New England Hermitage Club, VT, in the news.

[LKLA]

Majella group, are you listening?

Poor reception in jail!

 

[Wilhelmson]

How many members are there? Are they currenlty locked out of their homes or is it just the ski area and amenities that are locked up?

 

[LegacyGT]

Hard to turn the Hermitage into a greater debacle than it already is. Give credit to where credit is due.

Btw, Mt Snow has been nothing but an EB-5 success - West Lake, the snow making project, the new base lodge at Carinthia...

Surely Mt. Snow has done a better job managing EB-5 programs than some others. My problem with EB-5 is that it looks shady even when it works as it's supposed to. In this case, the optics would be even worse: Wealthy foreigners buy green cards by bailing out a private ski club for wealthy Americans.

 

[K2 Rat]

the first Hermitage property to on public auction is set for June 25th at 10am https://vtdigger.org/2018/06/06/hermitage-property-goes-auction/

 

[LegacyGT]

So the receiver is in place.
http://www.dvalnews.com/news/judge-sets-receivership-duties
Interestingly, the receiver is tasked with maintaining the ski property in a way that would allow it to operate during the 2018/2019 season if the property is sold or reorganized. Conversely, the receiver is to maintain the golf course so that it may become operational in future years but NOT in 2018. This seems a little odd since the golf course has a real track record while there is no evidence that the private ski club model works at this location (and plenty of evidence to the contrary). Maybe the judge has some additional information that would indicate that the ski area could operate in a sustainable way and that there's a potential buyer or reorganization in the works.

 

[James]

What's that new lodge like?
I always that the old one was kind of nice in an 80's way but was only there a few days like 15 yrs ago.

It's a vicious circle. The old lodge was functionally just fine (i think) but not up to the standards of a private club. So, spend 4-5 mill to build a new one. And it keeps on going.

I wonder if Mt Snow is interested in the ski area.

 

[QueueCT]

The base lodge is very, very nice. Upscale locker rooms, fitness facility, game room for kids, decent kitchen and plenty of room. I was a guest of a member a few years back and had to take off my ski boots in the guest locker room before going to lunch. No boots in the dining room.

 

[otisshirley]

I wonder if Mt Snow is interested in the ski area.

They have said they're not interested. And with everything going on at Mount Snow these days, it's hard to see why they would be.

There's a lot more information (and ten times as much ungrounded speculation) in that forum I linked to (look for the Haystack/Hermitage thread), in case you're interested.

 

[LegacyGT]

What's that new lodge like?
I always that the old one was kind of nice in an 80's way but was only there a few days like 15 yrs ago.

I wonder if Mt Snow is interested in the ski area.

The old lodge was serviceable in a no-nonsense sort of way. Not unattractive but not luxurious in any way. It is pointless to compare it to the new lodge because of the passage of time and the focus on luxury. The new lodge is spectacular by just about any standard. I've spent time in the Stratton Mountain Club, Deer Valley and some others. The lodge at the Hermitage gives up nothing to any of these spots. It is beautiful, comfortable and appropriate. As with much of the work that the Hermitage Club did, there is an attention to detail and no signs of cutting corners. (It seems like only Accounts Payable was responsible for cutting corners.) The lodge has a slew of amenities although it proved to be lacking on space during busy days.

It's hard to see the circumstances under which it makes sense for Mt. Snow to buy this place.

• They owned it once. It was a good overflow spot for crowded weekends and holidays. They offered a Haystack-only lift ticket at a fraction of the Mt. Snow price and still very few people skied there. The terrain just isn't great.
  
• Combining the two areas would require overcoming hurdles from the financial to the environmental. Operating Mt. Snow is expensive enough To operate a much larger area would add a lot of cost without necessarily attractive many more guests.

Still, some of the luxury properties (lodge, Hermitage Inn, etc.) would allow Mt. Snow to target a luxury-oriented crowd that it now targets with the Grand Summit Hotel that offers a veneer of luxury, at best. They also have a new high speed lift (is it paid for?) that Mt. Snow might be interested in acquiring.

 

[LiquidFeet]

Here you go... interior and exterior of the lodge. From this site, which has more pictures:
http://austindesign.biz/mountain-architecture-vermonts-newest-ski-lodge/

 

[surfsnowgirl]

Wow, looks like a gorgeous place.

Cue the music from the Shining when the camera is panning through the old ballroom of the Overlook Hotel with the parties and good times of the past that were had there.

 

[LiquidFeet]

Reminds me a little of the Seattle Ridge Lodge at Sun Valley, only this is bigger.

 

[K2 Rat]

View attachment 47488 Here you go... interior and exterior of the lodge. From this site, which has more pictures:
http://austindesign.biz/mountain-architecture-vermonts-newest-ski-lodge/
View attachment 47487

Although it is beautiful, it is not nearly big enough to service lunch at the peak holiday times. The dining area is just not that big and they instituted a rule 2 years ago that no guests could eat lunch between 11:30 and 1:30.

As you can see, there is a rack full of skis at night. If a member is going to ski a day, they notify the club and they put your skis into a numbered slot in the racks the night before so you can find them. They stay outside until your last day of skiing and then are brought back in and put in your locker for you.

 

[LegacyGT]

Although it is beautiful, it is not nearly big enough to service lunch at the peak holiday times. The dining area is just not that big and they instituted a rule 2 years ago that no guests could eat lunch between 11:30 and 1:30.

This was controversial but doesn't bother me that much. As a skier I'd rather not take off my boots and eat in a place like that in the middle of the ski day. But many members (skiers or not) want that type of dining experience and the club struggled to deliver it because of space constraints. A minor point but evidence of the club's priorities can be seen in the interior photo above. There's a large bubble-covered table that I believe is a scale model of the club and it's properties. This space probably could have fit another table or two but the club was more focused on selling a house to the next member than serving existing ones.

 

[RJS]

Gorgeous. It definitely gives off a Deer Valley/Snowbasin vibe. One of my favorite things about skiing is the incredible variety in everything from terrain to views to on-mountain lodges. I love the Goldminer's Daughter and I also love the Empire Canyon Lodge.

I don't know what will happen to the resort here, but it would be a shame for properties like this one to go to waste.

 

[LegacyGT]

I drove through some of the property this past weekend. A real ghost town around the base area. Lots of houses and condos in various states of construction. Lovely sign at the bottom of the access road apologizing for the road conditions and promising that the road would be repaired at the end of the season. Right.

 

[K2 Rat]

https://vtdigger.org/2018/07/12/hermitage-club-members-want-to-lease-haystack-for-ski-season/

 

[Erik Timmerman]

I hop those members are able to pull it off. Every year that place is closed, the odds of them saving it drop.

 

[Uncle Louie]

OUCH !

https://www.dvalnews.com/news/hermitage-club-vendor-wins-16-million-judgment

https://www.dvalnews.com/news/judge-awards-lorista-12-million-hermitage-rent-suit

https://www.dvalnews.com/news/former-hermitage-cfo-wins-judgment-unpaid-wages-claim

 

[K2 Rat]

at least it sounds a bit more promising . We will see....

https://www.reformer.com/stories/hermitage-club-may-have-new-lease-on-life,545918