Balsams Grand Resort teams up with ski industry legend Les Otten

[Puck it]

They should definitely be ready for the season!!!

 

[ThinkSnow]

The project is moving forward!

http://www.unionleader.com/article/20141027/NEWS02/141029145/-1/news

 

[MadMadWorld]

I stayed there once as a kid and wow how things have changed. I hope they bring the place back to what it looked like in its glory day.

 

[VTKilarney]

Holy cow. While they still have a long way to go, this is still great news.

 

[ThinkSnow]

Visited again this past weekend. There definitely seems to be some activity going on. Vehicles driving through both hotel property and ski area. Due to no trespassing signs, did not get onto the ski area property as I had hoped to. Keeping my fingers crossed that Les Otten won't destroy all the history of the place.

 

[VTKilarney]

There still appears to be momentum:
http://www.wcax.com/story/27685201/resort-developers-seek-approval-for-snowmaking

 

[ThinkSnow]

More news:
http://www.berlindailysun.com/index...lsams-project&catid=103:local-news&Itemid=442

 

[blue_ox]

Ambitious.
http://thebalsamsresort.com/vision/ski-expansion/

 

[Edd]

Ambitious.
http://thebalsamsresort.com/vision/ski-expansion/

Jumping Jesus!

 

[Jully]

What especially caught my eye was the minimal intersections for the trails. I really hope they can pull that off because so few expansions these days seem to really emphasize that

 

[skiMEbike]

Ambitious.
http://thebalsamsresort.com/vision/ski-expansion/

Exactly. Les is at it again. I don't see how they can claim or expand enough to have the most veritical with KTon at 3000+ & the Loaf at 2800+. Best I can tell they'd be lucky to get 2000 ft of vertical. Maybe its another one of Les' marketing gimmicks: "Most Vertical in Coos County "

 

[deadheadskier]

I'd say Les Otten probably wants to pull that off. He's made some trail development mistakes over the years, but not as bad as some others. He did a pretty darn good job with expanding Sunday River and not having a lot of intersections on the trails.


The one thing that strikes me is "largest vertical drop" in the East. I wouldn't think that's possible given the terrain they are working with up there. Seems crazy, but I'm all for someone building the largest ski area in the East at a location that gets the snow that the Balsams does.

 

[EPB]

DHS - do you know how much snow they get up there? Information seems a little sparse, but it looks like they get in the low to mid 200 inch range which is solid. Does that sounds about right?

 

[deadheadskier]

yes, I believe it's about 225. It's no Tug Hill, but pretty darn good.

 

[EPB]

Absolutely - that's just about tops for eastern areas outside N. VT.

 

[Edd]

That base elevation is very helpful for retention. It seems to do wonders for the snow quality at Saddleback.

 

[JDMRoma]

usually some of the best snowmobiling in the state is right there.......would make sense with that amount of snowfall.......

 

[AdironRider]

They also probably hold the best snow quality on average on the East Coast. Even eliminating just 1/2 the freeze thaw cycles from everything further south works wonders.

 

[freeski]

The valley on the other side of the notch must be pretty deep to get the vertical or if I remember as you go south the terrain drops off. Good luck Mr. Otten.
I used to spend time at Sunday River in the summer and from talking to the people from Bethel and Newry they still love him.

 

[drjeff]

Exactly. Les is at it again. I don't see how they can claim or expand enough to have the most veritical with KTon at 3000+ & the Loaf at 2800+. Best I can tell they'd be lucky to get 2000 ft of vertical. Maybe its another one of Les' marketing gimmicks: "Most Vertical in Coos County "

Looked like from what I read on that link that the "most" they're talking about isn't vertical drop, but skiable acres