To the Massanutten Community:
Several items this time around. I’d like to start with the upcoming 50th Anniversary Dinner (this Saturday, November 20), at which we’ll induct our first members of the Massanutten Hall of Fame. Each year going forward, we’ll induct at least two Members: someone from the Community, whose contributions are especially noteworthy, and a former (or current) Massanutten staff member who’s worked hard to make the community a better place.
Tickets for the dinner are almost sold out, but you can still purchase them if you act fast. All proceeds will fund the Massanutten Ski and Snowboard Team, which introduces area kids to the thrill of competition on snow. You can purchase tickets by clicking here. Please do so promptly!
I’d like to thank all the participants at the Turkey Bowl Golf Tournament on November 13. A regular event here, the Turkey Bowl has a unique aspect: each participant is required to bring a 10-pound turkey as part of their entry fee. The turkeys are given to the food bank at Elkton Area United Services (EAUS), helping area residents in need enjoy the holidays. EAUS is one of the worthy local organizations that we help support, and as our Community Initiative program grows, we’ll provide further assistance in the future. Look for updates in future posts.
Next up: some background on the on-mountain improvements we previously announced. Over the course of the next several years, we’re going to significantly improve the ski and snowboard experience. Projects include replacing Lift Six (which goes to Massanutten Peak) with a high-speed quad and some significant trail expansions. You might be curious about why we’re doing what we’re doing.
Massanutten currently offers terrain for most levels of skiers and snowboarders. But we lack anything for highly accomplished participants, and all of our blue-square or “more difficult” terrain is accessed from Lift Five. Blue square terrain is the most popular, and that means that the queues for Lift Five can be longer than we (and our guests) would prefer. It also means that skiers favoring blue-square terrain aren’t accessing the summit, which affords some of the best views.
The projects include improvements to the upper part of the Lift Six lift line to make it skiable; this will be the first double-black-diamond trail at Massanutten (intended for true expert skiers and riders). The projects will also add two blue-square routes from the top of Massanutten Peak.
With the added flexibility those trails will bring, the new detachable lift should help keep wait times at both Lifts Five and Six very reasonable.
The expansion is made possible in part by improvements made to the resort’s snowmaking water capacity in recent years, including last year’s deepening of Painter’s Pond and the pipeline project of a few years ago.
Another fun fact about the expansion: design work was done by SE Group, which is one of the world’s most respected ski resort planning and engineering firms. SE Group was co-founded by the late Sel Hannah, a former ski racer. Sel designed the original trail layout here at Massanutten, as well as the original layouts at famed resorts including Stratton Mountain, Vermont; Loon Mountain and Waterville Valley, New Hampshire; Sugarloaf and Sunday River in Maine, and the Mary Jane area of Winter Park, Colorado. He also significantly contributed to the original layout at Vail, Colorado. In all, Sel left his mark on more than 200 ski areas in North America.
SE Group incorporates many of Sel’s design concepts – updated to modern standards, of course. The selection of SE Group for Massanutten’s new ski expansion keeps things all in the family.
Of course, those changes will be seen in winters to come. Right now, we’re concentrating on getting ready for the winter that is nearly upon us, and putting the finishing touches on improvements to the learning area (including a new Magic Carpet in place of the J-Bar) and completing the installation of many new energy-efficient snowmaking guns. The Mid-Mountain Grill expansion is finished (with a new restroom area), as is the Ski Patrol First Aid Room remodeling. Additionally, new RFID access gates for the lifts are going in; these no mare paper lift tickets at Massanutten!
Cordially,
Matthias Smith, VP/General Manager, Massanutten Resort
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