chair #2 only went about as high as Thunder Bound Express). Chair 19 started near the top of Discovery Chair and ended near the top of Chair #23. It was a double chair. Finally, Chair #26 was a fixed-grip quad that paralleled Broadway Express but ended at Powder Bowl. This lift almost never ran, and was removed relatively recently after being dormant for years. Mammoth is a large mountain, and can keep most people busy for quite some time. It really takes 3-4 days to see the whole mountain. It is a little overpriced, at least in my opinion (2010-2011 one day ticket: $92) but it is a great mountain. Here are the pictures I took. It should be somewhat easy to tell when each one was taken because it was cloudy on Saturday and sunny on Sunday. They are not posted in order. This is pretty much what it looked like driving up. I think I took this picture just before we reached Big Pine. The Alpenhof Lodge. We've stayed here a few times. If you aren't looking for anything too fancy and are just here to ski, this is probably one of the best places to stay. For those of you who like to drink following a day on the slopes, this is where you'll want to go. You get a good view from here, but the view is not the main reason to stay at the Alpenhof. The lodge is right across the street from the Village, and only costs about half as much as the Village hotels do. In the morning, you just walk right over there and get on the gondola. It's the easiest way to start your day. Okay, we'll start the tour of the ski area with Chair #8. I was trying to take a picture of the base area, but unfortunately it was a little too foggy. There's a view of Cloverleaf, which functions somewhat like a funnel. Almost everyone going to the Canyon Lodge that is not a beginner skis down here. Chair #22 ascends Lincoln Mountain. At some parts, this lift is really steep. The top of Chair #22. Shaft. This is a very steep run, just like everything else on the front of Lincoln Mountain. You have to be an expert in order to ski this terrain. A view down toward the Canyon Lodge from Chair #22. Cloud Nine Express, the newest chair on the mountain. The Mill Cafe. This is a nice little place to stop for a rest. However, it is small and can get crowded, especially on weekends. Once you are down here, you have two options out. Gold Rush Express... ...Takes you back over toward Lincoln Mountain and the Canyon Lodge area. Your other option ascends this slope. It is Stump Alley Express. If you aren't familiar with Mammoth's terrain, it is a good idea to check the names of all the chairs as the terminals look identical on many of them. A third option does exist if you are okay with a short hike. This is Chair #21. Most of this chair's vertical rise occurs on this slope. The lift is almost completely flat before this section. A view of some of the more advanced terrain in this area. This is right where Chair #18 used to run. It was retired when Stump Alley Express opened as it was deemed no longer necessary. This is the view up the hill from the McCoy Station. See what I mean by all the terminals looking similar. That hill is where the original Chair #1, which opened in 1955, ended. Today, Broadway Express has replaced that lift. There are two ways to reach the top of the mountain. One is the gondola, and the other is Chair #23. Cornice Bowl is the most popular way down from the top of the mountain. However, going right from Chair #23 can also lead to some fun terrain, such as this. Now for the three remaining doubles. This is the base of Chair #12. Unlike most modern lifts, this chair does not load at the bullwheel. Chair #13. This is a good intermediate lift. Chair #14. This is the most crowded of the three, and I'm guessing it will probably be upgraded soon. Chair #12 could also use an upgrade, but not as much as Chair #14. Hemlock Ridge, the only hike terrain inside Mammoth's boundaries. Finally, a shot of the Minarets. They can be seen best from the backside and upper mountain.

That's too bad. I'll be going to Holiday World for the first time this July and was hoping to try the Voyage with new trains. With the PTC trains, I've heard it runs very rough. Hopefully they've done some track work so this isn't the case, as I think Voyage looks like a great ride and I would prefer to not experience it in its worst possible condition.

If you can, go this weekend or next. After that, the snow starts to really suck (March usually is ok, but not great). Or, if you can take a weekend, head up to Mammoth. I've been skiing there as late as Memorial Day Weekend and the snow wasn't too bad if you stayed on the upper mountain (chairs 3, 5, 23, and the gondola).

Manhattan Express/The Roller Coaster isn't too bad for a Togo (compared to Shockwave and Windjammer), but is still just as rough as the average Vekoma. If you pull the shoulder bar down tight and hold it down until it is locked, you won't have too much headbanging, but will be uncomfortable. If it isn't tight on your shoulders, you won't be squeezed in but will experience a significant amount of headbanging. On the subject of Speed, I ended up getting a farewell ride on Speed last Saturday. I'm in Utah for a ski trip right now, and after I told my dad that Desperado would soon be Nevada's best coaster since Speed is closing, we decided to make a detour since he had never been on it. If anyone is planning to ride, know that they are very strict with the 15 minute launch interval. After our ride, there were somewhere between 15 and 20 people in the station and they still made them wait. Plan to spend an hour there and ride it at least three times (one ride-$10, all day-$15), as it is definitely worth it.

This is too bad. I liked Speed, and compared to the other coasters in Vegas it was a really good ride. The ride was unique, with two launches and an unusual layout for a shuttle coaster, but it would be better if the ride only had lapbars. It wasn't really rough, but Premier's shoulder harnesses aren't very forgiving. I'm guessing that it's unlikely this will be relocated, but you never know. Maybe Cedar Fair can purchase it and improve CGA, then send it to Dorney a couple seasons later. As for those timed launches, I only rode Speed at one time (July 2009), and was told their policy was one launch every ten minutes unless they had enough riders to fill the train. This meant it took me a half hour to ride twice. I would have rode once more but the rest of my party (none of which wanted a second ride) wanted to get going. Once this ride leaves, Desperado is going to be the best coaster in Nevada, and there are many coasters that are better than it. Maybe that new park (assuming it gets built) will have something decent.

Considering the waterparks I go to still have decent crowds, I'm guessing they'll be around for a while longer. What I could see however is older-style waterparks closing due to lack of attraction variety. In fact, the closest waterpark to me, Wild Rivers, has been in danger of closing for a long time. I'm not all that surprised since their last major addition was in 2002, but I like that park due to its unique attractons that just aren't found at modern waterparks. My guess is that we are going to see a decrease in small waterparks, especially in areas that already have a number of them. Larger waterparks will probably continue to attract crowds, and I don't see somewhere like Soak City or Raging Waters closing at any point in the near future.

It's tough to pick one coaster, but I'd probably say Disaster Transport. Runner-ups include Cedar Creek Mine Ride, all Boomerangs, any kiddie coaster with a height requirement over 36", or any family coaster with a height requirement over 42" (specifically Pony Express).

I am behind on this thread. Since I'm leaving for Utah on Saturday, Mammoth will have to wait until I get back. For now, however... Bear Mountain Resort While I really like Snow Summit, I am not much of a fan of Bear Mountain. They say that they are 748 acres, but this includes the entire permit area. The developed section is probably no more than 200 acres, and the rest is in three undeveloped canyons located right in the middle of the ski area. They have 1,665 ft of vertical, but it takes two lifts to access this. The most vertical you can get off one lift ride is 1300 ft. They have 12 lifts (2 High-Speed Quads, 1 Fixed-Grip Quad, 2 Triples, 4 Doubles, and 3 Surface Lifts) but it is rare to visit the ski area on a day that all of these are operating (I've only been twice when they were all running). This leads to large crowds, particularly on the main high speed chair, Bear Mountain Express, and the Access Express, which is required to access another lift servicing expert terrain (Access Express itself doesn't service anything above intermediate). Their longest run is much longer than the longest run at Snow Summit at 10,500 ft, but it isn't as challenging. All of these are reasons I'm not a fan of Bear Mountain, but I have left out the biggest reason...the ski area is a whole mountain terrain park. For those not in the know, a terrain park is the ski area equivalent of a skate park. Bear Mountain advertises the ski area as "The Park" and rarely says anything about the few runs that aren't terrain park runs anymore. Plus, being a terrain park, there are a ton of snowboarders. I don't mind snowboarders in general, but I get unnerved when they go speeding past me on semi-narrow trails, probably due to the fact that my one skiing injury to date was due to a collision with a snowboarder (it was the boarder's fault and the injury was just a chipped tooth). Anyway, enough about snowboarders. Bear Mountain has a much simpler layout than Snow Summit. Looking up the hill from the base area, you have the following (from left to right): The beginner area with the three surface lifts and Chair #7, a 500 ft triple chair on almost flat terrain; Access Express (Chair #6), a 3600 ft long high-speed quad with 500 ft of vertical that accesses intermediate terrain (although a skilled beginner could tackle most of it); Chair #2, an old double chair (2800 ft long, 500 ft vertical) that accesses intermediate terrain (once again, skilled beginners could handle it); Chair #5, the 1600 ft long, 400 ft vertical fixed-grip quad accessing nothing other than a couple of intermediate runs; Chair #1, an ancient double that accesses both intermediate and advanced terrain; and Bear Mountain Express (Chair #9), the ski area's main lift, a high speed quad, 5600 ft long with 1300 ft of vertical, which accesses intermediate, advanced, and expert terrain and is the only way to the top of Goldmine Mountain. These lifts form a rough V, with Chairs #6 and #7 going one way and the rest going the other. There are three lifts that start mid-mountain as well, and each one goes to a different one of the ski area's four peaks. Chair #3, another old double, is located to the extreme right of the ski area. It starts a little way up the hill from the base area and ascends to the summit of Showdown Mountain, the lowest peak. This lift rarely runs, but accesses good intermediate and advanced terrain when it is open. Chair #4 is an ancient Hall double that begins at the top of Chair #2 and ascends to the top of Silver Mountain. This 3000 ft long, 900 ft vertical lift only accesses a couple trails, but they are of advanced or expert difficulty. This is probably my favorite lift on the mountain. Finally, Chair #8 is a triple chair that begins at the top of the Access Express and extends all the way to the summit of Bear Peak, the highest lift-serviced peak in Southern California. There is only one way down from here, and it is rated double-black diamond. From the description, Bear Mountain sounds like a pretty good ski area. However, it isn't really that great because there are only a few good runs. Most of these are off of Chairs #4 and #8. There are also a few good runs off the Bear Mountain Express, but these are long and tiring. Most of the other runs, especially in the Chair #5 area, are really short. This is the reason why, while I go here almost every time I visit Snow Summit, I would never spend a day at just Bear Mountain (tried it once and was bored by 1 P.M.). On a normal trip to Big Bear, I usually ski for about 4 hours total at Snow Summit, with about 3 hours of skiing at Bear Mountain in the middle of the day. Bear Mountain isn't bad, it just isn't anything special. Here are the pictures. I took more than I did at Snow Summit, but there still aren't a ton. Here's Bear Mountain. On the left is Chair #1 and on the right is the Bear Mountain Express. This chair isn't empty because nobody likes it. It is empty because it is closed. Chair #3, the other lift that was closed today. We decided to head over to Chair #4 first. This lift ascends between two of the canyons. To the right is Goldmine Canyon. To the left is Deer Canyon. Chair #8 is located on the far side of Deer Canyon. More on that later. A view down Exhibition. This is the "easy way down" from Chair #4, but it is still an advanced run. This lift looks like it hasn't been run in a while. Now for Chair #8. It ascends up the side of Geronimo, the most challenging trail at Bear Mountain. Once you reach the top of the lower slope, you realize that the chair still has some distance to go. Bow Canyon is to the left of Chair #8. This is the canyon that is open the least often. This is a great perk. There aren't that many places where you can ski two resorts in one day without a special ticket. Bear Mountain used to advertise this fact extensively. They don't seem to do so anymore. Even though it may be the highest lift serviced peak in Southern California, I've been skiing at places where the base area is higher. At the top. This lift has a larger than average unloading ramp. You get a pretty good view from the top of the chair. Big Bear Lake. This is the beginner area of Bear Mountain. Yes, it is just as flat as it looks. Time to head down. It's a long drop. Almost down. This ended up being the last picture I took that day because my battery died.

My favorite coaster is Intimidator at Carowinds. I don't know why, but I really liked that ride. I was surprised when I ended up liking it better than Apollo's Chariot and Griffon, and even more surprised that I enjoyed it more than Intimidator 305 (although I305 isn't really my type of ride). My favorite wood coaster is Apocalypse, although it will likely change after this summer (I'll be riding Voyage, Boulder Dash, and El Toro).