Balsams Grand Resort teams up with ski industry legend Les Otten

[Jully]

http://www.pressherald.com/2016/12/...betting-big-on-a-climate-change-proof-resort/

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HAHAHA that is quite the article. Cool to see it still getting press though.

 

[wtcobb]

Baffin Island Resort, an Otten property with 24,000 acres of skiing and 4,000 feet of vertical, coming 2021.

 

[Mapnut]

Just a couple of quibbles with that gung-ho artic1e: 1. I hardly think Vail Resorts bought Whistler-Blackcomb as global warming insurance, remembering the Vancouver Olympics. W-B's summit is lower than Vail's base. 2. Also, the Balsams is hardly high-altitude, at 1400 to 3400 feet. That's about average for major New England mountains.

 

[wtcobb]

Also, the Balsams is hardly high-altitude, at 1400 to 3400 feet.

I think this was confusing altitude with latitude.

 

[Mapnut]

Quote from the article: "While lower-elevation areas wilt, the lifts on higher ground will keep on humming."

 

[wtcobb]

I know - confusion from the author, not you. Given that Balsams has an average elevation at best, most arguments/spin for the advantages of the resort point to its northern latitude for picking up and maintaining more snowpack. This author seems to confuse elevation and latitude as equal and exchangeable, among other problems.

 

[deadheadskier]

Guys

It's going to be 2500 acres and 2000 vertical and one of the only open areas in New England in 50 years. LBO says so!

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[wtcobb]

I need to see a graph using phallic skis to differentiate between resorts before I believe it.

 

[deadheadskier]

I think if I was the reporter I'd be like, "Dude. Didn't you once own Sugarloaf? You do realize it is both further north and at a higher elevation than the Balsams."

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[bdfreetuna]

So when the lower altitude pods are under water from global warming (in 2-10 years) they will still operate any remaining higher elevation pods.

The article was very clear, not sure what the confusion is all about. Those dummies shoulda put the new hotel on the summit though!

 

[wtcobb]

Soon.

 

[wtcobb]

Additionally, the woods have not been cut in some ares for over 100 years, and you have these huge majestic oak trees growing there, spread way out, and nothing growing under them, so you will have some awesome tree skiing.

This is definitely true. When hiking Table Rock and the cascades I noted how wide open the trees are there. It would make for some great glades without much work.

 

[x10003q]

I was a ski club meet and greet last night, and Les Otten was in attendance (regular guy BTW). Anyways, he was introduced and after dinner, he spoke for some 10 minutes. It is clear he believes this will work, and listening to him, .... well, he is convincing. The proof will be in the pudding, of course.

He said several interesting things. Permitting is pretty well done, financing is pretty well along, and he hopes to have this up and running in 2-3 years. 18 million in condos shares are already pre-sold. (I wish I had recorded all he said.)

The biggest issue he saw was that the original Balsam, most people wouldn't drive 10 minutes out of their way to ski there. Too far away and too small. I tend to agree with that assessment, having skied there. I loved the snow and the trails, but that slow lift and lack of terrain after that long drive...

He pointed out the pros with going forward. As of last night, the Balsams have 105" of snow, and he said that was not measured with the ruler he used to use for the Sunday River snow reports! End of Last April, there was 4 feet of snow pack atop the mountain. Basically, lots of natural snow. Additionally, the woods have not been cut in some ares for over 100 years, and you have these huge majestic oak trees growing there, spread way out, and nothing growing under them, so you will have some awesome tree skiing.

The vision of the development team is to get this up and running all at once. He does not see this succeeding if it is built up slowly over time like Sunday River. The river had some clientele close by, they'd build a little more and their reach expanded, and they build a little more.... For the Balsams to work, he feels they need to get the three hotels up and running, 16 lifts and trails cut and have a ready to go resort on opening day. At least a huge majority of it, something like 2/3 to 3/4 of the entire planned resort. Cooking school is coming back. The golf course will stay.

Wrapping this up, he spoke of how the Balsams are a 45 minute ride away from Sunday River , starting at the Brew Pub, the way he drives. He encouraged all of us to visit when it is open. I am hopeful he and his development team can make this happen.

Thanks for great update; I hope you didn't have to buy your shirt back from him.

I would love to see how he defines the "$18 million in condo shares already presold". Does he count that $100 deposit as a sold unit? In his best market, the Canadian dollar continues to hang at $.76US.

I hope it works, but it is hard to see the market for The Balsams.

 

[deadheadskier]

I have a real hard time with the comment that there was 4' of snow atop the mountain end of last April. Maybe prior years, but not last year. I don't doubt that Balsams gets the most snow in NH and retains it very well. But not buying they had that deep of snowpack end of April or maybe at any point at all last season.

 

[Smellytele]

Using his Sunday River ruler?

Saying he used to lie in his SR days on the snow report I guess.

 

[Jully]

Saying he used to lie in his SR days on the snow report I guess.

Shocking

 

[Smellytele]

Shocking

Bob is an SR homer so I had to say it lightly so his head wouldn't explode.

 

[xlr8r]

It seems like the Les might go about making the same mistakes again. The reason ASC failed was He built too much too fast, before he had an understanding of what works and doesn't work at the new properties ASC purchased. Sunday River, is the only development Les built that saw steady changes and improvements for a number of years, that kept up with its increasing market share.

Trying to build all of Balsms at once would repeat what happened with the Canyons. There he also took a small ski area with low skier visits and tried to build it all up in just a couple years. But the skier visits remained very low in comparison the build up and size of the resort until Vail got it and merged it with Park City.

I still do not see this succeeding. Experts aren't going to go there when it is harder to get to than Jay Peak, and Beginners aren't going to drive past Bretton Woods to go there.

 

[bdfreetuna]

I would go but it kind of looks from the trail plan layouts that it's gonna be another Sunday River. How about cutting some classic winding trails instead of taking a white-out pen to a topo map?

 

[2Planker]

I was taking that Barker Top Shack Snow Drift measurement in the early 90's.... Les' inflation skills started way before ASC was formed.

Reminds me, he still owes me $20 from when the NP Deck BBQ didn't accept his CC - too funny.....