West Mountain owner makes upgrades
Expanded snowmaking, ‘magic carpet’ the latest improvements
QUEENSBURY, N.Y. » Spencer Montgomery can’t make West Mountain taller or bigger, but he’s invested a small fortune to make the most of what’s there.
Expanded snowmaking and a 500-foot-long, stand-up “magic carpet” that carries people uphilll for tubing and ski lessons are the latest improvements he’s made since purchasing the Queensbury ski center four years ago.
Also, challenging terrain has been added with reopening of the double black-diamond Cure trail, and starting next week snow guns will start working on the Midway trail, beneath the NorthWest chairlift, for the first time in many years.
“Our first goal was to fix up the ski area and make it profitable,” Montgomery said. “Basically, this had been operating as half a ski center. The NorthWest area had fallen into disrepair.”
Now, in addition to trail upgrades, visitors there are greeted by a cozy little base lodge, which serves light fare, with plans in the works for the cafeteria-style restaurant.
But the nearly $5 million he’s spent, since taking over, has been spread all over the mountain. One of the main upgrades, two years ago, was a new triple chair called WestExpress that whisks people to the roughly, 1,100-foot high summit. It replaced a slow, old double chair that had been in place since West Mountain first opened in the early 1960s.
Montgomery also made the main base lodge more user-friendly with refurbished restrooms, and installed new pipes to increase water capacity for snowmaking.
For much of its history, West Mountain was lucky to get one or two trails open by Christmas. The goal now, with expanded infrastructure, is to have the mountain fully operational for the holidays and run late into the season.
This is key to Montgomery’s next planned phase of development, a full skiand-stay resort with condominiums, an athletic club, shops and restaurant, similar to places such as Ski Windham, Okemo and Jiminy Peak. Seventy acres of undeveloped land are available near the NorthWest base.
By adding trails and snowmaking, the amount of skiable terrain has increased considerably since Montgomery bought West Mountain.
“If we’re skiing on 140 acres by Christmas, then the idea of a resort becomes attractive to a developer,” he said. “I’m very optimistic.”
It would be a major undertaking as such plans could cost up to $50 million, he said.
Like many area residents, Montgomery learned how to ski at, and grew up with West Mountain.
“We’re the mostly ideally located center in New York state, right off the Northway,” he said. “Millions of people per year drive by Exit 18. The mountain has a 1,000 feet of elevation so it’s good for Super-G, slalom and slalom ski races.”
Learn-to-ski and racing programs have been a big part of the resort’s business model from the start, along with lights for nighttime skiing.
On Wednesday, 170 high school ski racers were expected to take part in one of three Section II meets the mountain is hosting this year, plus year-end sectionals. Several area schools, including Shenendehowa, train at West Mountain.
This past weekend, the center hosted USSA races with 186 participants on Saturday and 132 on Sunday. A college race series is scheduled this coming weekend.
In addition, school districts from throughout the area send 1,600 kids to the center for after-school lessons and teaching programs on a regular basis.
“These are big focuses of ours,” Montgomery said.
So, too, are special events such as “Fire on the Mountain,” which includes fireworks, a torchlight parade, bon fire and free music by the Audio Stars, scheduled for Friday, Feb. 16. Also in February, the center will host statewide Special Olympics competition.
In short, Montgomery is doing everything possible to attract people, kids and adults alike. Once they show up, he’s convinced they’ll keep coming back.