Ragged news...

From the Nashua Telegraph:

Ragged Mountain sold to developer

DANBURY (AP) – The financially struggling Ragged Mountain ski resort has been sold to an out-of-state developer.

RMR-Pacific, an affiliate of Utah developer Pacific Group, has purchased the ski area and 18-hole golf course. The sale price was not released, but court documents from earlier in the year note a proposed purchase price in the $10 million range.

The developer is purchasing Ragged Mountain from Al and Walter Endriunas, who defaulted on a loan and faced foreclosure before they found a buyer.

Town officials say the sale is good news because Ragged Mountain is Danbury’s largest taxpayer.

I have mixed feelings about this.....

This transaction is good because the brothers ran the place like idiots. I worked with another person to put in downhill race trails for his series and got to see how the place was run from the inside. Lets just say that I got to use a 4 wheeler with bald tires, rear brakes only and you had to shift it with a vice grip. There were more people showing up to race than there was golfers for the month and they still shut it down. Its a shame because I worked with some really great people that couldn't do anything about the situation. So that being said, I'm glad someone else will be running the place since it wasn't appreciated, but......

I have a feeling that the friendly family resort that was affordable will morph into the Stratton of New Hampshire and only the beautiful people will be allowed in. You know they are going to go after the Sunapee crowd and anyone from eastern Mass with $$$$. The place has chop me up and sell condos written all over it.

They will be getting a whole another undeveloped peak, making three total. But, they will inherit snow making problems since there isn't any large water source to make snow. Not to mention a golf course that is the toughest in New England. Grass needs water so it will be difficult to water all the greens and have enough to make early season snow. The bulk of the flat lands is all wet lands and the Brothers Grimm already pissed off the state by filling a bunch of it in and violating rules.

I guess we will just have to wait and see, they probably can screw it up any more that it is.

Very insightful, powers. I have been curious to see how the place has been run this past year and obviously disappointed by that.

Fun terrain and a good location. Hopefully they will not head towards that Stratton feel.

Frankly, I dont think it really has that good of a location. Considering most of the Bostonites can shoot right up 93 to Loon and Waterville or Sunapee, whats to get them off the 93 highway and into Easterm NH?

AdironRider said:

Frankly, I dont think it really has that good of a location. Considering most of the Bostonites can shoot right up 93 to Loon and Waterville or Sunapee, whats to get them off the 93 highway and into Easterm NH?

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rugged mountain next door to Sunapee I think next exit on 89 after Sunapee exit and another 20--25from Highway. IMHO Rugged mountain can be competition to Sunapee if managed correctly.

Ragged is a little over 2 hours from Boston, while it only takes 1.30 or 1.45 to get to Sunapee. For the most part, no competition for Sunapee at all. If they could shorten the drive, maybe. Or raise the vertical.

I skied Ragged once, and while it wasn't bad (hard to be bad when it's 40 degrees and sunny), I've had more fun at Sunapee. Maybe I didn't find the right terrain, or maybe it was because I didn't have my wife with me, or who knows, but it's hard to imagine Ragged being serious competition for Sunapee. Unless they get a bunch of nice condos in and get a lot of overnighters, which would be fine with me, since it would thin the crowds at Sunapee a bit.

I think it is interesting to see that the Brothers are gone. They kept hanging on and on....and bragging about how great they ran the place :roll: Heard that snowmaking was non-existent the last few years. And I still think that when they put in the Six pack, they sank themselves. I have heard a lot of :argue: about the place....which is too bad.

Question is what will happen with Blue Hills now?

Ragged has some ok terrain but not that great. They actually have some pretty sweet gladed areas. Havent been in a while though.

I dont get why everyone cares about the Blue Hills area as well. Blue hills has never been that great of a hill. I went to Milton Academy right down the road, it always was crappy. Little vert, no money, really not worth the time. Youd be better off going to Jiminy or Wachusett.

AdironRider said:

Ragged has some ok terrain but not that great. They actually have some pretty sweet gladed areas. Havent been in a while though.

I dont get why everyone cares about the Blue Hills area as well. Blue hills has never been that great of a hill. I went to Milton Academy right down the road, it always was crappy. Little vert, no money, really not worth the time. Youd be better off going to Jiminy or Wachusett.

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Blue Hills serves a niche...the beginner skier and rider from Boston and/or those who don't have cars or the $$$ to go elsewhere. If done right, it could be successful.

The small local hills like Blue Hills are vital to the long term health of the skiing and snowboarding industry. Small hills like that are where many people first learn, and it's a shame that so many of them are disappearing.

AdironRider said:

Ragged has some ok terrain but not that great. They actually have some pretty sweet gladed areas.

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Sweepstake and Birchess both are not extremely steep but they have; narrow sections, double fall lines and twisty. Under the right conditions, I have done laps on those trails all day.

I will miss them if the new owners tame them out.

thetrailboss said:

Blue Hills serves a niche...the beginner skier and rider from Boston and/or those who don't have cars or the $$$ to go elsewhere. If done right, it could be successful.

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Two problems I have with your argument. The first is that the beginner skier or rider is going to need to rent gear etc and buy a ticket. Not exactly cheap to begin with, so they might as well head up to a better hill like wawa. The second is that you have to drive to Blue Hills anyway. Its way down by 128 south of Boston with no T access. Maybe they could take a cab, but that still isnt going to be cheap.

Heading to a different mountain is always an option - for anyone. Keep in mind that school programs (learn to ski and racing) rely on places like Blue Hill and Nashoba, etc. What do you think will happen to the learn to ski program from Cohasset or other places on the south shore? Do you think they'll drive to Nashoba or Wachusett? By the time they get there, they'll have to turn around to come home.

While Blue Hill (and other small areas may not be right for you), they serve others very well. Choice and competition are good things.

Simply put, Ragged needs a gimmick more interesting than a 6-pack lift to attract skiers away from the easy routes. But unless they can make lots of snow, gimmicks are only so good. I'd buy bundles of discount, transferrable, tickets for any area that would span beyond one season. I'm not a season pass fan.

On a good day, Ragged can be fun, however smallish, mountain. Kinda old school. The glades are interesting.

AdironRider said:

Two problems I have with your argument. The first is that the beginner skier or rider is going to need to rent gear etc and buy a ticket. Not exactly cheap to begin with, so they might as well head up to a better hill like wawa.

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OK. Not seeing the logic...especially considering that BH had a new rental shop on the mountain and reasonable rates.

The second is that you have to drive to Blue Hills anyway. Its way down by 128 south of Boston with no T access. Maybe they could take a cab, but that still isnt going to be cheap.

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IIRC the bus runs right by there.

having learned to ski at Big Blue, I have a residual allegiance and fondness for the area! places like Blue Hill, Nashoba, Ski Ward and mid-sized areas like Wa-Wa and Crotched are critical for the health of the larger ski areas. Town recreation ski programs that utilize these areas provide the launching pad for all those new skiers - chiefly children that then plead with their parents to take them up to the bigger areas.

Hopefully, Blue Hill can get a leaseholder that can turn the operation around.

btw: re: public transportation (although limited - does exist! - this took some research!)

Bus service runs hourly between our doorstep and Mattapan Square (at the end of the Mattapan Trolley that leaves from Ashmont Station on the Red Line). This is MBTA Route 716, operated by JBL Bus Lines. For further details, call 781-843-4505

How far is mattapan square from Blue Hills? I went to school in Milton, and it was a bit of a drive away from the T. Not saying Im an advocate for it close outright, but are we really going to miss it that much? Maybe it was just the shoddy ownership, who knows. I was never impressed.

Blue Hills makes a lot of its money from race programs and after-school ski programs. I can go further into detail later.

Mattapan Square is probably about 6 (?) miles north of Blue Hills up route 138, a good 10 minute ride, but there is a T bus.

I also like Blue Hills. They make a lot of snow and they try hard to stay open. The terrain is not great, but it is entertaining for a few hours and it is a good place to hang out for a few hours with friends on a Friday night. Also, when they are fully open, they have two (short) narrow trails that can be entertaining, as well as a windy trail that can be fun, too (again short.)

AdironRider said:

How far is mattapan square from Blue Hills? I went to school in Milton, and it was a bit of a drive away from the T. Not saying Im an advocate for it close outright, but are we really going to miss it that much? Maybe it was just the shoddy ownership, who knows. I was never impressed.

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That "shoddy ownership" is in fact the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is leased to private vendors, but owned by the state. That is part of the problem...