Adirondack Park Agency Approves Gore Mountain Interconnect

[Greg]

http://news.alpinezone.com/38199/

[Harvey44]

Does this mean that they are still going to install a gondi that goes between the ski bowl and the base lodge?

If so, I think that is nuts.

[jimmer]

nope triple chair,supposadly allready odored. for the ski bowl,gonna open up some of the old ski trails down there,

[megatron]

You got it Jimmer. The lift was ordered earlier this summer. And no worries Harv, there are no more plans for the gondola to no where :D

C


http://www.postimage.org/gxXiQRi.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gxXiQRi)

[Harvey44]

That's a relief.

The article then has a mistake in it. I think. It says that the approval is for the plan proposed in 2005, which did include the gondi to nowhere. :roll:

[Tin Woodsman]

So does this mean that the interconnect plan will essentially involve boarding the forthcoming triple chair at North Creek and then skiing down towards the Burnt Mtn chair? Eliminating the gondi to nowhere is definitely a plus, from many perspectives, not least as a taxpayer.

[highpeaksdrifter]

So does this mean that the interconnect plan will essentially involve boarding the forthcoming triple chair at North Creek and then skiing down towards the Burnt Mtn chair? Eliminating the gondi to nowhere is definitely a plus, from many perspectives, not least as a taxpayer.

I was under the impression that whatever kind of lift that was put in would go from the ski bowl to the base area. I could definately be wrong about this.

“Gondi to Nowhere”, is funny. :lol: I guess bridge to nowhere references will be part of our vernacular for sometime to come.

[mattchuck2]

So does this mean that the interconnect plan will essentially involve boarding the forthcoming triple chair at North Creek and then skiing down towards the Burnt Mtn chair? Eliminating the gondi to nowhere is definitely a plus, from many perspectives, not least as a taxpayer.

Yeah . . . The plan I'm looking at (http://www.goremountain.com/SEIS/press/Map_1_-_SEIS_Site_Location_Map.pdf) looks like the new Triple chair will be along the same line as the current lift at the ski bowl, but longer. There will be one trail from the top of that lift going down to the Burnt Ridge High Speed Quad . . . no other access to the rest of the mountain. This suggests that they want to segregate the ski bowl, maybe turning it into either a beginner area (like Whiteface's Kids Kampus - or whaever they call that seperate area), or an area dedicated to park/pipe, or maybe both.

It also looks as if there is only one trail going back to the ski bowl from the main part of Gore . . . I don't know if this means that the trail will get congested at the end of the day or not (I'd imagine a large amount of people will still park at the regular lot when this all goes down).

[Harvey44]

...the plan I'm looking at...

Wish I could see it too...somehow I got a blank pdf.

[mattchuck2]

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can:

http://forums.skiadk.com/albums/album22/Map_1_SEIS_Site_Location_Map.jpg

[mattchuck2]

You can also see those trails down to the old Gondi midstation in that pic . . .

They should get started on that immediately . . .

[Harvey44]

Matt - you are the man. Not sure why I couldn't download it.

I have seen that map before. Would be so cool if the old gondi stuff happens, although I'm sure "the boys" will lament the additional loss of their territory. :cry:

Let's face facts - Gore is one cool mountain - getting better all the time. There is so much tree skiing, and more to come.

Hopefully Joe Bastardi is right:

http://harvey44.blogspot.com/2008/10/joe-bastardis-long-range-forecast-for.html#links

[ComeBackMudPuddles]

Thanks for the picture! Nice work.

The plan kinda makes sense....But, can you imagine how long it's gonna take to get from North Creek to Chatimec via the Ski Bowl lift/Burnt Ridge HSQ/gondola/summit chair?? A friggin' hike....

It'll be interesting to see if this plan takes off. Can't help but bring Gore more well-deserved attention.

[megatron]

".But, can you imagine how long it's gonna take to get from North Creek to Chatimec via the Ski Bowl lift/Burnt Ridge HSQ/gondola/summit chair?? A friggin' hike.."

Probably about the same amount of time as going from the base of Rams Head at Killington to Bear Mt, that's my guess. Also, there will NOT be a trail to the old gondola line, AND, from what I am hearing, the new triple at the ski bowl is going to the base of the North chair. You will be able to get off the triple, and either load the North, or ski down to the Burnt Ridge lift.
It is never to early to pray for a good winter!!! :D

C


http://www.postimage.org/gx17duor.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=gx17duor)

[mattchuck2]

See, that's what I thought at first when I read this in the Times Union:


The interconnect proposal includes the purchase of an $850,000 triple chairlift that would tie the hamlet to the nearby Gore Mountain ski center. The chairlift would carry skiers 3,800 feet, or nearly three-quarters of a mile, to Gore.

And this at a different website:


"The old Ski Bowl is basically a tubing area now. This fall, we're putting in the chairlift on Burnt Ridge, to open in December. The next lift will be a 3,800-foot-long triple that will go up the old Ski Bowl, to the right of Burnt Ridge as you face uphill. Slightly uphill and to the left of that chair is the Burnt Ridge chair; to the left of that are our existing lifts," Caligiore said.

I thought "Man, 3/4 of a mile is long, that thing must go to the North Chair". But Then I looked up the length of the current Triple chair at Gore (the Adirondack Express, not the one at the Ski Bowl), and it's 7114 feet (!) (Source:http://www.skilifts.org/install_na1984.htm).

So that would mean that the new lift is roughly half the distance that the triple is . . . Looking at the map, I don't think that it makes it up to the North Chair.

[Harvey44]

I don't get it.

Matt's map shows the interconnect lift topping out on the other (north) side of Roaring Brook. For that trail to connect to the bottom of the Burnt Ridge Chair, there's either going to have to be some kind of a major hairpin turn in that trail, or a bridge over Roaring. Not sure how that works. Anyone got any insight on that?

If the chair goes to the base of the North Quad, that seems like a real waste of chair lift...another chair to nowhere...how would you get to the old ski bowl trails? I didn't think legally they could go up Rabbit Pond hill.

Something up the flanks of Burnt Ridge would make the connection with Burnt Ridge, but again leave the ski bowl trails out of the equation.

It must work the way it's drawn, but looking at the topo, I don't get it. I've only got the 13th lake quad, but I can't imagine anything down below that would make a difference.

[mattchuck2]

If I had to guess, I'd say that they follow that map and Bridge over Roaring Brook . . . like the bridge at Whiteface that you see when riding the quad (or the culvert where Topridge crosses Straight Brook).

[ComeBackMudPuddles]

Looks like it's definitely not making it to the north chair (makes sense, I guess, since then it'd effectively bypass the new HSQ, making it even more irrelevant....).

Looks like there'll be a bridge. Is the terrain any good there? Or will it be a lot of flat traversing?

[Harvey44]

The ski bowl terrain looks ok - may be a little steeper than the lower mountain - showcase etc.

The connector doesn't look too thrilling. Connectors often aren't that great....the connectors at Killington come to mind. Northeastern(?) - a snooze. Also our beloved Cloud.

Uncas or Pine Knot are some of the best "connectors" I know. Too good to be considered connectors really.

Really though - that connector isn't about skiing, it's about REAL ESTATE.

[megatron]

I knew I would get you all going :D :D

I have skied the old Hudson Trail at the ski bowl for the last 7 years, and it is a lot of fun. The old trails followed the true fall lines of the hill, twisting and turning their way down. Very similar to Lower Steilhang.

C


http://www.postimage.org/Pq1nvJp9.jpg (http://www.postimage.org/image.php?v=Pq1nvJp9)

[Tin Woodsman]

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can:

http://forums.skiadk.com/albums/album22/Map_1_SEIS_Site_Location_Map.jpg

From a topographic and political standpoint, their choices were pretty limited. Ultimately, unless they could build a lift from North Creek that tops out further west and closer to Pete Gay Mtn, they couldn't connect directly with the existing Gore lift system (North chair). I guess they could if they wanted to put in an expensive duplicate lift to nowhere from the Ski Bowl base, but that seems like a big waste of money. To get up to the top of Straightbrook in the AM from Ski Bowl you'll have to ride 4 lifts no matter what they do.

As for the tree skiing, well let's just say that if the trail layout on Burnt Mtn materializes as depicted, that could be a pretty fun chair.

[Harvey44]

But, can you imagine how long it's gonna take to get from North Creek to Chatiemac via the Ski Bowl lift/Burnt Ridge HSQ/gondola/summit chair??

The longer the better. 8)

I gotta ask ComeBack...where does your name come from?

[ComeBackMudPuddles]

I gotta ask ComeBack...where does your name come from?



If you're looking for some literary referance or something intelligent, you'll be waiting a long time for one from me......CBMP was my way of mourning the passing of the "great" nightspot in LP, Mudpuddles (now called Wise Guys, and, if possible, even more trashy than before). Had some good cheesy times there, and wishing for it to come back was as much me wanting it to come back as me wanting some of my youth back.

[adkskier]

The ski bowl chair does not go to the North chair. Skiers will be able to ski (somehow) from the top of the ski bowl chair to the base of the Burnt Ridge lift. It will be a hike, but it's an alternative to car or shuttle bus from the Ski Bowl to the base area. They sold out the planned high speed detachable to take money from the budget for other areas of Gore so it will be another fixed grip triple that will be a long slow ride. If the articles are accurate we wont see skiing on those trails for 2 years. They mention building the lift during the 2009 summer and then adding snow making in 2010.
Watch for logging on the old ski trails when the ground gets firmer.

[Harvey44]

They sold out the planned high speed detachable to take money from the budget for other areas of Gore so it will be another fixed grip triple that will be a long slow ride.

I may be the only one but I think it's a good thing.

I also hope the dark side lift never gets "upgraded."

[skimore]

As for the tree skiing, well let's just say that if the trail layout on Burnt Mtn materializes as depicted, that could be a pretty fun chair.

wouldn't that be detracting from the tree skiing?

[ComeBackMudPuddles]

As for the tree skiing, well let's just say that if the trail layout on Burnt Mtn materializes as depicted, that could be a pretty fun chair.

wouldn't that be detracting from the tree skiing?


I think the point was that there's a lot of undeveloped terrain on Burnt Ridge....So, there should be ample tree skiing (whether there'll be enough snow at that elevation for decent tree skiing, though, is another question).

[Harvey44]

...whether there'll be enough snow at that elevation for decent tree skiing, though, is another question.

I've been thinking the same thing. From the map, the glades look to be at the same elevation as the twister glades, which aren't open that often. Anyone have any idea how many days the glades and twister glades are open?

Also the woodchucks don't seem to have much interest in extra curricular activities below the summit bowl.

[Tin Woodsman]

As for the tree skiing, well let's just say that if the trail layout on Burnt Mtn materializes as depicted, that could be a pretty fun chair.

wouldn't that be detracting from the tree skiing?


I think the point was that there's a lot of undeveloped terrain on Burnt Ridge....So, there should be ample tree skiing (whether there'll be enough snow at that elevation for decent tree skiing, though, is another question).
That was exactly my point, though the question on snowfall is a good one. This is one example of where the snowfall differential between Gore and some of the VT mtns creates a meaningful difference.

[ComeBackMudPuddles]

Is it me, or does the trail as set out on the trail map not match the site plan? And, given that, how much can we take for granted the other trails drawn out on the site plan? Strange...I would have thought the cutting of trees would have to follow the plan....

Me confused. :(


http://www.goremountain.com/mountain/i/maplarge.jpg



http://forums.skiadk.com/albums/album22/Map_1_SEIS_Site_Location_Map.jpg

[mattchuck2]

Yeah, I noticed that too . . .

I didn't want to say anything, but it does seem (according to the plan) that another trail might be created skier's left of Sagamore. The topo makes it look as if there would be a flat section on top, then it would get steep when it came down to intersect with Sagamore. Would be pretty cool if they cut it this way.

On the other hand, maybe that idea was abandoned in favor of the glade.

[Harvey44]

Yeah, I noticed that too . . .

I didn't want to say anything, but it does seem (according to the plan) that another trail might be created skier's left of Sagamore. The topo makes it look as if there would be a flat section on top, then it would get steep when it came down to intersect with Sagamore. Would be pretty cool if they cut it this way.

On the other hand, maybe that idea was abandoned in favor of the glade.

Or maybe the "cartoon" map isn't really accurate. I thought the lift went along the spine of the ridge. So is the top of the lift at the high point on Burnt Ridge?

[takeahike46er]

Is it me, or does the trail as set out on the trail map not match the site plan? And, given that, how much can we take for granted the other trails drawn out on the site plan? Strange...I would have thought the cutting of trees would have to follow the plan....

I have come to the conclusion that the SEIS plan is nothing more than loose vision of how the trails might be cut (or still be cut). In some cases, it is accurate. Echo was cut as shown in the plans-- connecting with Twister Glades. In other cases, the plan doesn't match up. Hedges, which connects skiers from the top of the Burnt Ridge Quad to Twister (above the Twister Glade entrance), is not in the SEIS plan. As for what's happening with the trail that mattchuck pointed out... who knows.


So is the top of the lift at the high point on Burnt Ridge?
The lift tops out as shown in the SEIS-- just to the north of the highest point on Burnt Ridge.