Garnet Hill Up For Auction

They tried to sell it at $2.5 mil, but it didn't work.  Now it's going to the highest bidder:

http://www.firsttracksonline.com/News/2011/2/16/Garnet-Hill-Lodge-in-the-Adirondacks-to-Be-Sold-at-Auction/

Hopefully the $46.51 in my bank account is enough to win the auction.  Checked out the Mountain Biking trails this past summer, and they were pretty fun (but a little overgrown).

For those who don't know, Garnet Hill Lodge is a storied inn and cross country ski touring center in the Southern Adirondacks.  It has 55 kilometers of groomed trails and now has a mountain biking center that operates in the summer.

The lodge was built in the 1930s by the Hoopers after the demise of the garnet mining operation. It has beautiful woodwork and a garnet-laced stone fireplace.  

In it's heyday it was a phenomenal place to ski.  It was where I first learned to ski in 1989.  It was run as a break even business by people who loved skiing.  It had excellent grooming, and the staff did everything possible to ensure guests had a great experience.

We loved it because food and skiing were all included, so you never had to get in your car. It had great access to backcountry skiing in the Siamese Ponds Wilderness. The groomed trail named "Wilderness" took you right to the trailhead.  As a guest, you could check in at the ski shop in the morning, head out into the BC, and they wouldn't close the shop until you returned.  At least they did that for me.

Eventually we bought our property on Harvey Road because we were spending so much time and money at the lodge, it just seemed to make sense. It allowed us the flexibility to go when the snow was good, and not be bound to reservations.

Our land's proximity to Gore had nothing to do with the decision to buy in the area. From our property we could hop onto the GHL trail system and ski away.

Some links:

My first solo winter overnight was done using GHL as a base:

http://www.nyskiblog.com/2005/11/1st-winter-solo.html

This recent ski was also started at the GHL ski shop:

http://forum.nyskiblog.com/Flanks-of-Harvey-Mountain-NY-1-16-11-td2269829.html

And here's a report from last winter that Adk Jeff did on GHL:

http://saratogaskier.blogspot.com/2010/02/garnet-hill-lodge-02052010.html

I think everyone on garnet hill would like the lodge to survive.  There was a time when it really was the center of activity in North River.  It takes special owners to make it work.

Bet one could get it cheap.

Sad to see they're having $$$ issues tho. Is this wilderness designated land ? Would make a great private camp....ride my quads.....mtn bikes.....

Being a southern ADK novice, I'd never been to Garnet until Harv took me there last summer.

As a full-service x-c ski headquarters, how does/did it compare to Lapland Lake as far as terrain and accommodations?

Garnet Hill was IMO the best local XC area. With the lodge at 2000 and the ski shop at 1950 ft. there always seemed to be snow falling . Old Faithful was the mainstay of a 55 K trail system, it's 3km loop was the most popular for expert to beginner. The ski down ride up option was also very popular, Rogers Rd. 4km 400 vert. , Schoolhouse Rd. 5km 500 vert.
Also the proximity to Siamese Ponds back country. The Gore to Garnet trip was an excellent option for a guided back country trip, coming off Gore under the High Peaks chair crossing Barton Mines property going around Pete Gay Mt. down to Barton Rd. and then back the Halfway Brook trail right into the Garnet Hill Ski Shop parking lot.

As to your ? at one time they were very much equal, but in recent years [2-3]  I reserve comment.

MRG of north river? 500 people @ $2000.00 at least we could bid.

No doubt GHL is/was one of the premier nordic centers in the east.  I've skied there frequently for the past 20 or so years.  My perception is that the skiing has been de-emphasized over the past couple recent years.  That's a shame because GHL was once a magnet for nordic skiers due to their outstanding trail system, staff, and grooming.  My brother, his wife, and my wife (all very experienced nordic skiers) all skied at GHL today and they reported that they were disappointed with the trail grooming.  It will be interesting to see how events unfold.

James, interesting comparison between the two nordic centers.  Both are excellent in their own right, but they are very different.  As far as accomodations are concerned, GHL is a classic adk lodge / inn, whereas LL is essentially cabins with an on-premises restaurant.  For terrain, GHL is a spread-out, woodsy trail system whereas LL has carefully designed loops.  Lapland Lake's trail design is rooted in founder Olavi Hirvonnen's strong nordic and Olympic background - check out my interview with Olavi on my blog back in early December.  The main difference that one feels today is that Lapland Lake is run by serious skiers (Olavi still does all the daily grooming, at age 80), whereas GHL now feels like the touring center is an adjunct to the lodge operation.  LL's grooming is considered the gold standard among nordic touring operations - Olavi is a legend.

The auction was yesterday, and according to Sotheby's the property was "selling without reserve" which, I think, means that that would take the highest offer, no matter what.

I've looked around the web and can't find any news on the result. Anybody know what happened?

The auction cancelled due to a concern that the registered bidders were not likely to offer what the owners believe is fair market value. Business as usual continues.

http://poststar.com/business/local/article_c01f1dba-500c-11e0-922e-001cc4c03286.html?mode=story

JOHNSBURG -- An auction for the year-round Garnet Hill Lodge this week was canceled because there were not enough qualified bidders.

Listing agent Shane Newell, of Select Sotheby's International Realty, said the sale generated a lot of interest, but perhaps the parties didn't fully understand the auction registration process.

Bidders were required to sign a contract and provide a $100,000 deposit.

"Although we had five registered bidders, we did not have the required deposits to qualify an auction, and it was unclear whether the auction would reach a fair value," Newell said Wednesday.

Newell said the owner, North River Holdings LLC, will now seek to sell the property through a more traditional process..