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Balsams Grand Resort teams up with ski industry legend Les Otten

ThinkSnow

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Do they get much snow there? How long is the drive? Hope he plans on getting a lot of people from Canada because you have to drive past a lot of good skiing to get there.
Not sure about snowfall, but has latitude similar to Jay Peak. Driving, its about another 90 minutes past Wildcat or Cannon (give or take). It would make a good Canadian destination at 2.5 hours from Montreal, approx 4 from Quebec. Size wise, would be huge compared to local QC areas.
 

ThinkSnow

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The three transfer lifts from the hotel is pretty funny. That will definitely happen. :lol:
Perhaps they will try for 3 but will be satisfied with
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2? On this hotel remodel, there are only 2 lifts from the hotel.
 

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VTKilarney

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The timing is a little rough as far as the exchange rate is concerned.

For this to work, there has to be a plan to build quite a bit of lodging.

I really hope it happens. But I'm also not that far away.
 

VTKilarney

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What is the point of the really short lift in the East Village area? Condos? Beginner terrain?
 

MadMadWorld

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Leominster, MA
IMHO the number of visitors a resort this size would need to be feasible is HUGE. I just don't see that many people giving up their current haunts to go there.

People will in droves at least first. We had some mountain reopen before but no where near this. Sunday River is really the last time I remember such a huge expansion. It's something new and everyone will want to check it out
 

Edd

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I wonder how long, on average, it takes to carve out a ski trail? Not just clearing trees, but digging up and removing stumps. Seems like a monumental amount of work.
 

drjeff

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The three transfer lifts from the hotel is pretty funny. That will definitely happen. :lol:

I know those transfer lift routings are proposed in this master plan diagram, but I have to think that with the exception of the 1 transfer lift that goes from the hotel to the existing ski area, the other 2 could potentially mess with the iconic view you get looking from the hotel over across Dixsville Notch to Table rock and the vise versa view looking from the top of Table Rock down to the hotel

The view from the top of Table Rock looking down at the hotel

balsams.gif


And from the hotel looking at Table Rock/Dixsville Notch (One of the transfer lifts in the routing looks like it would be quite close to the right hand side of this view

30982953.jpg
 

drjeff

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I wonder how long, on average, it takes to carve out a ski trail? Not just clearing trees, but digging up and removing stumps. Seems like a monumental amount of work.

Not as big a project with modern logging and earth moving equipment as you'd think for just the trees and stumps. Dealing with ledge, which might require some blasting to allow for a decent contoured trail for both skiing and riding and also minimizing run off effects, is what tends to slow modern trail clearing and development a bit
 

jimmywilson69

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whoever is funding this is High... Les Otten is High...

No way this gets built. Reopened, maybe but no way they can get a megaresort like that permitted and constructed in Remote northern New Hampshire.
 

mbedle

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Not a ton of vertical, looks to be maxed out at 1,500 at the lift running down towards Route 26 (south of cascade gorge). Extremely steep in the area under that lift. Marketing wise, they will probably go for 1,900 vertical, starting at 3,400 down to around 1,500). That would put them in the same class as the other majors.
 

mbedle

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Not only is it not Vermont with Act 250 issues, but it is also all on private land. No lease requirements needed for this project.
 

deadheadskier

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Wish this was a bit south of there on the Pliny Range. That would have the vert and width to be something spectacular
 

VTKilarney

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The Colebrook area has been hit HARD financially over the past several years. If the money can be raised, I think that the state would be very much behind this project.
 

mbedle

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Wasn't there an issue with the setback requirements with the turbines along the ridge. Does anyone know if that issues has been resolved. I think this was talked about earlier in the thread, just not sure what the outcome was.
 
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