Saddleback?

What is going on there? I see no updates since January on their website, yet I see news reports of their lifts shutting down due to severe winds in February.

Are they business as usual? I know they were talking about shutting down due to not being able to find a replacement for their double, but that seemed odd to me. Yeah they could get more capacity out of it, but was that what was keeping them from being profitable enough to not shut down?  Were they that crowded that long lift lines were driving people away?

Was Saddleback that bottle necked due to lift lines that a quad was going to save them?

I don't get it.

They just went through an ownership change.  The previous owners ran out of money and refused to inspect the double chair that is the only way out of the base area.  They said that they'd have to close if they couldn't come up with the money to replace it.  They didn't get that money, so they put the mountain on the market to try and sell it.

I heard from multiple sources that Peak Resorts was going to buy it, but for whatever reason, decided last minute to buy Hunter.  I've always found that most companies buy a mountain in the spring and not in late November, much less takes control of operations right away.  They must've been negotiating a purchase of Saddleback and then the people at Hunter saw an opportunity to cash out and offered them Hunter at what I consider to be a pretty good price.

This worked out great for Hunter's previous administrations (they got 35 million) and Peak Resorts (Hunter doesn't need any capital improvements, Saddleback needed a lot), but kind of screwed Saddleback over.  Not sure who ended up buying in the end, but hopefully they got it up and running and will keep it that way.

Well, the news report is from 2015, and I am just a moron for not recognizing it.

There is a snow report from 1/25, but no info after.

It really just seems odd as a business plan that they thought a three million dollar quad (that they were looking for donations for) was going to save them if they weren't already at least getting revenue in or around the black with what was already there.

I could see it of they were were borderline black/red and the extra capacity would put them over the edge. But, did they even get the kind of crowds that a double was really holding them back from making money?

If they could not even afford to pay to have their double inspected how was a quad going to change that?

Seems like shifty business to me.

No one has bought Saddleback yet, no deal has been made. But it appears that the current owners and a potential buyer are still working together on finalizing a sale. I've seen no reports that Peak Resorts was involved at any time with the current owners. Perhaps they were but I've yet to see any reliable sources suggest who any of the potential buyers are/were.

If the deal goes through, they ain't opening this season, that much is for sure. President's Day vacation week starts in three days. No way any ski area is going to bother opening after that holiday week has passed.

I've also seen no indication that the Berry's "ran out of money". More like they didn't feel like throwing more good money after bad and decided to cut their losses.  Ideally, a new owner would replace the Double with a HSQ. I am no fan of HSQs usually but it really would be an ideal option. Tough location, new owners are going to be hard pressed to make it work financially.

Saddleback may be the only 2k vert area to sit dormant for an entire season. I can't think of any others that have suffered a similar fate in the northeastern US, can anyone else? Pretty cool place. I would ski there more if it was a little closer. But at 3:30 driving time, Sugarloaf and Whiteface are the only 2k vert areas of the northeast US further from my home, and only just barely further than that.

Tupper would be the best one to compare it to.  Smaller and needed upgrades to compete with a better Mt.  Both suffer from location issues.

It was HEAVILY RUMORED that Peak Resorts was one of the potential buyers.  It would have been the perfect mountain for them as they seem to typically buy the mid to lower tier ski areas and carve out a market with less competition.  This would have meant that they were open to buying other smaller mountains in Maine and being the big fish in a small pond.  This is what they did in the midwest and NH and seem to be moving toward in the NY Metro Area.  Obviously they didn't buy Saddleback, so this isn't happening in Maine.  Hopefully whoever is will get the place open for next year.

snoloco wrote

It was HEAVILY RUMORED that Peak Resorts was one of the potential buyers.  It would have been the perfect mountain for them as they seem to typically buy the mid to lower tier ski areas and carve out a market with less competition.  This would have meant that they were open to buying other smaller mountains in Maine and being the big fish in a small pond.  This is what they did in the midwest and NH and seem to be moving toward in the NY Metro Area.  Obviously they didn't buy Saddleback, so this isn't happening in Maine.  Hopefully whoever is will get the place open for next year.

Sno, Peak Resorts' entire business model is based on buying ski areas CLOSE TO large population centers. [http://www.peakresorts.com/our-company/].  Saddleback ain't it. (4:15 from Boston!).

Your "HEAVILY RUMORED" is that read a few posts by some yahoos on some internet forums, is just worthless.  Reliable sources told me that Peak was visiting Hunter during and perhaps before this past summer.  

Your over generalizations and blatently false statements tend to dilute your more intelligent, well-reasoned posts.  You'd be better off trying to have a bit of a governor on some of your posts.

Peak was never going to purchase Saddleback. The rumors about them purchasing something were true - it was Hunter.
The Berry's had good intentions and did a lot for the mountain and the area. They also employed too many people to run the ski area and spent way too much on the base lodge ($13million) at a ski area that has around 100k visits per year. If they had only spent $7 million on the Lodge they would have had $6 million to install the much needed HSQ to replace the Rangeley Double.  There are 7 Berry kids and that contributed to the uneven plan.

The biggest problem is that Saddleback is very difficult to get to. I was up there last summer. Here is a picture of the beautiful lodge:


Here is the top of the Rangeley Double:

I said very clearly that it was a rumor so I don't know why Marcski had to jump down my throat about it.  When they bought Hunter, I scrolled through just about everything on their website since I was now a passholder at one of their mountains.  I knew that they tended to own the mid to lower tier ski areas, but I didn't totally pick up on the fact that all of their mountains are close to large population centers.  I thought that they were trying to carve out a market with less competition (which they have), but the main thing is ski areas close to large population centers.  That makes Hunter a perfect fit and Saddleback a very poor fit.

What I read from other yahoos on the internet was:  Peak Resorts is looking to buy another mountain and a bunch said that they were going to buy Saddleback.  Last minute they chose to buy Hunter instead.

What actually happened was:  Saddleback went under and they needed to sell or close.  At the same time, the family that owned Hunter wanted to cash out and retire.  As Hunter fits Peak's business model just about perfectly, they bought Hunter and that was what was planned all along.  What happened at Hunter and what happened at Saddleback were completely different.

riverc0il wrote

No one has bought Saddleback yet, no deal has been made. But it appears that the current owners and a potential buyer are still working together on finalizing a sale. I've seen no reports that Peak Resorts was involved at any time with the current owners. Perhaps they were but I've yet to see any reliable sources suggest who any of the potential buyers are/were.

If the deal goes through, they ain't opening this season, that much is for sure. President's Day vacation week starts in three days. No way any ski area is going to bother opening after that holiday week has passed.

I've also seen no indication that the Berry's "ran out of money". More like they didn't feel like throwing more good money after bad and decided to cut their losses.  Ideally, a new owner would replace the Double with a HSQ. I am no fan of HSQs usually but it really would be an ideal option. Tough location, new owners are going to be hard pressed to make it work financially.

Saddleback may be the only 2k vert area to sit dormant for an entire season. I can't think of any others that have suffered a similar fate in the northeastern US, can anyone else? Pretty cool place. I would ski there more if it was a little closer. But at 3:30 driving time, Sugarloaf and Whiteface are the only 2k vert areas of the northeast US further from my home, and only just barely further than that.

Bearpen? Ascutney?

Saddleback is one of the coolest places I've ever skied.  Unbelievable terrain.  Hopefully it will be fully oprtational next season.

I never really knew about it the first few times I trekked up to Maine, and I haven't hit Sunday River. I always trekked up to Sugarloaf. Saddleback has been on my radar for a while now and really hope something happens so I can hit it. Running out of worthwhile new places to trek to in the NE.

Anybody hear that Saddleback was bought? Any details?

Harvey wrote

Anybody hear that Saddleback was bought? Any details?

Announcement happened this week.  Buyer is an Australian company with big plans.  Construction for two new lifts is a high priority.

https://liftblog.com/2017/06/28/saddleback-is-back-getting-two-new-lifts/

Video of the press conference announcing the sale is included in the Liftblog article.

No new news about Saddleback since the press conference about the sale to Majella.  The FAQ on the Saddleback website is pretty readable.  A few of the Q&A below.

THE 2017-2018 SKI SEASON

Q) Will any lifts be replaced?
A) The Rangeley Double Chair will be replaced with a new TRISTAR Fixed Grip Quad Chair Lift that can support 1,500 skiers per hour. The Cupsuptic T-Bar, will be replaced with a new Wind Resistant, Higher-Speed Surface Lift, that can support 1,200 skiers per hour. Doppelmayr has already begun the survey, design, and engineering work. When finished, Saddleback will feature one of the newest lift systems in all of New England.

Q) Will you open this winter?
A) Majella and the local management team recognize that opening the mountain for the upcoming ski season is a top priority for the Rangeley community and its loyal constituents, including the many property owners on the mountain. Replacing the Rangeley Chair and T-Bar are at the top of our list, but a project of this scope takes time and we are fighting against the clock. Majella’s team has engaged Doppelmayr, . . . We have much work to do. As soon as our team believes we can deliver a skiing experience that is consistent with our values and meets the needs of our skiing community, we will announce our plans for reopening.

Q) Why did you choose a Fixed Quad and Wind-Resistant T-bar?
A)  The Rangeley Lift and T-Bar replacements have been carefully selected after a thorough analysis of the mountain operations. Majella understands the importance of maintaining the serene trail experience and supreme trail conditions for which Saddleback is well known. There is nothing more frustrating to guests than a wind hold on an epic powder day. We also understand long lift lines are not desired.
  The Berry family’s expansion of Saddleback increased the glades and trails by a significant amount. The new Rangeley quad lift will increase uphill capacity from 700 to 1,500 per hour and eliminate lengthy waits on busier days. The fixed grip option will better match the expanded downhill terrain and allow for uncrowded trails that have become so rare in today’s ski world. Both the quad and the new surface lift T-bar are being designed to withstand windy conditions. For example, the chairs on the new Rangeley quad will be heavier, positioned lower to the ground and will run counterclockwise. This will allow the mountain to run during some of the windy conditions that inevitably come before, during, and after significant snow events.

Q) Who will manage the mountain?
A)  We are very pleased to announce a local and highly experienced mountain operations management team will return to their former capacity. Jim Quimby will head up Mountain Operations. Rangeley residents Greg Andrews and Perry Williams will complete the management team along with former Portland Fire Chief and current Majella CEO - Western Region, Fred LaMontagne. Mr LaMontagne will serve as the resort’s CEO and focus on long- range planning and strategic operations. Retired Maj. Gen. John W. Libby will continue to advise Majella with regards to the mountain.
   Former Saddleback General Manager, Chris Farmer will remain an advisor to the Berry family and work toward a successful transition. Employees who held other key and support positions at the mountain are encouraged to re-apply. As the vision for a premiere four-season resort takes hold, we expect to welcome many new and former employees to Saddleback.

https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/saddleback-mountain-buyer-arrested-overseas-charged-with-fraud/97-566216517

Harvey wrote

https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/saddleback-mountain-buyer-arrested-overseas-charged-with-fraud/97-566216517

The Berry's picked a winner.

https://www.newenglandskiindustry.com/viewstory.php?storyid=776

Shades of Tupper

Rangely > Tupper Lake