The new Nordic Lodge has been christened Raven Lodge, and will be open and operational for the 2001/02 winter season, says Mt. Washington General Manager Peter Gibson.
“We named it after a bird that’s very visible in this area, both in vision and sound. And we just thought it was an applicable name” Gibson said.
Construction workers have been up the mountain since the snow melted in the lower reaches, working on the Lodge. The plumbing has gone in and the downstairs slab has been poured for the floor.
The downstairs floor will hold washrooms, a laundry, lockers, the first aid department and all the rentals. The upstairs has an incredible view as one walks in; the interior will be completed with hemlock and special lighting will accentuate the skylight in the centre of the ceiling. Flooring will be carpeting, and the walls will be finished in a combination of natural wood and drywall.
The landings will be covered in a rubberized material identical to the main lodge. The exterior will be board and batten, done in red cedar. All the exposed concrete will be finished in a smooth, light-colored slate material.
“We’ll bring some of the stonework inside. The fireplace will be finished with the same material, and will have some kind of raven theme.”
Crews have cleared two areas for parking lots ? a small one beside the Lodge and a larger one across the road, where the biathlon cabin and range used to be located.
All this activity for the resort‚s cross-country operations is unique in the ski industry, says Gibson. “Very few ski areas are putting money into their cross-country areas. Most resorts say they have cross-country, but they don‚t really give it the investment that’s needed” he said.
Everything is on time; we seem to be on schedule. We hope that for our Thanksgiving event for homeowners, we‚d like to host it in the new lodge, Gibson said.
The Lodge project will also be on budget, he added. “We have a bottle of champagne riding on it.”
Cinnamon buns are back!
Heili‚s legendary cinnamon buns will not disappear when Mt. Washington‚s nordic operations move to Raven Lodge. The resort plans to continue operating the café in the old Nordic Lodge, and have renamed it Sunset Café. The old rental floor will be turned into expanded seating, and seasonal lockers will be provided for people who want to store equipment in the off-season.
Gibson said the only question mark is whether Heili will be at Raven Lodge or the Sunset Café.