It's All Downhill: The chairlift less traveled [Presented by VT Tourism - Montpelier]

[View web version]( [It's All Downhill. The latest from the slopes of New England and beyone by Matt Pepin] [Presented by: Downtown Montpelier Vermont]( Friday, February 1 | [Follow Matt Pepin on Twitter]( More is not always better It was early in my ski day, I was flying solo, and the choice was this: hop on a triple chairlift that didn’t go all the way to the summit, or take the main quad that did. I was high enough on the mountain (Waterville Valley) to see both lifts below me, and I had more than enough slope to get enough speed to cruise right into either corral. The factors: the triple was slow, but had zero wait time. The quad was fast, but had a fairly decent wait with three lanes filled with foursomes plus a singles line and a ski school/racing program lane. The decision: I zoomed straight through the triple’s entrance and into position to get a chair by myself. I repeated that about six times, never once with another person on my chair, enabling me to ski all of the open slopes the triple served, a couple more than once. (Pictured above: The view from the triple chair looking over at Waterville Valley's four main black diamond slopes) Then, after a pretty fun session off to one side of the ski area, I noticed the quad’s line had dwindled. I zoomed over, and hit the quad again and again, until the line swelled back to what you’d expect on a weekend. Lift lines can be a funny thing the way sometimes they ebb and flow at varying capacities, and I generally always opt for the chair less traveled. My strategy at Loon, where I like to gear up in the lodge right next to the gondola, is always to take the gondola first, then head immediately to North Peak to ski everything there until others make their way over and that lift gets popular. I do the same almost everywhere I go - get away from the “main” lift ASAP. On my first visit to Winter Park in Colorado, also on a day by myself, I rode the primary lift at the main base all of once. I was among the first in line, and when I got on, I looked back and saw the line was pretty big. Without any knowledge of the area, I just opted to ski deeper into the area rather than start with the main run a lot of skiers and boarders were hitting first, almost like they had to check that off their list right from the start. That day, I never rode the main lift again, although in the afternoon, when I finally made my way back toward the main base, the line was pretty short. Many areas are set up to offer savvy skiers several alternatives to the lifts that are the biggest, fastest, and easiest to access. Find that double or triple that lets you get to the kind of terrain you want to ski without 15 minute waits each time through and you’re likely to have a pretty good time. Of course this strategy doesn’t always work. Sometimes it’s just crowded everywhere, and sometimes the lifts with the biggest lines are that way because they serve the best terrain and they’re worth the wait. But more often than not, I find myself satisfied with this approach. And almost always, if you can go the distance on a ski day, you’ll find everything thins out by the end of the day anyway. CLICKING IN YIKES! More than 150 skiers/boarders were [stuck on a stalled lift at Stowe Mountain]( in Vermont on Sunday, and it took more than two hours to get them all down. [According to VTDigger.com]( the lift must pass an inspection by the state before it can be used again. GAME ON: The world championships for freestyle skiing, snowboarding, and freeskiing are being held the first 10 days of February in Park City, Utah. The competition will be interesting, but there's also no denying this is a big showcase for Utah as it prepares to be the next US bidder for the Olympics. The Salt Lake Tribune published [a good look at the competition and what it means for the state](. Meanwhile, some 24 hours of coverage will be broadcast by NBC's family of networks. A [guide is available on the US Ski & Snowboard website]( as is a good [look at all the athletes who made the US team]( for these events. MEANWHILE IN SKI RACING NEWS: Two Massachusetts skiers — Alice Merryweather of Hingham and Brian McLaughlin of Topsfield — [will be part of the US team at the Alpine world championships]( in February in Sweden. However, that will also mark the end of Lindsey Vonn's competitive career. [She announced her decision to retire Friday](. TAKE THE CHALLENGE: The annual Jimmy Fund Snow Challenge ski racing event for individuals or teams will be Feb. 9 at Nashoba Valley. [Full details are here](. GOOD IDEA ON PAPER: I admit I used to find the notion of touring ski country (anywhere, really) and camping in a recreational vehicle in resort parking lots somewhat appealing. Then I read [Susan Reifer Ryan's essay "Rigged" in Ski Magazine]( and pretty much completely abandoned that thought forever. It was a nice try by Ryan, but probably not worth the effort. THIS SHOULD BE GOOD: James Nieheus, the artist responsible for painting many ski area trail maps, expects to publish a book this summer of his maps plus explanations and his own life story. John Meyer of the Denver Post [recently profiled Nieheus and his project]( which started with an $8,000 crowdfunding request that ballooned into more than half a million dollars in donations. MANNERS MAKETH THE SKI KID: Kristen Lummis (a.k.a. Brave Ski Mom) offers ["A Parent's Guide to Skiing and Chairlift Etiquette"]( in a recent Liftopia blog post. It's a good compilation of best practices and advice that even veteran ski parents will find useful. ALSO FROM LIFTOPIA: The online discount lift ticket seller [recently introduced Liftopia Experiences]( which is basically a fancy way to say day trips on a bus. In marketing lingo, they call them "curated, hosted trips that include round-trip transportation ... lift tickets, rentals, lessons, accommodations, and more." Boston and Hartford are among the starting points. [Subscribe to BostonGlobe.com]( [Like It's All Downhill? Tell a friend to subscribe.]( [Sign up for more Boston Globe newsletters.]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [Pinterest]( About This Email You received this message because you signed up for the It's All Downhill newsletter. To automatically unsubscribe, [please click here.]( Please note: this will unsubscribe you from the newsletter only. If you wish to cancel your BostonGlobe.com subscription, please call 1-888-MY-GLOBE (1-888-694-5623). [Manage Your Account]( | [Terms of Service]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Help Center]( | [Advertise]( Address: The Boston Globe 1 Exchange Place Suite 201 Boston, MA 02109-2132 ©Copyright 2019 Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC