Improvements you'd make?

[legalskier]

If you could make improvements to an area, what would they be...and why?

Please try to be realistic. I know there's someone here who's probably dreamed of putting a hot tub equipped gondola containing voluptuous bikini clad waitresses serving shots of Akvavit on Plattekill Mountain, but I'd rather we stay cost effective (sorry Scotty ;-)).

I'll go first- at Belleayre I'd extend the Superchief quad down the mountain so that it could be accessed by a new trail from Discovery (i.e. lower) Lodge, which would eliminate having to ride two lifts from bottom to top of the mountain. Then, "finish" the Cathedral Brook trail by cutting it down to the new loading point of Superchief. Also, I'd extend the triple chair (lift 7) down below Overlook (upper) Lodge into that huge unused area, which would eliminate trudging up the hill to get to it- people could ski down to it from Overlook, much easier.

Got any ideas for your favorite areas?

 

[BenedictGomez]

I'd increase the number of natural snow skiing trails at.......... well........ pretty much every place I can think of not named Plattekill or Mad River Glen.

 

[deadheadskier]

Gunstock is my home hill.

Commitment to moguls, which as with most low snow southern New England ski areas would have to come via seeding.

Seed half of Red Hat and care for it throughout the year with repeated top coating of snowmaking and reseeding it when conditions get poor. Also seed skiers right of Smith right under the quad to give beginners some bumps to try and learn on. The visibility right under the lift would encourage people to try it.

If a midsize competitor like Sunapee can do it and a tiny little place like Sundown can do it, Gunstock should be able to as well.

 

[Puck it]

New snowmaking equipment at Cannon. It would even take guns from the late '90's.

 

[St. Bear]

New snowmaking equipment at Cannon. It would even take guns from the late '90's.

Replanting trees and narrowing trails would rate pretty high on my list for Cannon.

 

[legalskier]

New snowmaking equipment at Cannon. It would even take guns from the late '90's.

Belleayre could use the same.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Make Liftline at Stowe a (real) double diamond again.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Install new lifts at Smuggler's Notch.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Increase snowmaking at Plattekill (they are working on this).

 

[Smellytele]

Put back in more surface lifts at the top of mountains again at places like Jay, Sugarloaf and others that see wind holds on a regular basis.

 

[Whitey]

Two obvious ones: Hi-speed quads for Spear mtn at Ragged and the main double at Saddleback.

Good news is that I think both are supposed to happen in the near future.

All areas: The bags/gear piled all over/under/around tables resolved with a commitment/increase to lockers & storage areas in the lodges. Just too much cr@p piled around the lodges. Wastes a lot of available space & is a hassle when you go in & try to find a place to sit.

 

[ss20]

Okemo needs a lot of work, which is why it's my least favorite mountain in VT.
1. Replace the base lodge (it's wayyyy overcrowded and old anyway) and move it to the top of the 2 base quads. Re-build the condos at the top of the quads to where the current base lodge is, and make them high-luxury.
2. Base to true summit gondola.
3. Extend Solitude Quad to the "little" summit.
4. More glades on the main mountain.
5. JG to Okemo gondola (have been hearing rumors for this the last 10 years).
6. High-speed 6 to replace the 2 base quads.

 

[Scruffy]

Hunter - Shit or get off the pot with westway (44), you blew snow this year to have it open for, what, 2 weeks; now it just sits there unused, while everyone riding the old quad stares at it drooling. There is still snow on it against the fence that could be skied if you would just blow a little on the entrance and runout. Meanwhile, Aana lays fallow. WTF. If you're not going to commit to the westside, then just plant trees on westway so it holds snow, and open it as glades when there is enough natural snow.

Belleayre - Just do Highmount already.

MRG - Don't change a thing, except do more snow dances, sacrifice a virgin or something already, damn where is the frigin snow. Ditto for Magic.

Stowe - Stop with the Condos already Geez, you're a skiers mountain, act like one.

Jay - WTF is with the big kiddy pool thing, Geez.

 

[zyk]

Hunter. If you're not going to commit to the westside, then just plant trees on westway so it holds snow, and open it as glades when there is enough natural snow.

I'd like to see some tree islands or a line of trees splitting Westway.

Also, the base area needs work, including access to the quad from skier's left for Westway and Annapurna.

 

[drjeff]

Mount Snow:

get to 100% snowmaking (or atleast 99% - maybe keep Challenger au natural ) and also at the same time get the snowmaking water situation done!

High speed bubble quad in sunbrook with the top terminal closer to the summit lodge

 

[ss20]

Mount Snow:

get to 100% snowmaking (or atleast 99% - maybe keep Challenger au natural ) and also at the same time get the snowmaking water situation done!

High speed bubble quad in sunbrook with the top terminal closer to the summit lodge

No. Mt. Snow is the last southern VT resort that doesn't groom and have snowmaking on everything. This gives it a certain charm. You want to turn One More Time into Ego Alley? Olympic into South Bowl? Although, they could bring the snowmaking up to 90%.
But unfortunately this will not be the case: 99% snowmaking by the end of the 30 year plan http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/gre..._09/mtsnow_westlake_scopingletter_27dec08.pdf

 

[cannonist]

I would replace the summit double at Big Squaw with A fixed Grip Quad, make some base lodge repairs, and overhaul the snowmaking system... that is if I had the money.

 

[drjeff]

No. Mt. Snow is the last southern VT resort that doesn't groom and have snowmaking on everything. This gives it a certain charm. You want to turn One More Time into Ego Alley? Olympic into South Bowl? Although, they could bring the snowmaking up to 90%.
But unfortunately this will not be the case: 99% snowmaking by the end of the 30 year plan http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/gre..._09/mtsnow_westlake_scopingletter_27dec08.pdf

I didn't say that I want more grooming, just more snow! The way that Mount Snow does there grooming right now I think works quite well. They basically have 3 categories of trails with respect to grooming. Their "Premium" trails (basically fan gun lined trails) which get groomed daily. Their "Classic" trails which generally have air/water snowmaking and get groomed every couple of days (dedicated bump runs and/or thaw freeze up situations excluded) and what they now call their "Natural" runs which don't have any snowmaking and are rarely groomed. These "natural" snow trails make up about 25 of their current named trails and cover about 200 of their listed 588 acres of terrain. As someone who skis Mount Snow about 40 days a year, I'd love to know that I'm going to be able to have more reliable coverage on that roughly 1/4 of terrain. If once they have snowmaking on them, groomed them like they do their "classic" trails, I think that that would be a great thing. I'm a realist when it comes to Mount Snow, it's not in a location where you're going to see consistantly 200" of snowfall a year to keep those current natural snow trails covered with enough snow to keep them open for a decent amount of the season. Do I EVER want to see trails like Uncles, Ledge, Jaws, Overbrook or One More Time groomed flat every day, no way!! Would I like to see them have the ability to put down 1 to 2 feet of manmade base and then groom them on a limited basis when conditions truly dictate some grooming vs. having to keep a rope up on a trail because of either not enough snow or a bulletproof post thaw freeze up surface that isn't safe to ski on? Yup!

And BTW, if things go to plan based on business and securing the proper permits and financing, the jump to 99% snowmaking is more likely on their 5 year, not 30 year master plan. The full 30yr time frame for the master plan build out is mainly for the base areas redevelopment non skiing/riding shops and housing work, not the on hill improvements which are supposed to happen early in that 30 year time

 

[FRITOLAYGUY]

Okemo needs a lot of work, which is why it's my least favorite mountain in VT.
1. Replace the base lodge (it's wayyyy overcrowded and old anyway) and move it to the top of the 2 base quads. Re-build the condos at the top of the quads to where the current base lodge is, and make them high-luxury.
2. Base to true summit gondola.
3. Extend Solitude Quad to the "little" summit.
4. More glades on the main mountain.
5. JG to Okemo gondola (have been hearing rumors for this the last 10 years).
6. High-speed 6 to replace the 2 base quads.

The thing that annoys me about there is all the damn stairs at the main base area theres like 4 sets of them just to get to the lift , and then if u gotta go to the bathroom right there guess what 2 more flights down more starirs, ugg

 

[ScottySkis]

Road to Plattekill be pavement. My car would also be happy.

Elk 1000 feet the base I hear is ski able so buy out the people who own that land and have 2000 vertical fun.

NY state let private resorts open more trails already.