{"id":18089,"date":"2015-10-15T18:18:28","date_gmt":"2015-10-15T22:18:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2015\/10\/west-mountain-gears-up-for-the-winter-ski-season-will-have-new-more-modern-chairlift.html"},"modified":"2015-10-15T18:18:28","modified_gmt":"2015-10-15T22:18:28","slug":"west-mountain-gears-up-for-the-winter-ski-season-will-have-new-more-modern-chairlift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2015\/10\/west-mountain-gears-up-for-the-winter-ski-season-will-have-new-more-modern-chairlift\/","title":{"rendered":"West Mountain Gears Up For The Winter Ski Season; Will Have New, More Modern Chairlift"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\"wset\n<\/div>\n
Before the snow sets in for the winter, crews are busy at West Mountain in Queensbury preparing for the season. There will be a new chairlift and a new ski trail that will run under the lift.\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

BY ANDREA PALMER<\/p>\n

There many upgrades in the works at West
\nMountain ski area on West Mountain Road in
\nQueensbury as preparations are made for the
\n2015-16 season.<\/p>\n

A new chairlift is going in near the main lodge.
\nThe summit chair used previously was installed in
\n1966. It went to the face of the mountain and was
\nlater extended to the top of the mountain. It was an
\nold center-fold Riblet chairlift and was somewhat
\ndifficult to get on.<\/p>\n

“It’s long overdue,” said Spencer Montgomery,
\nco-owner and operator of West Mountain of the
\nnew lift. “There’s been a clamoring for a new lift
\nthat reached a dull roar. The lifts were routinely
\ninspected and up to code, but perception is reality
\nand when people see a lift that looks like it was put
\nin in 1966, that’s a hard thing to get past.”
\nThe new lift will be a fixed-grip triple apparatus
\nthat will leave from the courtyard, he said.<\/p>\n

The loading point was reset to the middle of the
\ncourtyard. The old chairlift was built where the
\nold lodge was–now the location of the rental shop. To get to the chairlift, skiers had to traverse
\napproximately 200 yards and go up about 12-foot
\nrise in elevation. This proved difficult for beginners
\nand children.<\/p>\n

The new chairlift will provide a faster and more
\ncomfortable ride, he said. It will span open terrain
\nthat is now being developed into a new ski run.
\nThe new run underneath the chairlift will be
\ncalled the Gnar-Wall. The Gnar-Wall comes off of
\nthe Holy Mackerel, an older ski trail from years
\npast. The un-maintained Holy Mackerel had
\ngrown in over 90 percent of its original width and
\nhad no snow making or lighting.<\/p>\n

Holy Mackerel has been brought back to its
\noriginal condition and the Gnar-Wall was added
\nto the cleared terrain underneath the chairlift. It
\nwill give skiers a coveted view from the top of the
\nmountain, Montgomery said.<\/p>\n

The new run will allow the mountain to host
\ninternational F.I.S. and U.S.A.A. races near the
\nmain base and lodge.
\nThe project itself has been regulated by the state Department of Labor, since chairlifts are
\nconsidered an amusement ride. An independent
\nengineering firm was brought on site during the
\nplanning process.<\/p>\n

Montgomery said development of the Gnar-
\nWall was somewhat accidental.
\n“We had to clear the land anyway for the chairlift.
\nWe thought, we’re never going to keep the kids
\noff of it. We considered roping off the top of the
\nhill before finally coming to the rather expensive
\ndecision of making the cleared terrain skiable,”
\nsaid Montgomery.<\/p>\n

Another big development is improved snow
\nmaking. West Mountain has entered into a deal
\nwith HKD Snowmakers out of Natick, Mass. New
\nsnow guns, air water sticks and fan guns were
\npurchased to upgrade snow-making technology.
\nThe upgrade will increase snow making capacity
\nby about 50 percent, he said.<\/p>\n

Some $300,000 was invested in 275 new fixtures
\nof LED lights. National Grid has been working
\nwith the mountain on the project that will replace
\nold fixtures with new ones, said Montgomery.<\/p>\n

Montgomery took over as co-owner and
\noperator of the mountain in December of 2013.
\nThe mountain was purchased through Chapter 11 bankruptcy by Apex Capital LLC, of which
\nMontgomery is a partner. Montgomery’s wife,
\nSarah Montgomery, acts as director of public
\nrelations and oversees the day-to-day operations
\nof the facility.<\/p>\n

Immediately after the purchase, about $500,000
\nof renovations and cleaning were done at the lodge,
\nas well as a $70,000 in bathroom remodeling.
\nMontgomery eventually plans to develop the
\nTriple Base area. The development would include
\nshops and restaurants with mixed-use condos and
\ntime-share units, and possibly an athletic club.<\/p>\n

“It’s a beautiful piece of property. It could
\nbe done in a New England style. It’s got the old
\ncobblestone fences. There could be walking paths,”
\nsaid Montgomery.<\/p>\n

The main lodge would remain the base area for
\nlessons and tubing. The Triple Base area would be
\nquieter, with a “destination-resort” feel, he said.
\nWest Mountain has a 1,000-foot vertical drop
\nfrom peak to parking lot. The average trail length
\ntop to bottom is around 1.2 miles. The new chairlift
\nwill expose these features.<\/p>\n

“We want to be a family ski center that is far
\nless expensive. We want to be an affordable resort,
\nand make it up on volume,” said Montgomery.<\/p>\n

Photo\/Todd Bissonette Photography<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Before the snow sets in for the winter, crews are busy at West Mountain in Queensbury preparing for the season. There will be a new chairlift and a new ski trail that will run under the lift.BY ANDREA PALMER…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[66,121],"yoast_head":"\r\nWest Mountain Gears Up For The Winter Ski Season; Will Have New, More Modern Chairlift - Glens Falls Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2015\/10\/west-mountain-gears-up-for-the-winter-ski-season-will-have-new-more-modern-chairlift\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"West Mountain Gears Up For The Winter Ski Season; Will Have New, More Modern Chairlift - Glens Falls Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Before the snow sets in for the winter, crews are busy at West Mountain in Queensbury preparing for the season. There will be a new chairlift and a new ski trail that will run under the lift.BY ANDREA PALMER...\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2015\/10\/west-mountain-gears-up-for-the-winter-ski-season-will-have-new-more-modern-chairlift\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Glens Falls Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-10-15T22:18:28+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/109\/2015\/10\/wset20mt20220hc.jpg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Amanda Delyser\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Amanda Delyser\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2015\/10\/west-mountain-gears-up-for-the-winter-ski-season-will-have-new-more-modern-chairlift\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2015\/10\/west-mountain-gears-up-for-the-winter-ski-season-will-have-new-more-modern-chairlift\/\",\"name\":\"West Mountain Gears Up For The Winter Ski Season; Will Have New, More Modern Chairlift - Glens Falls Business Journal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2015-10-15T22:18:28+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-10-15T22:18:28+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/9d7e187e0edba5e188b14052e66c4fc5\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2015\/10\/west-mountain-gears-up-for-the-winter-ski-season-will-have-new-more-modern-chairlift\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2015\/10\/west-mountain-gears-up-for-the-winter-ski-season-will-have-new-more-modern-chairlift\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2015\/10\/west-mountain-gears-up-for-the-winter-ski-season-will-have-new-more-modern-chairlift\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"West Mountain Gears Up For The Winter Ski Season; Will Have New, More Modern Chairlift\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/\",\"name\":\"Glens Falls Business Journal\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/9d7e187e0edba5e188b14052e66c4fc5\",\"name\":\"Amanda Delyser\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4192a4b199506cdd7a2d2166c1a16dd3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4192a4b199506cdd7a2d2166c1a16dd3?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Amanda Delyser\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/author\/amandadelyser\/\"}]}<\/script>\r\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"West Mountain Gears Up For The Winter Ski Season; Will Have New, More Modern Chairlift - Glens Falls Business Journal","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2015\/10\/west-mountain-gears-up-for-the-winter-ski-season-will-have-new-more-modern-chairlift\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"West Mountain Gears Up For The Winter Ski Season; Will Have New, More Modern Chairlift - Glens Falls Business Journal","og_description":"Before the snow sets in for the winter, crews are busy at West Mountain in Queensbury preparing for the season. There will be a new chairlift and a new ski trail that will run under the lift.BY ANDREA PALMER...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2015\/10\/west-mountain-gears-up-for-the-winter-ski-season-will-have-new-more-modern-chairlift\/","og_site_name":"Glens Falls Business Journal","article_published_time":"2015-10-15T22:18:28+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/109\/2015\/10\/wset20mt20220hc.jpg"}],"author":"Amanda Delyser","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Amanda Delyser","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2015\/10\/west-mountain-gears-up-for-the-winter-ski-season-will-have-new-more-modern-chairlift\/","url":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2015\/10\/west-mountain-gears-up-for-the-winter-ski-season-will-have-new-more-modern-chairlift\/","name":"West Mountain Gears Up For The Winter Ski Season; Will Have New, More Modern Chairlift - Glens Falls Business Journal","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#website"},"datePublished":"2015-10-15T22:18:28+00:00","dateModified":"2015-10-15T22:18:28+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/9d7e187e0edba5e188b14052e66c4fc5"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2015\/10\/west-mountain-gears-up-for-the-winter-ski-season-will-have-new-more-modern-chairlift\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2015\/10\/west-mountain-gears-up-for-the-winter-ski-season-will-have-new-more-modern-chairlift\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2015\/10\/west-mountain-gears-up-for-the-winter-ski-season-will-have-new-more-modern-chairlift\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"West Mountain Gears Up For The Winter Ski Season; Will Have New, More Modern Chairlift"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/","name":"Glens Falls Business Journal","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/9d7e187e0edba5e188b14052e66c4fc5","name":"Amanda Delyser","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4192a4b199506cdd7a2d2166c1a16dd3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/4192a4b199506cdd7a2d2166c1a16dd3?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Amanda Delyser"},"url":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/author\/amandadelyser\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18089"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/88"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18089"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18089\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}