Ragged gets a new GM

[deadheadskier]

Be nice if Pinnacle doesn't happen until it's all grown back in and they can try again. If what they cut ended up as the ski trails? B.o.r.i.n.g

 

[thebigo]

Have you skied pinnacle? Was hoping to last year but never made it over there the limited days there may have been enough snow.

 

[Newpylong]

Near term upgrades mentioned were hardscaping, deck off the bar, snowmaking on both mountains and parking. Next I would imagine easy winder and sweepstakes for upgrade. Sweepstakes to get the racers off yankee and easy winder to take the load off cardigan. Will also need to look at barnyard in the near future. Then maybe in 10 - 20 years look at pinnacle if vail continues to send sunapee and crotched passholders your way?

Where were these mentioned?

Would love to see Easy Winder to take the load off Blueberry Patch. Can't see it effecting Cardigan being on a different peak. I think Cardigan is far too steep for novices and should be a blue. Winder would be good except for the pole out at the bottom. The top pitch will need work. Not sure Sweepstakes has the pitch to be FIS Homolugated but they cerrianly could run some USSA events there.

Bigger deck off bar sounds good it gets jammed up there on weekends.

 

[Newpylong]

Have you skied pinnacle? Was hoping to last year but never made it over there the limited days there may have been enough snow.

I've walked it, not enough pitch to really do much with. What they roughed in seemed about all you can do.

 

[thebigo]

Patio, deck, paving and snowmaking were all mentioned in the skijournal article. Easy winder is pure conjecture but also obvious. Sweepstakes is the result of spending a year with the race team.

The club and the mountain fight over yankee time. Kids need more time to train, mountain hates losing the trail. Bunch of ideas discussed: take out trees between ex and birches, lift on wild ride with training on ridge and Sweepstakes amoung others. Sweepstakes makes the most sense, people who can ski it would rather be in the woods whenever it is open. Only downside is putting athletes in the six line on busy days.

Edit: bar overhaul is the greatest roi, turning people away from $7 cups of draught beer is insane. Current setup is awesome but they need to better use the space.

 

[deadheadskier]

So, if I'm reading this correctly, Sweepstakes is being considered for widening for race use? That's a terrible idea with the other available options on the mountain. You don't have to go there.

I get that having Yankee open to the General Public makes Spear much more desirable. But don't go and fuck up the best old school trail on the main mountain to create a new race venue.

What I'd do is just homologate Show Boat. Grade out skiers right side of the trail that hardly ever gets used on natural snow and run some snowmaking pipe up the skiers right side of the trail.

 

[thebigo]

Nobody skis Sweepstakes, it was open maybe five days last year. The mountain needs to move race training off yankee. Showboat is too steep.

 

[deadheadskier]

I don't think skiers right side of Showboat is too steep for a race training venue. It's far more mellow than skiers left, which I agree is too steep. I bet you could create something cool with a new entrance starting skiers right off the summit down the skiers right side of the trail.

I would be fine with lower Sweepstakes being widened and adopted as a race venue. From where you cut over from Birches. But please don't ever do anything to change Upper Sweeps. I know the natural snow isn't there often to open it. But when it is open, it's the best trail on the mountain.

 

[thebigo]

Strangest possible fathers day conversation, debating dhs over ragged race trails.

Dude, if there was enough snow for Sweepstakes to be open, would you ski it?

I would spend every run in the woods until my balky knee gave up.

 

[Newpylong]

Showboat is too steep no matter what you do it for U12 and below. Snowmaking pipe on skiers right would not be usable because of wind direction. Pipes are on skier's left for a reason. Lower also not practic you've got all ledge on skiers right and skiers left is a ravine and wetlands. That's why they have not been allowed to fill in that large crevasse crossing the gully and have to make a ton of snow to fill it.

Sweepstakes is great but it's absolutely dead on the few days it's open. People who ski Ragged are either on groomers or in the woods (when available), and very little in-between. That said, the same holds true for Birches to a certain extent and they already make snow there. Seems like it wouldn't be a stretch to move some of the racing there without a big spend. That also would keep that race traffic off Blueberry or Ridge to get down to another trail. I don't think it's long enough to host GS for some of the older age groups though. Not sure...

From a training perspective a surface lift up skiers right of Wild Side to utilize Lower Ridge isn't a bad idea either. Tough to see where a surface lift would fit in as nicely as that anywhere else without a lot of work. But again, you're taking away a fairly heavily utilized trail especially when the park is built on Wild Side, so it may come back to Sweepstakes: out of the way and lowest utilized.

 

[xlr8r]

I would build a T-Bar up the lookers right of Wild Side, Make Wild Side the racing trail. Move the terrain park to Village Green. Allow general public to use T-Bar as well to access terrain park (mid unload where village green double used to end). Most expensive option, but keeps the classic trails intact, and might take pressure off the six pack.

 

[Newpylong]

Village Green not enough pitch for the big park and mid-unload requires another operator. So neither really an option. I could see using Wild Side for racing and put the park on Lower Ridge but again, they prefer the park to be on a tangent, but it wouldn't be too bad. Honestly when you weigh the options, Birches or Sweepstakes makes the most sense simply because you're not taking valuable terrain away that any skier ability can use.

 

[deadheadskier]

Strangest possible fathers day conversation, debating dhs over ragged race trails.

Dude, if there was enough snow for Sweepstakes to be open, would you ski it?

I would spend every run in the woods until my balky knee gave up.

Yes I would ski it. I love the top of it. Wish it maintained that narrowness and turns all the way down. It's probably my favorite trail on the mountain. I enjoy skiing a lot of trees, but I also like variety; especially classic New England trails like that. I'll always vote against widening such trails.

And to Newpy, I'm aware why the pipe is on skiers left. Maybe put some hydrants in the middle in order to get snowmaking over to the right side. And I don't feel the skiers right side of Showboat is too steep. Same pitch as Hayride at Stowe, which was used for years as the primary race trail. I'll concede it would be tougher on the younger racers.

 

[Newpylong]

It's a great pitch overall for racing and they do run Slalom on it, not for the younger groups though...it is made far mellower by an assload of snow made on it because they can only groom it downhill and straight because they don't own a winch cat. That's why they end up with the narrow swath at the top because they can't push sideways on the headwalls. If you put pipes in the middle then you definitely can't race on it. You would have two narrow lanes too narrow to set GS (and lift towers) with hydrants in the middle which is frowned upon. I still think Birches would be a happy medium when they can't use Yankee.

 

[deadheadskier]

Well, my thought is you widen the skiers right side of the trail significantly; say to the inner edge of Ragged Edge "glade", which hardly ever gets used. You could build a second entrance skiers right from the summit. Lots of real estate to work with, it's just a matter of getting snowmaking over there. This picture shows what I'm talking about with the right side of the lift line being much less steep than the the left.

Birches might not be a bad option though. I'll agree there.

 

[Abubob]

Grade out skiers right side of the trail that hardly ever gets used on natural snow and run some snowmaking pipe up the skiers right side of the trail.

I agree with this 100%. Sure ungroomed natural terrain is great an all but that side of Showboat is really under utilized. There's plenty "natural terrain" on the mountain. Please leave Sweepstakes alone.

 

[Abubob]

I agree with this 100%. Sure ungroomed natural terrain is great an all but that side of Showboat is really under utilized. There's plenty "natural terrain" on the mountain. Please leave Sweepstakes alone.

Under further consideration … I take it back. I only wish they would groom a 6 lane flat highway on one side of Showboat is all. The whole middle section becomes unskiable.

 

[thebigo]

Appears the NH Mountain Inn was listed last week, peculiar timing. I was under the impression the Inn was a significant part of their wedding business and sold out most holidays/weekends in the winter. Hope this is a not a harbinger.

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/318-New-Canada-Rd_Wilmot_NH_03287_M30033-54490

 

[Newpylong]

I was told they simply did not want to own/manage it any longer.

I would not be worried about a mountain sale if that's what you're getting at. My friend was there all last week doing work on their snowmaking system and it's all business as usual. On top of that they are putting together a longer strategic plan with him for that system.

 

[Abubob]

Appears the NH Mountain Inn was listed last week, peculiar timing. I was under the impression the Inn was a significant part of their wedding business and sold out most holidays/weekends in the winter. Hope this is a not a harbinger.

https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/318-New-Canada-Rd_Wilmot_NH_03287_M30033-54490

Just because a business is selling doesn’t mean it isn’t successful. Also it seems that this might be the best time to put it on the market as the wedding season winds down. Thirdly since they are only business ”partners” I fail to see the significance to the ski area itself.