The "Sugarbush Thread"

[smootharc]

Wow....I leave for three days to visit my crazy Canadian

relatives and hit Niagara Falls with the Chapstick and the Millimeters....and the valley goes haywire. First it was Sex, Lies, and Videotape...then P-Tex, Lies and Duct Tape...now it's Sugar, Spies, and Red Tape. Jeepers....I can't wrap my brain around it all.


Keep the goods coming. Intrigue is good. Rumors better. And the truth is....well, the truth. Just don't tell me your source is nicknamed "Deep Throat"....


Off to Skier's Edge until something breaks....it or me.... :wink:

 

[Lostone]

Couple points:

1) As for housing prices, this is a national thing. Some call it a bubble. I don't know, but I know some prices are really strange.

There is a place in my building listed for $89K. I bought mine 6 years ago for less than $30K.

But I sold my place in Mass for a huge profit, while the guy who sold it to me sold it at a huge loss. Prices go up and down.

B) As for Claybrook, I like the barn motif. My concern is more that, looking down from the mountain it will look like a monstrosity.

A couple years ago, I went to K-mart during the fall and rode the gondola up and down. On the way down, I couldn't believe how ugly their Grand Summit looked.

This complex looks pretty big. If it looks too bad, from the mountain, not only will they not get the people they want to buy in, but they will send people away that came for the unspoiled valley look.

Case in point is the wastewater plant. Have you ever heard anyone say anything positive about its look? The comments I've heard have been 100% negative... and that is a long way from the mountain, comparitively. How will Claybrook look from Organgrinder? Spring Fling? Steins?

III) I hope thought has been given to the fact that everyone is now parking a lot farther away. Feedback I got was that the idea of having vallet parking taking the closest lot was... not very customer friendly. Now, they're being moved further?

d) I really want Summit Ventures to succeed. (Remember people saying hat about ASC? I didn't think so. ) But I hope these things have been considered.

I'm not one of the customers who will be involved in Claybrook. Most won't. I hope they matter, as they are the lifeblood of Sugarbush for many years... past and future... I hope.

 

[Strat]

...Austin, just wondering, where did you pull the old north map from? I only know of two places, nelsap and my site, that have it on, just interested, especially if it's my site, haha...

Strat, I have that map (I think), or one very similar, on my site too. I got it from a 1968 ski magazine (skiing I think) several months ago. It is on with the Glen Ellen brochure. http://teachski.com

Ah, OK, hadn't seen that since the last time I had checked out that Glen Ellen brochure... thanks for the heads-up.

 

[Tin Woodsman]

I definitely find myself agreeing with a lot of what's written here. The barn idea is, I think, a good one. Provide guests with a patina of VT and all that. Of course the key issue is execution on that vision, and the drawings I've seen don't exactly inspire the soul. We'll see what the finished picture looks like.

It's too bad about the potential postponement of the Skier Services Bldg. While Claybrook may bring in the revenues earlier, SB guests will now have to contend with another year of an overcrowded and woefully inadequate base lodge set up. In fact, it could be even worse this year if the random base area buildings housing the rental shop, ski school and other functions are taken down to accomodate the footprint of the new structure. No matter what, this is bad news, and indicates to me that Summit is experiencing some cash flow difficulties.

I don't know if this project is necessarily designed to bring SB new customers or a new class of customers. Rather, I believe it's an attempt to monetize the loyalty of the SB skier base whose lodging dollars are currently spent elsewhere in the Valley. To that end, I'm not sure the design is as critical as the location (you won't get any better going forward), though it certainly can't be ignored.

 

[Strat]

Sugarbush 1990-1991 trailmap:

Thanks for the map... would really like to put it on my site, but I'm kinda picky about completeness in the map, and your scans are a bit choppy... beggars can't be choosers, but is there a chance you could perhaps rescan with more completeness (without parts cut off the sides and whatnot) even in a few pieces that I could photoshop together? Thanks.

 

[Lostone]

When you post an image, such as some of the above maps that is too wide for the screen it stretches the size of the screen.

From then on, anyone reaking that page has to scroll to the right of the screen to read the end of the line, back to the left for the first part of the next, then abck to rhe right for the end of that line... rinse lather repeat...

This can be avoided by shrinking the size of the image so that it fits onto the normal screen.

For an example, note the difference between page 1 and page 13 of this thread.

Am I the only one who finds this annoying? :-?

 

[bvibert]

Am I the only one who finds this annoying? :-?

I do find it annoying, however the pictures you're refering to aren't too wide for my screen...

In general though its a good idea to post a small pic in the thread with a link to the bigger version, that gives people the option to go look at the bigger one if they want and don't have to wait for the pic to load in the forum if they're not interested. This is expecially annoying for dial-up people...

 

[Strat]

Yeah, I was wondering about quoting that, but the original was a ways back... Lostone, maybe turn up your resolution?

 

[Lostone]

Claybrook progress...?

As of yesterday, they are back to digging in the area that they'd seemed to abandon. Work continues on 22 acre site, which has been expanded greatly, to the right. Thinking this will be parking? If so it is a long way from the mountain. As is the lower parking lot, which is also expanded well beyond the snowmaking building.

Also of note, the season pass building now sits in the parking lot. It is being donated to Habbitat For Humanity, which I think is really good.

It will come to live at the bottom of the access road, in the near future. It will then be a home.

I might get some more pix up later today, but it is just too nice to stay inside, today.

75°, sunny and dry? If you've ordered a beautiful Vermont summer day, it might be coming up.

 

[Strat]

Was just up there yesterday, looking at that massive pile of dirt that they're using a bucketloader to put in a dump truck, which carts it over to the steep bank so a bulldozer and a guy on a steamroller can flatten it out... at least it's nice to see they have a job in mind...

Which 22 acre site is this by the way?

 

[noski]

22 acre site

strat- "22 Acres" is the land where a hotel was once going to be, before you were born I think. It is on the left after turning onto Inferno Rd at the parking lot intersection. I can't remember what is going there, I can certainly find out if no one here remembers.

 

[Strat]

Re: 22 acre site

strat- "22 Acres" is the land where a hotel was once going to be, before you were born I think. It is on the left after turning onto Inferno Rd at the parking lot intersection. I can't remember what is going there, I can certainly find out if no one here remembers.

Ah, alright, how long ago then? Wasn't the grand summit, right, because that was only, what 98 or something... what ownership was that under?

 

[noski]

Re: 22 acre site

strat- "22 Acres" is the land where a hotel was once going to be, before you were born I think. It is on the left after turning onto Inferno Rd at the parking lot intersection. I can't remember what is going there, I can certainly find out if no one here remembers.

Ah, alright, how long ago then? Wasn't the grand summit, right, because that was only, what 98 or something... what ownership was that under?

no- waaaaaaaay before that. Someone here will know when that was. Early 80's? Anyway that 22 acre site is planned for parking, primarily employee, plus a future water/wastewater facility for ClayBrook- someone should correct me if I am wrong, though.

 

[Strat]

Re: 22 acre site

strat- "22 Acres" is the land where a hotel was once going to be, before you were born I think. It is on the left after turning onto Inferno Rd at the parking lot intersection. I can't remember what is going there, I can certainly find out if no one here remembers.

Ah, alright, how long ago then? Wasn't the grand summit, right, because that was only, what 98 or something... what ownership was that under?

no- waaaaaaaay before that. Someone here will know when that was. Early 80's? Anyway that 22 acre site is planned for parking, primarily employee, plus a future water/wastewater facility for ClayBrook- someone should correct me if I am wrong, though.

Haha, oh, ok... maybe even under roy cohen?

 

[Lostone]

22 acre site has been employee parking for busy times on the mountain. Now it is being dug out big time.

Could well be water/waste facility, as there is to be a new one for Claybrook.

Sure hope it is less of an eyesore than the present one.

 

[Lostone]

So the latest rumor is that there is no financing problem, but one of timing.

The plan was to start the family center in the spring, but the permitting wasn't settled in the spring. It was settled early summer. That left them with less than enough time to guarantee finishing it before ski season.

So the new plan is to bring in some sort of temporary buildings for the guest services functions, tear down the yellow buildings and concentrate on gettingthe housing units up during the winter, planning on going back to the family center next spring.

That is the rumor. The next rumor is that there will be an announcement this week. That will be Noski's job to add that, as I only do rumors. :wink: :lol:

 

[thetrailboss]

Sounds like the Sugarbush line that I've heard for so many seasons..."it's not our fault...blah, blah." Hate to be negative, but I've heard it before. It's too bad...

 

[noski]

So the latest rumor is that there is no financing problem, but one of timing.

The plan was to start the family center in the spring, but the permitting wasn't settled in the spring. It was settled early summer. That left them with less than enough time to guarantee finishing it before ski season.

So the new plan is to bring in some sort of temporary buildings for the guest services functions, tear down the yellow buildings and concentrate on gettingthe housing units up during the winter, planning on going back to the family center next spring.

That is the rumor. The next rumor is that there will be an announcement this week. That will be Noski's job to add that, as I only do rumors. :wink: :lol:

Not bad, you have it about as I have it, but I do have my ear to the rail for a release.

 

[Strat]

So the latest rumor is that there is no financing problem, but one of timing.

The plan was to start the family center in the spring, but the permitting wasn't settled in the spring. It was settled early summer. That left them with less than enough time to guarantee finishing it before ski season.

So the new plan is to bring in some sort of temporary buildings for the guest services functions, tear down the yellow buildings and concentrate on gettingthe housing units up during the winter, planning on going back to the family center next spring.

That is the rumor. The next rumor is that there will be an announcement this week. That will be Noski's job to add that, as I only do rumors. :wink: :lol:

Not bad, you have it about as I have it, but I do have my ear to the rail for a release.

Hey, best news I've heard yet...

 

[Lostone]

I do have my ear to the rail for a release.

Be careful about that! I did that once, and when the train came by...

:roll: Well there was enough not squashed that I can still post here. :wink: :lol: