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The Bromley Thread

ne_skier

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It seemed there wasn't a thread dedicated to Bromley which is where I'll likely be spending half my winter so I took it upon myself to make one.
 

ne_skier

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To kick things off, I heard Plaza had a deropement last year, does anyone have any info on that?
 

ne_skier

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I've never been to Bromley, but I'd like to. Interested to see pictures.

How's the tree skiing?

It’s great in my opinion. I haven’t had the opportunity to ski Plunge, but Orion is really fun. Everglade is not very steep but is still fun at times. It along with Glade are good at introducing skiers to gladed terrain. Avalanche glade is my personal favorite though, not too tight but steep.


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ss20

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A minute from the Alta exit off the I-15!
I've never been to Bromley, but I'd like to. Interested to see pictures.

How's the tree skiing?

Adequate for a day but pretty limited. Magic trees are well-documented and famous enough. If you want the tree skiing SoVt sleeper-pick it's Stratton. Enough trees for a whole day and a clientele that will leave fresh lines for days after a storm.
 

ne_skier

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Adequate for a day but pretty limited. Magic trees are well-documented and famous enough. If you want the tree skiing SoVt sleeper-pick it's Stratton. Enough trees for a whole day and a clientele that will leave fresh lines for days after a storm.

Agreed. I have a friend who patrols there, he says the tree skiing is great and after having dabbled in West Pilot on my first time there I can confirm


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ERJ-145CA

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Bromley is where I learned to ski in the late 70s. My kids both learned to ski there too. But until this year we hadn't been there in about 7 years. In late February my wife asked if we should go to Bromley for a couple days. Of course my answer was yes. We were there 2/29 and 3/1. It was freezing but a lot of fun.

The pic is from near the summit looking down Twister.20200229_152142.jpg

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thetrailboss

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I've never been to Bromley, but I'd like to. Interested to see pictures.

How's the tree skiing?

I haven't either, but it is a historic place for sure. It's had some interesting owners. Who currently owns it now? Fairbanks Group (Jiminy Peak)?
 

ne_skier

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I haven't either, but it is a historic place for sure. It's had some interesting owners. Who currently owns it now? Fairbanks Group (Jiminy Peak)?

Yes, same people who own Jiminy. They seem to be taking good care of it, their lodges and lifts are certainly on the nicer side. Sun, East Meadow, Plaza and LP are well maintained for their age.
 

thetrailboss

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Yes, same people who own Jiminy. They seem to be taking good care of it, their lodges and lifts are certainly on the nicer side. Sun, East Meadow, Plaza and LP are well maintained for their age.

Right. They also own Cranmore. A player in the NE ski market that is flying under the radar. I remember as a kid that Bromley was a big deal. It has since been overshadowed by Stratton and Snow, at least from what I saw and perceived when I was in VT.
 

urungus

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Couple photos from January 2019

Avalanche:
E3ABB469-404D-4E85-B4CB-0AA63BBD645F.jpg

Looking up Stargazer at snowmaking whales:
B5862407-C1BB-4089-95BD-6B39F11BFE6A.jpg

0312B60F-38A6-4B6E-B4EA-ED2DA85699C3.jpg
 

slatham

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Bromley is a fun, family vibe, low key mountain. Nothing extreme but they do a good job with snowmaking and grooming, and they are along the spine of the greens and have some elevation which helps with natural. Glades are fun though not overly challenging or as extensive as Magic (can’t comment on Stratton). Faces south so sometimes that comes into play - very beneficial on cold sunny days, can get too soft on warmer sunny days, and also a help on days when it’s been freeze/thaw and the thaw looks to be borderline - the sun will put it in hero shape vs north facing hills.

I ski Bromley on a regular basis (circa 20-25 days a year) and did not hear anything about Plaza deroping. It is however one of the oldest lifts operating, and each chair is connected to the rope by “weaving” the gooseneck into the cable (Riblett I believe), rather then sitting on top
and clamped to the cable.

Bromley is operated by Fairbanks group but is still owned by Joe O’Donnell, unless there has been a very recent change.
 

ne_skier

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Bromley is a fun, family vibe, low key mountain. Nothing extreme but they do a good job with snowmaking and grooming, and they are along the spine of the greens and have some elevation which helps with natural. Glades are fun though not overly challenging or as extensive as Magic (can’t comment on Stratton). Faces south so sometimes that comes into play - very beneficial on cold sunny days, can get too soft on warmer sunny days, and also a help on days when it’s been freeze/thaw and the thaw looks to be borderline - the sun will put it in hero shape vs north facing hills.

I ski Bromley on a regular basis (circa 20-25 days a year) and did not hear anything about Plaza deroping. It is however one of the oldest lifts operating, and each chair is connected to the rope by “weaving” the gooseneck into the cable (Riblett I believe), rather then sitting on top
and clamped to the cable.

Bromley is operated by Fairbanks group but is still owned by Joe O’Donnell, unless there has been a very recent change.

Yeah, Bromley's still operated by Fairbanks.
As for Plaza, It's Bromley's oldest lift, built in '65. Sun and East Meadow tie for second, being built in '74, Alpine in '84, Blue Ribbon in '88, Sun Mtn in '97 and LP installed used the same year. Apparently it deroped on tower 4, someone on Liftblog claims to have a video but hasn't sent it. Plaza was built by Riblet, Bromley's manufacturer of choice before switching to Hall in '74, the "clips" as they are called are a unique Riblet design meant for a smoother ride as opposed to a traditional clamp grip, something they did on all lifts until they closed in 2003. It is up there with some of the oldest lifts in New England for sure. For a comparison, Red at Magic was built in 1971 by Heron with Black originally being installed in 1961 (Triple chairs made in 1979). Stratton's oldest lift, Tamarack was built in 1976 and is already due for replacement.
 

skimagic

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Broms is good, has enough terrain variety. It seems to have a loyal following and is never crowded on weekdays. It also has quite a bit of tele skiers and hosts a big tele event every season. It doesn't have any spruce up top like mt snow it Stratton,so has a different look.

Here's a pic of orion glade.IMG_20170401_132956098.jpg
 

slatham

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Update: October 1, 2020

Dear Bromley Family,

I write to update you with our planning process as we approach October. There are two key points we wish to stress right at the beginning of this update: The health and welfare of our guests and employees is paramount, and we will be following State of Vermont Health and Safety Guidelines for winter ski operations.

Each ski resort in Vermont is different and unique, and we will each develop unique operating plans while adhering to overall Vermont ski sector guidelines. The situation is quite fluid, and I want to stress that our operating plans will be updated regularly as the season approaches. Our intent is to open Friday November 27th, weather permitting.

Planning Process

Bromley is one of 14 ski resorts that belong to Ski Vermont (also known as Vermont Ski Areas Association or VSAA). As an association, we have written a winter operating plan that was recently submitted to the Agency of Commerce and Community Development (ACCD), which is responsible for approving operating plans put forth by different sectors of Vermont’s economy. Ski Vermont submitted our plan on 9/18, and we expect a meeting to take place shortly. We have no plans to require reservations to ski. I do want to point out, we do not have final guidance or plan approval from the State.

All our key winter departments are in the process of writing operating plans. As a skier, you may not notice some of this planning as it will be built around procedures to keep employees safe. Some of the internal planning will have a pointed impact, but at this point I only want to speak in generalities to a few of the activities that make up a ski day.

We are investing in technology in three key areas: contactless payment, lift ticket pickup, and an equipment ski rental module. The idea behind this investment is less person to person contact and to streamline the arrival process.

Capacity in the Base Lodge is still to be determined, as we wait on State guidelines. We expect reduced capacity. Once the State sets indoor capacity guidelines, Bromley will complete their indoor operating plan. Details on how the Base Lodge will operate will be in a follow up message.

We encourage you to boot up in your car and not bring your ski bags into the Lodge. Space will be limited, and your car may prove to be a necessary space for you to warm up in or eat lunch in, if the Base Lodge is at max capacity. This is something we hope is applicable to just weekends and Holidays.

Snowsports is still under review as we await final State guidelines to emerge. Once we have that, we can finalize our Snowsports plan.

With social distancing requirements part of winter, chairlift loading will likely work like this: a) if you arrive together you can ride together on the lifts b) if you are a single skier we will pair you up with another single skier on the quad chairs c) single skiers can ride a double chair as a single. d) clearly this will result in larger lift lines.

Shared Responsibility

You have heard the phrase many times by now: we are in this together. The shared responsibility concept extends not only between us but also to the local community. We want everyone healthy all winter long, and we are asking that you understand the following:

Knowing what to expect before you visit Bromley by visiting our website for the latest updates and following Bromley operating plans.
Follow social distancing recommendations, wearing face coverings (mandatory), and practicing good hygiene such as frequent handwashing.
The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) has coined the following: Don’t be the reason we lose our season. Please help us pull off this winter. Following all CDC guidelines will be part of the ski experience.

Cross State Travel Guidelines

As a friend of Bromley, you may understand Vermont has done a very admirable job managing the pandemic. A large part of that effort is centered in the cross-state travel guidelines. There are travel restrictions to Vermont based on what state, and more specifically, what county you are from. The following link highlights which counties have those restrictions: https://accd.vermont.gov/covid-19/restart/cross-state-travel

This map is updated each Tuesday. The map is one of the central challenges, as we approach winter.

We realize we have not answered all your questions. We are working on it, and as mentioned part of that process is waiting for operating directives from the State of Vermont. We will continually update our winter planning status as information becomes available. The Bromley team feels confident that, with your assistance, we can have a terrific season. We all love to ski. We are determined to provide the Bromley experience you know and love to the best of our abilities. We learned quite a bit about operations during a pandemic over the summer months. Winter will look different than what you are use to-that cannot be helped. We are in this together.

Bill Cairns

President/GM
 

slatham

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The mountain is in great shape though no major adds. Only a couple trails left to mow a final time and the steeps have been manually (weed-wacker) cut with just Havoc left. Avalanche was trimmed and pushed-back to original width, as were a few other spots. They fixed pipe on Ridge and extended it down mountain a bit to better cover the lower steeps of Upper East Meadow and lower Ridge. Normal work on the lifts, though they did more substantial maintenance on the Plaza double with welding, shelves and I hear a new motor.

Foliage is prime except at very summit where the "Bromley Breeze" has stripped the trees.
 

ne_skier

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The mountain is in great shape though no major adds. Only a couple trails left to mow a final time and the steeps have been manually (weed-wacker) cut with just Havoc left. Avalanche was trimmed and pushed-back to original width, as were a few other spots. They fixed pipe on Ridge and extended it down mountain a bit to better cover the lower steeps of Upper East Meadow and lower Ridge. Normal work on the lifts, though they did more substantial maintenance on the Plaza double with welding, shelves and I hear a new motor.

Foliage is prime except at very summit where the "Bromley Breeze" has stripped the trees.

I don’t know much about snowmaking and stuff, but (being the lift nerd I am) I heard that Plaza received new controls from Green Mtn Controls (Same people who did controls for Green at Magic) and a new drive, which contrary to my previous understanding, is simply the computer/machine that controls the motor, telling it what speed to run etc. Plaza’s iconic “Riblet Vault” bottom terminal still stands.


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slatham

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I don’t know much about snowmaking and stuff, but (being the lift nerd I am) I heard that Plaza received new controls from Green Mtn Controls (Same people who did controls for Green at Magic) and a new drive, which contrary to my previous understanding, is simply the computer/machine that controls the motor, telling it what speed to run etc. Plaza’s iconic “Riblet Vault” bottom terminal still stands.


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Ironically I hiked the line today to check it out. New comm line was installed. Looks like new chair padding too but I can’t swear they weren’t there last year. Definitely sheave work with a some equipment still in place on one tower.
 
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