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Butternut-Otis-Blandford- a threat to other "Flatland" hills?

ss20

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Anyone who doesn't keep up with NESH News- http://www.newenglandskiindustry.com/viewstory.php?storyid=612

Financially troubled Ski Blandford has been saved, as the ownership of Ski Butternut has completed its purchase of the Western Massachusetts ski area....Stating that it "does not have the money to continue operations," the Springfield Ski Club told members that if the area was not sold, it would be closed. On July 18, 2017, the membership approved a prospective sale to the ownership of nearby Ski Butternut. On July 25, 2017, Ski Butternut owner Jeffrey Murdock formed Blandford Properties LLC to acquire the ski area.

On September 1, 2017, Blandford Properties LLC acquired the ski area deed from the Springfield Ski Club for $269,000. Subsequently, hundreds of thousands of dollars of mortgages were discharged.

Butternut's got a nice Massachusetts skiing monopoly forming. I know Otis and Blandford are behind the times...but Butternut is a ski area that did everything right. I haven't been there in several seasons, but the place was always mobbed. 3 Quads, 100% snowmaking, excellent grooming, and a cheap season pass...that's all the people in this region need for them to be customers for life...and it shows. Now with Otis and Blandford do they make a season pass with all three? A Locals pass is something this area desperately needs. No mountain teams up with another...they all fight for customers on their own. Otis and Blandford are no more than "stepping-stone" hills before customers go off to bigger places, a three-mountain pass would certainly delay that transition before they move on the bigger hills, imo.
 

Jully

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Agree that they could form a nice multimountain pass. Didn't know they owned Otis too. I wonder if Butternut has upgrades planned for these hills or if they want to just roll them and their customers into Butternut.
 

mbedle

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They certainly have Route 23 covered pretty good... They are all within 25 minutes of each other. I could see a combined pass and maybe even a couple of shuttles. Change your marketing to combine all three mountains.
 

Jully

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They certainly have Route 23 covered pretty good... They are all within 25 minutes of each other. I could see a combined pass and maybe even a couple of shuttles. Change your marketing to combine all three mountains.

I've heard terrain at Butternut is pretty mellow. How is terrain at the other two places? Could they try and draw different skiers to different mountains?
 

mbedle

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They are all pretty mellow, with Butternut being the best. Otis is very small and Blandford is a little bigger and Butternut is by far the biggest, with over double the elevation of the other two. I just noticed Otis has a pretty nice restaurant onsite, a ski camp and a inn (not sure if that is still used). Who would have figured.
 

urungus

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Great to see Butternut stepping up to the plate to keep Blandford and Otis Ridge going. Lot of history there. If you want to talk about “threatening” Western Mass monopolies, remember how Jiminy Peak bought Brodie Mountain and then quickly shut it down...
 

Hawkshot99

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Great to see Butternut stepping up to the plate to keep Blandford and Otis Ridge going. Lot of history there. If you want to talk about “threatening” Western Mass monopolies, remember how Jiminy Peak bought Brodie Mountain and then quickly shut it down...
They bought a extremely struggling Brodie and had full plans to run it proper. That property was in very bad shape and needed way to much money.
It was not bought to eliminate competition.

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Jully

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They bought a extremely struggling Brodie and had full plans to run it proper. That property was in very bad shape and needed way to much money.
It was not bought to eliminate competition.

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+1 a true shame, but agreed it was not Jimimy's intention to shut it down. They kept it afloat for a few years too IIRC.
 

urungus

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ss20

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So Jiminy bought Brodie without doing the proper due diligence about how much it would cost to run it properly?

And then after only a couple seasons sold the property to Silverleaf Resorts and the deal “stipulates that there will never be any public skiing or boarding at Brodie”. (Source: http://www.iberkshires.com/story/15250/Remembering-Brodie-s-glory-days.html)

Not impressed.

Ditto. This quote is really f'd up!!!! “stipulates that there will never be any public skiing or boarding at Brodie”

That hurts.
 

Hawkshot99

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Never skied Jiminy or Brodie. Opinions vary, but I've often heard Brodie had the better terrain. What do you folks think?

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I would say Brodie has more character on its trails(narrow and windier), but Jiminy is far steeper.
I have been to Brodie many, many times, but all after they closed.

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Glenn

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I've skied all three back in the day on the race circuit...this goes way back.

Personally, it's good to see the smaller feeder hills surviving. Skiing is such an expensive sport, people have to start somewhere. If you only have $100+ weekend rates mountains, the survival of this recreational activity becomes questionable.
 

Bosco DaSkia

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The corporate ski giant that is Butternut-Otis-Blanford is definitely a threat to the Southern Berkshires ski industry.... They won't be happy till they control the whole "Ski Rt 23 Corridor". Poor old Catamount must be scared shitless by this latest development.

MountainStats1.jpg

Catamount - Home of the double diamond trail - Catapult – the steepest trail in the Berkshires....... according to Catamount.




:spread:
 
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Catamount has the best terrain in this part of the state(s). Catapult has some true steeps and usually very good coverage due to their snowmaking power. $20 online midweek tix are hard to pass up!
 

ss20

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Catamount has the best terrain in this part of the state(s). Catapult has some true steeps and usually very good coverage due to their snowmaking power. $20 online midweek tix are hard to pass up!

Yep. I love Catamount. Never busy. Actual trail variety. Multiple ways down that are all on different fall lines. Most importantly they don't groom everything. Catapult's been groomed more and more often but Off Stage is still bumped up always, same as the skiers right of the Glade trail.
 
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