The AlpineZone Ski Area Challenge was designed to provide a method for our forum members to get official answers to skiing-related questions directly from a ski area representative. Cindy Feltch, Group Sales Manager of Bretton Woods Mountain Resort in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, took the AlpineZone Ski Area Challenge and provided the following responses on 6/23/2004:

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Joshua B: How important to Bretton Woods’ business are the off-slope amenities?

Cindy Feltch: The off-slope amenities at Bretton Woods are very important to the ski area’s business. It is the overall experience at this world-class resort that makes it so unique. Of course we have a reputation for top-quality snow conditions and grooming, which makes for good business, but what we deliver to our guests off the slopes is incomparable. The crown jewel of the resort is, of course, the 1902 grand hotel that sets the standard for elegance and warm New England hospitality. Travel + Leisure recently declared The Mount Washington Hotel its top choice for “Worth the Splurge” in the U.S. Of course there are other great lodging options as well. A complimentary shuttle system links the entire community so all guests have complete access to all amenities. Bretton Woods isn’t only about alpine skiing. We have 100 km of incredible Nordic trails – groomed for classic, skate skiing and snowshoeing. Families love the easy access to tubing, ice skating, indoor and outdoor pools plus special events and activities offered by a full-time staff. Couples in search of romance find it at Bretton Woods. A wintry stroll along the hotel’s veranda or a ride in a one-horse open sleigh brings the truly romantic Edwardian era to life here. The resort offers live musical entertainment every night and selection of dining options for every budget.

Joshua B: What is your ratio of day ticket sales to package deals?

Cindy Feltch: Packaging has become very popular in recent years. Time is the ultimate commodity in these hectic days of two-person incomes and the holy-grail quest for “quality” time with family and friends. We try to make planning a ski trip as simple as possible through an assortment of packaging options that are also available online. We’re working to meet the demand for good rates and convenience by creating packages for all of our lodging properties that suit any budget level. We’re very pleased with the ratio of day tickets to package deals here at Bretton Woods and expect to see a continual increase in interest.

salida: What are the current terrain expansions plans, and what are the time frames for those plans?

Cindy Feltch: Our short-term plans at Bretton Woods include terrain expansion that will put us over the 100-trail mark this winter. Work crews are busy cutting new runs, plus fine-tuning some of the newer trails from last year that still needed refinement. Conscientious forestry and vegetative practices are paramount at Bretton Woods, and this year’s further development of Mount Rosebrook is no exception. In the off-season, crews remove dead and diseased trees to promote healthy forests and public safety. Careful siting and trail design ensures abundant wildlife habitat and food sources. Instead of clear-cutting all trails, many of Bretton Woods’s glades are simply the result of the removal of weak and dead trees, leaving a healthy stand that offers challenge and diversity to skiers and riders. On open trails, seeding with a specially blended selection of grasses provides habitat and food to wildlife and allows trails to open earlier, with less snow than if the trails were not maintained as well.

Permits are in place and initial work has begun for the development of a new five-acre, spring-fed lake at the base of Bretton Woods. In addition to serving as a water source for snowmaking, the lake will be designed primarily as a wildlife habitat and summer recreation site. Lake Carolyn will offer open water, marsh areas, emergent wetlands, and riparian buffers for natural filtration and gravel bars for trout-spawning habitat.

Long-term plans include the development of a third summit, Mount Stickney. Initial plans include about a dozen new trails that will appeal to intermediate and advanced skiers with options for less experienced skiers as well.

salida: How will the cog railroad skiing operation affect Bretton Woods?

Cindy Feltch: How The Mount Washington Cog Railway Ski Trains will affect Bretton Woods is still unknown. We’re all excited about the introduction of the new and unique experience that this operation will afford skiers and riders. Work is currently underway to install snowmaking on the ski trails that run parallel to, and on either side of the trestle. The Cog was designed and built 135 years ago by a true visionary. In keeping with that tradition, the current owners have taken their vision of winter operations from dream to reality this winter.

salida: How will the expansion of Mount Stickney change the expert glades in Rosebrook Canyon?

Cindy Feltch: According to poet Robert Burns, the best laid schemes of mice and men oft go astray. That’s not to say it’s a bad thing. The ability to be flexible has brought tremendous success to Bretton Woods. We try very hard to hear what our visitors are saying. We conduct surveys and polls to find out if what we’re doing is what skiers and riders really want. Sometimes projects shift in order to address more immediate needs. Such is the case with Mount Stickney. Although plans were drawn and trails were designed, we discovered that what we really needed more immediately was a bigger and more convenient base lodge. We also realized that we needed more challenging terrain and that was addressed more efficiently through the development of Rosebrook Canyon Glades and some other new terrain in areas where we already had existing lift access. Ultimately, the expansion of Mount Stickney should have little, or no, effect on the glades in Rosebrook Canyon.

ChileMass: On my precious day off, how can Bretton Woods entice me to drive the extra few miles instead of stopping at Loon or going over to Wildcat?

Cindy Feltch: One of the great things about skiing in New Hampshire is the diversity. Great skiing and riding areas, with dynamically different offerings, can be found within a short distance of one another. What Bretton Woods offers in that mix is consistency. The readers of SKI Magazine have consistently named Bretton Woods as their choice for snow quality, grooming, lifts, service, weather, scenery, family programs and more. Skiers and riders count on Bretton Woods for a consistently superlative experience. Why take chances with that precious day off? Bet on a sure thing – Bretton Woods.

eatskisleep: Will Bretton Woods offer downhill mountain biking next season?

Cindy Feltch: Bretton Woods used to offer lift-serviced mountain biking some years ago and we continue to hear from fans who would like to see it come back. With the recent momentum of improvements to the area, Bretton Woods has been a summertime construction site for the last few years. With the building of a base lodge, the installation of new lifts, cutting new trails, installing new snowmaking, etc, it just hasn’t been the best setting from which to operate summer activities.

Greg: Bretton Woods had an impressively long 2003/2004 season (November 13, 2003 – May 8, 2004: 178 consecutive days). In the Northeast, only Killington remained open later in the season. Is this extended season an approach we should continue to expect? Will Bretton Woods strive to open sooner and close later than Killington to offer the longest season in New England in years to come?

Cindy Feltch: Bretton Woods is very fortunate to have the location and the technology that allows for early-season snowmaking. The expertise and fortitude of our snowmaking staff has allowed us to build a large enough base to extend the ski season in NH to the longest in history. We’re especially excited about the springtime overlap of skiing and golf. What a treat it is to be able to make a few runs and play a round of golf in the same day!

Greg: It’s been over seven years since I’ve visited Bretton Woods and challenging terrain at that time was limited. Specifically, what has been done in the past few years to attract advanced skiers? Do you feel there still is a stigma of Bretton Woods strictly being an intermediate mountain, and how do you try to overcome this misconception?

Cindy Feltch: What’s to overcome? Bretton Woods is very proud of its identity. We’re never going to be a hardcore expert mountain … no misconception here. We’re not ashamed to be known as a mountain with great intermediate terrain, superlative service, snow quality and grooming. Where is the stigma in that? We do have a talented general manager and crew who know how to accentuate the positive when it comes to designing trails and glades. We recognized that added challenges would be beneficial, so we created Rosebrook Canyon, plus some other areas throughout the mountain with naturally enhanced features (cliffs, boulders, bowls, etc) that offer challenge and diversity. Instead of making a handful of steep cruisers, our guys created some interesting glades with ridge-line runs, narrow chutes and bumps. We recognize the need to offer a variety and even the local “Powder Pigs” are finding their way to Bretton Woods for challenging tree skiing, fresh stashes and fall lines that will get your heart pounding.

riverc0il: With the cog railroad receiving winter use and the cog’s tie to the Mount Washington Hotel and thus Bretton Woods, could the cog potentially extend the season of Bretton Woods? How is the snow retention on the western flank of Mount Washington?

Cindy Feltch: It’s not likely that the western slope of Mount Washington will do anything to help extend the ski season at Bretton Woods. It will probably be a great place to take a few sunny runs between breaks on the deck or a tour of the museum, but skiing at the Cog is just an added bonus to experiencing the history and beauty of this special place.

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