BUTTERNUT: The 2005 AlpineZone Challenge MUST go on!

[thetrailboss]

Matt Sawyer, the Director of Sales at Butternut, has agreed to take the AlpineZone Ski Area Challenge! This is your chance to get official answers to your ski-related questions direct from a Northeast ski resort representative! Please post some suggested questions in this thread and we'll select ten to present for official responses.

Also please don't be offended if we edit/change your question for grammar, tone, or some other minor thing. In order to get in all of the questions we MAY merge some questions but we'll do our best to keep the substance of your question. If we don't get your question in, feel free to post a follow up after we get the results...we are encouraging the representatives follow the threads. :wink:

As always, please be respectful of Matt and keep it civil. Also, please refrain from asking specifics about skier visit numbers, financials, demographic information, etc. Butternut needs to be discrete about certain information.

Ask away!

 

[thetrailboss]

Well, HERE are some articles and items about Butternut to help you out.

Also, I've looked and HERE are Matt's responses from last season.

 

[bvibert]

Are your season pass rates going to remain the same low price?

 

[ts01]

What impact on skier traffic are you hoping to achieve by replacing the Granny's double chair with a new quad? (Personally I'm hoping it will take a lot of beginners off of the Top Flight quad -- both to ease the line there and to clear up the congestion on Pied Piper.)

 

[ts01]

Your season pass is a pretty good deal but I'm on the fence about renewing next year. Even at the low pass rate, when you multiply by 4 it gets up there.

One factor that is likely to affect my decision is your program offering discounts to Butternut passholders at other mountains. My family has learned to ski at Butternut and loves it there for day trips, but also is ready for bigger challenges. The deals that Catamount is offering (discounts at Gore, Whiteface and Sugarbush) are more tempting than Butternut's deals (Bolton Valley and $10 off non-holiday wkends at Okemo). I don't really count the 50% off deal at Jay Peak because I understand Jay offers that deal to passholders from any other mountain, not just Butternut.

Are there any additional deals anticipated for next year? Any way you can post this info on your web site sooner in the season than it went up last year?

 

[Greg]

Some Northeast mountains such as Jiminy Peak use standard grooming equipment to "seed" very evenly spaced mogul fields on intermediate terrain. Does Butternut have the capacity to do this and is it something you've considered? I think Downspout would be a great candidate. Butternut's gentler terrain attracts many beginners/intermediates and the bumps that are allowed to form on Downspout tend to be erratically spaced as a result of the intermediate traffic. Offering a few well maintained seeded bump runs would provide some challenge for the more advanced skiers. You already offer plenty of terrain features (i.e. parks) but how about some bumps for those looking for a challenge that aren't park rats? Are there any other runs that you would consider to be good mogul run candidates? Lucifer's Leap or Whip, perhaps? Clearly marking such trails with "Bumps" or "Moguls" signs would discourage the beginners from attempting them.

I applaud the installation of the Highline Quad last year and replacing Granny's Double with a quad this year. Did the Highline double acheive its goal of relieving pressure off the Top Flight Quad? What effect do you think having three quads at a relatively small hill will have in terms of skier traffic on the trails?

I skied Butternut in April (great job on staying open later this season!) and had a blast popping in and out of the trees on skier's right of Applejack. What's going on there? Has that area been thinned out? Any chance you can thin out a bit more and position the snowguns to provide some overspray that could help build a base in these "glades"?

I love riding the Overbrook Triple but the climb off the lift to get to Uptown is a drag. Can anything be done to improve that? Perhaps a short connector trail below the lift house? My point is that it would be nice to have a quick way to get back over to the other side of the base area without having to either hike to Uptown or fly down Freewheeler or Downspout to carry momentum over to the the lower lodge or the Top Flight Quad.

Was your free demo day last December successful? I enjoyed the opportunity to try out some new skis free of charge. Are you going to hold another one this season?

 

[skijay]

With all of the infrastructure upgrades (new lifts), you now can boast having 3 quads / 1 triple / 2 doubles. Can you offer some insight of any possible Butternut expansion plans? Is there a vision of adding some type of slope side accommodations such as hotel, homes or condos?

Was the reason for the replacement of the Granny double to give newbie skiers from the lower mountain a more gradual introduction to the main mountain and thus easing some of the bottle necking at the summit and top of Highline Quad? Is that another reason why the terrain park moved from the Granny area?

Will you ever offer a half pipe in your terrain park?


Has Butternut thought of adding summer time activities such as an "adventure park" like Jiminy Peak? How about hiking or mountain biking? Any thoughts of adding a "water park" like Bousquet?


The demo days are great. At least for me, as I bought a pair of skis at your ski shop after a demo.

 

[thetrailboss]

Some good questions here...maybe Weds to wrap it up?

 

[Greg]

Some good questions here...maybe Weds to wrap it up?

I say yank it. There are plenty of ?'s here.

 

[thetrailboss]

OK...today then folks...

 

[Greg]

Matt's responses are in:

http://skiing.alpinezone.com/articles/challenge/2005/response.htm?resort=butternut

 

[thetrailboss]

Great answers and just sent in my guess...

 

[ts01]

These were thoughtful, credible and helpful responses. Thanks.

I knew I'd get beat up a little on the season pass price so I'll concede that yes, the $199 season pass IS a great deal; no need to be defensive about that!

I appreciate though that Butternut will try to arrange mutually beneficial deals with other mountains -- and absolutely do encourage trying to get the same deal to Sugarbush, Gore or Whiteface for Butternut pass holders. Butternut has just as much as Catamount (or more) to offer those potential partners, in terms of a customer base. And it seems to me like many Butternut passholders do come from NY State and should be open to exploring Gore and Whiteface. Though its typical to view Butternut as a "family mountain" and lump it in with Okemo (and maybe Bromley or Ascutney), in my mind you can also see it as a "skier's mountain" like Gore and Whiteface. The focus is skiing (OK, riding too) and not real estate development, as at Jiminy, Okemo, Stratton, etc. where the condo development is overwhelming. The Lake Placid/Whiteface experience is similar in some ways to G.B./Butternut. Obviously different terrain (!) but you're not in cookie cutter condo land.

Anyway, thanks again and I imagine we'll be back this December.

 

[Greg]

Impressed as well. I feel a little bad about mentioning the stashes off Applejack now... Would really love to see a concerted effort to offer a good bump run on Downspout:





That run has good pitch and is in full view of the triple so it's a perfect run for seeded bumps. Tons of snowmaking already in place there too. I hope they can pull it off or at least try to...

 

[dmc]

Those bumps look goooooooooood!
Nice highspeed cruising moguls...

I'm statin' to "jones" for snow...

 

[Greg]

Those bumps look goooooooooood!
Nice highspeed cruising moguls...

Yeah? A bit erratically spaced though, no? Not great for establishing any sort of ryhthmn, but probably great for riders.

 

[thetrailboss]

Looks like an interesting mountain to ski...will have to try it sometime.

 

[thetrailboss]

Those bumps look goooooooooood!
Nice highspeed cruising moguls...

Yeah? A bit erratically spaced though, no? Not great for establishing any sort of ryhthmn, but probably great for riders.

Looks like Greg is on his 'mogul seeding' campaign again :idea: :wink: :lol: A lot of natural bumps aren't so evenly spaced or set up...and that can be a good thing. :wink: Do you think they employ seeding at MRG or at Castle Rock? Granted there are great skiers and riders there who can set up some good lines by repeatedly skiing the same route, but if we suggested 'mogul seeding' at MRG the reply would be a resounding, "get out the rope!" :wink:

 

[Greg]

Looks like an interesting mountain to ski...will have to try it sometime.

It's fun. A little flat and it can get crowded on Saturdays and holidays. Sundays aren't usually too bad. They do have excellent snowmaking and great grooming though. As Matt points out above, the flatter terrain probably helps with keeping the snow in good shape. BTW, here's that area off Applejack I was talking about:





With enough snow, I think you can head in there a little deeper. Matt's aparked my curiousity to explore a bit more in there now...

 

[bvibert]

Looks like an interesting mountain to ski...will have to try it sometime.

I've been saying that for a couple of years now. I've never been despite it being so close to me...

The answers seemed well thought out and VERY timely, thats how the AZ Challenge should be IMHO.