sugarloaf
sugarloaf
We went back to ski Sugarloaf in May of 2015, here is a picture of a closed Saddleback on 5-1-15. As you can see the mountain has excellent snow retention. Often running out of skier's before snow.
TomWhite
[quote
You can get out of the base via Wheeler Chair lift to Cupsuptic. Then cut across to the Kennebago Quad. It's what folks were doing when the lift line for Rangely was 20-30 minutes on weekends.[/quote]
I looked at an old brochure I have. Yes, I see Sandy Double (Wheeler trail) to Cupsuptic and the traverse to Kennebago. Not ideal but it will work.
sugarloaf
TomWhite;c-36327 wrote[quote
You can get out of the base via Wheeler Chair lift to Cupsuptic. Then cut across to the Kennebago Quad. It's what folks were doing when the lift line for Rangely was 20-30 minutes on weekends.
I looked at an old brochure I have. Yes, I see Sandy Double (Wheeler trail) to Cupsuptic and the traverse to Kennebago. Not ideal but it will work.
[/quote]
It's a lengthy process and once you get to the Kennebago Quad, it's about 90% expert terrain. You can ski Tri-Color/Hudson Highway to the main part of the mountain. This is why skipping past updating the Rangely Chair was a bad idea. In my experience most skier's were on the main part of the mountain.
Kennebago Quad rarely had a line, with most skier's on Rangely/Cupsuptic and the beginner area. A further issue is that most snowboarders don't want to ride a T-bar.
sugarloaf
This December Mark's 30 year's since I first skied at Saddleback. I'm not sure this place will ever reopen. My question is if the Berry family abandons Saddleback, what happens to the tax/maintenance obligations?
newpylong
Well, there is no such thing as "abandoning" when it comes to land ownership. The owner still owns it and is required to pay taxes.
As far as maintenance, it is who of them to perform some level should they not want the value to decrease (further). However, it is not cheap and when you're not seeing an immediate return, maintenace is often halted outside of basic caretaker operations.
sugarloaf
I'm guessing that after more than 4 year's of non operation, the infastructure would start to deteriorate. At some point the Berry's will want to sell the quad chairs, groomers and snowmaking equipment while it still has value.
As for the land, I think they own about 8,000 acres around Saddleback. I'm not sure how much they would sell if an interested buyer is found. The family has money, but how much more are they willing to lose.
My understanding is that the state has no interest in owning/operating Saddleback. It's a sad situation all around.
TomWhite
sugarloaf;c-36787 wroteThis December Mark's 30 year's since I first skied at Saddleback. I'm not sure this place will ever reopen. My question is if the Berry family abandons Saddleback, what happens to the tax/maintenance obligations?
January will make 46 years since my first and only ski day there. Since retiring to Maine, it hasn't been open!!
Remski
Latest news on Saddleback is; negotiating with the Berry’s is going very well and a November closing is being eyed. If this closing happens they plan to open weekends and holiday weeks. This is from Rocket’s site.
lotsoskiing
That would be awesome....will make a trip from CVT for sure to do my part if they open
sugarloaf
Remski;c-36915 wroteLatest news on Saddleback is; negotiating with the Berry’s is going very well and a November closing is being eyed. If this closing happens they plan to open weekends and holiday weeks. This is from Rocket’s site.
So the lift inspection, trail growth and other infastructure repairs will all get done in the next three months? Who knows if the Rangely Chair is even operational.
I'm thrilled to see progress being made, but color me sceptical for an opening this Winter.
joshua_segal
I hope it's true, but don't hold your breath!
Remski
I’m not!
JMaul
TomWhite
It is encouraging. They're looking at an early Nov. sale.
sugarloaf
I don't know how successful this is going to be without a replacement for the Rangely Chair until 5 years of operations. The chair is a bottleneck in getting up the mountain if things get busy again on weekends.
TomWhite
That does seem odd if the Rangely replacement is 5 years away. Have we heard what the actual problem with the lift is? In year two, the article says "all the lifts running".
Community voices: Saddleback Mountain
| August 28, 2019
By Annie Twitchell Irregular Staff Writer
RANGELEY — Over 150 people gathered at The Farmhouse on Main Street for a presentation and discussion regarding Saddleback Mountain Thursday, Aug. 22.
Following the presentation from Jonathan Tower, Uche Osuji, Tom Federle and Andy Shepard, the meeting opened to the community for questions and comments.
Bill Richards, retired Superintendent of Schools, asked what the development phases as they envision them for the next five or 10 years.
In the first year, they hope to open the mountain for weekends and holidays, impact the community, and start to supplement the economy by providing some jobs and bringing more people into the area.
In year two, the goal is to reach full capacity on the mountain with all the lifts running. They want to add a welcome center, a spa, swimming pool, juice bar and other infrastructure to gain new visitors.
For years three and four they want to continue running the mountain and gain stability and draw in more skiers and visitors.
Year five is when they envision adding a high-speed detachable quad lift, a mid-mountain or upper-mountain restaurant, and more infrastructure.
Ed Kfoury, founder of the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust, wanted to know what would be required in capital for the five-year plan Shepard outlined. Tower addressed that question. The capital plan is for $28 million and includes the acquisition of the property and the improvements.
Condo owner Bonnie McGowen asked the Arctaris reps to address the rumors that the deal may request money from condo owners and community members. Tower said that they are funding the acquisition with money they have already; however, they will need some community support further down the road. How that support comes in, they don’t know yet. They do hope to build some capital through the condominium owners’ dues, but they don’t want to ask too much of those individuals right off.
newpylong
I wrote the below on AlpineZone:
The Berry's just grew weary of maintaining Rangley - a 53 year old lift. I have not heard of any catastrophic issues with the lift, other than it may not make sense depending on work needing to be performed. Remember, a lot of work goes into keeping lifts running. Bullwheel bearings, gearboxes, footing issues, comm line replacements, etc are all major. Then you have all your yearly line work, etc. The lift does have only 15 year old terminals though.
sugarloaf
Maybe they can do a rebuild of the chair converting it into a quad? Is that even possible? That chair needs to be updated or replaced ASAP.
powderstud
I'm SOOOO glad to hear the deal is moving forward. This feels hopeful.
Regarding the Rangeley Chair, I think I have a solution to the problem. Obviously with all the talk trashing the current condition of the chair, probably lots of customers will be wary of it. The solution: rename it! :)
Call it something else for the interim period of time that it will still operate, and then let it be replaced as the plan allows. Those who are not following at events closely at Saddleback will breathe a sigh of relief that that old dysfunctional Rangeley Chair is no longer. And then in a few years' time, there will be a new one.
Any thoughts as to what to re-name the chair? Here's mine: The Berry Chair. :wink:
