{"id":14595,"date":"2013-12-08T18:04:01","date_gmt":"2013-12-08T23:04:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2013\/12\/skiing-returns-to-west-mountain-with-refurbished-facilities-dining-and-more.html"},"modified":"2013-12-08T18:04:01","modified_gmt":"2013-12-08T23:04:01","slug":"skiing-returns-to-west-mountain-with-refurbished-facilities-dining-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2013\/12\/skiing-returns-to-west-mountain-with-refurbished-facilities-dining-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Skiing Returns To West Mountain, With Refurbished Facilities, Dining And More"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\"west\n<\/div>\n
A snow-making machine does its work in the early morning at West Mountain, which opens this month under new ownership bent on making it a top-notch facility\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

By R.J. DeLuke<\/p>\n

A man who started skiing at West Mountain
\nas a child is engaged in the skiing
\nfacility’s rebirth and opened the mountain
\nthis month for customers.<\/p>\n

Spencer Montgomery, who is buying
\nthe facility and some surrounding acreage
\nthrough his Apex Capital LLC company,
\nhas been working to revive the ski center
\nsince the summer. Snow making began in
\nlate November and a open house, featuring
\nsome ski trails open as well as tubing areas,
\ntook place Dec. 14.<\/p>\n

Montgomery, the youngest of six kids,
\nstarted skiing when he was 3, he said. He
\ngrew up near West Mountain and skied
\nthere for years. His life and business took
\nhim away from the area for about 17 years,
\nbut he returned a few years ago. A friend of
\nthe Brandt family that owned the mountain,
\nMontgomery decided he wanted to revive
\nthe facility and submitted a mission statement
\nin early 2012 containing “what my
\nthoughts were and how to turn it around.”
\nIt was satisfactory, but there was also a matter of the finances of the facility that were problematic. West Mountain was in Chapter 11 bankruptcy. But through Apex Capital, Montgomery’s company, he was able to become the mortgage holder.<\/p>\n

He said the reorganization in bankruptcy court should be approved this month. It has allowed him to move the project forward. But Montgomery and his team have been working steadily since the middle of August.<\/p>\n

He said skiers returning to the slops will definitely notice the improvements and added amenities. But one of the key things to the new owner is customer service, “making sure everyone who comes here is appreciated and welcome here.” “We’ll get people back pretty quickly,” he said.<\/p>\n

“The ski center has an incredible location,” said Montgomery, and has the potential to attract people from all over the state, as well as Canada, New Jersey and around the northeast region. “It should become a very profitable venture … Location-wise, you can’t beat West Mountain. It has some of the best terrain anywhere.”<\/p>\n

\n
\n\"west\n<\/div>\n
Crews have been busy since August getting West Mountain back in shape for skiers\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

He said over the last few months about $400,000 has been invested in the mountain and more investment will be made.<\/p>\n

Crews have rebuilt the snow groomer, remodeled the ski lodge, repaired the roof, painted rooms, re-done the bathroom facilities and refurbished the chairlifts. The snow guns were rebuilt, and put into operation. He said large sections of the mountain had to be mowed, much of which hadn’t been done in years, and trails were widened, involving considerable brush cutting.<\/p>\n

New four-wheel vehicles for staff and new snow machines were purchased and the ski patrol building was refurbished as well.<\/p>\n

The pro shop and ski rental portion of the business has been farmed out to the Sports Page Ski & Patio in Queensbury.<\/p>\n

The new dining service will be overseen by Heather O’Neill, who is co-owner of the Olde Post Grille in Lake George. She will be an employee of West Mountain, said Montgomery. “She’s already done wonders with the menu,” said Montgomery. There will be burgers and soups, basic pub fare and more. There will be sit-down dining and a bar area where people can also eat. “It will be skier and user friendly,” he noted. There is also high-speed wireless Internet access.<\/p>\n

There are three parts of the project Montgomery is addressing: the ski center (about 400 acres), the top of the mountain and the Luzerne Preserve behind it – land that could become housing one day for what he calls a “ski-in, ski-out experience.”<\/p>\n

Montgomery has reclaimed about 1,200 acres so far, which includes the top of the mountain and a plateau behind it. “I wanted to bring the land back together with the ski center. They’d been separated years ago,” he said. In his plan, the ski center “is the economic driver.”<\/p>\n

Future plans call for condos and homes on the top of the mountain, as well as the addition of a mountain-top ski lodge. He knows those are big-ticket items that will take time to develop, but Montgomery expresses confidence that with the right promotion across the northeast, his vision can happen.<\/p>\n

“It’s a great project and there’s a lot of local support for it,” said Montgomery. “It’s a fun project. If we can get though this year, I think we can turn the corner.”<\/p>\n

Photos Courtesy West Mountain<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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