« Previous Story |
The Industry Report Home Page
| Next Story »
Chondola Will Be Lynchpin In Sunday Surge
By Craig Altschul
March 27, 2008
Staying competitive in New England can be dicey. But, Boyne USA (buoyed by its long-term deal with CNL) is pouring it on at Sunday River, Maine this summer and is expected to do the same at its Sugarloaf and Loon Mt. properties in "the near future."
"Boyne Resorts, along with capital partner CNL Income Properties, have opened a new door for Sunday River," Dana Bullen, resort general manager told The Industry Report Thursday. "The chondola and accompanying improvements are the first step in a process that all levels of our company are excited about. It's been less than a year since we joined the Boyne Resorts family. I think the short term results speak for themselves. In the longer term, we are in the process of unveiling a vision for the resort that will guide us for years to come."
Boyne's Steven Kircher says Sunday River (once the playground of Les Otten and the birthplace of the now defunct American Skiing Company) is "now on the way to reaching its full potential. Kircher says property owners and New England pass holders "have a lot to look forward to."
Here's why. Boyne is spending $14 million this summer to install the first chondola lift in a Northeastern U.S. mountain resort and on other improvements. The company has invested nearly $20 million since taking over the resort several years ago. A chondola (rolls off the tongue, doesn't it) is a hybrid detachable six-person chairlift that also carries gondola cars at regular intervals. The chondola is manufactured by Dopplemayr CTEC.
The first U.S. chondola arrived in the '90s and is a popular feature at Telluride's Mountain Village in Colorado. You'll find this combo transportation at resorts such as Northstar-at-Tahoe, Calif.; Verbier, Switz; and, even Sheregesh, Russia (wonder whether first choice is chair or cabin in Siberia?).
Bullen says the chondola is the "marquis element" in the resort's four-season amenity expansion plans. It will allow foot passenger access to the mid-mountain Peak Lodge, cuts a trip that normally took two rides to one, and makes it possible for special event, summer, and mountain biking guests to gain access to North Peak. The chondola will make it possible for 12 hours of skiing on North Peak and South Ridge.
New snowmaking equipment ($1.7 million), work on resort condos and hotels including Boyne Beds (a custom-designed sleep system), and new connecting walking paths between the base areas and those nifty beds are planned. The resort hopes to fire up the chondola and all else for next season, pending state and local approvals.
« Previous Story |
The Industry Report Home Page
| Next Story » |
Email To A Friend
|
