Agreed...and this is why people making predictions weeks ago that they can easily make June was laughable. You never know what will happen with the weather. It doesn't take much this time of year to drastically change how long the snow lasts.
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- Thread starter ScottySkis
- Start date
Agreed...and this is why people making predictions weeks ago that they can easily make June was laughable. You never know what will happen with the weather. It doesn't take much this time of year to drastically change how long the snow lasts.
BodeMiller1
Well-known member
Smellytele
Well-known member
hoping for friday at this point
jaytrem
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And now it's raining, ughh
joshua segal
Well-known member
It will be interesting to see how it looks after they move snow around for this weekend. I don't think the webcam can show that.
Also, I think you underestimate Killington management's desire to claim June 1 - even if it's 50% walking.
drjeff
Well-known member
While I am in agreement with the group that thinks that June 1st is now likely out of the question, regardless of the temps the next few days, I think as we saw last season near the end with the actual data they have via the snow sat system in their cats about how much snow is actually on every inch of Superstar now, they know where they have some to farm and where they don't to put it together as they best can to keep it going as long as possible
Yeah, they definitely made it further than expected last year based upon midweek webcam viewing. The product they patched together was far more continuous than I expected.
Don't think they make 6/1, but should be able to have a still fairly impressive product for a day or two more anyway.
Don't think they make 6/1, but should be able to have a still fairly impressive product for a day or two more anyway.
Newpylong
Well-known member
There is still a lot of snow to move around, I am just being realistic looking at the forecast and the rate of snow melt. 10 days away is an eternity in these temps.
Of course, they could make the call to only open with 50% snow and 50% mud, but will they? Who knows.
machski
Well-known member
Also, I think you as the #1 Cheerleader are trying to save face.
Look at the webcam today. 3 separate breaks right across the trail now. Sure, there is snow to push around but once those breaks have formed, you can push all you want, the bridged snow breaks down very rapidly each day with skiing traffic on it. Meaning nightly rebuilds of each bridged section. If they do open and folks decide to go, go early for first chair. Because the broken areas will be rocks and mud long before midday strikes.
Bringing this back from last year as a point of comparison.
Looks like they had more snow on the trail May 26th last year than they do today. I'm very curious to see what it looks like after they do some farming. But we also still have more warm weather to get through before even hitting this weekend.
Here's a thought. If the WC base is a major contributing factor for making June, why not delay opening SS to the general public in November a week or so and build more of that rock hard base? Would that be a better use of snowmaking resources than the typical build done in March with less durable / drier snow?
Ultimately weather luck seems to be the biggest determining factor for going deep in spring vs the glacier depth established in March. But perhaps if they build a more durable base, that helps.
Ultimately weather luck seems to be the biggest determining factor for going deep in spring vs the glacier depth established in March. But perhaps if they build a more durable base, that helps.
It's not the best point of comparison as Zands photo was after the groom. I do seem to recall gaps last year similar to this year prior to that groomed out photo. I couldn't find a post / picture for a true apples to apples comparison though.
I was looking through the thread for a comparison "before" shot as well, but no matter what I don't think this year's "after" will look as good as that May 26th photo from last year.
Zand
Well-known member
Once we get to Friday and they groom it, I think it will be fair to compare what it looks like then. There were breaks last year at this point too. They do an excellent job job patching. But one thing that is notable right now is that the stockpile above the top looked a good amount bigger last year, but that's just looking at it from the webcam a half mile away and I can't back that claim up with any other evidence. Also the whole first half of mid-Superstar looks shot to hell.
Also keep in mind there are two extra days this year to June 1st. The weather overall seems comparable this year to last year...really warm and sunny stretch. Last year they opened on Thursday June 1st but there was no way in hell they would've been able to pull off Saturday June 3rd.
Newpylong
Well-known member
I think historical closing dates is evidence enough that the 'WB Base' as people call it does little if anything to prolong the season. All manmade snow when compacted over and over creates a fairly impenetrable base layer, usually the cat track that we all know and love.
Depending on weather the week before the WC event, they don't even inject many years. Only when they haven't been pumping out slop do they need to.
Spring base building in November is a non-starter. By that point, the general public has been stuck on North Ridge for weeks and more acreage is required.
If that's true, maybe the alternative is you do the build in early February to give an additional month of grooming and compacting it denser than late March?
Just a thought.....and one their mountain ops people have probably already considered. Haha
Just a thought.....and one their mountain ops people have probably already considered. Haha
Newpylong
Well-known member
I don't think there is anything they can do short of making 40 feet of snow instead of 20 that would move the needle very far. May weather makes the call for them...
They also are still expanding terrain in early February due to that system being woefully undersized lol.
They also are still expanding terrain in early February due to that system being woefully undersized lol.
Hawk
Well-known member
I was told that one issue with building a huge base at the bottom of superstar is the runout from Skylark and Bittersweet. It would make it hard for people to negootiate a 30 - 40 foot wall of snow to get over to the base. They would have to also build the snow back towords skylark also.
Newpylong
Well-known member
Nah, they could just stop the depth before the runout coming from Lark/Bitter/Highlander and blade it down as it melts. It's a very short distance to fill in as needed. Two years ago they did have 30 ish feet in this area from a TA fan they left running for a week. They nicknamed it Mount Mike.
