Capital Improvements Summer 2024

[cccski]

Does anyone out there in Unofficial Sugarloaf Chat land know what Boyne might be up to this summer at Sugarloaf?

I know they have to finish up West Mountain Expansion including clearing Upper Beaver Tail, Cutter, Lift Line, Yarder and Twitcher and add snowmaking infrastructure to those trails except Lift Line. I believe that huge pipe that was lying in front of Bullwinkle's all season is supposed to be a new feeder line to the upper pump house for next season.

Will they begin surveying for or clearing for the transmogrification of Six Shooter from Big Sky to Timberline Express?

Anything else exciting in the works?

I love rumors.

[k2trav]

From the intel that I have gathered, there's a big if they finish west mountain and do anything else. Ive heard people will not close on there dutchman lots until they can build and if you have noticed its going to be awhile, which might explain why not much is going on

On the other hand the terminals for The six pack are at ARC in Kingfield

[k2trav]

And Sugartree 2 is getting fixed so it doesn't collapse

[SpillwayEast]

From the intel that I have gathered, there's a big if they finish west mountain and do anything else. Ive heard people will not close on there dutchman lots until they can build and if you have noticed its going to be awhile, which might explain why not much is going on

On the other hand the terminals for The six pack are at ARC in Kingfield

Yah I wouldnt close on a lot either until you can start to build........why the hold up to put the road, water, sewer and electricity in?

[bigelow]

it took 20ish years to get VOTG roads and infrastructure completely built out, so the new Foreside project is moving along at record pace really

[Punderson]

k2trav, with all due respect it's super easy to dispel rumors, simply by stopping by my office and inquiring about the latest. I'm easy to find, just across the street from D'Ellies. So, to set the record straight, 17 of the 20 Dutchman Woods lots have closed (BTW, that's all public knowledge so very easy to confirm prior to posting hypotheticals) leaving us with just 3 to go. The water/sewer/power has all been installed, all of it is buried so that may be the reason some folks speculate it has yet to been done. We have multiple buyers who will be starting construction this summer, there is a process with designing, then getting approvals from design review, so that's why nobody is digging holes yet. So, in fact, there is a ton going on, Vining has been working their tales off getting the infrastructure completed, and have been doing an amazing job. Plans are in place to get the remaining real estate sold, stay tuned!

[High Ball]

k2trav, with all due respect it's super easy to dispel rumors, simply by stopping by my office and inquiring about the latest. I'm easy to find, just across the street from D'Ellies. So, to set the record straight, 17 of the 20 Dutchman Woods lots have closed (BTW, that's all public knowledge so very easy to confirm prior to posting hypotheticals) leaving us with just 3 to go. The water/sewer/power has all been installed, all of it is buried so that may be the reason some folks speculate it has yet to been done. We have multiple buyers who will be starting construction this summer, there is a process with designing, then getting approvals from design review, so that's why nobody is digging holes yet. So, in fact, there is a ton going on, Vining has been working their tales off getting the infrastructure completed, and have been doing an amazing job. Plans are in place to get the remaining real estate sold, stay tuned!

Thanks for that update, Sam. Things sound like they're progressing nicely. The rumor mill stuff I hear is a lot of speculation about a shortage of builders and trades people that it will take to get these houses built.

[D. B. Cooper]

Speaking of Six Shooter, something that showed up on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7j_qkJVUtdM

[goldenboy80]

Cool video. Do you think this is a good lift? You think it will work well for us?

[Glade Monkey]

Cool video. Do you think this is a good lift? You think it will work well for us?

I remember it as a fine lift out of the Madison base area. Long, but ran pretty fast. We actually lapped it a good part of one day while out there years ago and took different routes down every run - lots of variety! It was midweek and we skied on every time. It also fed to Headwaters and Lone Tree lifts which took you up a little higher to more intense stuff.

[machski]

Cool video. Do you think this is a good lift? You think it will work well for us?

Always ran fine when I was out in BS. On a shorter line at SL, should work out well. While its a 6, the rest of the gear is the same type as both Whiffletree and SQ so SL has the expertise in house to deal with G-CTEC detach equip and gear. Heck, all they have to do is paint over the Six Shooter lettering and rescreen Timberline in SL Orange and its practically good to go LOL!!

[SpillwayEast]

Are urinal cakes capital improvements or BAU at this point?

[goldenboy80]

Are urinal cakes capital improvements or BAU at this point?

To be considered long-lived assets for tax and depreciation, going forward the UCs will only be replaced every 3 years.

[WrathOfAramark]

Rt 133 between Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington and Livermore Falls is nice and newly paved. There is a new traffic pattern with a new 4 way stop sign at Bean's Corner.

[gondicar]

Rt 133 between Franklin Memorial Hospital in Farmington and Livermore Falls is nice and newly paved. There is a new traffic pattern with a new 4 way stop sign at Bean's Corner.

Oooo can’t wait to hit that on my bike!

[essslsclsact]

Any current updates on stuff for next ski season 24-25? Little to no official information flowing.

[cccski]

According to some Sugarloaf employees I met while hiking up West Mountain, more snowmaking infrastructure is being added to that area including Cutter and Bucksaw with plans to get to Glancer, but maybe not this year. Cutter and Lift Line have been completely cleared for next season. Upper Beaver Tail is still a rock and stump pile.

The big news is that Six Shooter has arrived from Big Sky. According to the employees, installation should be summer of 2025 with the lift extending downhill from the current Timberline loading area and following the current Timberline alignment. Three new trails are to be built to access the new loading area from Lower Timberline and behind Bullwinkle's.

Hiking around Bullwinkle's, they are grading and improving the Bucksaw Express unload area and the rock cut at the beginning of Horseshoe.

That's all I've got for now, but I may be hiking around again up there this week.

[Alpiner]

According to the employees, installation should be summer of 2025 with the lift extending downhill from the current Timberline loading area and following the current Timberline alignment.

[goldenboy80]

It sounds like 2025-2026 will be a banger of a season. The Bucksaw Express trails will be all cleaned up and fully stocked with snow guns, there should be a few houses popping up, there will be more convenient summit access via high-speed lift, and the mountain will have a whole new flow. Among the ski areas in the East there will be a lot of excitement around Sugarloaf in about a year.

[cccski]

Well, I have a little capital improvement update having hiked up from West Mountain yesterday. I met a very nice heavy equipment operator working on Chipper. They have this incredible device called a Multi Machine which is a tank undercarriage, but instead of a gun turret you put a rotating dump truck body. It was roaring up and down Chipper like Patton's 3rd Army. They are covering all the rocks along the downhill side of Chipper with dirt.

The big project is replacing the main water line which comes from the Carrabassett River. The current line was installed in the 80s and leaks and is quite small. So, they are working to install a big ass pipe from the river under West Mountain Trail to terminate at a valve box just above the top of the West Mountain chairlift terminal. Above that, they can either send water to the new Bullwinkle's pump house via the new Chipper pipes or up West Mountain Trail pipes. This will allow for much better flow to the various pump houses throughout the mountain.

In other news, they have been working on the Upper Horseshoe rock cut. It was been lowered a bit towards the exit and smoothed. They managed to add topsoil and planted sedge on the near vertical walls, so we shouldn't have the rock debris cascading down onto the trail like last season.

They are waiting for Vining to finish the ski bridge on Yarder over the road, so that they can install the snow making infrastructure.

Above Bullwinkle's, the upper mountain is quiet, although as I was sitting on the plywood Timberline off ramp, the chair started turning, so they must be doing some maintenance on that lift.

Tote Road has been mowed at least from Bullwinkle's to the top so hiking up is much more enjoyable than the Binder rock pile.

That's all I've got.

[goldenboy80]

It's interesting to hear about all of the maintenance and infrastructure that goes on even during a year in which a major piece of equipment is not being installed. This work is probably not cheap to perform and really makes a difference once the winter rolls around. It must be fun to mow to the summit. I hope they're putting in huge feeder pipes for water - every year that goes by will require more manmade snow. One day all we'll have left is skiing in indoor shopping malls.

[Glade Monkey]

Don’t forget the new lifts going in at Maine’s feeders (even if 2 of 3 are not all new)
Lost Valley - 3rd double chair
Big Rock - new Dopp fixed grip quad
Pleasant Mountain - repurposed SR Jordan quad to the summit

[Alpiner]

Don’t forget the new lifts going in at Maine’s feeders (even if 2 of 3 are not all new)
Lost Valley - 3rd double chair
Big Rock - new Dopp fixed grip quad
Pleasant Mountain - repurposed SR Jordan quad to the summit

You reminded me about Lost Valley, so I wanted to check it out. I do not have a degree in marketing or business so I obviously don't know what I'm talking about, but I thought there might be some mention of their biggest capital improvement project in generations (in my lifetime?) on their website. I guess keeping it secret must be some advanced marketing science of which I am ignorant.

https://www.lostvalleyski.com/

[Glade Monkey]

Don’t forget the new lifts going in at Maine’s feeders (even if 2 of 3 are not all new)
Lost Valley - 3rd double chair
Big Rock - new Dopp fixed grip quad
Pleasant Mountain - repurposed SR Jordan quad to the summit

You reminded me about Lost Valley, so I wanted to check it out. I do not have a degree in marketing or business so I obviously don't know what I'm talking about, but I thought there might be some mention of their biggest capital improvement project in generations (in my lifetime?) on their website. I guess keeping it secret must be some advanced marketing science of which I am ignorant.

https://www.lostvalleyski.com/

Pretty weak… guess the biggest poster about Northeast lift construction is Fall Line on IG
https://www.instagram.com/falllineconstruction

[skiloaf]

Nice little write up on the Lost Valley investments 1M. Impressive given the place was going to close a decade ago.

Funny place, it's what I imagine the midwest is like to ski. Could not recommend beyond going for the "experience".

https://archive.md/1LZBm

[gondicar]

Nice little write up on the Lost Valley investments 1M. Impressive given the place was going to close a decade ago.

Funny place, it's what I imagine the midwest is like to ski. Could not recommend beyond going for the "experience".

https://archive.md/1LZBm

The owner Scott Shanaman worked at Sugarloaf in the 90s. Good guy, I think this is he and his wife April’s 9th or 10th season owning Lost Valley. It’s a great community ski area, we’ve been there for the Special Olympics the last few years.

[Ski_The_East]

Any updates on the bike park?

[k2trav]

Any updates on the bike park?

Looking like next year at this point, but its going to be worth it, a friend just posted some pics of the work they were doing and it looks amazing

[Ski_The_East]

Any updates on the bike park?

Looking like next year at this point, but its going to be worth it, a friend just posted some pics of the work they were doing and it looks amazing

Ill take if its going to be good. Where can I see these pics?

[k2trav]

Any updates on the bike park?

Looking like next year at this point, but its going to be worth it, a friend just posted some pics of the work they were doing and it looks amazing

Ill take if its going to be good. Where can I see these pics?

Its all about who you know