Plans for Shortening Village Double and Its Implications

[random_ski_guy]

Looking at the plans posted on the town of warren website it appears in the long run the village double will be replaced, realigned and dramatically shorted to something a little longer than the larger carpet lift. If this is correct, I think it would be a mistake. The current easy rider trail is wide and long, perfect for teaching and perfect for spreading those beginners out. Its hard to imagine a holiday week with large crowds sqeezed onto a beginner slope 1/3 the current size.

[Hawk]

RSG, that is not what they are showing . They are removing a section up to the cutover trail at the bottom of out to lunch. I would say it might be 1/5th of the lift at best leaving 4/5ths.

[random_ski_guy]

Hawk,

When I look at the maps provided under the SE Group lighting plan, I see a substantially shorter chair. Particularly in drawing LA-002.

http://www.warrenvt.org/depts/drb/20...2012012011.htm

[Hawk]

That is interesting. I see your point now. That was not how it was explained to me the other weekend. I agree that it would not be as good as it is now.

[win]

The thought is to start it around the current bridge so people from the Village and from the Sugarbush Plaza area can ski to it easily. It will end lower around Sugarbush Forest Road so beginners do not have to go down the steep slope that is at the end of the current Village chair.

[random_ski_guy]

Let me say that I fully appreciate that a great deal of thought, including cost-benefit analysis, has been put into the design. If it is financially feasible, I would reconsider and go to a longer beginner lift, one that runs 3/4 or 4/5's of the current easy rider slope so that you have that beautiful wide idyllic beginning slope...but now without the intimidating headwall on top. Ending the lift at Sugarbear road would reduce easy rider to 1/2 its current size or less. Seems like that would create a very crowded place to learn. Just my worthless 2 cents from a far flung location....

[ducky]

Ok so long as the Bravo chair can be accessed from top of the Village Double via Sugarbear Rd. The Village Double is used by Village guests and residents as an easier way to access the main mountain without having to pole across the Gatehouse area. This chair is also used as a way home via Out to Lunch, so access needs to remain open to the top of that trail for that purpose too.

Charlie the liftie often keeps it open a little later so folks can get home. Gotta love Skip and Charlie!

[random_ski_guy]

Ducky, as presented, the new village chair would fall well short of providing access to Out to Lunch. You would have to take the Gatehouse Chair.

[Hawk]

Ok so long as the Bravo chair can be accessed from top of the Village Double via Sugarbear Rd. The Village Double is used by Village guests and residents as an easier way to access the main mountain without having to pole across the Gatehouse area. This chair is also used as a way home via Out to Lunch, so access needs to remain open to the top of that trail for that purpose too.

Charlie the liftie often keeps it open a little later so folks can get home. Gotta love Skip and Charlie!

+100000
Many of us in the village use this lift going to and from our units. Especially when you have kids and do not want to get caught up in the kaos of the Gate house. I strongly suggest that you guys reconsider and make it go a little higher so that we can still access these trails.

[ducky]

I'm with Hawk on this. It is used a lot by people in the Village and relieves the GH chair. How about using some of the snowmaking pond's 80,000 cubic yards of fill removed to level out Easy Rider a bit?

Wasn't the original plan to raise the Double further up Pushover to the corner?

[random_ski_guy]

Removing the headwall atop easy-rider, regrading the upper 1/3rd and maintaining access to the out to lunch trail would be ideal...but I suspect that its viewed as a low ROI project. I'm with ya though, it would be nice and make easy rider a great place to teach skiing. Stowe has their nice new practice slope & chair which serves trailside homes, Okemo has the same at both Jackson Gore and the original base area and Killington has Snowshed.

[Hawk]

I have a better Idea, put a new lift on Village run and cut access to and from it so that I can truely Ski in-Ski out. Not asking much just a T or J bar would be fine. Please......Petty Please.

[Hawk]

Removing the headwall atop easy-rider, regrading the upper 1/3rd and maintaining access to the out to lunch trail would be ideal...but I suspect that its viewed as a low ROI project. I'm with ya though, it would be nice and make easy rider a great place to teach skiing. Stowe has their nice new practice slope & chair which serves trailside homes, Okemo has the same at both Jackson Gore and the original base area and Killington has Snowshed.

I would think that since they are relocating the lift already the cost to make it just a little longer would be negligible. I also think that it is going to be a new lift right? I would hope they aren't reusing all those old risty lattice towers. They are also going to have to regrade anyway and will have the equipment up there already. I think that will also be negligible.

[random_ski_guy]

The lift is in the Nat Forest, so I believe every little thing you do, like regrading requires study, plans and etc. Plus, I think summit ventures is looking at is as the marginal cost between a new lift that ends at Sugarbear Road which requires minimal grading vs a new lift that ends at out to lunch (like the current chair) which really could use massive regrading. I'm not arguing against you, just thinking aloud. Personally, it would be nice to see the current length of easy rider maintained and regraded. I dont necessarily even need to see a new lift, I love the old lattice towers, rust and all.

[Brew Ski]

Removing the headwall atop easy-rider, regrading the upper 1/3rd and maintaining access to the out to lunch trail would be ideal...but I suspect that its viewed as a low ROI project. I'm with ya though, it would be nice and make easy rider a great place to teach skiing. Stowe has their nice new practice slope & chair which serves trailside homes, Okemo has the same at both Jackson Gore and the original base area and Killington has Snowshed.

Out West, Steamboat recently regraded their "learn to ski" slope. I think they advertised that the optimal slope for learning to ski is a 12 degree grade and they regraded a tremendous part of the base area to give a large, wide learn to ski area to be used safely by lots of people and classes at once. I'm not sure about 12 percent grade, but the basic idea is probably true, a constant wide slope is best to learn on. A great way to build confidence without any surprises. It would seem to make sense that installing a new (or re-used lift) would require some re-grading. So might as well make the best of the time and money spent to get it done right. "headwall" and learn to ski slope seem incongruous to me.

To Hawks point, having the Village area condos actually be "ski in/ski out" would certainly improve customer satisfaction, increase real estate value, and create demand. When more people want to ski in/ski out like at other resorts and all the condos are owned, the market for new condos will significantly improve. Supply and demand thing. Even a surface lift would help. Besides, I bet Hawk would start selling primo parking spots at his place on those holiday weekends, for direct and immediate access to the lifts. I'll consider selling homebrew in the lot to thirsty patrons as a revenue boost to the valley and total customer satisfaction.