New Bretton Woods Gondola for 2019
While part of me is surprised, there's another part of me that isn't. I'm not sure that it's really what the mountain needs, but it will definitely be a flashy lift to take pictures of!
https://liftblog.com/2017/12/14/bretton-woods-plans-new-hampshires-first-8-passenger-gondola/
https://liftblog.com/2017/12/14/bretton-woods-plans-new-hampshires-first-8-passenger-gondola/
Comments
A bubble chair may have sufficed otherwise.
Yeah, no. This is a different target audience....
I seen Fabayan running once but like I said I'm not there that often
Bretton Woods Gondola, Lodge Project Cleared For
Takeoff
·
Robert Blechl
·
Apr 6, 2018 Updated Apr 7, 2018
BETHLEHEM
— A new gondola and mountaintop restaurant - a multi-million investment by the
Bretton Woods Ski Area - is advancing after recently receiving a special
exception by town zoners and its developers meeting with contractors.
Under
the current project schedule, ground is expected to be broken by summer for the
gondola, Craig Clemmer, marketing director for the Omni Mt. Washington Resort,
which owns the ski area, said Wednesday.
“I
think all of the things are moving in the right direction from our standpoint
and we’re looking at starting some time in the early summer months and having
it completed by year’s end, if not a little bit sooner,” he said.
On that
schedule, what would be the state’s first eight-passenger gondola would be up
and running for the 2018-2019 ski season.
The new
mountaintop restaurant and lodge, which would host weddings and events and
replace the existing Latitude 44 restaurant, is expected to be completed later,
around the summer of 2019.
On
March 6, the Bethlehem Zoning Board of Adjustment voted 5-0 to approve a
special exception for the development, which would also be in Bethlehem and
Twin Mountain.
The
exception is for abutters to the project and will reduce the 30-foot rear
setback to 15 feet, Jon Warzocha, of Horizons Engineering, said during the
March ZBA hearing.
The new
location of the lodge building will be at the site of the existing ski patrol
station along the property line of the U.S. Forest Service, he said. The patrol
station will be removed.
The
two-story, wood-frame and heavy timber commercial lodge and restaurant,
totaling about 11,000 square feet, will include space for functions, a food
service kitchen, dining areas, a bar, and supporting spaces.
Planning
board alternate member and former planning board chairman Don Lavoie called it
a “dream project” for Bethlehem.
Presenting
a conceptual to the Bethlehem Planning Board in December, Chris Ellms, director
of ski operations for Bretton Woods Ski Area, said financing is still being
worked out, but he estimated the total cost of the gondola and lodge building
at about $15 million.
Clemmer
said the development team has been having meetings and telephone conferences on
a weekly basis and will be meeting with contractors during the next week.
“We are
still in the planning and permitting phase and the execution phase will come
right up as soon as we get rid of the snow,” he said.
The
work could begin in earnest by the end of June or early July, he said.
Planned
for the gondola are nearly 40 cabins, each capable of carrying eight
passengers, including those dining or attending events.
The
lift itself would stretch from the base lodge area to above the current
Latitude 44 and to the top of the current Fabyan’s Express Triple ski lift.
In
addition to getting skiers up the hill faster, the new gondola is also aimed at
drawing visitors during off-seasons to create what Ellms told planners is for a
four-season operation.
The
project also needs state permits.
Bretton Woods Plans New Hampshire’s First 8-Passenger Gondola
December 14, 2017Peter
Landsman Liftblog.com
Routing of a new gondola planned for Bretton Woods will give
riders excellent views of the famous Mt. Washington across the way.
Pending government approval, one of the closest ski resorts to
Mt. Washington and its famous cog railway will open a 6,000-foot base-to-summit
gondola in 2018. Bretton Woods’ director of ski operations Chris Ellms
appeared before a local planning board last night to unveil plans for the all-season lift and a new summit
lodge.
The
relatively low-capacity gondola will circulate 36 8-passenger cabins, making it
the largest gondola in the state by cabin size. Loon
Mountain’s gondola seats only four. Both the Bethlehem Express quad and Fayban’s Express triple chair will remain in place for
winter skiers but the 1,300 vertical-foot gondola will spin other seasons as
well. Fayban’s top terminal will be moved downhill to make room for the
gondola station and the new lift will cross over Bethlehem. Ellms
said the approximately five minute gondola ride will serve skiers, sightseers,
hikers, diners and wedding parties. “What we are proposing is it is not
all about skiing, it is what the resort is about which is four seasons.”
Total project cost for the gondola and new restaurant is approximately $15
million and Bretton Woods’ owner, Omni Hotels & Resorts, hopes to open the
new lift next ski season. The mountain’s current
fleet includes mostly Doppelmayr and Garaventa CTEC lifts, though a
manufacturer for the new gondola was not named.
For the average family or mid-level intermediate and novices rolling north, on the other hand, it has elevated Belleayre to a higher level. Perception is reality and they've upped their game for those folks.
I'm not saying it's best for the region or argue whether the state should be investing yadda yadda yadda. I'm just saying it has moved them above the level of the resorts they were sort of pigeonholed with -- Montage, Elk, Camelback, Shawnee, Mountain Creek, all reasonably similar drive times from say, the Lincoln Tunnel. Mountain Creek, Shawnee & Camelback much closer, but now Belleayre perceived (by the less avid skier) to be clearly a cut above those.
A high speed bubble lift would have been a better option, but I did like skiing it midweek with no lines, as it gave faster access to that part of the ridge and the ability to ski some of the easier trails as run outs without the awfully slow double ride back up.