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Saw this the other day...not exactly relevant, but still funny.
Would be interesting to fact check that....and compare it to Whiteface and Sugarloaf at that timeframe (late 1960's early 1970's).
I loved skiing Glen Ellen/Sugarbush North/Mount Ellen because of that vert, lack of crowds, great pitch, and good snow.
Dear Shareholders,
What an exciting start to our season! Our December 10th opening was our earliest opening since 2007. The holiday week brought snow and crowds we haven't seen in quite some time. We're very proud of how our staff pulled together to provide an exceptional Mad River Glen experience even as the snow slowed the delivery trucks, the lot overflowed with vehicles, and demand for day tickets stretched down our boardwalk! Snow and smiles brought everyone together and we hope you'll enjoy the skiing soon if you haven't already.
We're writing to update you on two important developments since the resignation of our previous general manager in September.
First, our Interim Management Team and Board of Trustees agreed that once the mountain opened for the season, a single person was needed to oversee day-to-day operations. As is common in many organizations during transition periods, the Board appointed its President, Meg Hourihan, as Interim General Manager. Meg has extensive financial and management experience needed to meet the Coop's critical needs at this time. Equally important, this temporary arrangement is the least disruptive to our winter operations, and provides overall savings to the Cooperative. This interim appointment lasts only until our permanent hire begins work at Mad River Glen and we expect to make a hiring decision soon. All Trustees, in consultation with the Co-op's independent business and non-profit attorneys, reviewed the propriety of this arrangement under our Bylaws and under Vermont and other non-profit/co-op law and conflict of interest principles.
The Board would like to gratefully acknowledge Sharon Crawford, Eric Friedman, and Nate Martin for their exceptional service to our Co-op as members of the Interim Management Team and thank them for taking on the additional responsibilities that the team required. Kudos to Sharon, Nate and Eric!
The second development is to update you on the work of our Executive Search Committee. On November 11, 2016, we closed the application process for our new GM/ED listing and the Committee began the process of reviewing over 50 resumes and letters of interest. The Committee narrowed the field to 15 phone interviews, and further narrowed the field to 10 candidates for first round interviews. The Committee conducted first-round interviews and recommended five candidates to move to the second round. The second-round interview team was broadened. A team including two senior staff members, two shareholders, and two additional current Trustees conducted a rigorous round of interviews. They recommended two very qualified candidates to the Board.
These two candidates will soon be visiting Mad River Glen for more interviews with staff, additional shareholders, and all Trustees. A decision and employment offer is expected to come out of this next and final phase. We are confident that either of these candidates can provide excellent new leadership for the Cooperative. The Board is hopeful that we will have our new GM/ED in place before the end of this season.
Thank you for your support and patience as we work through this transitional period.
Jon Anderson
Alan Bates
Annika Holtan
Meg Hourihan, President
Matt Kenny
Eric Palola, Vice President
Ron Shems, Secretary
Deb Steines
John Tobin, Treasurer
Board of Trustees
Mad River Glen Cooperative
Dear Shareholders,
It is with great pleasure that I announce the Board of Trustees has hired Matt Lillard as our new General Manager. Matt comes to us from Juneau, Alaska where for the past five years he has been GM of the community-owned Eaglecrest Ski Area. Prior to Eaglecrest, Matt was the Assistant GM at Magic Mountain Ski Area in Southern Vermont.
When the Board of Trustees drafted the job description for our new GM last fall, I was unsure we'd find someone to meet our diverse set of requirements. Following a review of over 50 resumes from an international pool of applicants, three rounds of interviews with more than 25 people (including staff, trustees, and shareholders), and two days of on-site visits with the finalists, the Board and I are confident Matt has the skills and the passion to lead Mad River Glen. He operated Eaglecrest within budget every year, secured funding for and oversaw construction of large-scale capital improvement projects, and reported to a Board of Directors. His commitment to running ski areas, not resorts, demonstrates his values and willingness to preserve and protect the Mad River experience.
Matt continually impressed the interview committee with his managerial and financial expertise, his thoughtful and open-minded management approach, his willingness to listen, and his understanding of the unique culture of Mad River Glen.
Matt is excited to meet our staff and shareholders and will transition to Mad River Glen this ski season. Matt's first day will be Saturday March 4 and will have more information soon about opportunities to meet him. In the meantime, please join me in welcoming Matt to our Mad River Glen community. We can't wait to start working with Matt to fulfill the promise and potential of our beloved mountain.
I met Matt when he worked at Magic, super nice guy! Congrats to him!MRG has hired Matt Lillard, who was a former manager at Magic. Congrats!
"We're gonna build an interconnect with the Bush, the greatest interconnect you've ever seen, believe me.....and Sugarbush is going to pay for it!"
I know you are making a joke here, but I wonder how awesome an interconnect with MRG from Mt Ellen would be. Looking at an elevation map, you could relatively easily hike from the top of Exterminator over to the Starks Nest. So a simple cut out path would probably do the trick.
I've said it before, but the only real improvements I'd like to see at MRG is upgrading the double to a triple chair and a bit more lodge capacity.
The trails are plenty wide enough on Sunnyside to handle a bit more capacity. That capacity would help siphon off a bit of traffic on the single. The lodge can be unbearable on a busy day. Both these projects would cost a lot of money they likely don't have, but I think they'd be great to see.
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Also sunny side is relatively new. I think if they ever decided to increase capacity it will be with a t bar since that is cheep and fitting with there old fashioned theme.
I'm assuming you mean adding a T-Bar on the upper portion of Sunny side? It would be physically impossible to run one from the base.
If an upper area T-Bar is what you mean, I don't think you could get a permit for it. You really need to have a dedicated line or side of a trail to put in a surface lift. There are a lot of intersections in the Sunny Side pod and a surface lift would prevent people from moving back and forth laterally on those trails.
You could stay along the side of a lift line. Ex along the single chair from the mid-station or the middle or top third of the sunny side liftline. I haven't been to Mad River in a while but it appears only one of the intersections along the upper 2/3 of sunny side is important. The don't look necessary. Also one could do a dedicated line two the left of the single chair that serves the most of the lower 2 thirds of the mountain.