Letters From Lindsay, Vol. 14

Timberline Lodge

To the BV Community,

How did it get to be the end of March already??  I think the passage of time may always be a little uncanny and certainly the end of a season always seems to come as a surprise.  This year is no exception, and as the wind down each year is inevitably somewhat unique, I thought I would reach out to share our thoughts and plans as we prepare to bring another season to a close. 

As we have done for the past several years, we plan to run seven-day-a-week lift operations through the first weekend in April, after which point, we will assess whether we can extend our operations on weekends only to get some BV Bonus Weekends.  This year, thanks in large part to the 3’ storm mother nature sent our way last week, it’s looking like the answer will almost certainly be:  Yes! Yes! Yes!

But first thing’s first – this week and next week through Friday, March 31st we will run full lift operations – all our hours, day and night.  March 31st will be our last day of night skiing for the season so come out and get it while you can!  Enjoy the long day and catch a late sunset from the top of Vista!  April 1 and 2nd – conditions permitting – we will spin all lifts 9am – 4pm. 

Ok – onto the plan for our bonus weekends. 

Depending on conditions we will extend ski operations through either one or two bonus weekends with the potential last day of the ski season for BV being April 16th this year.  Note that our hours for the bonus weekends will push back a tiny bit to run lifts from 10am – 5pm.  Our thinking on this is…. spring brings its own conditions and dynamics – with firm mornings, softening through the day, we think starting a little later, letting the snow soften up a bit and then giving you a little longer to ski in the afternoons during these longer days will just be better and more fun! 

Now obviously, the weather may not cooperate and we may end up wrapping the season sooner than we’d like, but that’s our goal and, as of now, with the base we have, that’s our plan. 

But there’s more – there’s a twist!  We are going to try something a little different this year and we are going to hold our bonus weekend skiing at Timberline!!

Why – you might ask?  Well, we have a bunch of reasons. 

First – spring skiing at Timberline is the bomb.  It’s sunnier, warmer, and more wide open.  Second, thanks to Blauvelt’s Banks, we made a ton of snow down there for the banked slalom course that we can plow out and harvest to expand the season as long as possible.  Third, the new base lodge is sooo nice now and we love the indoor-outdoor flow of the lodge to lift experience, especially with El Gato cooking and the new bar down there, we think it will be the place to be for après ski in the spring sunshine.  We will also operate the snowflake lift in case you prefer to park in the main base area. 

And – as if those reasons aren’t compelling enough… there is also a logistical / operational function in this plan as well.  Moving to Timberline will allow us to start to turn over the main base area to get ready for summer operations and this year in particular, it will allow us to get started on some planned and necessary infrastructure improvements to the main base lodge ASAP, including most notably a total roof replacement. 

We expect the base lodge project to take at least two months and we really want it to be finished by the end of June so we can use the base lodge this summer.  Hopefully you have started to join us for all the fun we’ve been having in the summer – if not – put it on your radar!  BV Summers are off the hook with the Vista lift spinning, our MTB park with trails for all ages and abilities, scenic lift rides, our new outdoor pool, summer camps for kids, our weekly music on the lawn series, creemees…. yeah yeah – you gotta check it out!! 

So, yes, spring bonus weekends this year will be at Timberline – and if we keep running Blauvelt’s down there and stockpiling all that snow for the course, it could be the move every year.  We’re looking at this spring as a kind of pilot – we think it’s going to be awesome and, if it’s as fun as we think, it may just become the new normal at BV to extend the season at Timberline. So come give it a try and let us know your thoughts!

Moving forward – we will keep a tight eye on both skiing conditions and the weather forecast and make the best call we can about our bonus weekends in real time.  Please keep your eye on our snow report for all up to date information with all our spring operations developments as they happen. 

And thank you for making it another great season at Bolton Valley. 

Love,
Lindsay