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Les Otten & Dixville Notch

2Planker

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Glade Monkey

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https://www.newenglandskiindustry.com/viewstory.php?storyid=877

Les Otten's North Country Coos, LLC has acquired Dan Hebert's fifty percent share of the Balsams Resort, the company announced this week. According to the Colebrook Chronicle, Annmarie Turcotte has joined as a new investor, making the purchase possible. Turcotte appears to be the widow of Wall-Tech Systems, Inc. founder Marcel Turcotte.
Though the defunct ski area has yet to open, the Balsams has recently began offering an upscale vacation rental. The seven-bedroom Hale House was featured on Travel+Leisure in December as one of the "seven best winter lodges" in the United States. The rental is listed as being $2,600 per night for up to eight people and comes with a private chef.
The northernmost chairlift served ski area in New Hampshire, the Balsams Wilderness operated from 1966 until 2011, when the Dixville Notch Balsams Grand Resort was shuttered. Daniel Dagesse and Daniel Hebert acquired the resort later that year. While equipment has been sold and some hotel related structures demolished, the ski lodge and triple chairlifts remain in place. Les Otten has been involved in the project since 2014, purchasing Dan Dagesse's stake in 2017. Plans include 22 ski lifts serving 1,200 acres of skiable terrain.

Would you pay $2600/night +tax to stay here? (meals included!)
 

Edd

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https://www.newenglandskiindustry.com/viewstory.php?storyid=877

Les Otten's North Country Coos, LLC has acquired Dan Hebert's fifty percent share of the Balsams Resort, the company announced this week. According to the Colebrook Chronicle, Annmarie Turcotte has joined as a new investor, making the purchase possible. Turcotte appears to be the widow of Wall-Tech Systems, Inc. founder Marcel Turcotte.
Though the defunct ski area has yet to open, the Balsams has recently began offering an upscale vacation rental. The seven-bedroom Hale House was featured on Travel+Leisure in December as one of the "seven best winter lodges" in the United States. The rental is listed as being $2,600 per night for up to eight people and comes with a private chef.
The northernmost chairlift served ski area in New Hampshire, the Balsams Wilderness operated from 1966 until 2011, when the Dixville Notch Balsams Grand Resort was shuttered. Daniel Dagesse and Daniel Hebert acquired the resort later that year. While equipment has been sold and some hotel related structures demolished, the ski lodge and triple chairlifts remain in place. Les Otten has been involved in the project since 2014, purchasing Dan Dagesse's stake in 2017. Plans include 22 ski lifts serving 1,200 acres of skiable terrain.

Would you pay $2600/night +tax to stay here? (meals included!)
Pretty tough sell unless you have a party big enough. I’d try a couple nights if the rooms were all split. Never been up that way. Assuming this private chef is covering all meals soo...

Those chefs must get some sweet tips.
 

Newpylong

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As a nearby property owner, I hope they can make a go of it. It is an absolutely beautiful area, but one that needs an economic injection. Forestry only can go so far.,
 

ss20

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A minute from the Alta exit off the I-15!
@thetrailboss maybe merge with the already existing balsams mega thread?

Never gonna get any type of sizeable ski area up there. This thing has been a saga for over 6 years now. I'm starting to think Otten just likes doing this for the joys of dealing with local and state governments and planning boards. Honestly....that's been his gig for 40 years... maybe he likes that kinda thing as a semi-hobby. Because it's not like a 20+ lift, 1500 acre resort in Nowhere, NH is ever going to get built in this century, let alone make money.

This is my honest opinion, I'm not being sarcastic.
 

thetrailboss

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@thetrailboss maybe merge with the already existing balsams mega thread?

Never gonna get any type of sizeable ski area up there. This thing has been a saga for over 6 years now. I'm starting to think Otten just likes doing this for the joys of dealing with local and state governments and planning boards. Honestly....that's been his gig for 40 years... maybe he likes that kinda thing as a semi-hobby. Because it's not like a 20+ lift, 1500 acre resort in Nowhere, NH is ever going to get built in this century, let alone make money.

This is my honest opinion, I'm not being sarcastic.
Good idea on the merge.
 

ceo

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It's comparable in driving time to Jay and Smuggs, and less than Sugarloaf. But I can't see an investment on this scale paying off in an industry that isn't exactly in a growth phase.
 

1dog

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2.5 hrs from Montreal. Its doable with vision and a crap-ton of $$ for water/power/snow making. Sunday River might not be a great comparison but is is low, has relative to VT low annual natural snowfall.

It will mostly hinge on the Canadian dollar being at least par with US - right now - I don't care if you have 44 lifts - at $1.29 or so US are Canucks gonna pay 30% to ski in US? Thats gotta be half to 60% of their go-to market.

Vision, cash, and hey, for us purists throw in a few 60's style narrow, twisty, steeper trails - they hold snow better and provide a place to escape the crowds of boomer groomers.
 

2Planker

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The Balsams gets WAY more snow than SR. On par w/ the Loaf. Prob a lil less than Jay.

Beautiful area and LBO still owes me $30 for covering his lunch at the Peak Lodge when his CC was denied.
 

machski

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2.5 hrs from Montreal. Its doable with vision and a crap-ton of $$ for water/power/snow making. Sunday River might not be a great comparison but is is low, has relative to VT low annual natural snowfall.

It will mostly hinge on the Canadian dollar being at least par with US - right now - I don't care if you have 44 lifts - at $1.29 or so US are Canucks gonna pay 30% to ski in US? Thats gotta be half to 60% of their go-to market.

Vision, cash, and hey, for us purists throw in a few 60's style narrow, twisty, steeper trails - they hold snow better and provide a place to escape the crowds of boomer groomers.
Canadians will be important, but not as much as you think. This thing will really hinge on whether they can provide the quality of the total experince they have envisioned. From the lodging to the spa, to the manmade hot springs, to the cuisine features and dining, it will all need to be on target. If they can create that perfect escape to the great North woods in that setting and then provide an expansive ski experience on top of that, they will have a product. The amount of side attraction with the amount of snowmobiling and ATV routes right out the door adds another avenue that most resorts in New England can't compare to. They may have a decent connection to snowmobiles in the winter, but Dixville Notch and the surrounding areas turn into an ATV mecca in the summer.
 

Smellytele

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Canadians will be important, but not as much as you think. This thing will really hinge on whether they can provide the quality of the total experince they have envisioned. From the lodging to the spa, to the manmade hot springs, to the cuisine features and dining, it will all need to be on target. If they can create that perfect escape to the great North woods in that setting and then provide an expansive ski experience on top of that, they will have a product. The amount of side attraction with the amount of snowmobiling and ATV routes right out the door adds another avenue that most resorts in New England can't compare to. They may have a decent connection to snowmobiles in the winter, but Dixville Notch and the surrounding areas turn into an ATV mecca in the summer.
Canadians will be important, but not as much as you think. This thing will really hinge on whether they can provide the quality of the total experince they have envisioned. From the lodging to the spa, to the manmade hot springs, to the cuisine features and dining, it will all need to be on target. If they can create that perfect escape to the great North woods in that setting and then provide an expansive ski experience on top of that, they will have a product. The amount of side attraction with the amount of snowmobiling and ATV routes right out the door adds another avenue that most resorts in New England can't compare to. They may have a decent connection to snowmobiles in the winter, but Dixville Notch and the surrounding areas turn into an ATV mecca in the summer.
ATV’s don’t seem like what they would be going for
 
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