Berkshire East & Catamount: 3 New Lifts, Terrain Expansions

[RISkier]

A MESSAGE FROM JON SCHAEFER

STATUS UPDATES Hi all. Jon Schaefer here. I run Berkshire East and Catamount. My family has owned Berkshire East since 1976, and Catamount since 2018. When we bought Catamount in 2018, we committed to revitalizing it and haven't stopped. Admittedly, these improvements haven't been easy, and...

berkshireeast.com

Haven't been to B'East for several years but always enjoyed it a lot. Don't know what's going on there these days but if I were a Berkshire East or Catamount regular I think this message would give me solace.

 

[camberstick]

They had a rough weekend and owned up to it, refreshing In this era.
1st time there today and we had a blast. Great fall line skiing , perfect groomers and a cool vibe. The whole family loved it !We definitely will be back, hopefully to get in those good looking tree lines.

 

[Abominable]

They definitely had a tough start, and the weather didn't help. Christmas to New Year's was very difficult, little terrain open and weather not great for making snow. The hardest hit was probably the kids' programs, as they didn't even have the learning area up, so they had 50 kids in various groups trying to get three turns in on the approach to the triple, amidst all the traffic coming down. Frustrating for kids, parents and coaches alike.

New Year's day (and weekend) they couldn't open. Our passes are good at Bousquet and we skied there, and the difference in amount and quality of snow was extraordinary. Kind of saved our vacation in a way, as my kids finally had some room to learn to ski without getting frustrated, and they did amazingly and haven't looked back since. My son's first solo run from the "top" was Jan 1st, and by MLK weekend he can ski pretty much anything on either mountain and all he talks about are double diamonds. (I'm bragging a bit, of course).

Despite those growing pains Catamount was skiing better and better by last weekend and it's a great mountain. I think ownership still has quite a few kinks to work out but I like the direction they're taking and I've always liked the mountain; it's nice to have owners who are into it.

I can't comment at all about the snowmaking issues raised above, but, I've got to think if you are running a couple smaller ski mountains in the Northeast you are very hands on, and it's not like they're inexperienced, so those comments surprise me.

 

[IceEidolon]

Possibly a "fast, cheap, good" problem, but without being in their meetings it's hard to know why.
Their big moves snowmaking-wise (HKD Impulse plus SMI Super Polecats in wide areas) are probably the best guns for those applications on the market (Best fan, no. Best portable fan, possibly.) and they're spending money on pumps, too. But the execution and trail layout has been shakier.

 

[RH29]

Possibly a "fast, cheap, good" problem, but without being in their meetings it's hard to know why.
Their big moves snowmaking-wise (HKD Impulse plus SMI Super Polecats in wide areas) are probably the best guns for those applications on the market (Best fan, no. Best portable fan, possibly.) and they're spending money on pumps, too. But the execution and trail layout has been shakier.

I haven't been super impressed, but the positives balance out the negatives. The new base lodge is great, with plenty of space, great aesthetics, and good food. Lifts received a much needed upgrade.

The drawbacks are the snowmaking havoc, some odd changes to the trail map (namely, f-ing up the main face), and killing the relocation of Glade much further into NY in favor of a tubing park (similar to what BEast did in 2002 with the Exhibition lift)

 

[Newpylong]

Between Catamount and Bousquet I'm not sure which mountain looks worse now on the front. Travesties.

 

[ss20]

Between Catamount and Bousquet I'm not sure which mountain looks worse now on the front. Travesties.

I'm so glad I moved this season. I would probably shed a tear if I saw Catamount's face in person now. That old SLI double with the pine trees at the bottom is how Catamount will live-on in my mind.

One of my earliest ski memories was at a crappy hotel in the Berks, my mother pulling out the Catamount and Butternut trail maps out of her bag, and letting me pick which one I wanted to ski the next day. I chose Catamount.

 

[Abominable]

You guys have all brought this up a few times and I've been trying to wrack my brain remembering what it used to look like, but I just don't remember well enough skiing there a few times as a kid in the late 80s / early 90s. Looking back through photos though, it doesn't seem like things are drastically different across the front, aside from the obvious clearing done to make way for the new lift. If they plant row of pines on one side of that lift and I don't see where too much has changed. The runs on the NY side are nice and typically northeast style, maybe you can make an argument they tied to shoehorn one too many runs in there for space considerations, but "ruined" or a "travesty" seems a bit much.

It's actually quite nice to sit in the lodge or out front having a beverage and watching people ski. Parents can watch their kids race from inside. Not everything can be the Thunderbolt Trail, and both B East and Catamount retain some nice windy woodsy trails. Maybe some woods have been lost; I haven't skied Catamount enough when the woods are in play to comment on that, and haven't skied B East in probably five or six years so haven't seen the newer trails in person.

I do agree it would have been awesome to the glade triple run up from where the tubing is, and maintain some more glade areas there, but at the same time I love that the tubing is far removed from the main mountain area. Anyway I don't mean to be an apologist or "homer" as I kind of see what you're saying, but I don't think it's awful and more skiable acreage is generally a good thing. And they haven't really altered the feel of the upper mountain too much, aside from adding some legitimately steep terrain. So I guess I'm withholding my vote until I see how it looks when they're done.

 

[Abominable]

 

[Newpylong]

If clear cutting all of those islands to combine 3 trails into 1 isn't a travesty I guess I don't know what is. That is on top of adding two more football field width trails "Ripper" and "Christopher's Leap" right down the fall line just like Catapult.

Bousquet did the same thing. Instead of just clearing enough to put the new summit lift in they removed every single tree between 3 trails up the middle. I was floored when I saw it. Guess who Bousquet contracts with to advise on Capital and Operational matters? The Schaeffers.

Good to see money out into these areas, but no need to destroy their character.

 

[skimagic]

oh my, that's bad. Catamount was an ugly mountain to begin with. it always reminded me of a strip mine. The brightside is they can market it as western type skiing.

They owners might want to drive over to Butternut to see how to build trails in harmony with the mountain.

 

[Newpylong]

Bousquet before:

Bousquet after:

 

[slatham]

Agree with the ugliness of the clear cutting. But trees grow fast, and a lot of what I see removed looks like it was planted and not "native". But if they leave it as is, especially Catamount, that would be a mistake IMHO.

 

[RH29]

oh my, that's bad. Catamount was an ugly mountain to begin with. it always reminded me of a strip mine. The brightside is they can market it as western type skiing.

They owners might want to drive over to Butternut to see how to build trails in harmony with the mountain.

Not even the Jerry-est of Jerry's would go to Catamount, ski down 400 vertical feet of scratchy/groomed intermediate terrain, and say "That's just like skiing out west!"

 

[skef]

Per webcams, making snow at B-East tonight.

 

[urungus]

Went to Berkshire East on Sunday, here is a shot of the wind turbine blade that snapped off last month

 

[urungus]

And here’s a few entrants in the annual “cardboard classic” homemade sled race that has been going on for 30+ years…

 

[urungus]

 

[urungus]

Ten second movie of the red shoe

View attachment IMG_0090.MOV

 

[Abominable]

Awesome. We skied there last Thur (St. Pats) and Friday. Friday was 70 plus and sunny. Great last day for us. Would have preferred it to be mid April as opposed to mid march but nice way for my young kids to close the season.