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Who in New England has a higher base elevation than Saddleback?

Edd

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On Saddleback's website they claim a base elevation of 2460 ft (wow!) and specifically say that it's the second highest in New England but I can't find who is higher.
 

SIKSKIER

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I think that's the highest however,that's the base lodge and a lift goes down to about 2300.The top lift elevation is at 4000 so how the hell do they claim 2000 vertical?
 

soposkier

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I think that's the highest however,that's the base lodge and a lift goes down to about 2300.The top lift elevation is at 4000 so how the hell do they claim 2000 vertical?

They claim the top of the mountain at 4120 which you can hike to from the lift and base of the beginner area at about 2120. Must be awesome up there right now
 
Last edited:

from_the_NEK

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According to Google Earth Elevation values:
Bolton's main lodge is at 2100 but its Timberline quad goes down to 1560.
Wildcat is at about 2000.
Cannon is at just over 2000.
Pico is at 2000.
Bromley is 1985.
Haystack is 2025.
Strattons main base is 2140 but its Sunbowl lift goes down to 2000.
 

k123

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Belleayre's base is at 2,025 ft, but most only ski above the Overlook lodge which is at about 2,500 ft
 

Mapnut

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I think that's the highest however,that's the base lodge and a lift goes down to about 2300.The top lift elevation is at 4000 so how the hell do they claim 2000 vertical?

If you're looking at Google Earth the aerial photo is old, and shows the T-bar area below the lodge, before the quad chair was installed. The T-bar had the 2,300 base elevation. I assume the quad chair goes about 200 feet lower.
 

soposkier

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If you're looking at Google Earth the aerial photo is old, and shows the T-bar area below the lodge, before the quad chair was installed. The T-bar had the 2,300 base elevation. I assume the quad chair goes about 200 feet lower.

Saw that too, you can adjust google earth to show 2011 imagery. The base of the current quad is at about 2140.
 

Edd

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according to google earth the K1 base lodge at Killington is at 2535 ft.

Killington is claiming much less on their website. Bolton claims to have the highest in VT so I didn't even look at Kmart. Maybe Saddleback is #1 and they don't know it? Not really important but I figured this would be an easy question to answer and Google failed me.
 

SIKSKIER

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Saw that too, you can adjust google earth to show 2011 imagery. The base of the current quad is at about 2140.
Cool,thanks.Still pushing it claiming 2000 vert imo with the lift only at 4000.To the top its close enough I guess.If that's how were going to measure vert then Cannon has almost 2300 vert.
 

salsgang

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I asked Saddleback GM Chris Farmer about this and he didn't know either. Guess it is not too important but it certainly helps to have a base lodge that high.
 

tipsdown

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I asked Saddleback GM Chris Farmer about this and he didn't know either. Guess it is not too important but it certainly helps to have a base lodge that high.

There's no conspiracy theory. The vertical is a true 2,000 ft as the South Branch Quad loads at 2120. You can't go by Google Maps however. It still has the old images (pre 2006?) where there was only a T bar line that loaded around 2280. That was removed and a quad was installed further down the mountain to expand the beginner area.

The only technicality is that lift service stops around 4020. The last 100 ft is hike-to. As a side note, permitted future development calls for a lift further down the mountain which would ultimately increase the vertical to about 2200 ft.

All mountains stretch as it as much as they can. Sugarloar claims 2820 but there's about 80 ft of hike-to snowfields. Their lodge is at around 1800 elevation and there's about 400 vert. below the base lodge. Don't get me wrong, Sugarloaf ski's long but if you take lift serviced elevation and subtract the "Base Elevation" your left with about 2300 vertical....
 
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