I didn't read the fine print about Mt. Rose. Only Wizard? I would have assumed one blue run from Lakeview, which would be roughly similar to what Loveland and A-Basin have. So yes, that's quite marginal. As for weekend only, I think that's fine, as it gives an area a chance to restore surfaces under marginal conditions. But even if I lived in Reno, I doubt I would go for just Wizard.
Most people are not stringent at all about counting earned turns as a ski day, even with modest vertical. You may not ski much vertical but typically you expend several hours in the effort. I try to get at least 1,000 vertical on backcountry days, but I had 3 consecutive just under 1,000.
Oct. 7, 2011 at Mammoth:
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Nov. 8, 2011 training day in the rain on Tierra del Fuego:
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Nov. 12, 2011 first day in Antarctica, weather constrained, didn't get out until after 6PM:
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As for not counting lift-served days under 10K, if we had an administrator here, he would be mightily offended by that notion as he averages about 12K, would lose about 1/3 of his ski days I suspect. :lol:
Excel allows easy filtering, so I could check my records where I found 65 lift served days under 10K
16 were when I was a beginner/low intermediate through 1978, a phase tseeb, like my son Adam, probably doesn't remember.
5 were spent entirely with my kids at very young ages 3-5.
1 was a free day at 400 vertical Canada Olympic Park, just a couple of hours skiing, at least as much time in the museum and Olympic training facilities.
12 were mostly in the category of "lift assisted backcountry:" Silverton, La Grave, Vallee Blanche, Beartooth Pass, etc.
6 days were cut short by injury or illness.
That leaves 25. Nearly all of those were cut short by extremely foul weather/conditions, often involving closure of lifts/terrain. I don't see any reason not to count all of the above though.
