2020-21 Sunday River

[Hawk]

OK but I call that 5. The quantum leap and Jordan double were scabber together with peices and parts and not new expensive lifts. forgot about the North peak upgrade. and the chondi. It wasn't like the beginning of the push were we were seeing new lifts every year. There were gaps.

 

[Hawk]

Most people don't know about the side country revolution that was going on with the expansions. We were skiing off the newly installed Spruce lift and skiing the woods down into Aroura for years before they put in the lift and then taking AP road back. Then when they put in Aroura, we were skiing into Jordan and taking the logging road back to Aroura lift. That was probably 10 years of awesome side country with about 20 people knowing. By todays standards a virtual untracked paradise.

 

[Newpylong]

In a single decade the resort's footprint was quadrupled and what, a dozen lift installs? That is what I was referring to about a rapid pace, and if that isn't rapid I don't know what is.

 

[Hawk]

My comments were towards 2 plankers comments that barker was put in long before the big push. I was saying it was part of the big push. That is all.

 

[2Planker]

Nope I was there. Actually the start of the push was North Peak 85-86, then Spruce 86-87 and then they did the Tempest/Whitecap and the Barkah in 87-88. 4 lifts in 3 years sounds like a rapid build up to me. That was my first year of season passes after 4 years of day tripping it. They also expanded the barker lodge and that is where we set up shop for the duration. The next year 88-89 was white heat. The 90's were Aurora, Jordan and Oz.
So 7 lifts in the 80's and 4 in the 90's

So was I...
30 employee and a pretty good friend of LBO (still take his $$ playing Poker & we all H20 ski on Long Lake)

I was counting all 5 of the lifts west of NP and the Jordan Hotel as the rapid build up, along w/ the purchase of 8 other resorts during the same time period
Lift #1, #6 & #10 were one at a time, over several years. The other 5 & Hotel all came in a much faster timeframe

 

[Hawk]

Alrighty then. I was not a friend but did ski the shit out of his mountain's. Cut some trails too.....but that is a different story.

 

[2Planker]

Alrighty then. I was not a friend but did ski the shit out of his mountain's. Cut some trails too.....but that is a different story.

OK then. We possibly worked together in the Burt Mills/ Chip Seamans days.....
We cut Vortex, N Lights, & Sirrius, but they wouldn't let us "keep" Upper Cascades

 

[Hawk]

Ahh, my trails were more of the less traveled variety. Yes it was that era with Burt and Chip. I ran into Billy Bickford a bit and the old security boss Bill Doliver sp. I hung at the Backstage with Harry Falkner and some of the locals mostly. Worked for the mountain for 2 seasons but it got in the way of skiing.

 

[Terry]

Ahh, my trails were more of the less traveled variety. Yes it was that era with Burt and Chip. I ran into Billy Bickford a bit and the old security boss Bill Doliver sp. I hung at the Backstage with Harry Falkner and some of the locals mostly. Worked for the mountain for 2 seasons but it got in the way of skiing.

I hang\ski with Billy D at Shawnee Peak now. He is doing well.

 

[2Planker]

Ahh, my trails were more of the less traveled variety. Yes it was that era with Burt and Chip. I ran into Billy Bickford a bit and the old security boss Bill Doliver sp. I hung at the Backstage with Harry Falkner and some of the locals mostly. Worked for the mountain for 2 seasons but it got in the way of skiing.

OK, Hawk we definitely crossed paths in the 90's then.

All there was in town back then was the Backstage & Suds
Harry F was our neighbor, so the tab was paid monthly

All good guys -- Burt, Chip, Skip, Bill B., Brownie

 

[thebigo]

Boyne is getting a 500 vert 8 pack with <4 min ride, nothing announced in maine. Curious what the sr/sl regulars think? Does sr announce a new lift over the coming weeks or wait until next year?

Boyne Mountain to Launch Midwest’s First Eight Seat Chairlift

Boyne Resorts’ commitment to modernizing lift infrastructure across its properties will continue in 2022. The company today announced construction of Disciples 8, an eight place chairlift rep…

liftblog.com

 

[ss20]

Boyne is getting a 500 vert 8 pack with <4 min ride, nothing announced in maine. Curious what the sr/sl regulars think? Does sr announce a new lift over the coming weeks or wait until next year?

Boyne Mountain to Launch Midwest’s First Eight Seat Chairlift

Boyne Resorts’ commitment to modernizing lift infrastructure across its properties will continue in 2022. The company today announced construction of Disciples 8, an eight place chairlift rep…

liftblog.com

Sub-500 vertical foot high speed lifts are common in the midwest so I wouldn't call it favorism. They need capacity out there. That's where lots of early triples and quads were built.

 

[machski]

Boyne is getting a 500 vert 8 pack with <4 min ride, nothing announced in maine. Curious what the sr/sl regulars think? Does sr announce a new lift over the coming weeks or wait until next year?

Boyne Mountain to Launch Midwest’s First Eight Seat Chairlift

Boyne Resorts’ commitment to modernizing lift infrastructure across its properties will continue in 2022. The company today announced construction of Disciples 8, an eight place chairlift rep…

liftblog.com

Boyne MI installed North America's first 6 pack in 1992. Where they are putting the 8 makes sense as it replaces an old double and triple.

As too SR, I don't want an 8 pack anywhere on the hill, none of our unloads can really handle that type of off load. Jordan has been surveyed for a new lift and I kind of expect that to be a 6 and be announced very soon, even if it is for Summer '23 install. They need more than just the Merrill Hill development to push sales of those lots and DreamMaker Lodge which has fallen to 50% available again after supposedly being sold out with an extensive wait list.
As for SL, not sure. Boyne may have gotten cold feet on Maine real estate with the way things are going at SR with the current building cost environment. West Mountain's rebuild and new lift portal kind of revolves around their planned new real estate on that side. Seems that may have slipped to '23, but time will tell. Fall Fest/Homecoming is in two weekends, about the time both like to drop big future announcements.

 

[Newpylong]

The River is going to be putting in a new D-Line on Jordan next year (odd choice with Barker being such a POS).

Also a bunch of new pipe including ductile iron feed up North Peak to a new booster there to feed the hinterlands. And a ton of new guns.

Unfortunately this year's projects are gonna come down to the wire and the snowmaking might be rough. A couple of key people in those departments have and will be departing soon. Not much depth beyond that and a tough climate to hire in.

 

[machski]

The River is going to be putting in a new D-Line on Jordan next year (odd choice with Barker being such a POS).

Also a bunch of new pipe including ductile iron feed up North Peak to a new booster there to feed the hinterlands. And a ton of new guns.

Unfortunately this year's projects are gonna come down to the wire and the snowmaking might be rough. A couple of key people in those departments have and will be departing soon. Not much depth beyond that and a tough climate to hire in.

Well, Merrill Hill will now officially debut for 22-23. The lift will spin on select dates this season for a preview, I take that to mean when natural cover will suffice. Two weekends ago I hiked around White Cap, they have a ton of work to complete over there for the feed/distribution rebuild. Guessing Merrill completion is being put on back burner for now.

Yes, Barker is a PoS though with all the components they have changed out the past 5 years, it can probably keep limping along a bit longer. Jordan on the other hand, needs an upgrade to try to keep the west end open during wind/inclement weather events. Jordan is pretty fickle and when it goes down, ugly for the resort with the guests at Jordan Grand. I have heard some speculation they may reuse Jordan Quad to replace Barker, I personally hope not. If we get used for Barker, I would hope they wait for Loon to replace either North or Lincoln expresses and use one of those. Much newer machines with newer line and grip components.

 

[Newpylong]

They have not made a decision either way on Merrill yet, it depends on how much gets done. They are already just going to connect trails 1, 2 and 3/4 together this year with no valve boxes (so they would need to charge the whole mountain) when making snow. The feed is sized appropriately but still a pain, but not time to build the valve houses.

They tried to do all the snowmaking and trail work in house and bit off more than they can chew. Had to call in favors for things like additional welders for the Locke and White Cap valve houses to get those done.

Good points on the lifts I don't ski there enough to realize the wind history.

 

[xlr8r]

Barker should be a new lift and a six pack, Jordan would be perfect to replace Tempest

 

[machski]

Barker should be a new lift and a six pack, Jordan would be perfect to replace Tempest

No it wouldn't on Jordan to Tempest, lift spins the wrong direction. Tempest has quite a bit of wind exposure at the top, a detach with loaded chairs uphill clockwise would be a horrible combination resulting in Tempest going down MORE often for wind than the current chair does now. IF they upgrade North Peak express as in the 2030 plans, that would be a better fit. But I don't see them adding to their detach fleet. Anything sub 4000' line length stays FG outside of South Ridge Express.

 

[xlr8r]

That's an interesting point that I was not aware of. I still think Tempest should be a detach, it would bring a lot more people to the Whitecap side of the mountain to spread people out. Aurora is the other lift that would be nice if upgraded to a detachable, but Aurora needs some trail work at the top for that to happen imo. It would be disappointing if the only new detachables Sunday River gets is the new Jordan, and a refurbished Jordan at Barker.

 

[2Planker]

That was looked at 20 years ago.... Top of Tempest could never handle a detatch.
Imagine what Cascades would be like...