The Snow Report: Lost Valley Sold, Boston Ski & Snowboard Expo
The famous multicolored chairlifts at Lost Valley. Photo via Lost Valley
Welcome to the first installment of this season’s edition of Boston magazine’s Snow Report, a weekly column on the New England ski world. Look to this spot for all the latest and greatest.
Lost Valley Is Found
A New Hampshire tramway inspector is coming to the rescue of Lost Valley, an Auburn, Maine, ski resort known for its multicolored chairlifts.
The Lewiston Sun Journal reported on Sunday that Robert Scott Shanaman of Wilton, New Hampshire, has stepped forward to buy the resort. A purchase and sales agreement between current owners Connie King and Linc Hayes was signed last week, but the deal is still waiting on the approval of financing.
“He’s buying it for less than we were into it for. On top of that, he has the advantage of being in the trade and rubbing arms with the piston-pulley people and manufacturers. He knows the lifts and he knows that whole end of the trade, which gives him certain advantages,” Hayes told the paper.
The news caused a spike in the sale of season passes at the resort. Last season the resort sold just 255 passes all year, but this year they’ve already sold 375.
“We were full of people when we opened up this morning,” Tad Bettcher, the ski and snowboard school director, told the paper.
King and Hayes were part of a group of investors who took over Lost Valley in 1999 with big plans to upgrade the mountain, but the planned changes never came through.
Lost Valley was opened by Otto Wallingford and Dr. Camille Gardner in 1961.
Boston Ski and Snowboard Expo
It’s that time of year: The Boston Ski and Snowboard Expo is coming to town. Next week, the massive winter sports expo will fill the Seaport World Trade Center for four days from Thursday, November 12 through Sunday, November 15. Tickets are just $15, while children 12 and under get in free. You can order tickets online or at the door. All ticket purchases come with a free year-long subscription to Ski or Skiing magazine plus a $10 ticket to the Orbitz of skiing sites, Liftopia. Free advice: Sign up for every free raffle at this event, because you never know if you’ll win.
Boston Ski & Sports Club Blizzard Party
BSSC is kicking off ski season with its annual Blizzard party at Royale Boston on November 11 from 6 to 9 pm. Attendees will get all kinds of freebies, discounts, and more. And yes, there will beer and shotskis at this party. BSSC also announces its 2016 ski trip schedule. I went in 2014 and had a blast. Admission is $15 per person BSSC members save $5. Trust me, this is a party you don’t want to miss.
