Just kidding.

There won't be expansion, and development I suppose is subjective. New bathrooms in the Basebox perhaps?

Don't forget about this:

http://news.alpinezone.com/3993/

That's a pretty big deal for them!

Well actually there is place to expand. The 19th hole and all the land between Mad River and Sugarbush North up high and down to Mad River Barn is owned by Betsy Pratt. The original owner of Mad River. The Coop can not at this point afford to buy the land. I hear she is asking about 3M. Her husband, the original builder of Mad River had always planned to develop the lower part into some house lots and a chair up to the base area now, with some intermediate and beginner terain. Plus the 19th hole could then funnel down to that new area.

The Coop wants to buy that land but has no $$$. It has been sugested that they buy it then sell a few selective house lots to cut the over all expenditure. Sell enough to buy it and cover the cost to put in a lift.

This land also has it's own aquifer so it...being so low...could have it's own snowmaking at some point in the future.

I am in favor of this limited development to ensure the continuation of skiing 19th Hole.

The original founder and owner of MRG was Roland Palmedo, who was also an original of the group that developed Stowe.

Truxton Pratt purchased it and incorporated it in 1972. Betsy Pratt became the owner upon her husbands death in 1975. She sold it to current Coop in 1995, holding the mortgage herself, fulfilling the dream of a truely skier owned mountain.

Betsy Pratt does still own the "19th hole", consisting of a vast amount of space from the the current area towards Glen Ellen (now known as Sugarbush North). The cooperative has been and will continue to look at the possibility of purchasing the 19th, likely selling a set number of house lots to help pay for it. It is believed by many that Betsy will not sell to anyone else unless she needs the equity or her estate chooses to sell after she is gone.

PS fYI the single chair renovation will be delayed one year to '07

skilasnow wrote:

The original founder and owner of MRG was Roland Palmedo, who was also an original of the group that developed Stowe. Truxton Pratt purchased it and incorporated it in 1972. Betsy Pratt became the owner upon her husbands death in 1975. She sold it to current Coop in 1995, holding the mortgage herself, fulfilling the dream of a truely skier owned mountain. Betsy Pratt does still own the "19th hole", consisting of a vast amount of space from the the current area towards Glen Ellen (now known as Sugarbush North). The cooperative has been and will continue to look at the possibility of purchasing the 19th, likely selling a set number of house lots to help pay for it. It is believed by many that Betsy will not sell to anyone else unless she needs the equity or her estate chooses to sell after she is gone. PS fYI the single chair renovation will be delayed one year to '07

Wow. I mean really, wow. I have always sort of dreamed of a scenario where MRG would purchase the Big Basin/20th/19th holes, but never though it would be possible or something of interest to MRG considering, well.... a number of factors. In my thinking, you would want to retain one of the largest factors that make MRG such a great place to ski - the limited capacity of the Single. As such, and considering that MRG will be skiers-only for as long as we're alive, why not simply add a T-bar or poma lift (possibly wind or bio-diesel powered) that would take you from thje Barn area up to a shoulder of Lower Antelope. From there you would traverse back to the base area in the traditional way. Organize a few autumns worth of pruning crews under the watchful eye of Jay Appleton and you'd have yourself one hell of a terrain pod with a vertical of about 2500'. And no lousy bobsled traverse back. Selling a few plots of land to pay for same is pure genius. If you limit the number to 10-15 plots, the quasi-ski in/ski out aspect and the certain notion that this opportunity won't come around again would be sure to drive a pretty high resale value for real-estate. They'd be just like those evil conglomerates like Intrawest!

It would be the single most important mountain expansion in the East since maybe Bear Mountain at K-Mart or the Gondola area at Stowe. But more important than the former for sure, and close to the latter (when one considers the easily accessed, high quality BC terrain accessed from that lift).

skilasnow wrote:

PS fYI the single chair renovation will be delayed one year to '07

Thanks, I hadn't heard that until now. Here's the latest press release for anyone interested:
http://www.madriverglen.com/press/Press_Releases/?Page=single.html

Right down to the Champlain Valley, into South Starksboro!!!!

vtster wrote:

Right down to the Champlain Valley, into South Starksboro!!!!

funny you mention this... In my spare time (haha..) I am dreaming up a plan to interconnect Sugarbush and MRG, and i'm drawing up plans that go over the backside of both mountains. There's some steep stuff back there! (but i know i'm just dreaming!

dave

djspookman wrote:

funny you mention this... In my spare time (haha..) I am dreaming up a plan to interconnect Sugarbush and MRG, and i'm drawing up plans that go over the backside of both mountains. There's some steep stuff back there! (but i know i'm just dreaming!

Why use the windy backside when the front side will do so nicely?! It would only take one lift from what I can tell - the abandoned liftline at SB North. Two connector trails between this skiing pod and Antelope at MRG. Then I've gratuitously added a surface lift to drag skiers out of the Big Basin and back to the current MRG trail system. For safety reasons only, of course.

I'd post the image I created which illustrates what I'm talking abou but I can't upload it from my hard drive. This whole interweb thing vexes me.

Tin, I'm interested to see this creation. If you attach the file in an email to me, I could put it on my site and then all could see. My email is sugarbushhistory@gmail.com if you're interested.

...I love that kind of stuff.

Tin's map is now available on my site, at www.geocities.com/sugarbushhistory . It's at the bottom of the "Other Images" page.

Strat wrote:

Tin's map is now available on my site, at www.geocities.com/sugarbushhistory . It's at the bottom of the "Other Images" page.

It's really cool. I think the lift going back to the bottom of Antelope is a great idea.

Having skied the area above Inverness...which has a gentle intermediate pitch and is in the sun. I feel this is an area that Sugarbush really needs to develop to provide a warm sunny ski experence for the intermedates at North. This would help to counter the "North is a cold MT" aditude. I will say that becouse it is in the sun it is very thick with growth. Not at all skiable. Even in 2000 when we had our deepest depths of recent history. It would sure make a great ski bowl. It could be called the first true bowl of the east. I will also for warn those curious that the revine that seperates North from Mad River has a very very cliffy pitch on the Mad River side into the river that feeds the North snowmaking pond.

The other problem is that if you give access to Mad River from North then snow boarders will follow. This will only make for problems. I personally hope that Sugarbush does put a lift up into Inverness bowl but that Mad River can buy the 19th hole and fence out snowboarders. I know snowboarders have come a long way and a lot of them have learned to be very repectful of snow but I did watch a joyee from Jersey side slip the whole head wall entrance into Rumble last year after a 24" storm (he was first public in). When I call it on him as I road over him he said it was his right. He screwed up that entrance for the rest of the season. (This what scarse Mad River Skiers)

If Mad River does not buy the 19th hole Sugarbush I am sure in a near future...financially... will be try to. It does have a large aquifer that could help North's snowmaking water needs. Something that the Coop needs to keep in mind.

Well enough for now. Time to do my snow dance.

I look forward to a good powder day on opening. [/i]

that's the kind of thinking and initiative that, coupled with a few buckets of cash, could create some great stuff. Wonder if any "official word" on the thinking regarding this zone would ever be able to be pried out of the folks at SB and/or MRG.

"To dream, the impossible dream....."