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2020-21 Sunday River
- Thread starter uphillklimber
- Start date
drjeff
Well-known member
Their snowmaking director posted in a couple of FB groups that a culvert not too far uphill from the Barker base blocked up late yesterday in all the rain and caused it to overflow and rush towards the pump house. Apparently, even though it looks ominous, that a couple of trucks of fill and 36-48 hour of snowmaking in the area and "you'll never know anything happened"
So apparently there wasn't any damage to the pump house or the pipes in the washout area, which is good news for sure
uphillklimber
Active member
I did go skiing today, after checking why Barker was closed. Huge washout!!! LOL! Anyways, I then went over to South Ridge and took a ride up to the top of Spruce. True sketchy back country conditions. I took that one run right back to my car and left. Props to the River for even opening. Many places wouldn't even consider it. They, obviously, need some snowmaking weather and or real snow. the snow was brown in many places, and where ever there was a water bar under the snow, all the rain undermined them and they caved in. Crossing them was... fun!!!!. Patrol had marked them, so not impassable.
uphillklimber
Active member
What a difference a day or two makes. They blew snow over most of what was open (except Punch and T-2) They started shutting down the guns shortly after opening. The new snow was wet and packed to the bottom of your skis if you stopped. Plenty of base material now, though they still needed plenty of bamboo. Tonight, I am certain the groomers will work their magic.
I'm wondering where they will blow snow tonight. I know they are blowing Kansas and looking to expand terrain. They blew some snow on Road Runner.
The gash in the earth near the bottom of Barker lift is filled in now, over 1000 yards of fill required. Business as usual.
I hate to suggest this, but you could do worse than go skiing tomorrow.
I'm wondering where they will blow snow tonight. I know they are blowing Kansas and looking to expand terrain. They blew some snow on Road Runner.
The gash in the earth near the bottom of Barker lift is filled in now, over 1000 yards of fill required. Business as usual.
I hate to suggest this, but you could do worse than go skiing tomorrow.
uphillklimber
Active member
While skiing yesterday, we took opportunity to ski what is commonly called backside of Barker (It's actually Lower Lazy River coming from South Ridge area). We wanted a good look at the stream that got blocked up and caused the huge gully to be eroded out just behind the base of Barker lift. It's a small stream, just about anyone could jump across it. But it is in a pretty good gully, and if there is a huge rainstorm, that gully could fill up, and if the culvert is blocked, You can see how easily it would blow thru. They have it rebuilt now, and placed 4 large boulders over the top of the culvert opening, dressed up pretty good now. I might be wrong about this, but I think the culvert exits to the South Ridge side of the pump house. From the parking lot, it appears, IIRC to be about a 5' culvert. I saw the excavator working on that end of it as I was leaving yesterday.
Anyways, they have it all fixed up now, Back to skiing, which should get markedly better with this weekend's wet heavy snow, just what we need for base material on so many trails yet to be covered!!!
Anyways, they have it all fixed up now, Back to skiing, which should get markedly better with this weekend's wet heavy snow, just what we need for base material on so many trails yet to be covered!!!
Newpylong
Active member
Yes that is where it exits. They've been using a ton of air making not much snow on Kansas in terrible wet bulbs only because it's up higher.
They're going to try to get the Chondola next and Roadrunner down to White Cap (for hotel access) and Obsession.
Attachments
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IMG_20201205_094927.jpg
uphillklimber
Active member
Wow, great picture. By the time I got there, they had it roped off and I wasn't allowed to get up there.
Newpylong
Active member
I wasn't there that's from one of my contacts at the River. I laughed when I read the Snowmaking Manager said a "few loads of fill" lol. Slight understatement.
Newpylong
Active member
Big blowout on the Roadrunner line (buried) last night, this one feeds all of White Cap. Trying to fix today. Cascade had a blow out a couple days ago as well.
Smellytele
Well-known member
seems like a common theme there
uphillklimber
Active member
What is unfortunate here is that the pipes simply are not used in the Summer, and this is the kind of thing that only shows a problem when they are used. Old rusty pipes, buried in the ground, getting more rust, and then put under pressure. I feel for the pipe maintenance guys.
skinowworklater
Member
- Joined
- May 26, 2012
- Messages
- 81
- Points
- 8
Yeah, that's our good old aging infrastructure just saying hello again.
Newpylong
Active member
Gigantic amount of deferred maintenace on that snowmaking system to get ahead of. Let's hope they're some bennies to get it done, the right team is in place now to see it through.
Riverveteran
Member
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2010
- Messages
- 35
- Points
- 6
They were making snow on Tempest today, couldn't have been too bad.....
machski
Active member
Roadrunner seems to blowout about every other year or so. As to Tempest, only Upper Tempest was running and I believe that line splits off/feed by Cascade.
machski
Active member
Windholds reappeared today really testing the "your car is your baselodge" thinking this year. Place was packed for just 4 scheduled lifts (not shocked with first real snowstorm). Skiing was nice, skinned Barker and Locke before those lifts started loading. Actual open trails were nice, dropping some of the closed lower angled stuff off Locke was sublime.
Newpylong
Active member
Yes, Tempest is fed off the Locke feed (specifically Cascade) as Roadrunner will not be fixed until tomorrow.
Roadrunner is a 12" buried, very thin walled (original LBO) pipe that direly needs to be replaced.
They're currently running 6400 GPM so they're pumping it out.
Roadrunner is a 12" buried, very thin walled (original LBO) pipe that direly needs to be replaced.
They're currently running 6400 GPM so they're pumping it out.
Hawk
Active member
The issue at Sunday River is the same issue that Sugarbush is having. Les Otten purchased bulk piping for several resorts from China. It was made of very cheap carbon steel that's life span is well over. The blowouts will become more frequent as time goes on and will travel across the mountain and be more frequent in areas like Arora and Jordan.Yeah, that's our good old aging infrastructure just saying hello again.
Newpylong
Active member
Those are going to be the last areas to have issues. The pipes are not as old, have less operating hours, aren't buried, and far less pressure.
Yes, in the race to expand they did put in a lot of bad pipe all over in the early to mid 90s, and poorly designed valve stations that most ex-ASC areas are paying for.
Yes, in the race to expand they did put in a lot of bad pipe all over in the early to mid 90s, and poorly designed valve stations that most ex-ASC areas are paying for.
Hawk
Active member
At sugarbush, they replaced the big main from the mad river up to the resort. The whole thing was buried. One of the workers told me the pipe just crumbled when they pulled it out of the hole. They estimated that they were loosing something like 10% of their flow from small leaks and major blow outs were occurring yearly at the end.
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