-
Welcome to AlpineZone, the largest online community of skiers and snowboarders in the Northeast!
You may have to REGISTER before you can post. Registering is FREE, gets rid of the majority of advertisements, and lets you participate in giveaways and other AlpineZone events!
The Future of Resorting
- Thread starter Masskier
- Start date
Masskier
New member
Burke is not being compared to other resorts, The other resorts are mentioned only to give the viewer some background and history of the current management team.
When I hear terms like "authentic", "We believe the future of resorting is creating a quaint unspoiled community", "Less is more", "a working farm community", these statements indicates to me that they believe that the glitz and high density of the past is not the way of the future. And keeping the natural character of Burke is important to its future success.
from_the_NEK
Active member
Yikes...
I have been perusing Burke's Act250 application -
http://www.anr.state.vt.us/Imaging/Planning/7C0206-13/Burke.Act250app.ExhibitH.TrailExpanPlan.PDF
and I am rather disturbed at a lot of the trail widening plans that are on the Trail Expansion Plan map. I already knew they planned to expand the offerings in the East Bowl but it looks to me like a lot of trails are going to get the McSkiing treatment of widening/straightening. Just look at where Carriage Road and Dougs Drop are (or more precisely, were) :blink:. Addionally, the East Bowl trail as we know it looks to be turned into a gentrified uninteresting mess :-x. Burke does NOT need to turn itself into a steeper version of Okemo. There are not nearly enough (nor will there ever be) people to require that much downhill capacity. The narrow interesting trails are what give Burke its character. Sure its fun to do an occasional screamer run down the Dippers but that gets old in a hurry. Openning up those trails like that is also going to cause a lot of wind scouring. I really hope that the majority of the widening/straightening crap is the LAST thing on the list of developers. I do understand the need to do this in some places as traffic patterns are going to change with a new lift configuration. However, these plans are so far overboard I wonder if this is a case of ask for permits to build a H1 Hummer when all they really expect to build is a Jeep.
I have been perusing Burke's Act250 application -
http://www.anr.state.vt.us/Imaging/Planning/7C0206-13/Burke.Act250app.ExhibitH.TrailExpanPlan.PDF
and I am rather disturbed at a lot of the trail widening plans that are on the Trail Expansion Plan map. I already knew they planned to expand the offerings in the East Bowl but it looks to me like a lot of trails are going to get the McSkiing treatment of widening/straightening. Just look at where Carriage Road and Dougs Drop are (or more precisely, were) :blink:. Addionally, the East Bowl trail as we know it looks to be turned into a gentrified uninteresting mess :-x. Burke does NOT need to turn itself into a steeper version of Okemo. There are not nearly enough (nor will there ever be) people to require that much downhill capacity. The narrow interesting trails are what give Burke its character. Sure its fun to do an occasional screamer run down the Dippers but that gets old in a hurry. Openning up those trails like that is also going to cause a lot of wind scouring. I really hope that the majority of the widening/straightening crap is the LAST thing on the list of developers. I do understand the need to do this in some places as traffic patterns are going to change with a new lift configuration. However, these plans are so far overboard I wonder if this is a case of ask for permits to build a H1 Hummer when all they really expect to build is a Jeep.
from_the_NEK
Active member
Just watching this video, I'm concerned that this organizations marketing team isn't entirely truthful.
This is a capture from the video showing the direct highway access to Burke:
Bonus points for someone who can name the actual location (hint it is south of the Mason Dixon Line).
Then they even seem to be a bit confused about where Burke is actually located. Their location map in the video has Burke closer to Newport:
We will have to wait and see how much EB85 money comes flowing in. Will Burke attract as much money as Jay? Will they be as responsible using it? Will this new company turn the mtn into something similar to their other developments? The majority of the people outside of Vermont don't really understand what the true unspoiled Vermont is. In fact many think it looks like Stratton or Mt Snow anyway.
This is a capture from the video showing the direct highway access to Burke:
Bonus points for someone who can name the actual location (hint it is south of the Mason Dixon Line).
Then they even seem to be a bit confused about where Burke is actually located. Their location map in the video has Burke closer to Newport:
We will have to wait and see how much EB85 money comes flowing in. Will Burke attract as much money as Jay? Will they be as responsible using it? Will this new company turn the mtn into something similar to their other developments? The majority of the people outside of Vermont don't really understand what the true unspoiled Vermont is. In fact many think it looks like Stratton or Mt Snow anyway.
drjeff
Well-known member
Just watching this video, I'm concerned that this organizations marketing team isn't entirely truthful.
This is a capture from the video showing the direct highway access to Burke:
Bonus points for someone who can name the actual location (hint it is south of the Mason Dixon Line).
Then they even seem to be a bit confused about where Burke is actually located. Their location map in the video has Burke closer to Newport:
We will have to wait and see how much EB85 money comes flowing in. Will Burke attract as much money as Jay? Will they be as responsible using it? Will this new company turn the mtn into something similar to their other developments? The majority of the people outside of Vermont don't really understand what the true unspoiled Vermont is. In fact many think it looks like Stratton or Mt Snow anyway.
Blue Ridge Parkway there. IMHO, one of the most visually spectactular roads I've ever driven on!
bigbog
Active member
Agree with trail/woods preservation rather than sanitization...including a lot of the On the Mountain development/sprawl. Has taken a lot of natural x-country and powderday terrain away... Just a little re-thinking for the future. Think maybe the zoning-thing may be huge hinderance to the whole situation...just a guess, have no idea what this is like in reality.
$.01
$.01
SKIQUATTRO
New member
personally, i dont care for built up places like Stratton...i like old school, no frills places with old lifts and classic new england charm (bromley, smuggs, etc) ...used to be you went to VT to get away from your daily life, change the scenery, get back in touch with nature...now they are brining all they have from home to VT.....it happened in the Hamptons, used to be a quiet seaside place with local stores and shops, now its Starbucks, Gucci and the like...same thing the people just left 3 hrs ago in Manhattan.......
Guess I'd better finally stop at Burke this season. It seems to me that Burke is just a bit too far from anywhere to become a big destination resort. Still, it's in their nature to overbuild. Just check out Stratton and Tremblant if you have any doubts about that.
If you believe that...man are you gullible.
riverc0il
New member
For I-91 drivers, Burke is no longer a drive than places like Stowe, Mad River Glen, and Sugarbush. And quicker than places like Smuggs and Jay.
From Boston, MA, it is just as fast to get to Burke as Killington, Magic, Bromley, and Stratton (only slightly further than Mount Snow but all highway instead of mostly Route 2). Burke is just a tad faster from Boston than anything else north of Killington and a lot faster of course than Smuggs and Jay. Also, faster to Burke than Sunday River and of course much faster to Burke from Boston than Saddleback and Sugarloaf.
With exception of Ascutney and Okemo, Burke is just as close to population centers using I-93/I-89 (all of Vermont) and I-91 (Northern Vermont) as any other Vermont and Maine major resort and closer than many with the added benefit of being almost all highway and no traffic concerns off the highway. Google Map the times from West Leb to Burke versus any other NoVT area. You might be surprised.....
from_the_NEK
Active member
There are a few of us here on Alpinezone (including Riverc0il) that have been saying this for years. :lol: Yet the perception is still that it is TOO FAR! Even my cousin who lives in Boston is constantly surprised that it only takes 3 hours (and he has been coming up here for 30 years :roll
. I think there is such a huge mental barrier to make the last push past the ski 93 NH locations, that most can't seem to do it.
riverc0il
New member
At least I can understand the mental barrier for skiers and riders driving right past major ski areas and resorts coming from the Boston area. To get to Burke, Boston drivers do pass four "major" resorts (one you actually have to look at as you drive by) and a few mid-sized mountains.
But what I can not understand is CT and I-91 drivers having that mental barrier. If they are driving to Northern Vermont, Burke is no further than all and closer than some via I-91.
polski
New member
Definitely will finally hit up Burke this year, before whatever else happens. Riv, do I recall correctly you griping last year that they'd already mucked up one major trail by widening the crap out of it?
riverc0il
New member
Yes, that was Willoughby. If you have never skied it before, you might still think it is a good trail as they didn't give it the Superstar treatment or anything. But some character has definitely been removed. It now skis more like something like the blue squares at Loon off the Kanc Quad. Maybe not that wide... but almost.
polski
New member
thanks.
btw, "resorting" is a terrible word.
btw, "resorting" is a terrible word.
Yeah, I have to agree with ya there.
And I guess you guys are right about it not being that far. I drive by it a couple of times every season it seems on my way to Jay. I think Burke is kind of out of the way for most metro-skiers from our little tri-state area. Buike is also not on most people's radar as a major mountain. For most of CT it's easier to stay in southern VT. I can get to Killington in 3.5 hours. And for Boston it's got to be the same for I-93 areas. Still, they got a lot of people traveling a long way to get to Tremblant so they might be able to pull it off.
While I've never skied Burke, I did ride the Kingdom Trails for a weekend a few years ago. It's definitely a nice part of the world. Well, here's wishing them bad resorting.
UVSHTSTRM
New member
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2009
- Messages
- 879
- Points
- 0
They showed the artist renditions of the base and village.....there isn't really anything authentic about it. I am not saying there is anything wrong with what there doing, but to say they are not being compared to Tremblant and Stratton is not true, they are aiming for that, with a touch of NEK, whatever that is in this case.
abc
Well-known member
It's not the Bostonians you need to worry about. You need to be thankful it IS too far for most New Yorker!There are a few of us here on Alpinezone (including Riverc0il) that have been saying this for years. :lol: Yet the perception is still that it is TOO FAR! Even my cousin who lives in Boston is constantly surprised that it only takes 3 hours (and he has been coming up here for 30 years :roll
While it's not "too much further" than Killington, it's that extra 1/2 hr that stretch and test the resolve of the die hard skiers. Once the drive gets over 4 hrs, it gets to be a drag to do as a weekend trip week after week. (and on a snowy day, it can easily stretch to 6+ hrs) So very few New Yorker would be crazy to consider Burke as their "home mountain" as they do with K'mart and resorts south.
That's also what Burke management need to get real about. Build it up and they may NOT come!
abc
Well-known member
Similar threads
