Sugarloaf West Mtn Expansion and HSQ officially a go

[thetrailboss]

More making Boyne (mountains) better while POWDR sits on its ass. Should be some mulch coming to the K-1 base area this summer I am sure.

Again, I have to seriously wonder if POWDR is aiming for a sale to Alterra. They just seem to be limping along and following the path of least resistance. POWDR could EASILY have their OWN pass product that would do decently well on its own. At the very least have reciprocity between POWDR resorts like Boyne does. Instead there is no synergy at all.

 

[EPB]

Again, I have to seriously wonder if POWDR is aiming for a sale to Alterra. They just seem to be limping along and following the path of least resistance. POWDR could EASILY have their OWN pass product that would do decently well on its own. At the very least have reciprocity between POWDR resorts like Boyne does. Instead there is no synergy at all.

This is a good call. Had to re-familiarize myself with their portfolio, but they are an Eastern and Midwestern feeder or two away from being a mini Alterra or Vail in their own right. I suspect the $$$ they get for Snowbird in particular (and to a lesser extent, Killington) must keep them happy.

Are they still planning on moving forward with that massive Killington village?

I'd have to imagine antitrust could become an issue with an outright acquisition at some point, but who knows? I still remember when ASC was deemed monopolistic, so the application is hard to handicap.

 

[thebigo]

Of those two options, I'd do the King Pine option to reduce the need to traverse early out of Bracket to get to the chair.

I have thought in the past that a lift from Bullwinkle's to the top of Timberline makes sense and it would likely need to be high speed as it would probably be about a mile long. But that high on Sugarloaf isn't particularly compatible with a high speed chair. I'd probably leave Timberline as is and just do a Poma somewhere else for more reliable access to the summit. Maybe skiers left side of Gondi Line from Spillway X up?

The question I have is why not use this lift to replace the Super Quad? Maybe they want something new there or an 8?

pure speculation but have to think a six pack from the top of bucksaw to the summit would help sell west mountain real estate. Also make moving around the mountain while avoiding the SQ easier. I agree with others, SQ replacement should be a new D-line.

 

[thebigo]

More making Boyne (mountains) better while POWDR sits on its ass. Should be some mulch coming to the K-1 base area this summer I am sure.

plus loon talking gondola over the river in 2025. 100% real estate lift but we know boyne will put the money back in the mountain.

https://mm.nh.gov/files/uploads/fmo/remote-docs/tram-minutes-03052024.pdf

 

[deadheadskier]

pure speculation but have to think a six pack from the top of bucksaw to the summit would help sell west mountain real estate. Also make moving around the mountain while avoiding the SQ easier. I agree with others, SQ replacement should be a new D-line.

I'm not sure how a Bullwinkle's to summit chair helps sell real estate on West Mountain. Heck those folks over there probably want a functional West mountain chair before anything else. Last I knew it was still dormant.
From the top of Bucksaw you can easily get to Skyline and then wherever else you want to go. Having summit access from Bullwinkle's would have zero influence on me considering real estate on West.

 

[EPB]

I'm not sure how a Bullwinkle's to summit chair helps sell real estate on West Mountain. Heck those folks over there probably want a functional West mountain chair before anything else. Last I knew it was still dormant.
From the top of Bucksaw you can easily get to Skyline and then wherever else you want to go. Having summit access from Bullwinkle's would have zero influence on me considering real estate on West.

I think he means the new lots to be cleared (and a good chunk of the existing ones) will have access directly to Bucksaw. From there, they could easily access the summit.

 

[Newpylong]

Does modern HSQ wind mitigation match surface lift reliability in those conditions?

Sugarloaf has said themselves many times over recent years that they have been looking into another surface lift from somewhere in the neighborhood of Skyline summit to the top.

No, surface lifts will always win when it comes to wind, but it comes at a cost: capacity and usability.

Such a lift is not mentioned in their "Flight Plan 2030". Timberline and the Double Runners are in that however.

 

[deadheadskier]

I get what he meant and I don't see anyone with the funds to buy on mountain at SL refusing to do so because it takes 3 lifts to get to the summit vs 2.

The reality is that even with a more reliable lift, the terrain up there is a wind blasted mess most of the season anyway. The skiing above Skyline elevation is rarely worth bothering with.

 

[Newpylong]

Six Shooter is like over 8,000 feet long right? An extended Timberline to Bullwinkles makes the most sense with a lift that big for traffic flow and mountain navigation purposes - and even this would only utilize 5500-ish feet of it.

 

[EPB]

I get what he meant and I don't see anyone with the funds to buy on mountain at SL refusing to do so because it takes 3 lifts to get to the summit vs 2.

The reality is that even with a more reliable lift, the terrain up there is a wind blasted mess most of the season anyway. The skiing above Skyline elevation is rarely worth bothering with.

I get it now. Was thinking West mtn-Bucksaw-summit. I'm with you on the wind blown summit, but the dream very well might build excitement and sell.

Not that it's going to be my problem, but it would be kind of annoying to go up to Bullwinkle's and then back down to SQ or Skyline to get to the top. The crustiness over it would be insufferable. As crowds migrate west, the link makes all the more logistical sense, too. There even seems to be space for another run or two to skier's left of Upper Timberline.

All this said, this would essentially stack two long lower intermediate pods on top of one another, as the lappable terrain. Not nearly as exciting as an extended and potentially re aligned King Pine.

 

[deadheadskier]

Bingo - enhancing the King Pine and Bracket / Burnt experience is far more compelling than upgrading Timberline. The lift would also run at least twice as often over on KP vs Timberline. I bet in the 50 or so times I've skied Sugarloaf, Timberline has been closed due to wind 40 of those days. Maybe more. King Pine on the other hand has been open probably 45 of those days. How much will a refurbished HS6 improve that reliability? I bet it's still closed over half the days. That's a ton of money to spend on a lift that's always going to have weather issues.

 

[Newpylong]

Looks like they did or are load testing the West Mountain double. Is there enough snow down L. West Mountain to the base to spin until the end of the year?

 

[machski]

plus loon talking gondola over the river in 2025. 100% real estate lift but we know boyne will put the money back in the mountain.

https://mm.nh.gov/files/uploads/fmo/remote-docs/tram-minutes-03052024.pdf

Ahh, that lift had already been ordered a decade ago or so until Loon halted the South learner pod build. River's Edge sold their first phase with that lift in their plans. They will own/buy the pulse Gondi, Loon will operate it.

 

[machski]

Makes s nse to send the Six Shooter to SL. Both Whiffletree and SuperQuad are similar machines so keeps a lot of part commonality. Just not sure Dopp is into doing as deep a refurb with the older Garaventa/CTEC Detaches as they are with their own UNI-G line.