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Balsams Grand Resort teams up with ski industry legend Les Otten

bigbob

Active member
Joined
Jul 10, 2007
Messages
707
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28
Location
SE NH
Snowmaking installers have begun reviewing in person Phase I of the build out (which includes replacement of snowmaking in the existing area, two new pods and the gondola to the hotel). 100K feet of pipe.
Does this include the feed pipe from the Androscoggin River?
 

skiur

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 27, 2012
Messages
1,598
Points
113
Loved everything about the old ASC empire. We owned a hotel unit at SR, and got to use all the hotels in the company for short money using the Space Available perk. Even got into the Summit at Canyons, for goodness sake!.. Combined with the old All=for-one pass, we went everywhere for the first years of our retirement. I was so enamored that I invested in ASC stock (thankfully not much). Believed in Les's vision. Rode it all the way down to zero! Les had the vision but not the money, I guess. Vail and Alterra are realizing that vision now. I just can't see it happening at the Balsams, much as I'd like to.

Did you love 45 minute lift wait times?
 

machski

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Joined
Sep 5, 2014
Messages
3,719
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Location
Northwood, NH (Sunday River, ME)
On a spring day or a pow day, the Oz terrain works nicely in conjunction with the stuff off Jordan proper. It's a bit more accessible now with the Kansas regrade, which may be somewhat unfortunate in a shakes-clouds-at-fist kinda way. If the snowpack in Oz holds up for the last two weekends, it should work nicely as part of the closing-weekend trail offerings.

Edit to add: not that the hype wasn't ridiculous, of course. But we're talking about the same place that brought you the steepest longest widest lift-served trail in the East. ;)
The best days of Oz were when the rest of the Western Lifts including Spruce went on wind hold but Oz kept spinning. Was like a private ski area unto yourself if you timed it correctly getting over there.

Oz is a blast in the spring, I so miss them making snow on Eureka, that run all modules up in the spring sun was fantastic. Actually thanks to the Kansas rebuild, the chances Oz runs are Open the last two weekends are slim to none. The amount of scree at the entrance to LP/TW and Eureka is ridiculous. And the midpoint of LP didn't get anywhere near enough MM this season to hold up.
 
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