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MOUNT SNOW: AZ Challenge 2007 Response/Feedback Thread

Greg

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Great replies. I especially like the response to question #6. There is no reason a mountain can't have abundant snowmaking on some of the narrow, classic trails, while leaving them to grow a bit "wild". In fact, it's better because some of these trails can open without natural snow. While it gets more snow than the Catskills, Berkshires and probably many of the Whites, Mount Snow is certainly not in the Northern Vermont-type snowbelts. Snowmaking is a must and a solid base that maybe is groomed only initially, or when it gets really nasty, is a great place for the natural stuff to stick to when Mama Nat (not to be confused with mamaspice ;) ) does cooperate. Annapurna at Hunter NY is a great example of a snowmaking trail that is left to get all bumpy and interesting. I would love to see more trails like it at Snow and elsewhere. Grooming is overrated. ;)
 

drjeff

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Great replies. I especially like the response to question #6. There is no reason a mountain can't have abundant snowmaking on some of the narrow, classic trails, while leaving them to grow a bit "wild". In fact, it's better because some of these trails can open without natural snow. While it gets more snow than the Catskills, Berkshires and probably many of the Whites, Mount Snow is certainly not in the Northern Vermont-type snowbelts. Snowmaking is a must and a solid base that maybe is groomed only initially, or when it gets really nasty, is a great place for the natural stuff to stick to when Mama Nat (not to be confused with mamaspice ;) ) does cooperate. Annapurna at Hunter NY is a great example of a snowmaking trail that is left to get all bumpy and interesting. I would love to see more trails like it at Snow and elsewhere. Grooming is overrated. ;)

Mount Snow did a great job with that last season with Bear Trap, they blew alot of snow to open it, and then didn't touch it again for roughly a month when the combination of a thaw/freeze and a months worth of skidders scraping the entrance down to terra firma required some attention from the cats.

Snow management strategies like that on what are now some the the remaining classical Eastern trails like Uncles, Ledge, and Jaws would be a good thing. Regular machine grooming of them would just be a travesty IMHO!
 

mlctvt

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Thanks for the answers Chris. My wife and I are property owners at Mount Snow and we are extremely happy in everything we 're seeing since the transfer from ASC.
We're are especially happy with your answer about the proposed terrain park on Nitro., question 9.
This is one of our favorite cruiser trails and we think you made the right choice. I attended the meeting at the Grand Summit last March and from what management was indicating at that meeting I assumed it was going to happen no matter what any of us said. The ability to listen to what the majority is asking for is another positive to add to the list of all of the other positives Peak Resorts is making at Mount Snow, thanks!
 

tree_skier

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I have to disagree with the park not being on nitro. That is a great place for it. Stuggers is a much better trail to ski on espcially comparing it to nitro which is just plain boring. This leaves the 2 best trails at carinthia ruined from the parks/pipe. The other really good trail is iron run but with the pipe right at the bottom it ends up being scraped to boiler plate. Not only would the park being on nitro free up stuggers for skiing but you would also be able to see some of the rats flying off of the big hits. along with this you might see how few use the big hits.
 

Newpylong

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Well, those are good points. I totally think the park on Nitro would work with snowmaking on Upper Titanium. But, there isn't. Giving high beginners only half of Nitro would be a disaster and take away from the family atmosphere than Carinthia has grown into.

I really love Stugger's, but it is short and its location makes it hard to lap. I usually only hit it once a day because of this. The Mine Shaft run out sucks, and Heavy Metal aint the best ride albeit short. I rather see the rats hang out over there. Even with the pipe on the bottom of Iron Run (it's been there for like 10 years now almost?), the upper portion is still great.

Anyway, great responses Chris.
 
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kcyanks1

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Great replies. I especially like the response to question #6. There is no reason a mountain can't have abundant snowmaking on some of the narrow, classic trails, while leaving them to grow a bit "wild". In fact, it's better because some of these trails can open without natural snow. While it gets more snow than the Catskills, Berkshires and probably many of the Whites, Mount Snow is certainly not in the Northern Vermont-type snowbelts. Snowmaking is a must and a solid base that maybe is groomed only initially, or when it gets really nasty, is a great place for the natural stuff to stick to when Mama Nat (not to be confused with mamaspice ;) ) does cooperate. Annapurna at Hunter NY is a great example of a snowmaking trail that is left to get all bumpy and interesting. I would love to see more trails like it at Snow and elsewhere. Grooming is overrated. ;)

I'm not too knowledgeable in this area, but I know others (Tin?) have pointed out that adding snowmaking to trails over time leads to widening of trails by killing trees on the sides of the trails. If that is an issue, it would concern me. Otherwise, using snowmaking to get a base at the beginning of the area and then leaving a trail natural isn't a bad idea for southern areas. I would still never support adding snowmaking to many of the natural trails up north.

Edit to add: Also, trails that are too windy/narrow probably are not fit for snowmaking. I've never skied at Mt. Snow, so I don't know what the trails being discussed are like, but if in order to make snow the trail needs to be widened, that is a huge negative from my point of view.
 
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millerm277

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@kcyanks, from what I've seen, it depends on the type of guns used, and how much snow is actually hitting the trees. If it's the little portable guns, and they aren't hitting the trees much, I don't think they'll cause much of a problem.
 

Newpylong

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They aren't going to widen anything, I can almost guarantee. Mount Snow has seen first hand how bad the superwide trails are, to cover and to hold snow. The two that might recieve a little widening are the dippers at the bottom because they are extremely narrow and will be dangerous with added skier traffic.

As for the runs like Ledge, Jaws, etc., I don't think you will see a change, more snowmaking or not.
 

threecy

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@kcyanks, from what I've seen, it depends on the type of guns used, and how much snow is actually hitting the trees. If it's the little portable guns, and they aren't hitting the trees much, I don't think they'll cause much of a problem.

There are ways to avoid this on most trails, especially with aiming the guns and using the cat to push piles through narrow sections.
 

snowman

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Agreed. However, WILL they is another variable, lol. It also depends a lot on the type and degree of pruning of the trees. The widening effect is usually a result of trees being pulled over by the snow blown on them.
 
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