{"id":4724,"date":"2004-07-26T13:32:53","date_gmt":"2004-07-26T13:32:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.alpinezone.com\/content\/?page_id=4724"},"modified":"2012-06-14T00:36:13","modified_gmt":"2012-06-14T00:36:13","slug":"alpinezone-challenge-2004-chris-bradford-of-crotched-mountain","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.alpinezone.com\/skiing\/challenge\/challenge2004\/alpinezone-challenge-2004-chris-bradford-of-crotched-mountain\/","title":{"rendered":"AlpineZone Challenge 2004 – Chris Bradford of Crotched Mountain"},"content":{"rendered":"
The AlpineZone Ski Area Challenge was designed to provide a method for our\u00a0forum<\/a>\u00a0members to get official answers to skiing-related questions directly from a ski area representative.\u00a0Chris Bradford<\/strong>,\u00a0Director of Marketing\u00a0<\/em>at\u00a0Crotched Mountain Ski Area<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>in Bennington, New Hampshire, took the AlpineZone Ski Area Challenge and provided the following responses on 7\/26\/2004:<\/p>\n thetrailboss:\u00a0<\/strong>Great to see Crotched come back! We would have visited, but, to be honest from the information I saw, your pricing structure was not attractive to us. I’d love to ski from open to close, but this is not realistic or feasible and that is why we purchase half day, day, or night tickets. With this said, what will the rate structure be for this season? Will you offer day\/night\/half day tickets as opposed to “one rate”? thetrailboss:\u00a0<\/strong>I heard that you do have promotions, but that they were not well advertised or organized. Are there any on the horizon for this season we should be aware of? Regarding ticket specials \u2013 Monday is Carload Day ($60 up to 5 tickets), Tuesday and Wednesday are 2-for-1 days, Wednesday is \u2018Learn to ski\u2019 day, Thursday is Student Day ($15 w\/ student ID). Monday-Friday is 50% discount for military. These are only the regular weekly specials\u2026 during the season we\u2019ll likely announce extra specials and promotions, so stay tuned!<\/p>\n thetrailboss:\u00a0<\/strong>Are there any plans to reopen the original Crotched Mountain, once referred to as Crotched East, with trails that interconnect the two? Joshua B:\u00a0<\/strong>What will happen to the summit t-bar lift line and the actual lift itself. It’s interesting that it’s still in place when the other lifts were replaced. Will there be any interesting\/challenging terrain on that side of the hill? ski jay:\u00a0<\/strong>I skied at Crotched last January. My first time and I thought the place was great. Is there any way to place more “signs” on the New Hampshire routes pointing to Crotched Mountain Ski Area? As a newbie to New Hampshire skiing the signs pointing to the rehab center with a similar name were more abundant. I was a little confused and ended up heading to Crotched Mountain Center. I even saw signs that said recreation so I followed them. Greg:\u00a0<\/strong>Last season there was a sign in the Dining Room: “No Coolers or Picnic baskets allowed in Dining Room”. Technically, it doesn’t say anything about “brown-bagging it”. I interpreted this sign as an effort to keep people from having to trip over bulky items such as boot bags and coolers while using the dining room. What is Crotched’s position on “brown-bagging it” in the Dining Room? Greg:\u00a0<\/strong>Do you have any plans to open a forum or chat room on your website? Do you read web forums like AlpineZone.com? If so, do you ever want to reply to posts about Crotched or other ski areas? hammer:\u00a0<\/strong>Are there any plans on having a “beginners only” ticket rate? Last season’s Sunday lift ticket rate was very reasonable for access to all of the trails, but that rate was a bit more than I wanted to pay for my daughter since she was only interested in using the beginner’s area. teachski:\u00a0<\/strong>Are there any plans to extend to the summit (either with the old t-bar or another lift) in the near future?<\/p>\n Chris Bradford:\u00a0<\/strong>The summit quad already reaches near the actual summit. When the ski area was constructed last year, it was decided that the lift would terminate just below the old Crotched West summit to protect from wind exposure. Referring back to question #4, the old t-bar has a few of it\u2019s own expert trails and could make for a cool expansion someday.<\/p>\n teachski:\u00a0<\/strong>I know that a lot of money has been invested in snowmaking, but because the area was not completely ready, the grand reopening occurred later than originally planned. What is the projected opening date for this season if all goes as planned? Thank you Greg: and patrons of AlpineZone.com for taking a moment to ask questions about Crotched. Any of you can feel free to email me<\/a> at any time to ask a questions or discuss any of the answers to this challenge. I also invite all of you to pay us a visit this winter to see what a brand new ski area is all about!<\/p>\n Chris Bradford<\/p>\n To view forum comments on this Challenge and the Challenge Results, please visit the following page:<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The AlpineZone Ski Area Challenge was designed to provide a method for our\u00a0forum\u00a0members to get official answers to skiing-related questions directly from a ski area representative.\u00a0Chris Bradford,\u00a0Director of Marketing\u00a0at\u00a0Crotched Mountain Ski Area\u00a0in Bennington, New Hampshire, took the AlpineZone Ski Area Challenge and provided the following responses on 7\/26\/2004: thetrailboss:\u00a0Great to see Crotched come back! We… Read the full review »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"parent":4266,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4724","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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\n<\/strong>Chris Bradford:\u00a0<\/strong>Ticket prices and structure have indeed been refined for the upcoming season \u2013 a \u201chalf-day\u201d ticket has been added, but with a unique twist. We\u2019re calling it the \u201c6-hour pass\u201d – $35 weekends\/$29 weekdays you can ski\/ride for any 6 hour block you wish, so you\u2019re not limited to just a pre-defined 12:30-4:00 \u201chalf-day\u201d like other ski areas. Besides the new \u201c6-hour pass\u201d, the full day pass has lowered to $39 weekends\/$35 weekdays which is good for 12 hours 9:00am \u2013 9:00pm. $45 is the price of the X-treme Pass which is valid on Fridays and Saturdays beginning in mid-January \u2013 ski from 9am until 3am the next day! Midnight Madness, unique to Crotched, runs from 9pm \u2013 3am and you can ski that session for only $29! I could easily go on and on, but I think you\u2019ll agree that our ticket\/pricing structure this year will offer skiers a \u201cbreath of fresh air\u201d compared to typical ticket structures elsewhere in New England. Keep an eye on the web site<\/a> for details on all the rate packages and specials.<\/p>\n
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\n<\/strong>Chris Bradford:\u00a0<\/strong>I\u2019m not quite clear on what you mean by \u201cpromotions\u201d, so I\u2019ll lay it out into two categories: ticket specials and events. Crotched hosted several well organized events last year, including the Mountain Dew Vertical Challenge, and the event schedule for the upcoming season is very healthy! We even have a few night-time terrain park events on the schedule.<\/p>\n
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\n<\/strong>Chris Bradford:\u00a0<\/strong>It does remain a possibility, so perhaps at some point in the future. Right now with this part of the ski area (the old Crotched West \/ Onset) having just been completed, we need to \u201clet the dust\u201d settle a bit to make sure everything is perfect. Brand new lodge, lifts, snowmaking, etc. were a lot of work and the construction crews last year pulled off an Olympic feat! Even this summer, maintenance crews are still putting the finishing touches on everything. I myself would like to see the other side of the ski area re-open, and I\u2019m sure it will in a few more years if business is good.<\/p>\n
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\nChris Bradford:\u00a0<\/strong>The summit t-bar is still there and it comes up in conversation every once in a while. That little \u201cpod\u201d of skiing up there around the t-bar area is likely to re-open well before an expansion over to Crotched East. Having conversed with the GM about the t-bar, he was unsure if it could be made to run again or not. If in another year or two (or three) it\u2019s decided to attempt a re-opening, the t-bar lift would be assessed and the expansion would proceed from there. Beyond that, I really don\u2019t know much about the current state of the t-bar \u2013 nobody really does. Of course, skiers made tracks over in that area this past winter anyway\u2026 apparently it\u2019s a nice little stash.<\/p>\n
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\n<\/strong>Chris Bradford:\u00a0<\/strong>When I first arrived here at Crotched, road signage was literally the very first subject of conversation! From what I understand, the brown state signs which point toward ski areas have very tight limits on where and how they are placed. These signs are entirely erected by the state, not by the ski areas. In Crotched\u2019s instance, although the ski area isn\u2019t very far from major population centers (Manchester, Concord, Nashua, Peterborough, etc.), getting here can still be tricky for those not familiar with the area. We do provide a map and directions in our brochure and on the web site<\/a>. Mapquest<\/a> directions are always an additional option. Once you understand how to get here, your ride will be enjoyable because it\u2019s beautiful country over here. However, I\u2019ll just mention that we are working to get additional signage from the state \u2013 it\u2019s just a tough beaurocratic process that takes time, patience and persistence.<\/p>\n
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\n<\/strong>Chris Bradford:\u00a0<\/strong>This is a great question and you\u2019ve hit the right answer. There has been a bit of confusion about this \u2013 people are certainly welcome to \u201cbrown-bag\u201d. The \u201cNo Coolers or Picnic Baskets\u201d signs are intended to encourage use of the downstairs lockers and prevent the main lodge area from being obstructed by piles of personal belongings. Of course, with ticket prices as affordable as they are this year, we hope you\u2019ll want to spend a few dollars on food. It\u2019s not a trick\u2026food prices are very reasonable too! The large food court has a great variety of foods and beverages that\u2019ll probably make you want to grab something anyway, regardless of whether or not you\u2019ve brought your own brown bag. Skiers and riders who were here last year already know that unlike other ski areas, we have employees who constantly take care of the main dining area by cleaning tables, clearing garbage, etc. This level of attention to cleanliness, combined with a lack of personal gear piles\/obstructions, makes the dining area a comfortable place to be.<\/p>\n
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\n<\/strong>Chris Bradford:\u00a0<\/strong>Yes and Yes. A Crotched Mountain community site is in the works \u2013 discussion forum, photo galleries for Crotched skiers\/riders to upload their pictures, perhaps even video. We\u2019re adding live webcams and the site is going to be a place for Crotched fans to interact with each other and the ski area. I do indeed read forums like AlpineZone.com, SnowJournal.com<\/a>, EpicSki.com<\/a>, and others. I do engage in discussion about the ski industry where appropriate.<\/p>\n
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\n<\/strong>Chris Bradford:\u00a0<\/strong>Referring back to question #1, we\u2019ve added a bunch of new ticket prices and structures for the upcoming season. Among these are a few items that are of interest to families and young skiers. For example, we have an all day kid\u2019s \u201cSnowKamp\u201d which runs on the weekends, several different lesson plans (most include rentals), and even Sunday Family Nights for $25 including rental! We\u2019re also working with local schools on programs for young school students, so be sure to ask your school\u2019s sports\/activities coordinator about ski & ride programs at Crotched.<\/p>\n
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\n<\/strong>Chris Bradford:\u00a0<\/strong>First, since you mentioned snowmaking, I\u2019ll share a quick fact about it: Crotched\u2019s state-of-the-art snowmaking system has the highest snow production capacity per ski-acre in New England. Computer controlled 100% fan-gun technology means that this snowmaking system can very efficiently make a lot of snow in a short amount of time. If you\u2019re a snowmaking junkie, you\u2019ll have to come check it out because it really is an amazing system. Obviously, with a system like that, we want to put it to good use as soon as it\u2019s cold enough to make snow for a reasonable amount of time and not have it melt a few days later. Besides snowmaking, there are several logistical challenges that are going to determine the opening date of the ski area. Right now, we\u2019d like to open sometime in the first half of November, although we\u2019ll probably crank up the snowmaking system as soon as it\u2019s cold enough in late October and will open as soon as we\u2019re able.<\/p>\n
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