News in the ski areas this summer

Frankontour

Frankontour

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New thread here ! <BR> <BR>This could be interesting to put the news we learn about in the eastern ski areas <IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/clipart/happy.gif" ALT=":)"> <BR> <BR>To begin this : Orford twin double chairlifts are now down on ground and they're supposed to announce their plans soon (They're better cause I feel nervous actually). They already demolished the base of those chairlifts, according to good sources (NASJA member... not Tony). <BR> <BR>Except that, I saw that Mt Avila were doing big changes on the "Piedmont" trail... that's all I've seen up to now here.
 
Gee! I knew Orford's lift were in bad shape but didn't expect them to change them all at once, especially as they haven't reached an agreement with the government yet for their expansion... <BR> <BR>--- <BR>In other topic here, Bromont posted a pic on their website a few weeks ago showing them work on their new mountain side. So it looks like they're indeed gonna add the HSQ this year... <BR> <BR>At Sutton, the webcam shows they planted some pretty big trees in sector #2, but experience tells me they'll be knocked off by grooming machines. Anyway, I'll wish them luck! <BR> <BR>I've also heard Sutton was to do some renovations to the rustic chalet Alt 840, but I guess it's just overdue maintenance; Rumors say that inspectors found many security problems to the building last year. <BR> <BR>As for Jay Peak, they haven't announced any expansion yet, so I guess the NorthWest area will wait another year. <BR> <BR>Also, I've read the news on Stowe's plan being aproved, but I'm just wondering where all those new lifts are gonna be located. Are they just replacing old ones?
 
About Orford, I don't really care for la "Mi-Orford", but I will miss "Les Chaises du ciel" cause it was a good place to rest a little bit and passing slowly over the "Super" was extraordinary, cause we had some great chances to see the extreme skiers jump off the numerous cliffs of the trail. <BR> <BR>Bromont : yes, it's an high speed quad that they will build. They thought during some time to move the actual HSQ on the Lake Side and to put a HS6 chair, but they probably changed their mind after seeing the potential increase of accidents with the new quad, cause too much people in the trails in same time ! I wonder if the new side will be enough to make me take the decision to ski back this mountain. (may be at -25c, when less crowds) <BR> <BR>Sutton : If you look to the webcam, you'll see that the trees are placed just in front of the lift towers. It's more natural than to put some big blue mattress. Some ski areas do that. For the lower ones, don't know what they'll do, but considering their size, they'll surely try to not broke them, I think ! For the 840, I don't see them build a "Grand Manitou" there, it's probably just maintenance, effectively ! <BR> <BR>Sad for Jay Peak... would be fun to see a new side there (in my opinion).
 
Another little new... <BR> <BR>The mont Pin Rouge in Gaspesia will survive once again. The city of New Richmond just bought the mountain to avoid its closure. <BR> <BR>It will be at least the 5th owner in 12 years... I wish them a lot of luck... <BR> <BR>1500' high, 21 trails, 1 quad, it looks to be a nice mountain, but it's out of the Chic-Choc park of course, it's near the New Brunswick in the southern Gaspesia.
 
I'm confused about Orford. Les Chaises du Ciel and Mi-Orford are gone.... so, how would one get from the base to the summit? I haven't heard anything about an HSQ going up there.
 
Often, those 2 chairlifts were closed on mid-week, you know. It's possible to open the side with the rapido only... cause you can take the Alfred-Desrochers lift + Toussiski / Inter trails to reach Rapido or take the Giroux North Quad and take Familiale / Alternative / 4km / Connexion trails to reach the Rapido. So this is not a real problem (except crowds) to not have the 2 chairlifts. But don't you worry, you won't have this problem. They talked of a high speed gondola for 6 persons or a High speed quad. I just hope they'll put a mid-station, cause if not, we're really in the sh** (the summit really really doesn't have enough trails for 9 or even 7 persons arriving at 6-7 seconds of interval (the trails are already problematic at 5 persons). They didn't exchanged terrains with the government, finally, I think, cause if not, it would have meant the end of my nickname (and the end of me by the same time). <BR> <BR>I will go there in the next weeks to see what is happening.
 
I went hiking at Sutton last weekend and there's not much hapenning there. They're repainting all buildings and are changing 2 bullwheels (#7top, #4W bottom). The only strange thing is a big dig in the parking, just behind the drive terminal of chair #2. It looks like it could be the early work of a new building/widening of the chalet, but the location and size do not compare with the plan I had heard of. I guess we'll be fixed soon. <BR> <BR>Also, the real estate is booming this year, with 3 large distinct developments beside the resort. Though 85 new units were planned for this year, it'll probably look more like 50, as most projects are only 60% sold. <BR> <BR>As for Orford and Bromont, I didn't notice any parlicular work from the highway when I went to Sherbrooke for work this week. <BR> <BR>Oh, and I finally got my lifetime ski record straight: <BR>- I've skied 884 days in my 19 seasons. This represent 11.8% of all days since my birth. <BR>- 97% (860) of all those days were skied at Sutton. I guess you could call me monogamous!
 
<I>*Contour thinks that the ski area he went the most often is Mt Blanc with 34 days...</I> <BR> <BR>I'm a little bit jealous, don't know why... but at least, I've skied more than 15 days at Avila (31 without St-Sauveur), Tremblant(30), St-Sauveur(31 (+31 Avila = 62)), Orford(17), Val St-Côme(19), Garceau(16) and Alta(21). <BR> <BR>But 295 days (293 official ones) days of skiing is unfortunately just 3,5% of my days since I'm born. <BR> <BR>Considering the fact I've skied 5 days at Sutton in my life, you may know the mountain a little bit more than mine ! lololol <BR> <BR>I wouldn't be able to ski so much on a single mountain. I ski 5-6 times St-Sauveur by year, but it's in november and may. For la Réserve, most of my 10 days this year were on Loup-Garou after the closure and there is just Alta that have no limit of fun, so I could ski it 7-8 times without get tired of the mountain. <BR> <BR>Thanks for the update of the ski area in the Townships. I wonder what it will be for Sutton. Tomorrow, I may go to Tremblant, so I'm going to post the news I'll see from the highway 15 and if I'm alone, I will exit a little bit of the highway to see the other ski areas... so I could have news for a dozen of them tomorrow evening !
 
Orford on their website : <I>En raison des travaux occasionnés par l'installation d'une nouvelle remontée mécanique sur le Mont Orford, il n'y aura pas de remontée pour le sommet du Mont Orford durant la saison estivale.</I> <BR> <BR>Because of the works for installing a new lift on the Orford side, there will not be a lift for the summit of Mt Orford during this summer. <BR> <BR>houba douba ouch
 
Almost forgot a pretty big news item: <BR>Sutton season-pass holders will be allowed to ski free at Mont Saint-Bruno (MSB) all weekday evenings. I think it's a very wise move both from Sutton, who really adds value to the pass, especially as most Sutton skiers live on the South Shore, and from MSB, who faces fierce competition with Bromont's discounted night-skiing pass. <BR> <BR>Though MSB is pretty small (less than 500 vert. feet), it's very convenient, as it is only 20 min. from Montreal. So convenient, in fact, that it hosts the 2nd biggest ski school in Canada, after Whistler, and has 270,000 skier-visits. <BR> <BR>Though it's 15 minutes from my home, I've never skied there (it's a shame, I know), but this year I'll have no excuse. hehe!
 
Max, About MSB, you must think that the 130m high (425' high) total of Mt St-Bruno is not the general run you take. There is one side that run slightly below the other chairlifts, but the quad that start there doesn't reach the summit. So, you have the main quad with about 300' high and the triple chair which is about 350' high. I went twice, when I was sure there would be no crowds (cause imagine 270K skiers by year, when a run takes 30 seconds, the liftlines are huge !!) There is no glades, cause it would be too much dangerous with 2 quads and 2 triples + 4 surface lift in an area probably less big than the Birdland of MRG. <BR> <BR>Every trails have snowmaking, cause there is almost no natural snow there. I think there is only few times some moguls and you can imagine that the ski area is quite boring. (it's almost a shame, the triple chairlift on the backside, for a 200' high side) <BR> <BR>Only positive points, #1 to #4 have a great steep pitch on top and the snowpark is correct. I admit from Longueuil it can worth some turns, but from Laval, I even don't know why I went there twice !! <BR> <BR>But I must admit that it's a good move for Sutton and MSB for sure.
 
I went in the north today, so going to Tremblant, I've seen a dozen of ski areas... <BR> <BR>Mt Avila : still not clear what they're doing into the Piedmont trail. They cut the island, but they look like they're making another island, just above the old one. It's tough to see actually, but it didn't change a lot since may. <BR> <BR>Mt Saint-Sauveur : Nothing new visible from the road. <BR> <BR>Mt Gabriel : South like north, nothing visible. They don't look to have worked on the "La Falaise" glade project. I hope so, cause it was an interesting spot for a glade, just beside the big O'Connell. <BR> <BR>Mt Olympia : It looks like they still didn't widened a trail, this summer... hmm, this is not normal !! Although I don't think there is still a narrow trail on that mountain that was renowned for that just few years ago ! <BR> <BR>Mt Chantecler : nothing new visible on the Crête, from the I-15. <BR> <BR>Mt Belle Neige : nothing new visible neither... just like Mt Vallée-Bleue and Alta (at least, this last one doesn't look to close this summer... oufffff) <BR> <BR>Mt Blanc : they removed the chairs from the Faustin's triple chair... but I don't think they will remove it or replace it. It's probably just maintenance. The South and North side were looking normal. <BR> <BR>Gray Rocks : nothing new on the lake side, for what we can see from the road without having a stiff neck (Some trails finish with a steep pitch and if you can't stop at the bottom, you're right on the road... really dangerous !) <BR> <BR>Tremblant : The major thing is the Lowell Thomas... I'm still not sure, but the info that they would change it for a HSQ begin to look true. They began to remove all the chairs as you can see on the pic below. But the towers are still in place, so it could be only maintenance, but we can hope ! (I hate the mountain, but at least, if they put a HSQ there, we could see some more late skiing in Quebec). <BR> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/2618.jpg" ALT="Lowell Thomas without chairs !"> <BR> <BR>The only new thing on the mountain except that looks to be a sliding park for summer, with "go-karts without engines" lol. For that, they even added a mid-station for the Flying Mile HSQ. I must say that with 10$ for a single run (almost 1 mile long) and 18,75$ for 2 runs and 26,50$ for 3 runs, they should be able to pay the mid-station + the ciment + the karts enough fast !! (I'm sure over 500-1000 persons took it today, even on a monday !) <BR> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/2619.jpg" ALT="Sliding park !"> <BR> <BR>Intrawest should hate us. At 2, we spent less than 10$ in the resort, during the 5 hours we've been there <IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/clipart/happy.gif" ALT=":)"> lol <BR> <BR>About the lost ski areas, nothing new for Mt : Castor, Alouette and Sun Valley north. Mt Plante still looks good from the I-15. I shouldn't talk of this, but it's certainly the only ski area closed for 25 years still very popular for skiing... and particularly telemarking. (Mittersill is not far from Mt Plante I must say). Still nothing new at Mt Catherine. This is sad as the project of a new ski area here was fun to see, back in 1995, but it never opened and the trails are getting more and more high-grassed.
 
I just learned from Briano that Mt Wachusett won the conflict with environmentalists (or so) and that they will expand the skiable terrain. We'll surely get some news of that soon !!
 
I contacted Mt Orford for their new lift... and they answered me that it was a ... surprise... <BR> <BR>so we're going to see that in mid-august. <BR> <BR>About MSS/Avila, they will move the halfpipe from the East 70 (at MSS) to the Piedmont at Avila. The Piedmont was always empty since it's not a wild mogul trail anymore (sniff sniff... my first real expert trail in life). Then, they will have the halfpipe just beside the big snowpark in the Grande-Ourse. Definitively, it's tough to recognize the ski area where I began to love skiing. At least, the off-piste skiing is not touched and it will remain #2 in the Laurentians, after Mt Alta. (#3 = Tremblant far behind, #4 = Olympia (what a shame... I seriously HATE this place) and #5 is Ski Morin Heights). The 10 other ski resorts of the Laurentians are enough poor on this point.
 
Few days ago, I said : <BR> <BR><I>Mt Olympia : It looks like they still didn't widened a trail, this summer... hmm, this is not normal !! Although I don't think there is still a narrow trail on that mountain that was renowned for that just few years ago !</I> <BR> <BR>Well... <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/2630.jpg" ALT="oh shit !"> <BR> <BR>I was surprised in a sense, cause they were still working in the upper Baqueira Beret (BB) although they were widening it, in summer 2001. It looks like they only finished it this summer... It was a 15 feet wide twisty beginner really interesting, but now..... The pic above is the middle part of the BB. It was a ± narrow part of the trail, but now, it's a large boulevard... just like Madonna Di Campiglio (MDC) which is now quite wider in its upper part and the lower doesn't really exist anymore as they cut all the trees between it and the "Tignes" trail, last year when they doubled the size of this last one. <BR> <BR>With this rhythm, in 4-5 years, there will be 1 single trail in the area... 1 mile wide with 3 sides, but just 1 trail with no tree into it ! lolol. <BR> <BR>I laugh now, but this wasn't the same thing when they killed my #1 best trail ever, 5 years ago to make a big groomed boulevard. <BR> <BR>I HATE THIS FU****' BAS**** SH**TY SKI AREA (even though it's where I began to ski. Hmm, I think I deny it and give it to Mt Avila <IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/clipart/happy.gif" ALT=":)">
 
This is a pic of Mt Orford actually on the base of the old double chairlifts. I'll miss "les chaises du ciel" a lot. <BR> <BR>As you can see, nothing of the new lift is built at this moment. <BR> <BR>Photo courtesy of Mr Roger Laroche (NASJA) <BR> <BR>The Orford's side <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/2632.jpg" ALT="it looks like it misses something ?? don't you find ???"> <BR> <BR>I HOPE they'll build a mid-station for the new lift !!
 
Hmm, anyone have some news in the ski areas of New-England ?? This is not just a thread about the ones in Quebec <IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/clipart/happy.gif" ALT=":)"><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/clipart/happy.gif" ALT=":)"> <BR> <BR>But once again, it's my province that I visited today, with the left side of the I-15 this time + the high Lanaudiere. <BR> <BR>BUT BEFORE ALL. NOW THAT THERE IS AN ARTICLE ON THAT ON THE WEB (www.carnetduski.com) I THINK I CAN TELL HERE THAT THE NEW LIFT OF MT ORFORD SHOULD BE A HYBRID CHAIRLIFT / GONDOLA. A 6 PASSENGERS CHAIRLIFT ALTERNATED WITH GONDI CABINS FOR 8 PEOPLE. THE RATIO WILL BE 4 CHAIRS FOR EACH CABIN. MY PREDICTION IS THAT IT WILL KILL THE GOOD SKIING ON THE SIDE AND THAT I WILL HATE ORFORD ENOUGH SOON. <BR> <BR>Back for the Laurentians : <BR> <BR>Nothing else looking new at Avila except the Piedmont. At MSS, at 9h30 this morning, the parkings were already almost full for the waterpark. It was surely the hell, today, after an entire week of fresh & rainy weather. After going to see "La Marquise" ski area (closed for decades) I remarked that the future side of St-Sauveur still looks enough clear, even though they'd never opened it, after beginning to work on it almost 10 years ago. At Mt Habitant, it was quite calm. I suppose they digest the cost of the new quad of last year, actually. Anyway, I don't think there is still some terrain to add some trails ;) <BR> <BR>After that, Mt Christie is still lost... but still perfectly cleared with the t-bars looking like they still work each years. This ski area doesn't look like a lost ski area at all. It's sure there is some hang-glider there since few years, so it's still maintenanced. (there was a guy about to fly when I came). And please don't ask me why there was a big turtle in the parking of the area !! <BR> <BR>Ski Morin Heights : They were working near the base of the low low double chair. There is just 1 trail that reach this parking, so I wonder what they'll do. I guess some condos. There was a planned trail on this zone, but this would be pretty hairy ... and "pretty hairy" doesn't fit at all with "Ski Morin Heights". <BR> <BR>Mt Avalanche. Nothing new, except the fact they removed the sign for the area, in St-Adolphe d'Howard, so I missed the road the 1st time and almost missed it again the 2nd, coming from the other sense. <BR> <BR>Mt Ste-Agathe is still quite lost, but there is a track to climb it possibly up to top, but as I was alone, I prefered to not enter too much in the woods. <BR> <BR>I think it's Kevin who talked of peaks like Tremblant further north. I think we should see more south/east. Mt Legault (Kaaikop) is not far from 2000' of vertical. May be it's a little bit steep, but we don't really care ;) Also, I just realized today that the south/west side of Mt Gaudet is not what I thought. La Réserve was supposed to open this side, before they closed in 1990-91... so I thought it was the side near the area... but it's not. It's the side near the road 329 and yes, I can admit it's really a huge bowl of 1700' of vertical. The only problem is that they should open 2 other new sides to reach this one <IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/clipart/happy.gif" ALT=":)"> lol <BR> <BR>Oh, I forgot to say that the zone of Legault / Jasper, Gaudet, la Reserve and all are quite more snowy than Tremblant. <BR> <BR>Talking of La Réserve, the ice cubes falling today were looking like snow ! lol ! It's always funny to have some extreme climatic events when I go there. It's sad I don't record the climate facts each times I went there. I think it's about 20-2 for clouds against sun. <BR> <BR>I also got a lot of fun at Val St-Côme, climbing the Pins Rouges. I still wonder why I'm still alive, without ropes and equipment. <BR> <BR><IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/messages/8/2638.jpg" ALT="RED PINES"> <BR> <BR>Nothing special new in both La Réserve and Val Saint-Côme.
 
Press conference on august 7 at Orford for the news in the ski area... if someone is interested to go... although it may be just for the journalists, I don't know. <BR> <BR><A HREF="http://www.newswire.ca/releases/July2003/28/c5949.html" TARGET="_top">http://www.newswire.ca/releases/July2003/28/c5949.html</A>
 
That "chondola" idea seems quite strange. Maybe it's just a marketing fad, but I find it comes at a hefty price. I'm curious to know the reasons behind that choice. <BR> <BR>Quick update on Sutton: I was confirmed a new building will be built in the parking lot below chair #2. It will be the new home of the rental and the store. The space actually taken in the main lodge by these two services will be used to create further eating area. <BR> <BR>My opinion is that it's quite a good move: the rental and the cafeteria were extremely crowded on weekends, so any capacity increase will ease the problem.
 
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