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Best and Worst East Coast base lodges?

drjeff

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My personal favorite is Bromley's - just feels like what a ski lodge should be to me. Runner up is the now mothballed Haystack lodge - just like the open almost stadium like floorplan there

Worst - Okemo's main lodge - WWWAAAYYY too small for the volume that place does
 

Mapnut

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I have only skied mostly in Maine. But Saddleback is #1 and Black Mountain in Rumford is #2. Both great post and beam structures.

Saddleback is going to have to expand however if they keep getting the vacation weeks crowds they got this year. It was jam packed.

I'm amazed to hear that Saddleback's new lodge isn't big enough. They must be doing well! I haven't skied there since 1970, and the lodge they had then was brand new and very attractive, similar in style to the new one, I think. They had four lifts then. Now they have five lifts and a brand new lodge that isn't big enough?

Did they add on to the old lodge or tear it down?
Trail map and base lodge in 1970: http://teachski.com/brochures/Saddleback/saddleback.htm

Oh well, the mountain is still big enough. Hope they can afford to build their hotel soon.
 

tipsdown

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I'm amazed to hear that Saddleback's new lodge isn't big enough. They must be doing well! I haven't skied there since 1970, and the lodge they had then was brand new and very attractive, similar in style to the new one, I think. They had four lifts then. Now they have five lifts and a brand new lodge that isn't big enough?

Did they add on to the old lodge or tear it down?
Trail map and base lodge in 1970: http://teachski.com/brochures/Saddleback/saddleback.htm

Oh well, the mountain is still big enough. Hope they can afford to build their hotel soon.

It's hard to believe isn't it? The new lodge was build in 2005 (I believe) around the old lodge. When your inside it, you can identify where the old sturcture and new stucture adjoin. It's very subtle but if you look closely you'll see it. Saddleback has made huge strides even in the 3 years since opening the new lodge and I agree that they've already outgrown it. They built it in such a way that they can easily expand off what's there and apparently that's exactly what Warren Cook and Co. plan to do in the near future. More lifts and trails are on the way and they've already opened a lot of terrain in 3 years. Advanced/Expert skiers have benefitted most and they're just scratching the surface…

Apparently the hotel is in the works and they're putting on the finishing touches of the design phase. I've seen renderings and it looks impressive.
 

deadheadskier

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One thing that I think the Saddleback Lodge could benefit from is a deck upstairs off the bar area. They currently lack a nice outdoor space for having beers on a warm day.
 

snowmonster

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Best: Bretton Woods, Sunapee Lodge at Mt. Sunapee, Wildcat

Worst: I can't say if I have found the worst, but I am not a big fan of the lodges in the old ASC resorts. In particular, South Ridge at Sunday River (strange layout) and the main lodge at Sugarloaf (bathrooms). I am not a fan of split levels which seems to be the design scheme at KBL and Snowshed at K and Sugarloaf.
 
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bigbog

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saddleback

Would like to see the condos kept in same area of mtn and spaced a bit...and keep the newly opening part of mountain all treelines..connected via traverse and the one new lift..
$.01
 
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Skimaine

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Agreed. The whole split level design sucks. No matter what you want to do at SL you have to go up and down stairs. It is maddening.

The good news is that since Boyne took over at least the toilets flush.

Worst: I can't say if I have found the worst, but I am not a big fan of the lodges in the old ASC resorts. In particular, South Ridge at Sunday River (strange layout) and the main lodge at Sugarloaf (bathrooms). I am not a fan of split levels which seems to be the design scheme at KBL and Snowshed at K and Sugarloaf.
 

deadheadskier

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You're right Dana, for what it is and the mountain's need, Tenney's lodge is pretty darn decent.
 

ERJ-145CA

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Out of the places I've been to:

Best: Bromley - nice old school ski lodge vibe.

Worst: Mountain Creek - smelly "temporary" bubble tent.
 

Dr Skimeister

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i used to love the old lodge at vernon valley. there was so much deck space.

But..by far the worst locker area ever. No heat. And hidden somewhere in that room was a fermenting pool of urine that they either never looked for or left it to make sure no one lingered.

The original Hexagon Lounge was great. Back in the day they served their own microbrew.
 

ZYDECORICH

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Out of the places I've been to:

Best: Bromley - nice old school ski lodge vibe.

Worst: Mountain Creek - smelly "temporary" bubble tent.

by the way what's the deal with that tent anyway, aren't they only good for so long.. it's got to be at least 10 years, and iv'e heard they are only good for 3 or 4, will it crash on my head on a bad wind or heavy snow day?... can we make note of this blog for lawsuit issues?, did i ski too much today and need to go to bed... yes.. goodnight.
 

MichaelJ

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I love mid-mountain lodges: Bullwinkles at Sugarloaf, Peak Lodge at Sunday River, Camp 3 at Loon, Sunnyside at Waterville...there are many more I'm forgetting or haven't seen.

The newly-expanded Bullwinkles is beautiful. They now do Saturday night dinner (travel by snow-cat) and I'll bet weddings and other receptions will be happening in the summer. I still bet that they'll get a Chondola to replace Bucksaw in a few years for summer/night/pedestrian access if it works out at Sunday River.

And don't forget the Schwendi Hutte at Waterville! Great place to grab a hot bowl of chili and sink into a big, soft, comfortable chair or couch. Definitely a wood hut feel and very cozy.
 

skidmarks

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I haven't been in all that many lodges, but Southington's was definitely the worst of the bunch.

The Mountain Room and Lounge is not bad but the other lodge is a dump.


Bromley has one of the best! Upstairs bathrooms!! Nice old school vibe.
 

Stache

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I'll add my name to the list of Bromley lovers.

Haven't been there in twenty years but Willard used to have a super old school lodge with a sunken firepit. The homemade soup was the best!

New tech and nice but always crowded is Jiminy's JJs and Crane lodges. Food is good (especially the soups) but still overpriced.
 

deadheadskier

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I still bet that they'll get a Chondola to replace Bucksaw in a few years for summer/night/pedestrian access if it works out at Sunday River.

.

Perhaps just a straight up Gondola? Thought I read that an old Big Sky Gondola has been brought over to Sugarloaf
 
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