Summer 2024 improvements

[thebigo]

Planning board minutes, flight path and word of mouth all indiacte west basin redevelopment is next for loon. Doubt we ever see a full base at Timbertown. Take a look at the james niehues full build out map. Best guess they are planning a full base area further west towards 93. Loon does not need five points of access, killington barely needs five access points.

I suspect eventually we see two base areas, current gondola and one close to 93. West basin is developed with a focus on real estate, pemi is a proper brewery/restaurant, timbertown is serviced by the new 93 base area.

 

[deadheadskier]

Do they have the permits to go further west?

 

[machski]

Do they have the permits to go further west?

No, but have heard they are in discussions. If Timbertown doesn't get a proper base building, it is useless as a learn to ski area. And if it isn't to be used for that, putting that many low angle runs down that low is a waste of $$.

 

[thebigo]

Ski forums like to blame the forest service but nobody can name an actual expansion stopped by the forest service. Expansions are expensive.

 

[Newpylong]

No, but have heard they are in discussions. If Timbertown doesn't get a proper base building, it is useless as a learn to ski area. And if it isn't to be used for that, putting that many low angle runs down that low is a waste of $$.

100%. Any "learning area" that is not directly serviced by base facilities or in the case of some out west reached via a one seat ride gondola are useless as such. The whole development over there has seemed seat of the pants.

 

[Tin Woodsman]

Ski forums like to blame the forest service but nobody can name an actual expansion stopped by the forest service. Expansions are expensive.

Parker's Gore at K, Slide Brook Basin at SB and the Stowe/Smuggs Interconnect (yes this was State of VT) all say hi.

Ski area expansions are expensive in large part b/c of the expense and uncertainty attributable to the Forest Service (or their State level equivalents) and associated regulations.

 

[deadheadskier]

Didn't South Peak take like a decade of planning and permitting before a shovel hit the dirt? I recall it being a battle. If they are up against the same for going further West, I can't see Timbertown staying just ski terrain only, especially being all beginner terrain. Need at least another bubble structure like South. Something...


There certainly appears to be an extensive amount of terrain to the West that would be intriguing to expand to. Solid intermediate terrain mainly, but lots of it. Given Loons location, it probably has the opportunity to grow skier visits as well as anywhere in New England with enough capacity.

Anyone have a link to the Niuhues sketch?

 

[thebigo]

.

 

[doublediamond]

Ski forums like to blame the forest service but nobody can name an actual expansion stopped by the forest service. Expansions are expensive.

The expansion at Lusten was stopped by the forest service in part due to removal of certain trees (junipers?) that are brutally hard to reforest if the area goes bankrupt,

 

[bigbob]

Didn't South Peak take like a decade of planning and permitting before a shovel hit the dirt? I recall it being a battle. If they are up against the same for going further West, I can't see Timbertown staying just ski terrain only, especially being all beginner terrain. Need at least another bubble structure like South. Something...


There certainly appears to be an extensive amount of terrain to the West that would be intriguing to expand to. Solid intermediate terrain mainly, but lots of it. Given Loons location, it probably has the opportunity to grow skier visits as well as anywhere in New England with enough capacity.

Anyone have a link to the Niuhues sketch?

EPA employee who lives in Maryland, but grew up in Lincon, filed a lawsuit which bogged the South Peak expansion down. I think it had something to do with leaking sewage lagoons. Loon doesn't own the tent lodge at south, the developer does, so right now they don't have any owned lodge in that vicinity.
Sunday River also needs a day lodge at Jordon, but at least the hotel is over there with a restaurant. I guess they are looking at putting some rest rooms over there soon.

 

[machski]

Didn't South Peak take like a decade of planning and permitting before a shovel hit the dirt? I recall it being a battle. If they are up against the same for going further West, I can't see Timbertown staying just ski terrain only, especially being all beginner terrain. Need at least another bubble structure like South. Something...


There certainly appears to be an extensive amount of terrain to the West that would be intriguing to expand to. Solid intermediate terrain mainly, but lots of it. Given Loons location, it probably has the opportunity to grow skier visits as well as anywhere in New England with enough capacity.

Anyone have a link to the Niuhues sketch?

The original plan has like 28 runs on South that was originally approved late 80's I believe. Recall they started the tree clearing on South then it all got halted. As Bigbob said, a couple of lawsuits against the project (all out of staters, but that is the risk when operating on federal lands). One even had to do with the plan at the time to use Loon pond as the snowmaking reservoir and refill from the Pemi during high flow. That lawsuit states that plan would do irreparable damage to Loon pond (BTW, it's a dead pond) and any fossilized remains on pond bed due to differing water quality from river. I kid you not. After all that was settled, the original plan had timed out and a new one was created with a much smaller trail footprint within the NFS lands as there was increasing opposition to the larger plan.

 

[eatskisleep]

Ski forums like to blame the forest service but nobody can name an actual expansion stopped by the forest service. Expansions are expensive.

Here’s one that had the opposite: approved by forest service (at least in its early stages) but never actually happened:

Thompson Brook - Wildcat Mountain - New England Ski Area Expansions

 

[crystalmountainskier]

Ski forums like to blame the forest service but nobody can name an actual expansion stopped by the forest service. Expansions are expensive.

This. They shut down Lutsen recently and one at Crested Butte in the '90s but it is VERY rare.

 

[Terry]

I got an email this weekend from Pleasant Mt showing pictures of the top terminal mostly complete and saying the towers fly this week. Looks like a lot of blasting and regrading on jack sprat, mid Station area, and the horn.

 

[BenedictGomez]

That lawsuit states that plan would do irreparable damage to Loon pond (BTW, it's a dead pond) and any fossilized remains on pond bed due

I've heard myriad absurd claims from eco-extremists to shut projects down over the years, but theoretical loss of unknown fossil remains (in a pond no less) is a new one.

 

[thetrailboss]

Out here:

• Brighton is expanding its night operations to Milly;
• Powder Mountain is adding a new lift and replacing a lift with a HSQ;
• Deer Valley will open three new lifts this year.

 

[4aprice]

I'll add Colorado

Snowmass - New Coney Express (HSQ)
Copper - New Timberline 6 pack - replacing HSQ
Sunlight - New fixed grip Triple - replacing Sequndo Double

 

[2Planker]

I got an email this weekend from Pleasant Mt showing pictures of the top terminal mostly complete and saying the towers fly this week. Looks like a lot of blasting and regrading on jack sprat, mid Station area, and the horn.

Correct - I heard Tues & Weds as long as the wind is light

 

[Tin Woodsman]

Out here:

• Brighton is expanding its night operations to Milly;
• Powder Mountain is adding a new lift and replacing a lift with a HSQ;
• Deer Valley will open three new lifts this year.

Correction: PowMow is adding 2 new lifts (only one of which will serve the public) and upgrading two others.

 

[thetrailboss]

Correction: PowMow is adding 2 new lifts (only one of which will serve the public) and upgrading two others.

I thought I miscounted. Thanks.