Powder Ridge: A Vision of the Future

Dennis Abplanalp is passionate about skiing.

So, when the 54-year-old visits Powder Ridge in Middlefield, he envisions a ski area in sharp contrast to the property that now sits abandoned, overgrown and rife with .

"I would look at Powder Ridge in 10 years as not just a ski area, but a winter recreation area," says Abplanalp with excitement.

On Tuesday, Abplanalp, who is president of Alpine Ridge LLC, will present the company's plans to redevelop and revitalize Powder Ridge during a public hearing at Memorial Middle School at 7 p.m. A town meeting is scheduled to follow, at which time voters will decide whether to approve the sale to Alpine.

The company agreed in March to buy Powder Ridge from the town for $1 million, a price negotiated by the town. (For a chronology of the recent history of Powder Ridge, click .)

The sales agreement - which has been painstakingly reviewed by attorneys for both the town and Alpine - would not only allow Middlefield to retain the development rights to the 250 acre property, but would return skiing to Powder Ridge and could create as many as 250 seasonal, full and part-time jobs.

The agreement (for essence of the agreement, click ) requires Alpine to invest an additional $2 million towards improvements to the ski area and to offer downhill skiing at Powder Ridge by December 31, 2013.

Abplanalp, who would not put a specific number on the cost of revitalizing the ski area, said Alpine's investment will be significant.

"Initially, we felt we could repair the buildings, but after thorough examination we determined it would be better to demolish the buildings because of their condition, their location and and the inadequacy of square footage. We are going to centralize all departments, the cafeteria, ticketing, ski school, ski patrol, ski rental and snow rental. Not only for ease of access for the customer, but you can much more efficiently operate the business," he explained.

Abplanalp said ski lifts will be carefully inspected, followed by any necessary repair or replacement of equipment. Other planned improvements include the repair of the entrance road and parking lots, the removal of concrete water slides, as well as the redesign of a larger instructional area.

"What I love about skiing and snowboarding, if you are able to get children interested in a young age, it is a sport that generation after generation can enjoy. It's just beautiful," Abplanalp  said, adding that he hoped to teach his own grandchildren to ski at Powder Ridge.

Alpine will "appeal to the 'learn to ski and snowboard' family market, which is the healthiest segment of the industry, and at the same time expand the winter recreational offerings to the general public," he noted.

Abplanalp said he will also attract non-skiers to Powder Ridge, by offering what would become the only commercial snow tubing operation in the area.

"The 90 percent of the population that doesn't ski, we want to give them affordable recreation in the winter. There's a much broader winter recreation than just skiing and snowboarding. That's snow tubing. I think we'll eventually have cross country skiing and snowshoeing."

The key to Alpine's success, however, may fall on Abplanalp's expertise as a snow maker.

"We will use less water and make more snow than they did in the past. That's the key to success, to know the science of snow making," explains Aplanalp, who worked for former Powder Ridge owner Ken Leavitt for six weeks in 2003. He was hired by Leavitt to keep snow making operations at Powder Ridge open after employees walked off the job.

"[Alpine] will install a more efficient and productive state of the art system," said Abplanalp, whose career in the ski industry includes stints at three snow making companies, during which time he traveled to over 150 ski areas in the U.S. and Canada. Along the way he learned that snow making is "a science, not an art."

"Even though there have been difficulties over the history of Powder Ridge, I truly don't know they knew the science of snow making. The key to success is above 20 degrees. My experience has been successful at the marginal hours. I'm very confident we can make Powder Ridge a success." 

Abplanalp said Powder Ridge's central location will also be important to its success.

"The demographics are excellent. There are 1.7 million people within 30 miles. 23 million within a hundred miles. All the ski areas I have ever worked at are close to metropolitan areas. We knew that it would be a popular ski area as long as we work through the problems," he said.

Who is Alpine Ridge LLC?

Abplanalp began his career in the ski industry in 1974, in his hometown of Fairfield, PA, where he worked in the rental shop of Ski Liberty. Over the years he has worked at 10 ski areas, including Mountain High in California and Big Powderhorn in Michigan, where he served multiple roles, including Mountain Manager and Snowmaking Manager.

"I was involved in the rebirth of Bear Creek [in Pennsylvania]," Abplanalp adds, a resort he compared to Powder Ridge because of its size and location.

While Abplanalp has been the face of Alpine during negotiations with the town, the company's management team includes Cliff Wordal, who serves as Alpine's Chief Operations Officer. Wordal, a former ski jumper and coach, has worked in the ski industry since 1965. His experience includes stops at more than a dozen ski resorts, including Eagle Point Resort

Alpine's Director of Sales and Marketing, Chris Bradford, has worked for more than a decade  researching closed and abandoned ski areas in New England. He successfully helped restore Crotched Mountain in New Hampshire, a ski area that had been closed for 13 years.

Rick Sabatino will serve as Alpine's Chief Financial Officer. Sabatino has spent 20 years helping turnaround several companies, including ski areas in the U.S. and Canada.

Moving Forward

If voters agree to sell Powder Ridge to Alpine on Tuesday, Abplanalp said the design and development phase of the project will take place almost immediately, with construction expected to begin in late summer.

He's hopeful that skiing will be available during the 2012-2013 winter season.

"This is not our first time operating a ski area and there will be no learning on the job with the success of Powder Ridge and that surely will have a great impact on the residents of Middlefield," he said.

If all goes according to plan, Abplanalp himself will soon be a Middlefield resident.

"I plan to move here. I'd like to retire in Middlefield."