Sugarbush applies to USFS to Upgrade Valley House Double to Quad

[Tin]

That's a much different high speed double than the old one at Berkshire East that could snap your leg if your tips weren't up lol

 

[Tin Woodsman]

Ruthies is the Crying Game of doubles, it's really a triple.

Wow. That's brilliant.

 

[HowieT2]

This is the best news ive seen in awhile. Would prefer the lift start closer to the base level but I guess I doesn't jive with their plans for the valley house. A new quad will be great. Faster and a true pressure reliever for the bravo. Huge improvement.

 

[canobie#1]

^It's not going to be a high speed, you do know that right?
Spring Fling still lives on!!
http://www.chairlift.org/knoebel.html

 

[mrvpilgrim]

Putting aside the physical status of the ValleyHouse lodge for the moment. This year they are requring all of the youth programs to use the Valley House for breaks and lunches on weekends. This has taken a little pressure of of the gatehouse during those times. Additionaly if they can get a significant amount of skiers lapping the new quad on weekends with the load just above the Valley House it makes the valley house a much more viable option for breaks and lunches taking additional pressure off of the gatehouse. They did make some minor improvements to the bulding last summer and have made an effort to upgrade the food service in that location. I beleive that at least in the short term this tired lodge can still prove itself usefull.

 

[twinplanx]

I don't seem to understand the logic of this plan really. First of all, why are they having the lift start in the same spot as the current VHD. The only reason to have the same base terminal location, is if the Valley House Lodge is going to stay long into the future. But I do not see the point of keeping the VH lodge around at all. It is uphill, far away from the parking lot, and seems to get little use. I know their would be a lack of lodge space without it, but they should then plan to add seating space to one of the relatively new base buildings. The VH lodge is just too outdated and terribly located. If the do plan on tearing down VH lodge, then the new lift would isolated and uphill from the base.

I also don't think they need a quad in this location. A double is ideal, and a triple would be okay. But a quad puts too many people around that unload area, even though it will be relocated. There will still be plenty of people coming from Super Bravo anyway to use those trails, making it very crowded there.

Replacing the Village double should be their first priority. I also think an on mountain lodge/restaurant located at the area where Gatehouse, North Lynx, and Slidebrook all converge, would eliminate the need for Valley House Lodge anyway, and be extremely popular.

Well the short hike uphill to the loading area does help manage the crowd. I like your idea of a Lodge up at the crossroads of the Gate House, North Lynx and Slidebrook chairs. Seems like enough room in that area for a good size mid-mountain lodge. (And Crossroads wouldn't be such a bad name either ;-) I have no idea what there long-term plans are, but it makes sense(to me) to keep VHL and the current loading area until such improvements can be made. But I don't see how they could feasibility relocate the loading area if/when the outdated lodge is removed...

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[WWF-VT]

. ... I also think an on mountain lodge/restaurant located at the area where Gatehouse, North Lynx, and Slidebrook all converge, would eliminate the need for Valley House Lodge anyway, and be extremely popular.

Putting a lodge/restuarant at that location makes no sense at all. The Gatehouse / North Lynx area opens up weeks after the Super Bravo lift starts running at the beginning of the season and closes weeks ahead of it come spring time. The logistics to provide food /beverage services would be prohibitive as well as the costs to build the facility.

 

[twinplanx]

Putting a lodge/restuarant at that location makes no sense at all. The Gatehouse / North Lynx area opens up weeks after the Super Bravo lift starts running at the beginning of the season and closes weeks ahead of it come spring time. The logistics to provide food /beverage services would be prohibitive as well as the costs to build the facility.

Hmm, OK you know the place better than I do. Sounded good from my armchair view lol

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[xlr8r]

Putting a lodge/restuarant at that location makes no sense at all. The Gatehouse / North Lynx area opens up weeks after the Super Bravo lift starts running at the beginning of the season and closes weeks ahead of it come spring time. The logistics to provide food /beverage services would be prohibitive as well as the costs to build the facility.

To me it seems to make a lot of sense. The one thing Sugarbush is missing is an on mountain restaurant. Allyns and Glen house are huts really, and do not really take any stress off of the base lodges for the lunch time rush hour. Their Competition in Killington and Stowe now both have on mountain restaurants. The top of Gatehouse would be the ideal location for a number of reasons. First, it would be very easy to put food/supply carriers on the gatehouse lift to shuttle food up there. Gondola cabins "might" even be able to be added to the lift at night so that it could be used for dinner as well. The Gatehouse lift serves beginner terrain allowing all levels of skiers to use it. It is centrally located at the resort, and at the convergence of three major lifts. also the area between North Lynx and Castlerock is the most likely location for future trail and lift expansion at Sugarbush.

 

[steamboat1]

A new top to bottom gondola & peak lodge on Lincoln Peak would really put them in the big leagues. If anyone remembers the top terminal of the old gondola you might recall bench seating on the back side of the building. The views were spectacular from there looking over the Champlain Valley towards the Daks, much like the view from the top of Ellen. Someone mentioned K & Stowe having lodges up top. Neither of their lodges afford the same views. I'm pretty sure there's ample room for such a facility up there.

 

[millerm277]

A new top to bottom gondola & peak lodge on Lincoln Peak would really put them in the big leagues.

That would be a disaster, given the terrain up top. Jester and Organgrinder aren't going to handle the load of a Gondola. (Paradise and Ripcord, as double diamonds, are going to be a small portion of skiers). Jester is a quite narrow intermediate run with a bit of pitch and a lot of turns, and Upper Organgrinder has quite a pitch as well.

There are also no ways to really disperse traffic, the vast majority of the traffic is going to be on Jester and there's no intermediate "relief valve" runs until you hit the top of Super Bravo.

I believe it would actually be a safety issue to have a modern (8-passenger) gondola to the top of Lincoln Peak, and it'd certainly be a terrible skiing experience for everyone, unless there was some dramatic trail widening or new trail creation, both of which seem unlikely.

 

[Newpylong]

Anyone remember the double chair up Spring Fling? It would be a better idea to replace that chair & eliminate Valley House chair completely. A Spring Fling chair would service that area better for the intermediates who routinely ski that trail pod. It's not like those intermediates are going to ski Steins, the Mall or Moonshine(?) anyway which are already serviced from Super Bravo. Yes there's a traverse involved but even late season Super Bravo services those trails not the Valley House chair. The chair could run right down to the base outside Timbers eliminating the discussion about the future of VH Lodge & access from the main base. Gate House Lodge would still be a fustercluck, nothing new there. The new lodge never solved that problem anyway. Adding a level within the existing Gate House Lodge, which there is ample for, with tables & seating would eliminate part of the problem.

Reinstalling another lift there would be a gigantic waste of money. The Spring Fling Triple served two trails and was absolutely empty when it ran, to the point they stopped running it for seasons at a time. Also cannot race on that trail with lift towers. Eventually it was removed.

 

[Newpylong]

A new top to bottom gondola & peak lodge on Lincoln Peak would really put them in the big leagues. If anyone remembers the top terminal of the old gondola you might recall bench seating on the back side of the building. The views were spectacular from there looking over the Champlain Valley towards the Daks, much like the view from the top of Ellen. Someone mentioned K & Stowe having lodges up top. Neither of their lodges afford the same views. I'm pretty sure there's ample room for such a facility up there.

Another waste of money. There was one there. Wind hold central and nowhere for crowds to go on top.

 

[Newpylong]

To me it seems to make a lot of sense. The one thing Sugarbush is missing is an on mountain restaurant. Allyns and Glen house are huts really, and do not really take any stress off of the base lodges for the lunch time rush hour. Their Competition in Killington and Stowe now both have on mountain restaurants. The top of Gatehouse would be the ideal location for a number of reasons. First, it would be very easy to put food/supply carriers on the gatehouse lift to shuttle food up there. Gondola cabins "might" even be able to be added to the lift at night so that it could be used for dinner as well. The Gatehouse lift serves beginner terrain allowing all levels of skiers to use it. It is centrally located at the resort, and at the convergence of three major lifts. also the area between North Lynx and Castlerock is the most likely location for future trail and lift expansion at Sugarbush.

I like the idea too.

 

[HowieT2]

Another waste of money. There was one there. Wind hold central and nowhere for crowds to go on top.

Agreed. imho, the hub and spoke lift system is a real asset. It is a rare day when I ride the the base hsq more than twice.

a mid mtn lodge would be a great addition. I know that they have thought about this. the problem with Alyns lodge is there is no water so they can't serve food other than packaged stuff. other than the top of gatehouse, the other location is at the base of heavens gate. more centrally located than gatehouse.

 

[deadheadskier]

I like the concept of one at the top of Gatehouse best. As mentioned, it's in an area where people of all abilities can access. It's not significantly far from the base either. That location kind of reminds me of the North Peak lodge location at Sunday River. It's most likely supplies would be brought up in a Groomer than using the lifts except for through the day replenishing. One other thing to consider is it might encourage more use of the Slidebrook. After warming up on a break, people might be inclined to take the long ride over to North and if the food is good, I'm sure it will attract people from North to South for lunch.


The fact is that running water and a waste return to the base from there would probably cost big time $$$$. It would be a really nice amenity though. Probably be a cool wedding venue for summer business as well.

 

[HowieT2]

I like the concept of one at the top of Gatehouse best. As mentioned, it's in an area where people of all abilities can access. It's not significantly far from the base either. That location kind of reminds me of the North Peak lodge location at Sunday River. It's most likely supplies would be brought up in a Groomer than using the lifts except for through the day replenishing. One other thing to consider is it might encourage more use of the Slidebrook. After warming up on a break, people might be inclined to take the long ride over to North and if the food is good, I'm sure it will attract people from North to South for lunch.


The fact is that running water and a waste return to the base from there would probably cost big time $$$$. It would be a really nice amenity though. Probably be a cool wedding venue for summer business as well.

I believe they do weddings in the summer at the top of gatehouse. The location is ok, but the majority of the skiing and skiers are over on the other parts of LP, such that most would need to go down to the base, take the GH lift up to get to the lodge.

totally unrealistic and a pipe dream, but it would be awesome to have the castlerock warming hut as a full fledged lodge.

 

[WWF-VT]

I like the concept of one at the top of Gatehouse best. As mentioned, it's in an area where people of all abilities can access. It's not significantly far from the base either. That location kind of reminds me of the North Peak lodge location at Sunday River. It's most likely supplies would be brought up in a Groomer than using the lifts except for through the day replenishing. One other thing to consider is it might encourage more use of the Slidebrook. After warming up on a break, people might be inclined to take the long ride over to North and if the food is good, I'm sure it will attract people from North to South for lunch.


The fact is that running water and a waste return to the base from there would probably cost big time $$$$. It would be a really nice amenity though. Probably be a cool wedding venue for summer business as well.

The Slidebrook chair runs too infrequently to be a factor in adding a lodge with foodservice at that location. I couldn’t picture it being a draw for Mt Ellen skiers (a high percentage are locals who pack a lunch) to ride the Slidebrook chair for lunch. A lot of people that ski / ride Lincoln Peak avoid the Gatehouse lift because of the long lines and lack of expert terrain served by that lift.

That location currently is used as an outdoor wedding venue in the summer.