sunday river, maine
Boyne Resorts has launched the first of its major developments as the newish owner of Sunday River: installation of a $7.2 million chondola that will connect the South Ridge base area with North Peak. The lift allows riders to bypass the beginner area and access six of the resort’s eight peaks. It opens the mid-mountain Peak Lodge to night and summer guests. Mountain bikers will also gain summertime access. In the future, it may access 12-hour skiing and riding. “This is much more than a ski lift, it will transform how Sunday River interacts with guests in all four seasons. The transformation will be seen at all levels of the resort in coming years. This is just the beginning,” says Dana Bullen, Sunday River GM. The lift is expected to be open for the 2008-09 winter season.

The Doppelmayr CTEC chondola is one of four in the U.S. It intersperses enclosed gondolas among the six-pack chairs, about every fifth carrier, though that’s adjustable to suit conditions. The lift is nearly 6,000 feet long and rises 1,150 vertical feet. Ride time is seven minutes. It’s a top drive, bottom tension setup with 675 hp motor.

Other projects this summer include $1.7 million for snowmaking equipment, including additional Boyne low-e fan guns, and $1.4 million to update the resort’s hotels and condos. New bike and walking paths are also on the schedule.


MT. BAKER, WASHINGTON
With the replacement of its original Chair 1 this year, Mt. Baker is completing a plan to “quad” all its lifts——a project begun in 2001. The last to go was the first to be: a 1953 Riblet double (its deconstruction is pictured here), the first Riblet double chair erected in North America, according to Mt. Baker. As usual, Baker has done a good deal of the installation work over the snow, which lies deep on the mountain well into June each year. In fact, the snow kept piling up as construction progressed; nearly a foot fell June 9, when Baker had planned to fly concrete for the terminal. Among other on-the-fly adjustments: The snow made line-of-sight surveying nearly impossible, so Baker used a differential GPS surveying unit.

The new Doppelmayr fixed-grip quad follows the old liftline up the black-diamond Chute. It’s 3,450 feet long with 787 feet of vertical. In the Baker tradition, capacity is just 1,200/hour, with a 12 second loading interval; that virtually eliminates stop times, says lift manager Angelo “Zop” Zopolos. Capacity is nearly doubled, though; the Riblet carried 700 per hour. The new lift has a 275 hp diesel motor with hydrostatic backup, and top tension remotely charged by the bullwheel. There’s also a load-only midstation.


HOLIDAY VALLEY, NEW YORK
Holiday Valley has partnered with developer Terry Elsemore’s Fractional Strategies on the Tamarack Club, a $33 million condominium project comprising 78 units, available as whole ownership or 1/5 shares. “The biggest benefit is it encourages more year-round use of our facility,” says marketing director Jane Eshbaugh. Amenities, including a spa, health club, restaurant, and indoor and outdoor pools, are intended to help fulfill that goal. They are in addition to a popular 18-hole golf course and a conference center, which also keep the area hopping. The slopeside location helps, too; it provides direct access to the slopes and the golf course (the ninth green is being relocated to keep errant approach shots out of the lobby). Work began in April, with completion set for the 2009-2010 winter season. Unit types are studio, one-, two- and three-bedrooms. Studios run $66,500 for 1/5 share; the three-bedrooms are mostly $199,000 a share. The project was more than 65% sold by mid June, with more than a dozen units going via full-ownership sales. Tamarack is the first piece in what could become a full-fledged slopeside village.


WELCH VILLAGE, MINNESOTA
Owner Leigh Nelson has been on a mission: create an inexpensive, modern, fixed-grip lift that’s affordable for smaller operations and hills. And he can now say,“mission almost accomplished.” Welch is installing such a lift this summer in its new Back Bowl. The fixed-grip Doppelmayr/CTEC quad will be a novel, contemporary yet simple design. Final engineering drawings were not complete at press time, but Nelson was pleased with what he had seen so far. To prepare for the planned summer and fall installation, Welch has cleared the liftline and will have eight to ten trails, including needed black-diamond terrain, on 40 acres in the 80-acre bowl. “That meets the needs of those who are becoming better skiers,” Nelson says.

The lift will cover 310 vertical, with a length of about 2,000 feet. Capacity is 2,000 an hour, with a rope speed 400 feet/min. It has a 100 hp AC bottom drive, with a new, undisclosed-at-press-time top tensioning system.


THE CANYONS, UTAH
In defiance of national trends, real-estate development is proceeding at The Canyons. The Dakota Mountain Lodge, a Waldorf-Astoria property, is one of several projects currently underway. It includes 167 fully-furnished, whole-ownership condominiums ranging from studios to four bedrooms with multiple lockouts, in two buildings. Prices are averaging $1,050/sf; studios start in the high-$400,000 range, four-bedrooms at just above $2 million. The first building of 105 units has sold out, and in the second, a third of the units are gone as well. The deluxe property uses massive timbers, stone and copper accents on the exterior. Interior spaces make use of more timber, in the form of exposed trusses and beams. Gourmet kitchens, luxurious master baths with steam showers, vaulted ceilings, and scenic balconies provide ample comfort. Services include concierge, valet parking, bell service, fine-dining restaurant, pool, fitness center, executive center, underground parking and a 20,000-square-foot Golden Door luxury spa. There’s a kids club, too. The hotel will connect to the resort base via the new Frostwood gondola, which is being funded by the developers.

The resort itself has several projects slated for this summer, including glading of several runs and a snowmaking expansion.