From what I understand the trails were too advanced to make money.Quote:
Originally Posted by Core Shot
If you don’t have green and blue tracks you’re not attracting new users/families. And you really should develop instructional programming.
They didn’t look at what makes their ski business successful and apply it to the bike park.
Doesn’t mean they can’t, they just didn’t
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The interesting part is that many years ago--like early 90s--they offered lessons and, I think, had more learner-friendly trails. I recall my dad realizing that it cost him more to fix his Sears "mountain bike" after riding it lift-served than it would have to rent a bike, and I don't think we were doing anything super gnarly as a family.Quote:
Originally Posted by ticketchecker
It seems like things evolved towards the core participant over the years, probably because those are the customers that show up on a regular basis. IMO, Mt. Abram has an advantage in (lower) operational overhead; I'd think Sunday River would offset that with their marketing reach, wider range of offerings, and bed base, but I suppose that would also require a significant commitment to the mountain biking to build it up first.
Today's wind conditions in town have me thinking there's not going to be much running for lifts this afternoon.
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Thinking Bear might be a good call Saturday, see how the weather pans out.Quote:
Originally Posted by MyNameIsAugustWest
Get after it kids!Quote:
Originally Posted by cat in january
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Attachment 369536
Some fun skiing Saturday, really light crowd, was ski on at bravo and hardly anyone skiing the gatehouse side mush.
Mall
Attachment 369540
Upper 2/3s was nice
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Lower third too soft and punchy
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Got home to see a few colts feet had emerged
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Jay not bothering to spin any lifts today.
Crazy wind overnight and still some very strong gusts to go along with the steady sound of wind bob, 7/8" of new snow overnight.
"6:40 AM
Join us at Lincoln Peak as we return to winter with a fresh inch of snow on our 43 open trails! Groomers smoothed 30 runs into downhill perfection overnight."
Perfection? After watching the groomer lights last night through rain pelted windows I think perfection is a stretch.
Tomorrow looks nice.
Yesterdays live stream was top notch
Is that upstate?
Maybe an April fools joke
sweet... time for titus!
YupQuote:
Originally Posted by anotherVTskibum
I think there wasn’t enough support from the top down at a local level. Boyne has successful mtb programs elsewhere.
Lots of great momentum in that area for new trails to be excited about tho, curious what Fenris knows.
Back to skiing, windy AF is right
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Exactly.Quote:
Originally Posted by ticketchecker
They ended up in a state of bike park limbo.Quote:
Originally Posted by ticketchecker
They weren't attracting enough riders to for management who aren't bikers to spend money on the park. Without money they didn't have the ability to build easier trails to attract less advanced riders. Without money there wasn't much incentive to use unpaid time to build anything other than the trails that those running the bike park wanted to ride (which again didn't match what most bike park riders expected).
There were also issues with user conflicts with this go around. Turns out that sharing gondolas between brides and mountain bikers don't go well. And guess which ones made the mountain money?
For those of you who really really want to ride the trails, most of them still exist, just stay away from the wedding parties and maybe walk them first to make sure all of the structures are still up.
As to the larger Bethel trail future, it's pretty friggin awesome. We've got a ton of land that just became available for various levels trail development.
Between the Conservation Fund acquiring Chadbourne Lands, Community Forest, Bingham Forest, Mahoosuc Land Trust, and other lands, there's now the potential to connect SR to Bethel, and Bethel to Mt. Abram with a mix of single track and multi-use trail. We may also be able to connect West to the National Forest, around Sunday River into the Maine Public Lands to the North, Mt. Abram to Bacon Hill, or maybe even all the way down to Norway.
Specifically with the Community Forest and Bingham and neighboring lands we basically have a Sunday River's worth of land to develop on the backside of the mountain (there is also some potential for some glading in this area).
I think this summer, the focus will be on more single track in the Community Forest, and a connector to an older project in the Bingham that was initially built and then forgotten about as access wasn't really figured out. I think we're going to try to reuse some of the logging roads as a first draft of a route from Bethel to Greenwood/Mt. Abram, and I believe the Rumford trails have a nice fund to build with.
In the two to five year range we're looking at projects that has us shopping through the forest service backcountry bridge catalog, and thinking about 7 figure grants and matching work/donations. I think we've got sketches looking at 20 or so miles of trail off the backside of the mountain.
As to if/when SR's park opens again? I'd guess that round 3 of the SR park will come after SL gets their West Mountain expansion and park up and running. That will hopefully give enough time for Mt. Abram to get themselves well established, and SR can figure out what role their park should play in the greater community network.
Wrong thread beaters
Attachment 369724
Summit score sans supplemental oxygen.
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Thermos of soup at least?
Nary a slurp, sorry to say. She was too tired from carrying me that far.Quote:
Originally Posted by buttahflake
Let it grow, let it grow
Let it blossom, let it flow
In the sun, the rain, the snow
Love is lovely, let it grow
Attachment 369726
Is that Cream?
461 Ocean Boulevard. LAPS!!!!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by buttahflake
could everyone please remove the snow tires now. thanks.
then go wash your car.
that should get the snow falling again.
Clapton is way overrated
Quote:
Originally Posted by buttahflake
Anyone for Tennis?Quote:
Originally Posted by jhyatt
Swapped them out today and the forecast got better.Quote:
Originally Posted by jhyatt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCDMQqDUtv4Quote:
Originally Posted by buttahflake
In the canon of great rock guitar players, his shit is vanilla as fuck
It was one of the best weather days I've seen on the Rockpile. Chute probably wasn't the best line choice, and I turned around about halfway after the blown-in snow started getting deeper and more reactive to bring poked at with hand. The turns were a bit more wind affected than I hoped, but it was good to get out.
I was wishing I was a little more inclined not to follow rules on the way out, as I saw a few folks skiing past the rope.Attachment 369727Attachment 369728Attachment 369729Attachment 369730
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Saddleback was sunny and warm. Groomers were great everything else was dust on crust and closed no matter what Instagram says. Patrol pulled all the toboggans off Kennebago so doubt any ungroomed will open again this year. Groomers should last another couple weeks. Stopped and looked at a seasonal ski property for next year as well. Fix’r Upp’r
^^looking primo in maine and high up in NH.
nice work guys!
down this way nearly every hill i've skiied this season is done.
not twitching only on account
of killington
a bit of a racist too.Quote:
Originally Posted by buttahflake
https://thegrapevine.theroot.com/eri...bla-1822054554
yea i had a copy of slow hand in HS but never found him very interesting.
saw him with roger waters in 84 and missed gilmour, more. (saw gilmour that summer and missed floyd more. both solo careers proof that the band was much more than the sum of those two parts.)
yep, wrong thread. would be glad to take a lap but am stuck
at work.
and yes, snow tires coming off this week. it never snows in april.
Looked like a new coating of white on the Presidentials
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Closed hill was a private resort for corn harvest top to bottom with friends
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