The 5 Best April Fools of 2022
April Fools posts have become a thing in the ski business, and the best combine outrageous speculations with some kernels of truth. It’s a great way to end the season, and this year, more than ever, we felt like we needed a laugh.
So, drumroll please: Her are our picks for the 5 best from last Friday in reverse order:
#5 Vail Resorts Has New Majority Shareholder
Vermont Ski + Ride has been doing them for the past 7 years with some that too many folks believed (see 2019’s Jay Peak and Burke Sold to Quebec ) and others that were over the top at the time, but in retrospect contained some unforeseen truths, such as this post from 2017: Vail Buys 17 Ski Areas and Vermont.
Our 2022 post “Vail Resorts Has New Majority Shareholder” may fall into the latter category. Using the photo (pictured above) showing Robby and Tim Kelley of the Redneck Racing Team, the post imagined what would happen if Vail Resorts became “Redneck Resorts.” Read it here.
#4 J Skis Builds Skis with Snowboard Bindings
“For the 2022-23 winter season all J skis will come standard with 4-hole snowboard binding inserts built into the skis. This instantly provides skiers with the option of using any snowboard boot and binding systems, in addition to traditional alpine ski bindings,” was how a press release from Jason Levinthal, owner of Shelburne, Vt.-based J Skis read. In every good piece of satire, there is usually a kernel of truth. As the release also noted: “The concept is nothing new to Levinthal, credited for bringing to market the first twin-tip skis in 1995, coined “skiboards,” that used 4-hole inserts to accept hard boot snowboard bindings.”
#3. Killington Open for Skiing 365 Days a Year
Killington Mountain Resort’s April Fools announcement that the ski area was going to stay open for skiing 365 days a year was so close to the truth that even some media outlets believed it. The ski area has routinely opened in October and closed as late as June so adding a few more months? No big deal, right? That’s what WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate in western Massachusetts thought and ran the story as news. They later had to admit they’d been had. The ski area has since removed the release and related video with Killington president Mike Solimano explaining: “At Killington, we’re bigger, better and beastlier than everyone else so we figure why not ski 52 weeks a year, seven days a week.”
#2. Mad River Glen Goes Epic
Hand it to Mad River Glen for always keeping it real. Owned by a co-op of skiers, MRG’s social media feeds and “conditions” report have been savagely funny this season. The April 1 social media announcement took it to another level.
#1. Northeast Slopes Adds Single Chair
But the one that still has us laughing every time we watch this video is tiny Northeast Slope’s post, Northeast Slopes may be the only ski area that can out-soul Mad River Glen, famously known as the home of the Single Chair. Proof is in this post: “In order to keep up with the ever-changing ski industry Northeast Slopes has acquired a “Single Chair” lift to operate in conjunction with our two current rope tows and beloved T-bar,” the ski area noted on social media and posted this video:
