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Balsams Grand Resort teams up with ski industry legend Les Otten

thetrailboss

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Les "moved" to dixville notch just for the election. They only had 4 people that lived there so they needed to have a fifth in order to have a polling station. Then he wrote in Bloomberg on his Republican ballot. Bloomberg was not registered at all in NH for the election.

I wondered if he voted for Bloomberg.

And moving to Dixville to be in the First in the Nation Primary and to get the publicity. A very Les thing to do. ;)

In all seriousness it would be sad to see that Dixville tradition come to an end.
 

flakeydog

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Spent a couple of nights up there years ago. I remember in the Inn, there was the voting room. I think there was 10 or 12 residents at that time and they each had their own personal voting booth. If they needed 5 people to vote, good for Les helping them make it happen. I hope something happens to that place, really cool building in a spectacular setting.
 

thetrailboss

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A friend of mine was snowmobiling up north last weekend. Here is the state of the Balsams:

87211789_3018425048191038_3570963649595965440_n.jpg


Very sad. Mr. Tillotson must be rolling in his grave.
 

2Planker

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Lil known fact. The Balsams was purchased w/ $$$ from the invention of........




... the latex condom - Yup !
 

deadheadskier

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A friend of mine was snowmobiling up north last weekend. Here is the state of the Balsams:

87211789_3018425048191038_3570963649595965440_n.jpg


Very sad. Mr. Tillotson must be rolling in his grave.

Yes and no. Sad to see it vacant and falling apart for sure. Lots of history just rotting now. Probably not sad that his kids / grandkids don't have the burden of managing a money losing venture.

My one time employer and still good friend of mine is good friends with the Tillotsons. My friend has told me flat out that since Neil bought it in the 50s, the Balsams operated at a loss basically 9 out of every 10 years. The Balsams was literally a hobby for Neil funded by his latex profits. The Balsams existed since the 50s because of his benevolence and nothing more.

His kids kept it operating at a loss for ten years after their dads death. By the time they gave it up it was already well worn and in need of serious maintenance. The family latex fortune had to be split four ways after Neil's death. That fortune likely not what it could have been because Neil operated the place at a loss and probably lost most of his the fortune he planned on gifting to his kids.

Only option for the place in my mind is another Benevolent family stepping in. People who love the lifestyle and can self fund it.

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AdironRider

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Didn't that building collapse like 5 years ago?

Kinda surprising they didn't tear it down to make selling the vision easier, but even demo is expensive on a place that big.
 

ThinkSnow

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10 APRIL 2020

Greetings,

We hope that you are staying healthy and adjusting to our new norm of social distancing. At The Balsams, our first priority has been to ensure the safety of all our families, and we are grateful to those on the front lines of the current response efforts. At the same time, we have taken a new step in exploring how The Balsams can positively and sustainably impact the overall health of our environment.
When we emerge from the COVID-19 battle, we will have an unprecedented opportunity to create a truly sustainable resort community. To that end, we have been working with environmental community leaders to help us frame and focus our redevelopment plan by implementing Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) policies.

The goal is to create a wholly carbon-neutral resort destination that (1) pays homage to the foresight of past Balsams owners and their use of renewable resources; (2) is a business that benefits the social wellbeing of Northern NH; and (3) employs progressive and empowering corporate management practices.
These ESG policies will enhance the extraordinary and diverse amenities and activities at the Balsams. They will complement our vision of The Balsams’ path ahead, increase economic stability in the surrounding communities, and nod to the history of sustainability that The Balsams pioneered. From Farm-to-Table to composting, wind and solar energy to wood biomass heating – we will be leaders into the future. If you are interested in how we have positioned The Balsams’ redevelopment as an ESG opportunity, inclusive of our experience with implementing these concepts in prior Resort properties, please click this link to view our executive summary.

As we press forward knowing that these times will pass, we wish good health and prosperity for you and your family. Now is a time to be forward-thinking, and we thank you for supporting us in our efforts to lead the way.

Sincerely,
The Balsams Team

http://thebalsamsresort.com/esg-pro...m_medium=Email&utm_campaign=ESGPolicyFounders
 

machski

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Apparently they are using the entire Virus/Pandemic/Economic shutdown to reframe their concept going forward into an environmentally and socially responsible development. Can't totally blame them for trying to reimage themselves from this event. They aren't the only closed resort trying to restart itself out of this time period (Saddleback and Timberline Mountain in W.VA come to mind).

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x10003q

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While it is a admirable attempt to lower the environmental impact of the project, it is still the same story in the same place, only now the economy is a disaster. This was never going to happen before COVID-19. COVID-19 just eliminated that .0001% chance that LO was hanging onto.
 
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