To the Massanutten Community:
Some exciting news: we’re about to begin construction on NEW SKI TRAILS!
Within a week or two, Massanutten Resort operations personnel will start taking equipment to the summit via the access road. One everything is in place, clearing for our first major new trail since the 1980s will begin.
If you ride the Peak Quad (Lift Six) sometime during the remainder of the ski season, you may see the start of the trail – to be named Mueller’s Mile – off to your right as you get off the lift. Nearly a mile in length (including a tie-in to the lower part of the Peak Quad liftline), it will provide the first blue-square run from the summit of Massanutten Peak. Later this summer, we also expect another significant route from the summit, as we cut a connector between the top of Peak Quad and the Ridge Triple (Lift Five) and an advanced trail from Diamond Jim to connect to the lower section of Mueller’s Mile.
Mueller’s Mile will start out fairly gently (a 10 – 12.5% pitch is expected) before it swings right into the fall line and steepens somewhat. Trail width at the top will be fairly narrow, then widen to an average width of about 75’ (and probably half again as much at the major turns.
There isn’t much in the way of timber along the planned route; if you’ve been around long enough, you know we had a major gypsy moth kill here in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Most of the older trees still standing aren’t in very good shape, though there’s a lot of younger pioneer growth that will be cleared. Salvageable logs will be saved and trucked down the hill later for firewood (Shenandoah Provisions has first dibs on the oak, which they feed into their barbecue smokers).
In all, we expect to clear about 14 acres in various trail projects this year. Trail expansion projects will continue next summer as well; as we’ve previously announced, in the summer of 2023 the old Peak Quad will be dismantled and replaced by a new high speed detachable quad chairlift, at which time the upper section of the liftline will be improved to provide Massanutten’s first double-black-diamond run.
As you’d expect, the cutting and grading of the trails is only part of the project. We must also install water pipes, compressed air lines on some trails and electrical systems for fan guns and lights. In all, we expect to put nearly five miles of pipe in the ground this summer, and miles of wire. You’ll be pleased to know that all of this work is being done with energy efficiency in mind; the new snow guns already in service this winter – and those that will come online for next season – are state of the art when it comes to minimizing carbon footprint.
During construction, crews will follow a strict erosion control plan approved by the State of Virginia. Open areas of soil will be graded as rapidly as possible and re-seeded with fast-growing grasses. Water bars with erosion traps will be installed along the trails; culverts will be installed as needed.
Trail construction for next season and the one following is going to make significant improvements to Massanutten’s trail variety – and the best part is that it should significantly improve lift and trail utilization. Much of our most popular terrain is now accessible only via the Ridge Triple; in coming years some of that terrain will also be accessible from Massanutten Peak. That, coupled with the new runs from the Peak and the carrying capacity of the high-speed quad coming online in 2023-24, really help distribute skiers and riders around the mountain.
One last bit of fun information about this expansion: the original trail layout here at Massanutten was done by Sel Hannah, who founded Snow Engineering. Sel is gone now, but his company – now called Sno.E – remains one of the most highly respected ski resort engineering firms in the world. The design work for our expansion was done by Sno.E, which still embraces many of Sel’s concepts for designing ski trails that are fun to ski, easy to maintain, and grace – rather than damage – the mountain environment.
Cordially,
Matthias Smith, VP/General Manager, Massanutten Resort
Leave a Reply