Bolton Valley Sold: Back to the Future

[xwhaler]

Hopefully BV puts some $ into the aging lodge and sports club/restaurants. I remember going as a kid it was a very mini self contained village that provided slopeside lodging with some resort amenities at a value price.

The facilities are aging but it's still a nice setup that perhaps they could draw folks not able to spend $ on the self contained village/slopeside of Smuggs/Stowe.

It would also be nice to get a HSQ someplace...maybe Wilderness chair or Timberline?
Also get the marketing machine going..it must be tough for them to get the word out surrounded by top end resorts up there.

 

[bdfreetuna]

Wilderness doesn't make sense for HSQ ... I've never seen it with a lift line and it's only open on weekends mostly.

Timberline already has a quad but it's slow... don't get much lines down there either and again mostly weekend ops

Vista Chair is the main lift I think that would be due for an upgrade. Would be nice if they could just somehow make it spin faster.

If they can expand their operations to have Wilderness and Timberline open on weekdays, and maybe get those areas open sooner, that would be a big improvement.

 

[bushpilot]

The lack of high speed quads is what keeps me from getting a season pass from bolton. I have done some night skiing this year and it really cuts down on the amount of terrain you can ski. I am not saying that all the lifts should be HSQ but one would be much appreciated. They also have pretty good deals so getting a pass isn't really necessary since day tickets prices can be kept under 40 bucks a day. This year they offered $20 tickets on Mondays.

All in all it is a nice mountain with a great local vibe. They even have a trash can at the top which to me means that they encourage me drinking on the lift ride up. I can knock back two on the way up Vista. Maybe with that HSQ it would only be one.

 

[deadheadskier]

Vista was installed in 2005, so I don't see that lift getting replaced anytime soon. Maybe a conveyor would be a good upgrade. They typically reduce ride time by about 25%.

I'm with Xwhaler in that I think some modernizing of off hill amenities would help.

It's a great place and would probably do much better if it wasn't located so close to such tremendous competition in Stowe, Smuggs and Sugarbush

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[Jully]

If they can expand their operations to have Wilderness and Timberline open on weekdays, and maybe get those areas open sooner, that would be a big improvement.

This year they expanded to offer night skiing until 10 and brought in some extra compressors to start the season with, IIRC. That really impressed me and was planning on staying there over new years, but family drew me to SR at the last minute. I hope to make it up for a stay next year, hopefully the new owners will provide some nice incentives / keep the products currently out there (the 4 pack especially, but I think they had a cheap lodging deal too).

Originally there were massive expansion plans for the area (in the 60s and 70s and maybe even later) are there any smaller scale expansion plans that might be in the works too? That would be one place to put a HSQ if that's the case.

I've heard the hotel they have is a little aged. I'm not even familiar with other base amenities.

 

[Not Sure]

dlague acting all level-minded, with another month or more of skiing to enjoy in Colorado.

For those of us on the East coast, we're faced with the prospect of finding something other than skiing to do for the next half year

:smash:

http://www.mohawksoaring.org/

Adreneline fix till snow flakes fly (not to be confused with political snow flakes)

 

[crank]

My ski club has been going there for a weekend bus trip the past several years. The lodging is dated, but the staff is very friendly and accommodating and their pricing is very reasonable. Nice to be able to just park the bus for the weekend and enjoy ski-in ski-out. We can't do that at Stowe or Sugarbush for a reasonable price. However, I bet we could get a good price from that empty new hotel at Burke!

 

[thetrailboss]

Yes, it would be interesting to see what they do, if anything. They market pretty much to Chittenden County and surrounding areas and focus on locals instead of visitors. It, by and large, has worked. A few years ago I read an article where they interviewed Larry Williams and he said something like 80% of their revenue came from locals and that was the inverse of a typical resort model. Now that I think about it, this was in a WDEV interview with Mark Johnson back in April 2016 at the end of ski season.

And their facilities were quite dated on my last visit in 2011. My sister and her husband went for an overnight stay last year and said that the hotel was very dated then.

 

[dlague]

dlague acting all level-minded, with another month or more of skiing to enjoy in Colorado.

For those of us on the East coast, we're faced with the prospect of finding something other than skiing to do for the next half year. We can be easily triggered! And my TRIGGER is socialism!

:smash:

No worries - Killington is still around for east coast! May at Killington is fun and has a good vibe.

I saw mention of a HSQ. I too do not see that happening. The current set up preserves snow like smuggs.

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[Smellytele]

I love the terrain at Bolton and vibe. Some great woods. Getting there for me is no worse than Stowe or Sugarbush and much easier than Smuggs.The top of Wilderness could not handle a faster higher capacity lift. Off hill amenities need upgrading. The hotel is very dated and anyone walking any where in the hallways and rooms can be heard all over. Bar and wood fired pizza are good as well. The fitness/x-country center is tired as well.

 

[bdfreetuna]

Bolton was my 2nd most skied area this year and I think of it as one of my home mountains. I don't personally need additional motivations to go there besides the quality of the terrain and value they already offer.

I have never stayed in their hotel because A) price and B) price. If they can remodel it and get it under $100 a night it might be incentive for me to stay in their "village" rather than stay in Burlington or Barre.

I don't really care that their lifts are slow because waiting in lines isn't much of an issue. I do tend to ski a longer day (until closing) there due to more resting time on the lift.

If I were investing there to improve the quality of the experience it would be snowmaking. Timberline area takes too long in the season to open. It's like they make snow on one trail at a time there, expansion happens so slowly even when they get snow.

The main lodge also needs more seating, it's occasionally a problem finding seats on busy days. And the downstairs cafeteria often forms a line of people waiting for fries and chicken fingers.

 

[bushpilot]

If I were investing there to improve the quality of the experience it would be snowmaking. Timberline area takes too long in the season to open. It's like they make snow on one trail at a time there, expansion happens so slowly even when they get snow.

The main lodge also needs more seating, it's occasionally a problem finding seats on busy days. And the downstairs cafeteria often forms a line of people waiting for fries and chicken fingers.

Those are definitely the two areas that would increase the overall experience the most. I like HS lifts but it wouldn't do much to help the mountain. It would probably do more damage than good. Seating in the lodge and increasing how fast they are 100% open would be great improvements.

 

[Tin]

Bolton was my 2nd most skied area this year and I think of it as one of my home mountains.

You skied there 3 times LOL

 

[prsboogie]

I think lodging costs at the "small" mountains are in general ridiculous. Yes I know skiing is expensive but when your trying to travel with a family of 4 and your looking at 3-400 per night it is just stupid. There needs to be inexpensive but clean options for the families to stay at. I think 300 per weekend would be reasonable within walking distance to most hills. I know slopeside demands more but if I can walk or shuttle in I'd be all over it. I'm not speaking directly about Bolton, never been or tried to stay there but many others in the Northeast


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[bdfreetuna]

You skied there 3 times LOL

Exactly. That's 3x more than most other places in VT. Once more than Berkshire East. Would be a lot more if it was a shorter drive.

 

[Jully]

I think lodging costs at the "small" mountains are in general ridiculous. Yes I know skiing is expensive but when your trying to travel with a family of 4 and your looking at 3-400 per night it is just stupid. There needs to be inexpensive but clean options for the families to stay at. I think 300 per weekend would be reasonable within walking distance to most hills. I know slopeside demands more but if I can walk or shuttle in I'd be all over it. I'm not speaking directly about Bolton, never been or tried to stay there but many others in the Northeast


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I feel like $300 for two nights isn't out of the question for lodging. Where have you seen more?

 

[Jully]

Exactly. That's 3x more than most other places in VT. Once more than Berkshire East. Would be a lot more if it was a shorter drive.

I feel like you define your 'home mountain' however you like. It's how familiar you are with the place and how you feel when there. You've been going to Bolton for many years too, if I recall.

 

[bdfreetuna]

Bolton is one of the places my Dad liked to take me skiing as a kid.

Variety, travel and adventure.. keeping areas fresh and exciting is how I like to ski. I can't even bring myself to do a Max Pass.

 

[thetrailboss]

http://www.skimag.com/ski-resort-li...=Email&utm_content=Story2&utm_campaign=042417


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[mikec142]

Even though we are from NJ, I have family in Burlington and we spend a lot of time there. My kids basically learned to ski at Bolton so it holds a special place in my heart. That said, we haven't been in several years for the following reasons:

1. Open later and close earlier than other mountains - I assume this is a snowmaking issue.

2. Limited terrain when natural snow isn't there. I can't even count how many times I've been there when Wilderness and/or Timberline have been closed.

3. Vista seems to go on wind hold more than any other lift at other resorts. Combine this with the oft closed Wilderness and Timberline and you limit the available terrain.

4. The lodge is old and tired.

5. We've grown to love Sugarbush and Stowe.