New England Ski Scene 2007-2008
As published in The Sun and the Daily Item
Peaks, Powdr, Boyne and bygones to American Skiing Company. Just so
your up to speed when you get on the chairlift this season, here’s
who owns what and what’s happening where.
American Skiing Company, which owned seven New England’s ski resorts
at one point, is no longer. Killington and Pico were bought by Powdr,
whose ski resort list includes Park City in Utah, Bachelor in
Oregon, and Ski Las Vegas.
Meanwhile, Mount Snow and Attitash were acquired by Peak Resorts,
who owns several peaks in the Poconos, along with Crotched in New
Hampshire. Bolton Valley and Ragged both have new owners as the
season starts too.
Maine’s Sugarloaf and Sunday
River will now be managed by Boyne USA, the Michigan resort
company that also scooped up the lease on Loon in New Hampshire to
add to their stack of ski resorts like Big Sky in Montana, Brighton
in Utah, Crystal in Washington and Cypress in British Columbia.
Boyne’s big backer is CNL – a Florida real estate firm who also has
a stake in Bretton Woods, plus Northstar and Sierra at Tahoe.
The big stakeholders in the ski biz now with 10 major resorts each
are Intrawest (who bought Steamboat from ASC last year) and CNL
(Boyne manages five of these). Vail Resorts is next in the mountain
monopoly game with five.
It’s enough to make the bull-wheel in your brain spin. Enough about
mountain mergers. Let’s talk capital and where the money’s been
spent on New England’s slopes.
Loon in New Hampshire is finally
opening its South Peak expansion, which has been two decades in the
works. To the tune of $10 million, Loon will debut a new high speed
quad servicing South Peak’s 50 acres of new trails this season, plus
a connecting quad to link the new Lincoln trail network with Loon’s
existing terrain.
Snowmaking upgrades at Sunday River, Sugarloaf, Okemo, Mount Snow,
Killington, Bromley, Attitash, and Sunapee allowed for early season
openings. First place in the opening day race went to the Pine Tree
State – Sunday River and Sugarloaf blasted out early season snow to
get first and second tracks respectively. Mount Snow was first in
Vermont, followed by Bretton Woods which rocked the Granite State
with first skiing in New Hampshire.
There must have been a sale on magic carpets (or resorts are giving
young families a lift to lure them to their slopes – in the hopes of
hooking them for a lifetime). Stratton, Smugglers, Killington,
Okemo, Sugarloaf, and Sunday River are all rolling out new magic
carpet lifts to enhance their beginner areas.
Look for new trails at Crotched, and new glades at Bromley and
Smugglers. Terrain Parks have been ramped up at Bolton Valley and
Sunapee – the lakeside ski area is also cranking up their park’s
sound system with $20,000 in speakers (surely that buys a lot of
decibels).
Mad River Glen’s aging single chair got a “face lift” this season
with a nip and tuck price tag of $1.5 million. Of note, the original
chair in 1948 cost only $150,000.
It appears to be a big birthday year, look for season long
celebrations at Gunstock, Shawnee Peak and Pico – all of which turn
70 this season.
I’d tell you about all that’s happening in Canada or Europe– but who
can afford that with today’s exchange rate. Better off booking a
trip out west. Here’s a look at what’s rockin in the Rockies and
beyond.
Vail gets two new high speed
quads at Highline and Sourdough, plus the villages at Vail and Lions
Head are getting a multi-billion dollar (seriously) re-do.
Neighboring resort, Beaver Creek debuts a gondola connecting the
town of Avon to the beautiful base village.
Steamboat, also in
Colorado, saddles up a new six pack lift to the Christie area.
Aspen’s Snowmass premiers a
$17 million Tree House Kids Adventure Center. Telluride opens 353
backcountry acres in Black Iron Bowl.
Brighton in Utah gets a much
needed new high-speed quad at Millicent.
Deer Valley’s speedy new quad
- the Lady Morgan Express (sounds cushy like all things Deer Valley)
opens 200 new acres with 8 trails in Empire Canyon, 65 acres of
which are aspen strewn glades. Brian Head’s two new lifts connect
their two separate mountains, Giant Steps and Navajo, and increase
the terrain by 35%.
Big Sky in Montana installed
a new lift on Lone Peak, improving access to the 211 acres in Dakota
Bowl and assuring this Montana ski resort’s spot as the biggest
skiing in America - now that they’re sharing terrain with
neighboring Moonlight Basin.
Mt Bachelor in Oregon spent $3.5-million on a high-speed quad to
replace the old Pine Marten lift.
Out at Lake Tahoe,
Heavenly’s new Olympic express quad opens with three new runs plus
some gorgeous glades (Heavenly hard-core know the goods are in the
woods). Heavenly adds the longest zip line in North America this
season – the ride is wild, but the scenery whizzing by is sweet.
Homewood on the opposite Lake Tahoe shore gets a new detachable
quad. Squaw Valley has installed a six-pack on their venerable
vertical terrain at Shirley Lake.
Mammoth installed a
$6-million six-passenger lift to replace the old Cloud Nine double
chair. The total spending of a “mammoth” $11 million at this
California ski resort also includes a family friendly Wonderland
Terrain Park.
Mainea>
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New Hampshire
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Vermont
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Rockies
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Sun & Sea Travel
All Stories by Heather Burke
All Photography by Greg Burke
