December 5, 2009
What's new for 2009-2010, Part 2
by Brion O'Connor/
While ski areas in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island typically get a later start to the season compared to their neighbors to the north, they haven’t been resting on their laurels during the offseason. As excited as they might be about the season’s first snowfall, they’re just as eager to show off their own improvements, ranging from new and improved snowmaking and grooming to new programs, new lodges to new faces (and even a few innovative wind turbines!).
Here’s a roundup of what’s new at ski areas along the southern stretch of New England (for developments in Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire, check out the November issue of New England Ski Journal or go online at skijournal.com).
MASSACHUSETTS
Jiminy Peak (jiminypeak.com)
One of the jewels of the Berkshires in western Massachusetts, this Hancock resort introduces two new novice runs for the 2009-10 season. Jiminy Peak crews spent the summer cutting a new trail and reworking an existing one. Deer Run is a brand new trail, rated green, and is Jiminy’s 45th trail. It was carved between Upper Slingshot and Willie’s Gulch on the western side of the mountain. John Hancock, a favorite at Jiminy for natural snow conditions, has been reconfigured into a green run from top to bottom, being widened in addition to leveling out the fall line. Snowmaking has been added to both trails, increasing coverage on the mountain from 93 to 96 percent. Lighting also was added to the John Hancock Trail, expanding the night trail count to 21.
Wachusett Mountain (wachusett.com)
Wachusett adopted a Jiminy Peak look this year, as the Princeton resort is now home to the only mountaintop wind farm in Central Massachusetts. Located adjacent to the ski area summit on the back side of the mountain, the two windmills are expected to generate up to 40 percent of the power for the town’s energy needs. Wachusett has also partnered with Suez Energy, utilizing Renewable Energy Credits to help offset energy costs. The resort added 42 new tower-mounted snow guns to its already impressive arsenal, replacing older models on the Conifer Connection trail from the summit, and replaced the snowmaking pipeline on the Upper Smith Walton trail, improving snow output on the steep pitch of this advanced trail. A new “winch” cat, great for enhancing grooming on steep pitches, also will provide more efficient grooming by better utilizing natural or machine-made snow already on the trail. This season, Wachusett added two winch hooks on Upper Smith Walton, one on Upper 10th Mountain and two more on Upper Conifer Connection. One of the most historical structures on Wachusett Mountain, the Bullock Lodge, will officially reopen its doors this winter after a 50-year hiatus, providing skiers and riders with a chance to stop “on mountain” for refreshments for the first time ever at Wachusett. The Bullock Lodge Cider House, operated by The Red Apple Farm from nearby Phillipston, will serve hot and cold apple cider, hot cider doughnuts and specialty items.
Nashoba Valley (skinashoba.com)
This Westford resort introduces a new terrain park manager, Keith Kreischer, as well as revamped park layout featuring several new elements. The Nashoba Valley ski school and race staff will be easier to spot, since members all will be sporting new uniforms. To beef up the resort’s snowmaking capabilities, Nashoba invested in new eco-friendly compressors. And to celebrate the area’s 45th anniversary, Nashoba added a new state-of-the-art Salomon ski rental fleet, complete with Salomon boots and bindings, and a Head snowboard fleet.
Catamount (catamountski.com)
This fabulous hill in South Egremont, which actually straddles the state line dividing New York and Massachusetts, is celebrating its 70th anniversary. Highlighting the party will be special deals in December and throughout the season. The area’s popular Ski Free program for fourth- and fifth-graders returns, as well as the Women’s Wednesdays program. For details on all these programs and pricing, visit Catamount’s website. Catamount also increased snowmaking by 30 percent and added a Bombardier 350 to the grooming fleet, which should help keep even more snow cover on this area’s steep but smooth runs.
Blue Hills (ski-bluehills.com)
Visitors to this Canton hill will have a little more elbow room in the lodge this year, as the administrative offices were moved upstairs, freeing up space for patrons (especially families that took advantage of the new Blue Hills family pass). On the slopes, crews installed new drainage in the lift-loading area. Novice boarders and freestyle skiers will want to check out Blue Hills’ new progressive terrain. Improvements to the rental shop include fixing a persistent leak and bringing in a fleet of newer equipment for rent. The Blue Hills staff is busy developing a host of new programs; details for those can be found on the area’s recently refurbished website.
Ski Bousquet (bousquets.com)
Bouquet, an inviting modest hill on the outskirts of Pittsfield, will be opening lifts at 9 a.m. midweek this year, giving skiers the opportunity to make some early morning runs and still get in a full day’s work. The area also plans to continue to offer the $10 Thursday Evening Night Owl Special (good for an evening lift ticket or two-hour snowtubing ticket), and $20 day lift tickets Monday through Thursday. Upcoming events include Rossignol Demo Day on Dec. 30, the Bay State Games on Jan. 23, and the Irish Olympics on March 13-14.
Ski Butternut (skibutternut.com)
The on-hill experience at this family-friendly South Egremeont area got a big boost this summer when Butternut added 120 new tower-model snow guns and more than a mile of new air and water pipe. The rental shop got a huge overhaul, with 1,000 new sets of skis from Rossignol, 300 new Burton Learn to Ride snowboards, and 3,200 boots (which are sure to be warm and toasty thanks to new built-in dryers in the new boot racks). In addition, the rental shop was reconfigured for faster set-up and delivery. Butternut also is offering a raft of new programs, seven days a week. These programs, once only available on weekends and holidays, include SKIwee for skiers ages 4-6 years, Adventurers for skiers ages 7-13, and miniRIDERS for snowboarders ages 7-13. Butternut also revised the carpet lift arrangements to offer a better learning environment and enhanced lesson flow.
Berkshire East (berkshireeast.com)
Berkshire East in Charlemont is introducing a new bottom-to-summit chairlift — the Mountaintop Express — that replaces the venerable but outdated double Chair No. 1. The new lift is expected to provide skiers and boarders a much better terrain selection and help weekend traffic and skier flow. Experienced visitors also will notice superior skier flow at the confluence of Big Chief and the lower Deer Run. Another subtle but important improvement regarding the on-hill conditions is the substantial snowmaking expansion, as Berkshire East enhanced its capacity by more than 15 percent by adding new and more efficient lines. There also is a new entrance to the ski area, and the ski shop has been relocated to the main floor of the lodge. The adjacent tubing park also got a makeover, and Berkshire East introduced a new, year-round canopy zip-line tour this past summer. With an eye to the future, the area is breaking ground this winter on a new 900kw wind turbine, which is expected to be fully operational by next season.
Bradford Ski Area (skibradford.com)
This diminutive area on Boston’s North Shore, which hosts numerous after-school ski programs, is taking the wraps off a new trail called Hugh’s Run that runs along the far right hand side of the hill. The trail will have snowmaking and lights, and will be used primarily as a racing trail. The Haverhill area also added another carpet lift and created a small beginner trail in front of the main lodge. Skiers and riders can find some new features in the terrain park, as well as some upgrades in the lodge and rental shop.
CONNECTICUT
Ski Sundown (skisundown.com)
It’s been a busy offseason for this New Hartford area. Ski Sundown increased water-pumping capacity by 40 percent, providing more water to the snowmaking guns and allowing the area to make more snow in less time, maximizing the short weather window. New terrain offerings include a separate learning area with carpet lift, seeded moguls, a new racing venue, and terrain parks both big and small. On the programming front, a new eight-week Race Team Development program is aimed at youngsters ages 6-17 interested in learning and developing racing skills while improving overall skiing technique (Sundown is the only area in Connecticut to offer NASTAR). Sundown also is offering a new Advanced Mountain Skills Training program for upper-level skiing and snowboarding adults that includes a night program on Thursday evenings, master training clinics, race clinics with coaching and individualized private coaching. Women-specific programs include weekday Women in Motion and Women’s Evening Club, open to novice and expert level skiers alike and taught by women instructors. Visitors also will find a reconfigured Welcome Center for ticket and program sales, while lodge renovations include a spruced up après ski lounge named “Bottom of the Barrel” (in honor of Ski Sundown’s signature trail, “Gunbarrel,” the steepest trail in the state). For more bargains, check out Sundown’s expanded website for lesson programs, passes, discount cards and gift cards.
Mount Southington (mountsouthington.com)
Skiers and snowboarders visiting this area in Plantsville will no doubt celebrate the ribbon-cutting ceremony of Mount Southington’s new triple chairlift. Replacing an outdated T-bar that only went halfway up the mountain, the new triple goes to the summit, providing improved access to trails such as Steeplechase, Thunderbolt, Boomerang, Avalanche and Turkey Turn. In addition to the triple, Mount Southington is offering several new pricing programs, including a $79 Frequent Skier Passport that provides significant discounts. Check out Mount Southington’s website for details on the Passport and other online deals.
Woodbury Ski Area (woodburyskiarea.com)
Woodbury welcomes the season with a new full-service base lodge, located at the tubing park on the area’s East side. The lodge features a snack bar, private rooms for corporate functions and birthday parties, lockers, restrooms, and a fireplace and warming area for non-tubers to relax in (both Woodbury lodges got new furniture for bone-weary skiers to enjoy). The rental shop also has a fresh new look, as Woodbury quadrupled its ski and snowboard rentals and added more than 200 new Rossignol helmets for rent or purchase. Neophyte freestylers will want to check out the newly designed terrain park for beginners, boasting rails, hits, jumps, quarter pipes, rainbows, grinds, hips and other elements. Woodbury’s tubing facility now boasts four new runs (bringing the total to 12), and all three tubing parks are lighted for night tubing. The Boob Toob run is serviced by a redesigned longer handle tow and includes two additional turns for added thrills.
RHODE ISLAND
Yawgoo Valley (yawgoo.com)
The fact that this tiny-but-terrific hill is celebrating its 45th anniversary this season might not be newsworthy, but it’s certainly noteworthy, given the vagaries of Mother Nature in the Ocean State. Look for improved grooming, and be sure to check out Yawgoo’s website for upcoming anniversary events.
