they should challenge Sunapee to be the bump skiing capital of NH
I'd go
I'd go
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Chondola at Waterville
- Thread starter sullydog
- Start date
powpig2002
New member
i am, wiseass
Puck it
Well-known member
No real tree skiing either.
SIKSKIER
New member
Except that useless High Country chair so they could get break the 2000 vertical foot mark.
LineGjibber
New member
- Joined
- May 7, 2010
- Messages
- 2
- Points
- 0
I love Waterville valley, but it does get old very fast. Waterville is about racing, bumps and parks mostly. They really do need to add something new soon. For example last season I had the threedom pass, and this year I bought the happy trails pass for exhibition because I only ski the park at waterville and get way to board hitting the same 15 top-bottom runs. So instead I bought myself a new england pass.
Telemechanic
Member
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2007
- Messages
- 218
- Points
- 16
Northernflight
Member
I ski regularly at Waterville and have a love hate relationship with it. First off they can not put in any more uphill capacity, that would be shooting themselves in the foot. With the HSQ right now there is too much uphill capacity for the trails to handle, it gets scraped off very quickly and you do occasional get the Loonesk packs of skiers coming down trails. As far as improving the place goes, first they do do a good job as far as moguls go but at the same time they tend to lack occasionally. If they make a commitment to having a longer run mogaled season long, say ciao which is very fun bumped up, that would help in the bump department. The moguls on True Grit are usually closed off for competitions but can be pretty sweet, albeit admitingly a little over my head.
Secondly there is a lack of glades, they don't get a ton of snow, but there is enough of it to allow for them to open more areas up and thus create more ski able terrain without adding another lift. Say extend the Sunnyside glades uphill more, cut between Gema and Ciao, and between Sels choice and Old Tecumseh As far as lack of intermediate terrain, there is a real truth in that but if they want to spend a little money and move Quadzilla so it runs up to the small ridge/peak to the skiers left of the area that would open up 3-4 new low level trails with the option of another glade. This will also help spread the skiers out and take some pressure of the Main Summit and Oblivion.
And if they really wanted to throw money into it, there is the potential to add another whole pod on Tecumseh mnt itself, to the skiers right of the area. Starting from the base to the right of the hiking trail and ending just below the top of the hiking trail there could be a intermediate trail and three to four expert trails with some glades. That would open the mountain up and if they left the trails with some character, maybe used a fixed grip, really add to the overall skier experience.
That would be a big investment but again would help spread people out. They need more natural snow trails so the easiest thing for improvement right now would be expanding the glade skiing, also this would be the cheapest rout at the moment. The terrain park is very good, I don't ski it much but my brother and all his and my friends love it, although they also like loons park but what Waterville has over loon is a lift right next to their park. I always have fun when I ski there but there is so much potential waiting to be tapped into. They are close enough to Boston to attract the skiers but I don't think Booth Creeks will take a finical risk with the place.
Secondly there is a lack of glades, they don't get a ton of snow, but there is enough of it to allow for them to open more areas up and thus create more ski able terrain without adding another lift. Say extend the Sunnyside glades uphill more, cut between Gema and Ciao, and between Sels choice and Old Tecumseh As far as lack of intermediate terrain, there is a real truth in that but if they want to spend a little money and move Quadzilla so it runs up to the small ridge/peak to the skiers left of the area that would open up 3-4 new low level trails with the option of another glade. This will also help spread the skiers out and take some pressure of the Main Summit and Oblivion.
And if they really wanted to throw money into it, there is the potential to add another whole pod on Tecumseh mnt itself, to the skiers right of the area. Starting from the base to the right of the hiking trail and ending just below the top of the hiking trail there could be a intermediate trail and three to four expert trails with some glades. That would open the mountain up and if they left the trails with some character, maybe used a fixed grip, really add to the overall skier experience.
That would be a big investment but again would help spread people out. They need more natural snow trails so the easiest thing for improvement right now would be expanding the glade skiing, also this would be the cheapest rout at the moment. The terrain park is very good, I don't ski it much but my brother and all his and my friends love it, although they also like loons park but what Waterville has over loon is a lift right next to their park. I always have fun when I ski there but there is so much potential waiting to be tapped into. They are close enough to Boston to attract the skiers but I don't think Booth Creeks will take a finical risk with the place.
Edd
Well-known member
I was excited about the chondola at SR when they first put it in. After 2 seasons I'm not thrilled with it. It's the slowest high speed lift I've ever been on and it's wind-vulnerable. Wildcat's HSQ blows it out of the water. I wish they would change it to a full time high speed quad or 6-pack because I like the termination points.
I don't know what their development rights are, but I alwasy thought skiers left had the most potential. Tecumsah is darn huge mountain.
Northernflight
Member
I misspoke, I meant skiers left was thinking right because I was looking at the trail map but there is huge potential in there. And best yet they can build around the hiking trail that's over there without affecting it too much. I don't think we'll ever see that happen. First things first, reroute Quadzille and add a lower intermediate area, add glades and make more of a commitment to moguls. Doing that will vastly improve the place and if they have the extra $ and are generating visits, adding that pod could be a huge advantage for them.
cannonist
New member
Bankrupt
I know this Booth Creek owns the mountain, but I just heard that the Resort town of Waterville is going bankrupt. It's such a shame that place has so many facilities and so much potential. No one really ever cared for the place except for Bobby Kennedy. I just wish someone could have tried to really turned the place around. Then again this could be a complete rumor. I hope so. Even though the ski area can get bland there sure can't be to many places as unique as Waterville Valley.
I know this Booth Creek owns the mountain, but I just heard that the Resort town of Waterville is going bankrupt. It's such a shame that place has so many facilities and so much potential. No one really ever cared for the place except for Bobby Kennedy. I just wish someone could have tried to really turned the place around. Then again this could be a complete rumor. I hope so. Even though the ski area can get bland there sure can't be to many places as unique as Waterville Valley.
riverc0il
New member
Source? That is a big rumor to perpetuate without a source.
Johnskiismore
New member
????? Huh? Two of my friends work at the town office, seems strange they wouldn't mention anything when I'd ask, 'So what's new'?
cannonist
New member
It is a bit of a rumor. Heard it from my friend who was recently staying at the Black Bear Lodge. Maybe it's just the lodge? I wouldn't be surprised if it was a lodge that went under. The parking lots to the lodges have been so empty. (It isn't exactly peak season though)
As a former condo owner I can tell you that even before the hill closes, from early early April until Memorial Day Waterville is literally a ghost town, there is NO one there. Most of the town simply closes up shop till memorial day, It's not as bad in the fall because of the foliage trips people make.
drjeff
Well-known member
Waterville by far isn't the only resort across New England where that statement applies.
drjeff
Well-known member
If Mount Snow were to ever close, I don't really want to think what West Dover and likely a good chunk of Wilmington, VT would look like from a business standpoint soon there after
Probably a similar although not quite as ugly a scenario if Okemo were to close with respect to Ludlow, VT.Other places, while not great for the local economy, not the end of the world, like say if Cranmore or Attitash closed, well I think it's safe to say that North Conway would survive, same thing if Killington ever closed, you'd still see Rutland doing okay (the town of Killington proper would have some issues though). It's the ski areas that are a decent distance away from either other ski areas and/or "decent" sized cities across New England, where the primary "industry" is that mountain, those are the one's where there's the most on the line with respect to the town's economic survival
most towns would have big problems. There are very few mountain tourism destinations where summer business is very strong. I believe North Conway maybe the only place where summer business actually exceeds winter. Manchester, VT and Stowe, VT and Lake Placid, NY also all do very well in summer. That said if the respective ski areas failed in those towns, you would see a significant hit to the local economies.
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