Stratton spending $8.9 million
STRATTON- Stratton Mountain is investing $8.9 million in capital improvements for the 2022-2023 season, enhancing multiple facets of the guest and employee experience, beginning with new mountain bike trails for summer 2022. Work crews started breaking ground in various locations around the resort as early as April, once the winter season concluded.
The Stratton Bike Park will be adding five trails this season with the help of Sinuosity Flowing Trails, bringing the total trail count to 16 designated mountain biking routes. This includes the newly-designed trail “Paper Route” stretching 1.23 miles into the Snow Bowl area and the 1-mile multi-directional “Bear’s Den” connecting the Bike Park to the Sun Bowl area.
A skills park, Kick Start, is the newest addition to the main base area. Kick Start will also be the home for Stratton Mountain Sports School’s MTB lessons, with ideal terrain to promote proper technique; practice braking, cornering, riding rollers, and jumping; and educate proper trail etiquette and safety before heading up American Express and dropping in.
Sinuosity is completing regular spring trail maintenance in the Stratton Bike Park, now in season four, of the 10 existing downhill trails and one uphill trail. Favorites like Bermie Sanders and Gravitas are getting dialed in for bike season.
A total parking lot resurfacing and paving project has been completed for the Stratton golf course. In total, 45,000 square feet of the Stratton golf club parking lot and drop-off loop have been ripped up and resurfaced with crushed gravel and new blacktop. When traveling along the lake and mountain courses, notice a total of 3,800 linear feet of newly-surfaced cart paths in sections on both courses. These enhancements ensure that the 27-hole Geoffrey Cornish-designed golf course maintains its championship-level condition.
Equipment upgrades have been purchased for the golf course, including a Toro 684 aerifier and Toro 3150-Q green mower for advanced green maintenance, resulting in consistent greens speeds across all three courses. A John Deere tractor has also been purchased to have a more uniform stand of rough and decrease the time needed to cut. A tractor-mounted Agrimetal turbine blower has been purchased to remove grass clippings, debris, leaves, and other unwanted materials from the course for an increased level of course play and appearance.
Stratton Mountain is continuing its annual investment in snowmaking infrastructure upgrades, including a new switchgear in the energy center for increased power transmission, new pumps, motors, valves, and hydrants as well as snowmaking pipe replacements and maintenance. All new energy-efficient HKD Impulse R5 snowmaking guns have been purchased and are being installed on Polar Bear and various other trails to update the mountain’s snow gun technology in a continued partnership with Efficiency Vermont. All lifts are on schedule to receive annual periodic maintenance with the replacement of various mechanical and electrical components.
Other resort capital projects include a commitment to the employee experience with a $20 an hour minimum wage coming for winter 2022 - 2023. Three new public resort transportation buses and two new shuttle buses for the Black Bear Lodge have been purchased to enhance inter-resort travel. The summit ski patrol building is getting remodeled with plans for new siding and interior renovations. Work was completed on the pool and roof at the Stratton training and fitness center as well as other interior renovations. The MOOver will be returning for winter 2022 - 2023 as a free public transit system, connecting Stratton Mountain Resort to the Manchester area, with daily shuttle service increasing mountain access.
