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What's up with Maple Valley?

Glenn

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I really hope someone buys it...with the plan of rehabbing it. Or at the very least, fixing one lift and running it occationally....weekends, after school, vacations ect. It would make a great local area.
 

Glenn

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There's been a bit of action at Maple Valley lately. Over the past few weeks, I noticed a lot of snowcat tracks. There's usually some ski/board tracks...and maybe a snowmobile track or too. But never snowcat tracks. We also saw the yellow snowcat idling near one of the lifts on Friday AM as we went to Mt Snow. There's a newer sign out front advertising "Bootsy's Grill" which is up Rt. 30 a few miles. There's also an ad under that for the stables the owner of Maple Valley owns.
 

Glenn

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Another update. Drove by this weekend and noticed all the chairs off the north double have been removed. The chairs are laid out at the base of the lift. Wonder what's going on.
 

bvibert

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All the chairs? That would seem to indicate that they ran the lift. I'm surprised that it still worked after all of that down time... I wonder if they're tearing down the lift, or attempting to get it ready for inspection?
 

MrMagic

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the people over on snowjournal have also noticed the same. one said they say the generator ( to what i dont know) running bleching smoke. i do know they do keep the base lodge somewhat heated in the winter and the last time i was up there there was logging going on to the left of the mtn someone needs to stop in and ask whats going on
 

Glenn

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I'll try and get some pics this weekend. It looked like all the chairs to me. From what I could see from Route 30, the haul rope was empty...no chairs hangining. I wonder if they sold the lift? or maybe the chairs?
 

Glenn

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All chairs look to be off the other chair lift as well. The snow cat is parked near the generator. I wasn't able to stop and take pics. I'm kinda hoping when I'm able to do that, someone is there who knows what's going on.
 

ctenidae

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As I recall, all the chairs were off the lift a few years ago. Glad something's going on with it.Given a little TLC, it could do reasonably well, I think. Small number of millions to get it up adn running, and if the water rights hold up, ought to be able to blow a lot of snow. Summer time has a lot of potential uses, too.
 

Glenn

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Ok, another update. Our nextdoor neighbor stopped by this weekend to talk about this very subject. He saw one of my posts on snowjournal. Turns out, the area is going to try to reopen next season. The owner is having someone else do the operational side of things and he'll still retain ownership. Town permits shouldn't be an issue; getting the other state and whatnot may take some time. The liftines are pretty grown in. But maybe that's why they took chairs off; work in the lifts, do some thinning.

The sign for the parkinglot has been fixed up and there's a new sign up front. I think it would be pretty cool if they were able to operate again.
 

bvibert

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Ok, another update. Our nextdoor neighbor stopped by this weekend to talk about this very subject. He saw one of my posts on snowjournal. Turns out, the area is going to try to reopen next season. The owner is having someone else do the operational side of things and he'll still retain ownership. Town permits shouldn't be an issue; getting the other state and whatnot may take some time. The liftines are pretty grown in. But maybe that's why they took chairs off; work in the lifts, do some thinning.

The sign for the parkinglot has been fixed up and there's a new sign up front. I think it would be pretty cool if they were able to operate again.

It will be pretty amazing if they're able to open again, based on the pictures I've seen and how long they've been closed for. I hope it works out though!
 

hrstrat57

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Drove by Maple Valley on VT Route 30 on the way home from camping.....chairs were on the lift and the place looked pretty cleaned up.

Any updates from locals?
 

Glenn

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Bump...update. There's a sign up front now stating the area is for sale...it just went up over the weekend. They've fastendd some orange painted skis to it as well. Here's the website listed on the sign: http://www.maplevalleyski.com/ Looks like they've put together a rather nice website. The inside of the lodge is in really good shape.

We hiked the area in the fall. The North Chair liftline was mostly clear and looked runable. The South Chair had a good amount of scrub that probably needed to be cut.

On New Year's Eve, the lodge was opened up for a local event. More info can be found on this FaceBook page: http://www.facebook.com/events/382377618519170/

No idea on the asking price; it's not listed on the website. Anyone recall what it was last listed for in roughly 2007? I thought it was a mil point something.

Caution----Assumption: I'm thinking the owner threw in the towel after the reception he received from the town a few summer's ago. He had a lot of ideas and brought them all to the town. Sadly, they balked, and had a number of "what if" questions.
 

billski

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Boy that lodge is in turnkey condition. I'd love one of those M/V chairs, but I hope I never have the opportunity.
There sure is a pretty complete list of equipment and out buildings. Wondering what it would take to get it turning again. I'll be the price is too high for a reasonable ROI on operating it.

It's too bad the web master can't run spell check or get a handle on good grammar!
 

octopus

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interesting. maybe i missed it, but how long has this been closed for?
 

Euler

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interesting. maybe i missed it, but how long has this been closed for?
I moved to Vermont in the fall of 1997. That iwnter Maple Valley opened after having been closed for some time. I think they were only open that one year, so it has been a long time...
 

octopus

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looks like since 2000 according to nelsap, 13 years. prob need an extra million on top of the asking price to get it going, esp since it seems like the lifts don't work, not to mention everything else sitting there. kinda cool they have there own power source, if it works.

maybe euler is right , so at least 13 years.
 
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