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Vermont 19-20

SallyCat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
The humidity broke last week and brought us crisp nights and bright autumnal sunshine here in the Green Mountains, which really puts a spring in a skier's step. So let's start a Vermont thread to get thinking about what's exciting this coming season.

So far some of the big happenings are that Killington is building a new base lodge, Mt. Snow is on the Epic Pass, Stratton has gotten into the downhill mountain biking game, and Suicide Six, Bolton, and Magic are now on the Indy pass.

Exciting things are also happening at Ascutney, which will have a T-bar this winter, taking skiers to nearly mid-mountain. In addition to its tubing area and rope tow Ascutney Outdoors funds slope mowing each fall to keep the old ski trails open, so everything above mid-mountain is open for backcountry skiing. Be sure to check snow conditions before you go; there is no snowmaking at Ascutney.

We're only two months away from Killington making snow!
 

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
Hadn't really thought about how much the Vermont skiing scene has changed in the last few years until reading this editorial.

What’s Next For Vermont’s Ski Resorts? - July 2019

This is a great editorial, and I especially agree that the companies who are buying into the state would do well to invest in the communities in which they operate. It'd be a win-win for everyone. Here's how it's so well put in the piece:

If Vail Resorts wants to truly help the communities where it operates, it could look at what else it can do for the Deerfield Valley, which has been rocked by the bankruptcy of its other mountain resort, the Hermitage Club.

It could consider working with the Sacklers to offset their financial gains from the Peak Resorts’ sale to help fight the opioid crisis in the communities Peak Resorts has served. And Vail Resorts could do more to support local vendors and brands, such as bringing back Vermont Coffee Company (which it replaced with Starbucks) at its Stowe food service outlets and partnering with other locally-owned Vermont businesses and brands.

What makes skiing or riding or mountain biking the Green Mountain’s resorts so attractive to so many is not necessarily the snow conditions, the ski school or the amenities. It’s the fact that each one of our 20 ski areas is uniquely Vermont.
 

newboots

Angel Diva
Starbucks! :doh:

The problems at the Hermitage are extreme. The corruption and fraud at the Hermitage have created massive problems. Paid-for, unfinished condos and ski homes. Unbuilt amenities. Lots of wealthy people who got scammed.

Another private, small ski area is on the market, Plymouth Notch. It took most of the village with it when it shut down. The general store is closed, terrible for a small village.
 

SallyCat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Starbucks! :doh:

Another private, small ski area is on the market, Plymouth Notch. It took most of the village with it when it shut down. The general store is closed, terrible for a small village.

That's what almost happened to Brownsville when Ascutney went bankrupt. It's why I was able to buy such a cheap condo on the mountain. It would be a nice story to say that it was a vibrant community spirit that re-invented the ski area and saved the general store. and that is definitely a big part of the story. It was an alliance between the town and the Trust for Public Land that allowed the ski area land to be preserved for recreation. The other part though is that it was a handful of very wealthy people who brought back the general store and funded most of the ski area infrastructural renovations. So keeping towns from dying when the ski area goes away is a really uphill battle for most places.
 

SallyCat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Is Ascutney open at all now? Or only on weekends or all the time?
I can't find a website for it.

https://www.ascutneyoutdoors.org/

The base lodge (Ascutney Outdoors Center) is open every day for access to restrooms/changing rooms and water. It is also used for events and festivals. Any time a lift is running, the upstairs lodge area is available to hang out, and there is a kitchen and fridge up there.

In the winter, you need to check the site for operating hours and conditions. They are usually open Fri-Sun in addition to the Thursday night race. They also usually run lifts during school vacation periods. It's a volunteer-run operation, which is the main limitation on operations. [EDIT: The mountain is always open for backcountry skiing. There's no charge, but there are preferred climbing routes, that are mapped on the "winter" tab on the ascutneyoutdoors site.]

The mountain bike trails are always open except for some race-days where there may be partial closures (or if they are too wet to ride, but those trails drain really well, so once they open for the season they usually stay open). MTB specific information can be found at the STAB site here: https://www.stabvt.org/

Here's a short piece about the town buying the old resort.

 
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ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
Here's a piece from Snowbrains that sums up all the improvements going on at the ski resorts in Vermont for the coming year:

Several Vermont ski areas are investing in new infrastructure in order to better the experience of their guests. The majority of these improvements are focused on both winter and summer activities.

Bolton Valley: The mountain biking trail system at Bolton Valley expanded to 26 trails this summer. This addition has more than doubled the mountain biking trail area. Furthermore, the BV Skatepark had its grand re-opening on June 8th. The park features larger quarter pipe walls, a full-sized bowl and much more.

Killington Resort: The construction on a new $29 million lodge at the base of Killington has begun. The old base lodge, which was built in the 1950s, will remain in use through the majority of the 19/20 season. The new structure will be much larger and designed to be more user-friendly. Heated sidewalks, ADA-approved ramps, and a redesigned traffic flow are all part of the plan.

Magic Mountain: Magic has increased its access to more water through the Act 250 permit allowing a new dam to be built in its snowmaking pond. This increased water access has the potential to lengthen the resort’s ski season by expanding its snowmaking capabilities. In addition, the mountain’s first quad lift will be installed, which will increase the mountain’s uphill skier capacity.

Mount Snow: Snowmaking operations will be increased by 17 acres at Mount Snow. With this additional acreage, 83% of the mountain will be covered. The resort’s snowmaking investments have totaled to $30 million over the last three years. Mount Snow’s last year’s development has already been paying off. The $22 million base lodge is a four-season building and is currently being used to hold weddings and other events.

Stratton Mountain Resort: Stratton announced more than $6 million in capital spending for the 2019-20 season. Guests will see this investment through the improved experience at the resort. The money will be spent on mountain biking, terrain-based learning, lift operations, and other resort refinements.

Sugarbush Resort: Sugarbush Resort has focused on property maintenance this summer. The Lincoln Peak courtyard is being rebuilt and a new roof has been put on the Sugarbush Inn.

Other Vermont ski areas have made similar improvements in recent years. Suicide Six Ski Area has recently automated and computerized its snowmaking operations, Bromley Mountain invested in a family-friendly progression park during the 2018-19 season and Jay Peak Resort built two synthetic-turf athletic fields.
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Tickets for the World Cup event at Killington go on sale Aug. 21. The Grandstand tickets are $45-Sat, $40-Sun, $75-Sat&Sun.

https://usskiandsnowboard.org/news/killington-world-cup-tickets-sale-august-21
"Vermont’s Killington Resort, the largest ski and snowboard destination in Eastern North America and a POWDR resort, announced today that tickets for the 2019 HomeLight Killington Cup will be available for purchase starting Wednesday, August 21 at 9:00 a.m. ET at killington.com. Taking place November 29-December 1, the World Cup will once again bring the women’s giant slalom and slalom races to Vermont and is expected to attract U.S. Ski Team superstar Mikaela Shiffrin to compete against the best women’s technical alpine skiers in the world.
. . .


New this year, tickets for the Saturday and Sunday events can be purchased as a weekend package. Ticket offerings for 2019 Killington Cup include:

General Admission - Free

In addition to the ticket offers, there will be plenty of free access viewing space for all fans to enjoy. The free area provides standing room access near the base of the Superstar trail and along the run with two jumbo screens for viewing the full race course.

VIP Tickets - $550 Sat/ $500 Sun/ $1,000 Weekend

VIP tickets are available at kwcfgivesback.org in partnership with the Killington World Cup Foundation, which supports athlete hospitality and provides grants to bolster winter sports infrastructure and access to winter sports throughout the region. Last year, the KWCF raised $250,000 in grants that they distributed to 21 winter sports programs in seven different states.
. . ."
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Magic Mountain: Magic has increased its access to more water through the Act 250 permit allowing a new dam to be built in its snowmaking pond. This increased water access has the potential to lengthen the resort’s ski season by expanding its snowmaking capabilities. In addition, the mountain’s first quad lift will be installed, which will increase the mountain’s uphill skier capacity.
Will be interesting to see when Magic starts up snowmaking. Being able to build a deeper base during the first few cold snaps in early Dec without fear of running out of water made a big difference at my home mountain after Massanutten added more water capacity.
 

ilovepugs

Angel Diva
Inspired by @newboots question re skiing Okemo: where’s everyone skiing in Vermont this season? Any interest in doing a pre-season and during-season meetup?

Even though I have 3 closer resorts, I am going to ski Stowe this year once again. My husband hopefully will be able to go to a conference in Sun Valley in February, and you bet I plan to tag along. I’m hoping to have a chance to check out Okemo, where I’ve never been.

I also bought an Ikon Pass so I can spend a few days at Sugarbush and Killington in the spring... and go to Sunday River for a few days of Diva East!
 

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
Inspired by @newboots question re skiing Okemo: where’s everyone skiing in Vermont this season? Any interest in doing a pre-season and during-season meetup?

Even though I have 3 closer resorts, I am going to ski Stowe this year once again. My husband hopefully will be able to go to a conference in Sun Valley in February, and you bet I plan to tag along. I’m hoping to have a chance to check out Okemo, where I’ve never been.

I also bought an Ikon Pass so I can spend a few days at Sugarbush and Killington in the spring... and go to Sunday River for a few days of Diva East!

I ski at Okemo, but I have both the IKON and EPIC passes. And yes, I'd be definitely interested in meeting up with Divas, anywhere.
 

jthree

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I ski at Okemo, but I have both the IKON and EPIC passes. And yes, I'd be definitely interested in meeting up with Divas, anywhere.

I'd love to meet up too! I'm new to Vermont, last year I tried out Smuggs, Bolton and Stowe. I'd be up to have an excuse to check out Killington, Sugarbush, or Okemo! :smile:
 

marzNC

Angel Diva
Killington made the decision . . . opening day for passholders, including Ikon holders, is Sun, Nov. 3. Open to the public the following day. The new North Ridge quad will be running along with K1 and the North Ridge Triple. No easy terrain per usual during early season and walking the Peak Walkway is required as well as downloading on the gondola.

Screen Shot 2019-11-02 at 5.25.34 PM.png
 

SallyCat

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
@marzNC Exciting! The temps really dropped suddenly on Friday, and it looks like everyone's firing up the guns!

For those interested in skiing Killington early, I find that the walk to and from the open runs isn't terribly bad, but you don't want to do it more than once a day. Lots of people bring bags and leave them at the edge of the woods at the top of Rime/Reason. Some carry their ski boots in and change when they get to the top of the runs (there is a bench) but most people seem to do the walk in their ski boots. If your boots have slippery soles (blue Langes, e.g.) you may want to bring whatever traction device you like to use (cat tracks, etc.).

A good thing to have on hand is something to scrape the icy snow off your goggles since the guns will be firing the whole time you're skiing and the man-made snow really sticks to the lenses. The runs get bumpy later in the day, so visibility becomes especially important.

Happy shredding!
 

ilovepugs

Angel Diva
Bumping this thread. How did everyone make out during this most recent storm? Impressive snow total at Sugarbush for sure.

Anyone get any powder turns in?
 

newboots

Angel Diva
We only have a little snow in the ground in my neighborhood, but it’s cold enough for snowmaking. I saw them blowing snow on Okemo today, and I’m sure Killington is expanding their skiable terrain. More snow in the forecast!

My chickens tried coming out after I shoveled the deck, but they were having none of it, and went back in till I coaxed them with treats!

1573358449034.jpg

1573358509879.jpg
 

Abbi

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
We only have a little snow in the ground in my neighborhood, but it’s cold enough for snowmaking. I saw them blowing snow on Okemo today, and I’m sure Killington is expanding their skiable terrain. More snow in the forecast!

My chickens tried coming out after I shoveled the deck, but they were having none of it, and went back in till I coaxed them with treats!QUOTE]

Smart birds! Look how cute they are all fluffed up for the cold!
 

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