NEW ENGLAND

Makeover Mountain

This story was Published in The New England Ski Journal
Published: February 2004

By Heather and Greg Burke

If you could create your own ski area, what would it be?

Every ski mountain in New England has its up side, and its down side. No ski resort stands above all as perfect. Some have the latest greatest lifts, others have superb views, some have outstanding staff and activities galore, and a few have appealing ski towns at or near the base.

Imagine taking the best of each to create the ideal ski and stay resort. We would christen it Paradiski – but that name has been usurped for France’s La Plagne/Les Arc union. Call it Perfect Pitch or Vertical View - or in this case, Makeover Mountain. We have taken the best, and invented the rest. Imagine the possibilities.

Our first priority is accessibility. If you can’t get there easily – you can’t get there often enough. Ever notice how Waterville Valley and Loon are two hours from just about everywhere in New England?

Talk about central location, Makeover Mountain is conveniently reached from a major interstate, under two hours from Boston, Portland, and Burlington, VT. Our resort has its own Exit. Similar to Lincoln’s Route 112 leading to Loon, Makeover Road is just a mile long, passing two gas stations, a few grocery stores for last minute items, ski shops and several eateries from fast food burgers and donuts to real restaurants.

Arriving at the resort, you are greeted at the Welcome Concourse, where you get your lodging keys and lift tickets – perhaps like the new Welcome Center at Jiminy Peak claims to have accomplished with its premier facility.

Makeover Mountain’s staff is genuinely friendly, not to mention empowered to help you in any way they can. Employees graduate from the Okemo resort-training program, before donning their cheerful Makeover Mountain team uniforms.

Nothing beats slopeside on a ski vacation. You can ski in and out from every condo at Makeover Mountain, just like Sugarloaf. Not only does every bed offer “put your skis on outside your sliding glass door” convenience, they also have slope views and are an easy walk to the Village Center.

Like Sugarloaf’s slopeside setting, the resort welcomes small business owners to set up shop, ex: Gepetto’s and The Bag. The Village has sophisticated similarities to downtown Stowe. This charming Main Street however is pedestrian zoned and located on-mountain, with a towering church steeple, and a smattering of boutiques.

The grand Makeover Hotel (replicated from the Hotel Mount Washington) anchors the Village, for those who prefer the formality and full-service of a ski-in, ski-out Hotel, to the homeyness and space of a condo.

The sparkling tiara of the resort village is a trio of big mountains, with 150 trails and swift but comfy lift service. What’s ideal about Makeover Mountain is that the three skiable peaks each serve a different ability level while converging at one central base.

Serious Summit is to the left. There is an awe-inspiring base to summit aerial tram, of the Cannon variety, which ascends the entire 2,500’ to the peak snowfields, of the Carrabassett kind.

Serious Summit’s other lifts include a heated gondola (à la Killington) and a couch-sized Stratton six-pack lift. Venerable steep and stunning runs plunge down the front face– much like Stowe's Front Four.

Serious Summit has glades galore off the western side with a Jay Peak policy of ski wherever you like – just bring a buddy. The eastern flank features aggressive mogul runs - Steins, The National, White Heat and Bubblecuffer – so you can do your own side-by-side bump comparison. The only double chair here is Castlerock – a secluded section of the mountain - a hard core haven of twisty tight runs for those ready to Rumble.

Ego Peak is the next in line. This intermediate paradise has a Ragged six-pack for sunny days and a Skyeship Gondola-each distinctively decorated. From the top of Ego Peak, you can ski the three-mile Pole Cat and enjoy the phenomenal views. Or take your pick from oodles of Okemo groomed cruisers.

Unique to Ego Peak is the opportunity to dine on-mountain at the Cliff House. Over fantastic views, skiers enjoy white linen table service and an extensive menu including Schwendi Hutte lobster bisque.

Novice Nirvana is the last peak to the west. This is a Bretton Woods size summit with a plethora of mellow runs and a few tame but tantalizing glades. Kids will definitely want to take a pass through the family fun zone sculpted from Smuggs’.

Newbies have their own pocket of gently pitched trails near the base with a few handle tows, a festive kiddie carousel, and a magic carpet, like Ragged’s Juniper Meadows.

The Learning Center, designed from Sunapee’s building footprint, is steps from these slopes, containing the all-important children’s programs and childcare.

This family hub is home to Makeover’s Mountain Mascots. Smugglers’ cast of characters including Mogul Mouse and Billy Bob Bear, plus special Loaf friends Amos the Moose and Blueberry Bear, are always playing with the kids, and relieving any ankle biter’s anxiety.

In fact, the entire kids’ activities program, both on snow and off, is replicated from Smugglers' – and the resort guarantees that your kids will have fun or your money back!

Speaking of guaranteeing your ski experience, Makeover Mountain has the second highest base elevation, just under that of Saddleback in Maine, so it’s winter here more often than not. Benefiting from the unique Jay Cloud effect, a phenomenon that assures 400” of natural snow annually, Makeover Mountain skiers get more than the average provincial powder days, nearing the annual accumulation of some western resorts.

Still, being located in the uncertain snow zone of New England, snowmaking is a must. Fortunately in the center of the slopeside village is Lake Snow, with infinite water supply. Makeover Mountain has the firepower of Sunday River and Killington combined. In fact there are enough guns and gusto to resurface the entire trail network every 24 hours.

The snowmakers and groomers are Sunday River trained, veritable scientists of powder perfection. Several of the more popular trails receive a Gunstock noon-groom to assure the best possible surfaces throughout the latter half of the day.

While Makeover Mountain welcomes both skiers and snowboarders, each peak has one trail designated exclusively for each. At noon, those trail designations switch – so riders and skiers have equal opportunity.

The Burton Boarder Bongo Base Camp is located near the base, but away from the novice area, with its own lifts, three graduated pipes and an entire trail-length terrain park. This is the only section of the mountain lit at night and pumping out the hippest music to huck and grab. The patrol headquarters are located at the foot of this zany zone – how convenient.

Did we mention the views from our ultimate ski resort? From anywhere in the resort and most condo windows, you have a great vantage point of the vast slopes. On the mountain, you see the splendid scenery of Lake Snow below and New England’s highest summits in the distant, comparable to the panorama at Gunstock or Big Squaw.

With so much vertical acquired each day, there is no need for night skiing, except the aforementioned terrain park.

Come evening, skiers descend upon the indulgent resort village for shopping, live entertainment and sustenance.

Kids head to the oversized, outdoor heated pool modeled from Attitash’s Grand Summit.
“Big kids” looking to quench their thirst will find a Wobbly Barn with live bands and tasty brews on tap. The well heeled prefer the elegant fireside lobby of Makeover Hotel for a martini and music in the Observatory. On sunny spring afternoons, the Sugarloaf deck becomes a veritable beach party with Reggae and Blues bands performing well into the evening.

It won’t cost a mortgage payment to ski Makeover Mountain either. Weekend adult ticket prices are $49, midweek drops to $39. We can’t forget the locals, who ski midweek for $29. There are three non-holiday Tuesdays for $10.

So there you have it, Makeover Mountain has location, vertical, views, variety, snow and a perfect slopeside setting for all your skier services and sundries.

We already bought a two-bedroom summit view quartershare here – in the new Lincoln Peak building designed by Sugarbush’s renowned architect. If you would like to reserve your block of ownership – just send us a check and we will promptly cash it and put you on the waitlist as a Makeover Mountain Wannabe VIP. This could be the best thing since snowmaking and high-speed quads.
 

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All Photography by Greg Burke

 

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