SAM Magazine - Wilmington, VT, October 26, 2006 - Vermont's Haystack Ski Area is on its way to becoming a private club. The ski area, which was sold approximately one year ago by the American Skiing Company to a group of local business people, is slated to undergo a five-year, $450 million dollar makeover, including new lifts and 100 percent snowmaking coverag. In addition, the ski area will see substantial real estate development including mountainside villas and condominiums and a new hotel.

The centerpiece of the makeover will be a club lodge, which is expected to feature fine dining, a 7,000-square-foot spa, ski valet, and business center. In addition, a new 35,000-square-foot children's lodge, an 18-hole Desmond Muirhead golf course and an equestrian center are expected to complete the development. All real estate developed will be slope-side.

The resort, renamed the "Haystack Club", is planned as a private, gated community for members only. According to Haystack Club President David Dillon, who served as the Vermont Ski Areas Association President, the club "is breaking new ground with its commitment to provide the services and amenities of a fine club in a Vermont recreation community."

Construction at Haystack Club began earlier this summer. The golf course will be open in the spring, and the mountain will open for skiing for the 2007-08 season. \