Save the Whale

[deadheadskier]

Yes, it's a Sun Kid with platter/handles and they've been working on it for 2 seasons. Complete waste of money.

It seems to be a better option than the other T Bar they added a few years back. Mainly because of the terrain it will service. You could still setup a short race course off the new lift if/when the double goes down

That said, I think you're right in that it's probably not a great use of funds when snowmaking and saving for the eventual double replacement should be the top priorities. I think it's bananas they're talking $3-4M to replace the double. How much is Pat's spending on the Hurricane replacement? It can't be that much

 

[drjeff]

It seems to be a better option than the other T Bar they added a few years back. Mainly because of the terrain it will service. You could still setup a short race course off the new lift if/when the double goes down

That said, I think you're right in that it's probably not a great use of funds when snowmaking and saving for the eventual double replacement should be the top priorities. I think it's bananas they're talking $3-4M to replace the double. How much is Pat's spending on the Hurricane replacement? It can't be that much

I know it's a much shorter fixed grip vs a longer highspeed, but if the reported numbers for Killingtons Superstar at 12 million, Jay's Bonnie potential replacement at $15 million (or more based on how the tariff situation is when they sign the papers) and Wachusett's at 20 million, $3-4 million for a replacement double at the Whale seems like it very well could be a reasonable number today

 

[deadheadskier]

I know it's a much shorter fixed grip vs a longer highspeed, but if the reported numbers for Killingtons Superstar at 12 million, Jay's Bonnie potential replacement at $15 million (or more based on how the tariff situation is when they sign the papers) and Wachusett's at 20 million, $3-4 million for a replacement double at the Whale seems like it very well could be a reasonable number today

Maybe for new? I can't see why they'd bother with new. Pat's pound for pound, might be the best run ski area in New England. It's a slamming busy place. They buy used lifts.

Pat's is a better comp for Whaleback than Killington, Jay etc

 

[Smellytele]

Maybe for new? I can't see why they'd bother with new. Pat's pound for pound, might be the best run ski area in New England. It's a slamming busy place. They buy used lifts.

Pat's is a better comp for Whaleback than Killington, Jay etc

Pat's may even have a used lift or 2 sitting around they could get.

 

[Newpylong]

It seems to be a better option than the other T Bar they added a few years back. Mainly because of the terrain it will service. You could still setup a short race course off the new lift if/when the double goes down

That said, I think you're right in that it's probably not a great use of funds when snowmaking and saving for the eventual double replacement should be the top priorities. I think it's bananas they're talking $3-4M to replace the double. How much is Pat's spending on the Hurricane replacement? It can't be that much

Yes, it would be fine if the double goes down but knowing them my fear is they will sandbag snowmaking off the top for Christmas when this thing is operational. We were able to get open off the summit the week before Christmas every year, often in addition to the T-Bar. They have been unable to do it prior to New Years. That place requires so much capital in other areas besides additional lifts it just seems insane to spend it on that - unless the lift was forced down their throats by Ford Sayre, etc which in all likelihood could be the case.

 

[deadheadskier]

So I'm curious. What is the need for basically carving out a half pipe to install a surface lift? This runs the whole length of where the new lift is going.

Also, I'm pretty skeptical it gets done for the season.

 

[Rob Katz]

i've worked there for the past 4 seasons. it's such a shit show. the management there is so bad.

 

[Bosco DaSkia]

A “hands on” kinda CEO

 

[Newpylong]

View attachment 66497

So I'm curious. What is the need for basically carving out a half pipe to install a surface lift? This runs the whole length of where the new lift is going.

Also, I'm pretty skeptical it gets done for the season.

Is this picture flipped?

That is a TON more earthwork than was previously done last season and that already was a wicked scar on Spout. Because they chose for all intents and purposes a variable height handle tow, the profile has to be flat. Complete waste of time and money that would be far better spent on A) Snowmaking, B) Lift maintenance, C) Lodge, D) Snowcat leases, E) All of the above.

 

[deadheadskier]

Is this picture flipped?

That is a TON more earthwork than was previously done last season and that already was a wicked scar on Spout. Because they chose for all intents and purposes a variable height handle tow, the profile has to be flat. Complete waste of time and money that would be far better spent on A) Snowmaking, B) Lift maintenance, C) Lodge, D) Snowcat leases, E) All of the above.

It is flipped. I had to reduce the picture size for the file to post and somehow it flipped

 

[Hastur]

wow, it looks drier than an old nuns cunt up there

 

[4aprice]

I haven't skied Whaleback since the winter of 1979. This year I traded in my local Pocono pass for an Indy and will get back. We have a Hotel in the Upper Valley that we very much enjoy staying at. We have used it to ski all 4 of the Ikon areas in VT/NH. Now with the addition of Indy a whole slew of other options open up. Not to prognosticate but I have heard some rumblings that this winter may be somewhat similar to last year. I have to admit (and age has a little to do with this) I found last winter pretty cold in NNE. Snow was good but cold. That said I wish I had had Indy last year as there were a couple of days of cold and windy (lift holds on the bigger mts) that we ended up skipping but would have done at some of the lower elevation mountains (WB. DS. S6).

 

[deadheadskier]

I haven't skied Whaleback since the winter of 1979. This year I traded in my local Pocono pass for an Indy and will get back. We have a Hotel in the Upper Valley that we very much enjoy staying at. We have used it to ski all 4 of the Ikon areas in VT/NH. Now with the addition of Indy a whole slew of other options open up. Not to prognosticate but I have heard some rumblings that this winter may be somewhat similar to last year. I have to admit (and age has a little to do with this) I found last winter pretty cold in NNE. Snow was good but cold. That said I wish I had had Indy last year as there were a couple of days of cold and windy (lift holds on the bigger mts) that we ended up skipping but would have done at some of the lower elevation mountains (WB. DS. S6).

Which hotel?

The upper valley is a pretty convenient place to stay for hitting many places within an hour or so. At least once a season we'll grab a room there.

 

[skiur]

I wouldn't say last winter was very cold, there weren't really any warm-ups melting everything out from jan-march but there were never really any artic plunges of subzero temps either.

 

[4aprice]

I wouldn't say last winter was very cold, there weren't really any warm-ups melting everything out from jan-march but there were never really any artic plunges of subzero temps either.

I did admit I thought much of it is age related lol. I went to high school and college in beautiful New Hampshire. My tolerance for New England cold has gotten much less. All through my 20's, 30's and 40's my plans were to retire to the Lakes Region and Whites which are my favorite mountains in the Northeast. Then one morning on the way to a day at Bretton Woods the thermometer in the car hit -20, at which point my wonderful wife turned to me and said I think we should retire out west. Needless to say that's where we did eventually invest.

I recall a couple of mornings last season which were cold and windy (the real enemy) and pretty brutal.

 

[deadheadskier]

I did admit I thought much of it is age related lol. I went to high school and college in beautiful New Hampshire. My tolerance for New England cold has gotten much less. All through my 20's, 30's and 40's my plans were to retire to the Lakes Region and Whites which are my favorite mountains in the Northeast. Then one morning on the way to a day at Bretton Woods the thermometer in the car hit -20, at which point my wonderful wife turned to me and said I think we should retire out west. Needless to say that's where we did eventually invest.

I recall a couple of mornings last season which were cold and windy (the real enemy) and pretty brutal.

What's your plan for boating out West in retirement ? Or is your plan 50/50 CO/NJ?

It's the warm freshwater for boating that likely always keeps me in New England.

 

[4aprice]

What's your plan for boating out West in retirement ? Or is your plan 50/50 CO/NJ?

It's the warm freshwater for boating that likely always keeps me in New England.

Option 2. Our daughter and husband have settled here in NNJ. They say they want to raise a family (my wife wants grandchildren yesterday). Mean time we keep our eyes out for real estate on the lake here in NNJ. Family has a place down in Florida on the ocean so we do want to spend a little time down there too. For the time being son is in Lakewood Co.

There are lakes out by Granby. Lake Granby, Shadow Lake and Grand Lake. They do sit at about 8000 ft and are fed by snow melt from the RMNP and the head waters of the Colorado River but I see pictures of people swimming there without wetsuits. I can't imagine the water is that warm. But boating and summers out in Colorado are not really in the plans. I would like to see some of the National Parks. Hoping to rent the condo seasonally for the summers. We do the same with Florida in the winter.

 

[deadheadskier]

Option 2. Our daughter and husband have settled here in NNJ. They say they want to raise a family (my wife wants grandchildren yesterday). Mean time we keep our eyes out for real estate on the lake here in NNJ. Family has a place down in Florida on the ocean so we do want to spend a little time down there too. For the time being son is in Lakewood Co.

There are lakes out by Granby. Lake Granby, Shadow Lake and Grand Lake. They do sit at about 8000 ft and are fed by snow melt from the RMNP and the head waters of the Colorado River but I see pictures of people swimming there without wetsuits. I can't imagine the water is that warm. But boating and summers out in Colorado are not really in the plans. I would like to see some of the National Parks. Hoping to rent the condo seasonally for the summers. We do the same with Florida in the winter.

I spent a summer in Colorado years ago and in August we would swim in the Green Mountain Reservoir. It has killer cliff diving and if it weren't for that, I may not have bothered. The water was super cold, but with the heat and dry climate, you dried off almost instantly once you got out of the water.

So I guess you can swim / boat in Colorado lakes, but it's not the same as anchoring on a sandbar and just floating for hours.