Plans include a gondola connecting the village to the summit, new trails, and a new restaurant.
Waterville Valley Resort in New Hampshire is moving forward on plans to build a gondola that will connect the resort to the town of Waterville Valley.
Resort officials have wanted to connect the resort and village since the 1970s. Now they are working to build a village-to-summit lift system.
U.S. Forest Service officials have issued a Notice of Intent and are currently accepting public comments on the plan. Comments can be emailed to [email protected].
In addition to building the new gondola, Waterville officials are also proposing developing new traditional and gladed ski terrain, a new restaurant, and new snowmaking infrastructure. View the environmental impact statement and learn more here.
Connecting Waterville Village and Summit
Waterville Valley Resort plans to install a eight- to 10-person gondola or chondola, expected to reduce travel time between the village and summit of Green Peak to approximately 10 to 15 minutes. The lift will have two separate segments and a mid-station.
The top terminal will be located on the top of Green Peak on NFS lands, and within the resort’s existing Special Use Permit boundary. The bottom terminal will located entirely on private land directly adjacent to the Town Square and future village development in town.
The mid-station terminal would be located within the proposed SUP boundary, west of Tripoli Road on NFS lands. It will give guests the ability to get on or off at the mid-station, providing skiers and riders with the option to either download the lift to the town or ride to the top of the mountain.
The mid-station would also include a building for storage of lift system cabins and/or chairs and a second-floor lodge. The top segment of the lift system is anticipated to have a higher capacity than the lower segment to accommodate more repeat skiing around the area, whereas the lower segment would be mainly for transporting guests to and from the town.
Increase Terrain Diversity
Resort officials are also proposing six additional trails with intermediate and beginner terrain levels, covering 32 acres. Additionally, the resort proposes adding roughly 200 acres of new gladed terrain. Glades will be developed to increase the amount of intermediate to expert-level skiing and riding. To develop the gladed terrain, 10 to 25 percent of the standing tree density would be removed.
With these new trails will come additional snowmaking infrastructure. The proposed snowmaking would cover all 32 acres of new traditional terrain. Exact locations of this infrastructure will be determined in the final stages of the project. The proposed snowmaking would be an extension of the current system at the resort, meaning no additional water rights are needed.
New Parking Lot
A parking lot is proposed to be constructed adjacent to the mid-station with approximately 80 parking spaces, the size of which was determined by the resort based on anticipated staff and guest needs. To provide access to the lot and to the proposed mid-station, an approximately 700-foot-long access road would be constructed off Tripoli Road.
New Restaurant
Waterville Valley Resort proposes to build a new restaurant at the top of Green Peak. Service will include food and beverage, restrooms, and a ski patrol station. It is anticipated that approximately 250 seats would be provided at this restaurant.
Additionally, a deck or other outdoor space would be included on the second floor. The mid-station of the proposed gondola will provide additional guest services. The first floor of the building would consist of gondola cabins and chair storage as well as a small ski patrol station, and the second floor would provide guest service space for a restaurant, restrooms, and event spaces (meetings, film screenings, receptions, etc.).
