Balsams Grand Resort teams up with ski industry legend Les Otten

[Newpylong]

What traffic? Loon is the busiest resort in NH and only does about 330k visits a season.

To expand to the size they are talking about, the Balsams likely needs 500k skier visits a season to be viable. There's not a resort north of Killington pulling that kind of traffic. Stowe, Sugarbush, Smuggs, Sugarloaf, Jay; none of them do that kind of business despite having vastly superior terrain to what the Balsams will have.


Sent from my XT1635-01 using AlpineZone mobile app

Yet Sunday River was able to grow to 500,000+ visits 3.5 hrs from the closest large metro area. Colebrook is only 2.5 hrs from Montreal.

Hard to crystal ball what could happen, but history shows it is possible.

 

[AdironRider]

What traffic? Loon is the busiest resort in NH and only does about 330k visits a season.

To expand to the size they are talking about, the Balsams likely needs 500k skier visits a season to be viable. There's not a resort north of Killington pulling that kind of traffic. Stowe, Sugarbush, Smuggs, Sugarloaf, Jay; none of them do that kind of business despite having vastly superior terrain to what the Balsams will have.


Sent from my XT1635-01 using AlpineZone mobile app

Damn NH's busiest resort only does 330k visits a year? I would have guessed 500k+ no problem.

Makes me feel worse and worse about the 700k+ Jackson now gets.

 

[deadheadskier]

Yet Sunday River was able to grow to 500,000+ visits 3.5 hrs from the closest large metro area. Colebrook is only 2.5 hrs from Montreal.

Hard to crystal ball what could happen, but history shows it is possible.

It's possible sure, but all those resorts I listed save for Sugarloaf are even closer to Montreal than the Balsams and they aren't doing 500k visits despite that plus an easier commute from Boston.

Sent from my XT1635-01 using AlpineZone mobile app

 

[x10003q]

Yet Sunday River was able to grow to 500,000+ visits 3.5 hrs from the closest large metro area. Colebrook is only 2.5 hrs from Montreal.

Hard to crystal ball what could happen, but history shows it is possible.

The only way The Balsams works and gets to full buildout is though real estate sales. The closest metro area is Montreal, but Montreal already has a huge choice of US and Canadian ski areas to choose from that are closer or the same distance as the Balsams. Certainly, there would be the curiosity factor, but I doubt it would be a big draw. You also have to consider the Canadian $ is worth .75USD. That is not helpful for Canadian real estate sales.

Golf is not driving visits, either. This place has money loser written all over it.

 

[machski]

Damn NH's busiest resort only does 330k visits a year? I would have guessed 500k+ no problem.

Makes me feel worse and worse about the 700k+ Jackson now gets.

Oh yeah, and Loon is even close to the amount of terrain at JHMR. Also, the majority of that 330K hits on the weekends and holidays only, it's not as spread out through the season as what you have seen.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using AlpineZone mobile app

 

[Newpylong]

I am skeptical as well - my point was simply that the "if you build it they will come" idea has worked in the past, albeit no circumstances are the same.

 

[machski]

It's all over now. Not much of a surprise I guess with all the postponements to beginning the rebirth.

https://www.newenglandskiindustry.com/viewstory.php?storyid=774

Sent from my SM-T830 using AlpineZone mobile app

 

[Killingtime]

Can't say I'm surprised either although I was hoping beyond hope that this could be built. It would've been cool.

 

[deadheadskier]

Maybe Otten will take one last shot over at Saddleback. I'd much rather see SB come back to life than what was planned at the Balsams

Sent from my XT1635-01 using AlpineZone mobile app

 

[thetrailboss]

It's all over now. Not much of a surprise I guess with all the postponements to beginning the rebirth.

https://www.newenglandskiindustry.com/viewstory.php?storyid=774

Sent from my SM-T830 using AlpineZone mobile app

I saw reference to the sale in a local newspaper article last week, but it was behind a paywall. Suprisingly I did not find mention of it until now. Guess it is over.

 

[thetrailboss]

Maybe Otten will take one last shot over at Saddleback. I'd much rather see SB come back to life than what was planned at the Balsams

Sent from my XT1635-01 using AlpineZone mobile app

I think we will probably never see LBO re-emerge as a player in the ski scene given what happened with ASC. Lots of good ideas but no money and nobody willing to bankroll him.

 

[ThinkSnow]

Well that's just too bad.

 

[Rogman]

It never made sense. If I recall it’s south of Sugarloaf, but like the ‘loaf, too far off the beaten track. I get that if you build a destination resort people will come. But there was never a viable plan for that: when it’s huge great... but how do grow from a few lifts to what was envisioned.

 

[thetrailboss]

Bump.

Footage from the Primaries show our friend Les Otten casting the first vote in the primary for Dixville Notch. Must be he is living up there now.

 

[jimmywilson69]

Les should next invest $20 for the dude in the suit to get a new hair cut...

 

[thetrailboss]

Les should next invest $20 for the dude in the suit to get a new hair cut...

Yikes.

And Les was sporting a Balsam's Vest. I'm pretty sure that they do the event at the Balsam's. Must be sad seeing it sit empty.

 

[Smellytele]

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.

 

[Zand]

Les should next invest $20 for the dude in the suit to get a new hair cut...

Is that Mark Davis? Raiders moving to NH confirmed.

 

[raisingarizona]

Les should next invest $20 for the dude in the suit to get a new hair cut...

Oh dang. Cold af.

Why you gotta be telling that John Denver to go fly a plane like that?

 

[jimmywilson69]

Is that Mark Davis? Raiders moving to NH confirmed.

:lol:

Oh dang. Cold af.

Why you gotta be telling that John Denver to go fly a plane like that?

Hey I said nothing about flying a plane. Just looking for a little trim around the ears, thats all! :lol: