This mountain is absolutely ridiculous! I should've known something was off when I got to the parking lot and didn't have to fight off 1,000 people just to get a parking spot. I didn't think much of it at the time so I cruised into the lodge to purchase my pass. I was shocked upon entering the lodge to see only TWO people behind the ticket desk! What happened to the rows of ticket sales you find at big mountains?! Furthermore, the tickets were reasonably priced! Having spent my entire life riding only Vail resorts, I've learned that tickets should at least cost half of my week's wages and if you aren't reverse mortgaging your house to afford a season pass, you're doing it wrong! At Mt. Ashland they actually have the audacity to try to sell you affordable season passes and tickets. Next, I headed out onto the slope. The resort wasn't jam-packed and I didn't have to throw elbows just to get enough room to make a turn which left me feeling really uncomfortable. The only real way to enjoy skiing or snowboarding is to do it with 10,000 of your best friends! After only about 30 seconds of skiing, I arrived at the first lift, I think it was called Whiner or something like that. There I wasn't greeted by the hour-long lift line that should be at every lift, but rather a two-minute lift line! Where are you supposed to hit your JUUl and drink a brew in between runs?! Not having to wait at least 45 minutes to get on a lift left me feeling like I was skiing in a ghost town, not a ski resort. After a few top to bottom runs, I headed into the lodge to get lunch. I was shocked to find good food, for reasonable prices! Anyone who knows anything about skiing and ski resorts knows that if you aren't paying at least $50 per person per meal for lodge food, your resort must suck. I was also able to find a place to sit down, without having to drop kick a whole family of toddlers just to get some elbow space.
All in all this mountain has a weird vibe... The employees actually seem to care about skiing or snowboarding. The management seems to care too much about keeping prices affordable and keeping the community tight-knit. Who's even heard of a community-owned mountain before?! How can you have a ski resort without someone stuffing their pockets with the profits?! People kept acknowledging me and saying hi, which made me feel very uncomfortable. And everyone looked like they were having fun... it was too weird. I will not ever be returning to this mountain, rather I would prefer to fly to Colorado once a year and literally lop off an arm and a leg to ski with 10,000 other people at a Vail resort. If you're into steep terrain, fun, and good attitudes this mountain might be for you. But if you're like me and prefer screaming children, frowns, and wasting money you should probably save your time and head to a Vail resort. read more