Online Reviews

Last week I spent the first three days skiing Aspen. Three of the four ski resorts there consistently make the list of the top 30 ski resorts in the Western United States every year. I have always wanted to ski the Aspen resorts and enjoyed the chance to do so.

Today at lunch we discussed one of the latest blockbuster films: Batman vs. Superman. I saw the movie last week and have some definite opinions about it. Even though the release has been highly anticipated, the film has received a number of negative reviews.

These two events have me thinking about various reviews and how much you can trust them. I am very particular when it comes to skiing. I know what I like and look for a good mountain with great snow more than tasty restaurants or nightlife after skiing. However some people are more concerned about the later and Aspen definitely lives up to their expectations. Personally I found all 3 mountains to be rather lackluster and over hyped. I actually don't even agree with the ranking that everyone came up with for the 3 Aspen resorts. General consensus has Snowmass as the best followed by Aspen Mountain and then Aspen Highlands. Snowmass is definitely large but lacks any really challenging terrain. I would rank them in reverse order.

In the case of the movie, I have to partly agree with the negative reviews but also think that some have been to harsh. It contained a lot of action but also seemed to drag at times. There wasn't much comic relief and that may have turned some people off. When the movie finished, I looked at my watch and it surprised me that almost three hours had passed. It felt more like two hours and so I have to admit that I was thoroughly entertained.

While we all want a quick thumbs-up or thumbs-down rating for potential purchases, it is important to read online reviews thoroughly. Most of the time you can determine why a review has been narrowed down to thumbs-up or down and that may sway your own opinion. In my own case, I enjoyed Aspen but ended up checking out of the hotel a day early and heading back to Snowbird/Alta while not regretting it for a second.