I had an excellent experience at Thunder Ridge on two days over the President's Day weekend recently, and wanted to convey some details... it's long, but somehow I remembered a lot, it's late, and decided to post this while watching Jimmy Fallon, so it *will* ramble....
First, thank you to:
Brittney, Marsha, & Meryl at the front desk, Dave ,St. Nick, & Abi with ski school, Lynne (Lifts), Rob (Rentals) Every one of them was helpful, enthusiastic, pleasant and professional on every level.
First, stopped in while driving by on Friday night just to get the lay of the land... Brittney (Brittany?) was welcoming, reviewed lesson program options, rental info and general questions. Definitely likes what she does.
So, trying to get my 10 year old son on skis for the second time in five years, I called TR on Saturday afternoon from nearby to check on group lesson availability. Come on in, I was told... Amazingly there was a slot available!
Got there, enrolled w ski school and picked up rental gear in maybe 10 minutes. Unheard of. Not typical. Suited up and was early for his great group lesson, with (can't recall the instructor's name, so sorry... 2PM Sat "Beginner" group but thank you!) then went to the "Little Thunder" beginner area progressed well, and he wanted to come back asap.
While he was in his lesson I caught up with St. Nick, who filled me in on what's changed in skiing since I last did 15 years ago... My ski size just dropped from 215cm to 165. Wow.
Two days later (President's Day) it was literally "the perfect storm".... a spectacularly sunny day, fantastic snow conditions, a day off for everyone.... that means madness at ANY ski area, let alone one an hour from Manhattan...
We got to Thunder Ridge around 9:30a, and the lines were building. Marsha directed "people traffic" to help people find the outside lift window which also helps with lessons and rentals, so keep it in mind as possible option if very crowded indoors.
Got our Rentals (thanks Rob and team) and Lift ticket, which took far longer than Saturday, simply because we had no wait then, but it's A: fit the helmet B: fit the boots C: fit the skis D: get the poles... A big surprise when we left the rental area to find that the line we started in 30 mins prior had become massive, we were done, but for newcomers it was like 10 times longer, a product of the holiday weekend. When I say they probably rented every set of gear they had that day, I am not exaggerating... The rental line was long but moving, well into the afternoon. ("obvious tip": you can skip the rental line if you own your gear)
Off to Little Thunder with the little learner, who was 100% self directed and engaged for a few hours on an excellent beginner slope with a reasonable 3-6 minute carpet lift. We took a break for lunch in the "lodge" upstairs... busy, but turnover assures you'll find a seat soon... So he was then up for to the idea of a private lesson to get comfortable with the big lifts...:
We were fortunate enough that Dave & Meryl helped us with a time, and Abi was our super awesome, friendly instructor who evaluated her student efficiently, and was off to the lifts with him in no time. An hour and six long runs from the top later, (bonus: no lines with an instructor!) my budding junior skier came skiing back with Abigail with the biggest smile on his face, totally hooked, and was actually able to handle the lifts alone moving forward!)
Count us as fans of Thunder Ridge, whose staff really works hard to keep the machine well oiled, and to keep smiling and patient even when it's bursting at the seams for capacity... If there was any drama, you couldn't see it, even with the many skiers who turned out on what was obviously going to be the busiest day of the season.
It's good to see the place having a great season considering the many mild winters we've had lately.
Thanks again. We're "in". read more