Saddleback survives !! (for the ones who didn't heard it before) <BR> <BR>I could just put the link for the skinews, but as they often remove the links after 1-2 days, I prefer to put the whole article. <BR> <BR> <BR>FARMINGTON — A Rangeley ski area that contains the state's second-highest mountain has been purchased by a retired University of Maine of Farmington geology professor and his family, who promise to lower lift-ticket prices and bring affordable skiing back to Maine. <BR> <BR>Archie Berry, his wife, Irene, and their seven adult children have purchased 4,120-foot Saddleback Mountain in Rangeley, along with 8,000 acres, for more than $8 million, Berry confirmed Tuesday. <BR> <BR>The property includes Saddleback Lake, 13 square miles of woodland, a mountain bowl cradled by high peaks and 41 downhill trails. The Appalachian Trail crosses the top of the mountain on property now owned by the National Park Service. <BR> <BR>Donald Breen, who turns 74 next month, had been trying to sell the ski resort he bought 25 years ago and retire from the industry. The mountain has been on the market since 2001. <BR> <BR>"For the past three years there has been absolutely no advertising and there has been nothing done to improve the property. Attendance dropped through the floorboards," Berry said. <BR> <BR>Finally, last spring, Breen announced the mountain that was founded in 1959 was closed, sending shock waves through the community that relied on it for employment and as a draw for tourists. <BR> <BR>"I have been skiing at Saddleback for 30 years and just the idea of it closing triggered the decision," Berry said. "The biggest challenge ahead is getting people to realize that Saddleback is still there." <BR> <BR>While the cost of lift tickets at other resorts is soaring beyond what most families can afford, Berry says he is committed to keeping the price down. <BR> <BR>"Weekends and holidays, tickets will be $35 for adults and $25 for kids. During the week, it will $28 and $20. Can we make a go of it at those rates? No, but my philosophy is to get the cost of skiing back so families can afford it," Berry said. <BR> <BR>"Affordable. That's our goal." <BR> <BR>News that the Berry family had purchased the resort is welcome news for the economy and community groups who have been working to conserve the area's scenic resources. <BR> <BR>"We are very excited about the turn of events. I cannot think of any better person to own that property," said Nancy Perlson of the Rangeley Lakes Heritage Trust. She is also a member of a local coalition of recreation and conservation groups who have been meeting for the past year to develop a vision for the Saddleback property that they hoped they could recommend to a potential owner. <BR> <BR>"Archie is very conservation-minded, with a local connection and a love of Saddleback. If we could come up with the perfect owner, it would be him." <BR> <BR>Berry said long-range plans are to update the facilities and eventually increase hotel accommodations on the mountain. There are currently 50 privately owned condominiums that will not be affected by the sale. <BR> <BR>"We don't plan anything extravagant. Basically, the plan is to make some minor modifications to the plant that will take place next summer. It is too late in the year to do anything now," he said. <BR> <BR>"My intention is not to make Saddleback a Sugarloaf/USA or Sunday River, and not to turn it into a huge condominium village, but to make it a family resort and keep the mountain as pristine as you can," he said. <BR> <BR><B>"With improvements to the existing trails, and then developing the Horn Bowl, we hope to make it pay for itself," Berry said. <BR> <BR>The Horn Bowl has some of the most extreme terrain in the Northeast, with 2,000 feet of vertical drop..</B> <BR> <BR>The family will keep on longtime manager Tom McAllister, along with six full-time employees and about 80 seasonal workers. The mountain has two chair lifts, three T-bars lifts, a lodge, a tavern and a ski shop, <BR> <BR>Berry, in addition to being a lifelong skier, has been a longtime board member with the Farmington Ski Club, which operates the family-oriented Titcomb Mountain Ski Slope in West Farmington. His son Mark, who one of the co-owners, managed Titcomb for five years. <BR> <BR>The Berrys, who are local benefactors and are active in community organizations, are still reeling from the thought that they now own a commercial resort. <BR> <BR>"This is a huge thing and at times I look at it in awe. But I am ready to get busy," Berry said.
<BR> <BR>I meant that I have the normal picture from the summit of Mt Garceau "printed in my head", but saturday, even though the visibility was not so good, I felt like there was something different... something weird and I thought to another trail and I learn the new, back home, on the http://www.carnetduski.com
Those ones are really the laugh of my father each times he goes to Sutton ! <BR> <BR>Hey, we're on sept 26.... last year, La Réserve opened on october 26... and Killington on 25..... we're less than a month from the beginning of the season... finally... can you imagine that !!!! <BR> <BR>I'm Going to la Réserve later today <IMG SRC="http://www.firsttracksonline.com/discus2/clipart/happy.gif" ALT="
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