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Haystack / Hermitage news

mikec142

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How did a lift that cost 7 million new and is several years old increase in value?

I think you're reading the ad wrong. The whole thing (lodge, land, golf course, lifts, infrastructure, etc.) are being auctioned for a little over $8mm. But if you want to bid on everything minus the barnstormer lift its $4.3mm. So this values the lift at approximately $3.7mm
 

PaulR

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One would think that Vail would put in a bid to "protect" their Mount Snow interests.
 

sull1102

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Oct 8, 2010
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I’m hoping at least one more time as I’ve never managed to ski it. I figure I’ve got until March 16 to win the PowerBall and get my bid in. But maybe the Balsams would be a cooler resort to waste my millions on...

Hermitage is turn key operation, hell you could probably win the auction and fire up a lift the very next day and be skiing this winter if the natural snow provides enough cover.


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Zermatt

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What's the status on the restriction about opening to the non-local general public? Has that been thrown out in court?

Add that to the list of boneheaded things Vermonters will do to destroy their economy. Right up there with unrestricted use of your yard for storing trash.
 

pauldotcom

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Feb 5, 2019
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Vail

There is zero reason Vail will NOT buy it. This looks like a classic Vail move - sweep in on the cheep, connect them up, and new mega-resort (for New England lol). It would most likely pan out to a little more than 1,000 acres.
 

x10003q

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There is zero reason Vail will NOT buy it. This looks like a classic Vail move - sweep in on the cheep, connect them up, and new mega-resort (for New England lol). It would most likely pan out to a little more than 1,000 acres.

Vail would go bankrupt due to Act 250 trying to do a Haystack-Mt Snow connection.
 

icecoast1

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There is zero reason Vail will NOT buy it. This looks like a classic Vail move - sweep in on the cheep, connect them up, and new mega-resort (for New England lol). It would most likely pan out to a little more than 1,000 acres.


It makes perfect sense on paper but in reality the state would make Vails life a living hell trying to connect those 2 and that alone would probably be the deal breaker
 

ss20

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A minute from the Alta exit off the I-15!
There is zero reason Vail will NOT buy it. This looks like a classic Vail move - sweep in on the cheep, connect them up, and new mega-resort (for New England lol). It would most likely pan out to a little more than 1,000 acres.

First, it would never get permitted.

Second, there's no ROI on it. This isn't Western skiing where you throw a lift up, add electricity, and put in a patrol/warming hut up top. This terrain would need to have snowmaking and grooming. The size of the behemoth resort you'd have would mean you have wayyyyy too much in costs midweek. Sure you have capacity for 15,000+ skiers on the weekend, but you don't need a 1,000 acre resort on a Tuesday in March in the East. You're looking at 30+ lifts and well over 1,000 acres.

Even Killington only operates their "full footprint" with the Skyeship and Sunrise Christmas week to last weekend of March. And even then its a tough pill to swollow for corporate owner Powdr, hence them trying to close the Skyship I midweek their first year of ownership.
 

raisingarizona

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There is zero reason Vail will NOT buy it. This looks like a classic Vail move - sweep in on the cheep, connect them up, and new mega-resort (for New England lol). It would most likely pan out to a little more than 1,000 acres.

With a warming climate that would be an unnecessary snowmaking nightmare. Vail knows that it would be a bad investment.
 

Smellytele

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Right where I want to be
Someone needs to buy the lift and let the place die in peace. There is no draw to the place from everything I have heard.


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ss20

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A minute from the Alta exit off the I-15!
Someone needs to buy the lift and let the place die in peace. There is no draw to the place from everything I have heard.


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Tell that to the half dozen or so owners of Haystack in the past. IIRC the place has closed at least once every decade since its inception (someone fact-check me on that).
 

jaytrem

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It will never get connected because of the wildlife and land ownership issues. Pretty sure much of this area is being bought up or licensed(for lack of a better word) as Backcountry skiing/ MTB for the SOVTA - http://www.sovta.org/winter/

I don't think land ownership would be an issue anymore. The USFS is now in possession of everything needed. Good luck getting the permits though. The USFS did at one time had the area in between designated for ski area expansion. And it's such a tiny plot of land compared to the giant area of wilderness on the other side of the ridge. Only way I could see it happening is if Vail had something more valuable to trade. I'd be shocked if they pulled it off though.

I did notice it looked like the ridge trail had a lot of track on it this weekend. Wonder if the majority are heading to Haystack or dropping off the ridge?
 

Vaughn

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We drove around the corner from Magic to look at Timber Ridge / Mt Glebe last week. I did not know that someone not only bought the property but that he is maintaining it as a private hill for friends and family mostly, but also hosting some races. All serviced by snowmobiles instead of lifts. The trails you can see from the bottom were clear of brush and clearly had been groomed a bit.

I could see something like that happening with Haystack if someone rich enough wants to. No idea how the insurance works for a non-profit, private ski hill though. I guess everyone must need to sign

The info on NELSAP is pretty old but it would appear to be correct - http://www.nelsap.org/vt/timber.html
 

2Planker

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We drove around the corner from Magic to look at Timber Ridge / Mt Glebe last week. I did not know that someone not only bought the property but that he is maintaining it as a private hill for friends and family mostly, but also hosting some races. All serviced by snowmobiles instead of lifts. The trails you can see from the bottom were clear of brush and clearly had been groomed a bit.

I could see something like that happening with Haystack if someone rich enough wants to. No idea how the insurance works for a non-profit, private ski hill though. I guess everyone must need to sign

The info on NELSAP is pretty old but it would appear to be correct - http://www.nelsap.org/vt/timber.html


Loved that places in the 80's
Got my 77 Celica pushed out of a ditch there by Paul Newman & Bob Sharp.
Nice guys out walkin their dogs....

The place was actually on some Cabin Builders type show when they rebuilt the shack up top 5-10 years ago
 
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