Offseason Recap

Vermont:

Killington and Pico sold. POWDR sold Killington and Pico to a group of local investors led by Phill Gross and Michael Ferri. Killington will remain on IKON pass and all staff will remain in place while POWDR retains a minority stake. The sale is expected to be complete in the fall and announcements on future improvements are expected to follow.

Jay Peak named to New England Ski Area in the preseason. Jay Peak took the top spot in the preseason rankings after beating out some of the best ski areas in the region. It took the top spot because of its consistently good winters and seemingly never-ending snowfall because of the Jay Cloud.

Mid-Station added to the Sunnyside Chair at Mad River Glen. Mad River Glen is building a mid-station on the Sunnyside Chair which is aiming to be completed December 2024. This will help in the beginning of the season as it will give access to trails that have snowmaking while the summit trails rely on natural snow. It will provide better access to the Birdland Chairlift and be located near the trail Chipmunk.

New Heavens Gate Quad at Sugarbush. The Heavens Gate Triple is being replaced with a new fixed grip quad at Sugarbush which will open for the 2024-2025 season. The lift will have a loading conveyor which allows it to run faster and the chairs will be heavier which will make it more resistant to the wind.

Paul Maitland named General Manager at Magic Mountain. Paul Maitland was promoted to General Manager of Magic Mountain after serving as the Mountain Operations Director since 2022. Maitland previously served in Stratton’s mountain operations department for 25 years.

Middlebury Snowbowl to upgrade Bailey Falls Chairlift and joins Indy Pass. Middlebury Snowbowl announced that it will make a series of upgrades to the Bailey Falls Chairlift that will “ensure the lift’s dependability for years to come” and will begin immediately. The completion date for this project is currently unknown.

Shannon Buhler leaves Stowe for Keystone. Stowe is in need of a new Vice President and General Manager after Buhler accepted the same position with Keystone in Colorado. Buhler took over for Bobby Murphy who left before last ski season. No replacement has been named yet.

Kim Essensa named General Manager at Middlebury Snowbowl. Kim Essensa has left the Dartmouth Skiway to become the General Manager at Middlebury Snowbowl. Essensa most recently served as the Guest Experience Manager at Dartmouth Skiway.

New Hampshire:

New Gondola coming soon at Loon. Loon has announced that they will be installing a new Pulse Gondola from Riverwalk Resort to the new South Peak area at Loon and is projected to open during the 2025-2026 season. The Pulse Gondola is the first of its kind in New England and was designed by Doppelmayr.

Hunky Dory trail returns at Attitash. The reshaping of Attitash continues as the removal of the mountain coaster brings the return of the Hunky Dory trail which has been blocked since 2010. This will mean Attitash gets a new trail map for the third straight season.

Black Mountain future murky. A silent summer has brought more questions than answers on the future of Black Mountain. While it is said to be sold in the future, there has been no timetable on when that is going to happen. Indy Pass announced it as a partner for the upcoming season but other than that there have been no operational updates.

Robert Drake begins first season at Gunstock. With the retirement of Tom Day, Gunstock named Robert Drake as the new President and General Manager. Drake comes from the Middlebury Snowbowl after stops at Bridger Bowl and Red Lodge Mountain.

Ragged Mountain joins Indy Pass. Ragged Mountain is on Indy Pass this upcoming year although they are owned by Pacific Group Resorts.

Maine:

New summit high speed quad at Pleasant Mountain. Pleasant Mountain is set to introduce a new high speed quad that will provide summit access from the main base area. This provides a much quicker ride to the summit and takes over for the Summit Triple as there were a lot of issues with it last season.

Double chairlift and new trail at Lost Valley. Lost Valley is currently installing a double chair that was sent from Ski Southington in Connecticut and will be known as Chair 3. Bull Moose trail is also being widened as well as a new trail being cut between Lynx and Logging Trail.

New fixed grip quad replacing double chair at Big Rock. Big Rock is one of the most northern ski areas in Maine and they are getting a huge upgrade as the new fixed grip quad is almost done being installed.

Camden Snowbowl and Mt Abram join Indy Pass. Camden Snowbowl and Mount Abram have joined Indy Pass for this season.

Purchase for Big Moose Mountain withdrawn. The purchase of Big Moose Mountain has now been withdrawn leaving for some uncertainty as they try and work back from having their snowmaking facility damaged last year. The mountain will continue to operate as a nonprofit this season.

Southern New England:

New summit Skytrac Quad at Ski Sundown. The new summit Skytrac Quad is coming along nicely at Ski Sundown and should be ready to go for this season.

New six pack to be installed at Wachusett. Wachusett is going to replace the Polar Express Quad with a brand new six person chairlift for the 2025-2026 season. The chairlift has not yet been purchased and more details will be announced in the future.

Geoff Homer to operate Blue Hills Ski Area. Geoff Homer will operate Blue Hills Ski Area for at least five years as it has been run by Campgaw Mountain in New Jersey the past few seasons. Homer was the previous owner of Shawnee Peak (Now Pleasant Mountain) before it was sold to Boyne Resorts.

Woodbury Ski Area sold. Woodbury Ski Area has been sold to a local family who will be turning it into a home. Woodbury has not operated since 2016 and was known for its early season openings. It was purchased for $675,000. It is unknown whether it will open for private skiing again.