Big Burke announcement

[thetrailboss]

Q Burke responded in the comments section to "clarify" their post:

Snow making will continue as long as temps are cold. Dashney Mile first followed by High Meadows Pass and then on to Lower Willoughby. Be sure to check our daily snow reports for the latest updates. Thx to everyone that hit the slopes today! It was bitter...but definitely sweet. See you in the morning!

This definitely is evidence that they can't blow much snow at one time.

I'm not physically there right now, but it could be that the wet bulb temps are just too high. I think it is most likely that they have a skeleton crew more than anything else and he cut the snowmaking budget.

I say that because it was not more than two years ago when Burke was crowing about "Marge" the new pump and how it was going to make a big difference. They've added a lot of capacity....IIRC they could normally blow at least two routes in the last few years if needed.

But yes, if this was 2015 you'd have a lot of pissed off hotel guests vowing not to come back because of bad conditions. How does that make sense?

 

[thetrailboss]

70-200 2.8 IS lens

Nice!

 

[thetrailboss]

The Academy along with the steeples and cupolas of the buildings on Main St of St Johnsbury.

So then smarty pants, what mountain is it?

Well I'd say Burke, but the angle just looks weird.....and that subpeak off to the left seems out of place.

 

[VTKilarney]

I'm not physically there right now, but it could be that the wet bulb temps are just too high. I think it is most likely that they have a skeleton crew more than anything else and he cut the snowmaking budget.

I say that because it was not more than two years ago when Burke was crowing about "Marge" the new pump and how it was going to make a big difference. They've added a lot of capacity....IIRC they could normally blow at least two routes in the last few years if needed.

But yes, if this was 2015 you'd have a lot of pissed off hotel guests vowing not to come back because of bad conditions. How does that make sense?

I don't think it has anything to do with wet bulb temp based on how Bretton Woods is blowing snow like crazy.

If they want the hotel to be taken seriously, they really need to up their snow making game.

I don't fault them for what the weather has done. They had no control over that. But their game plan to recover is this:
1) Make snow on a terrain park.
2) Make snow on a lower mountain trail that already has sufficient snow cover.
3) Then, and only then, make snow on only about 50% of one single way down the main mountain.

So if we are lucky and everything goes according to plan, later in the week there will be snow freshened on lower Willoughby while everything else on the main mountain is a sheet of ice. That's our best case scenario. Oy vey.

That's a joke. There is simply no other way to put it.

 

[thetrailboss]

I don't think it has anything to do with wet bulb temp based on how Bretton Woods is blowing snow like crazy.

If they want the hotel to be taken seriously, they really need to up their snow making game.

I don't fault them for what the weather has done. They had no control over that. But their game plan to recover is this:
1) Make snow on a terrain park.
2) Make snow on a lower mountain trail that already has sufficient snow cover.
3) Then, and only then, make snow on only about 50% of one single way down the main mountain.

So if we are lucky and everything goes according to plan, later in the week there will be snow freshened on lower Willoughby while everything else on the main mountain is a sheet of ice. That's our best case scenario. Oy vey.

That's a joke. There is simply no other way to put it.

OK. Then weather is not the issue, so that means staff and money. I think it's a safe bet that those are the real reasons why they are not working their a$$es off during this "must succeed" week for the business. Last year they blew two out of three key holiday periods and then lucked out with Presidents' Week.

 

[VTKilarney]

Then weather is not the issue, so that means staff and money.

Or is it a capacity issue because of insufficient compressors or something like that?

 

[VTKilarney]

This website confirms that the issue is definitely not wet bulb temperature:
http://www.snowathome.com/weather/snow1.php?location=05819&submit=GO

 

[steamboat1]

I'm not physically there right now, but it could be that the wet bulb temps are just too high.

Part of the conditions report from another area:

"more than 200 snow guns are lit"

 

[the original trailboss]

I think you will find that lack of air capacity (only Marge, no rental compressors and no Marge II that was hinted at two years ago) is a major factor right now. Even with "cold-enough" temps, they can only blow so much with Marge.

 

[the original trailboss]

70-200 2.8 IS lens

2.8 - Wow, that's fast !

 

[VTKilarney]

I just pulled up an article from 2012 that talks about the installation of Marge. It says that Marge is an 800 horsepower compressor. An audit of ski area energy use performed by Efficiency Vermont says the following: "The typical compressed air plant for snow making operations that use internal mix air/water guns requires between 500 HP for the smallest ski facilities to greater than 10,000 HP for the larger facilities."

I don't know if Burke uses internal mix air/water guns, but this at least gives you an idea of their compressor capacity. This suggests that lack of compressor horsepower is why we are seeing them limping (at best) along trying to recover.

 

[from_the_NEK]

Well I'd say Burke, but the angle just looks weird.....and that subpeak off to the left seems out of place.

It is Bald Mtn. About 24 miles away from downtown St J.

 

[thetrailboss]

I just pulled up an article from 2012 that talks about the installation of Marge. It says that Marge is an 800 horsepower compressor. An audit of ski area energy use performed by Efficiency Vermont says the following: "The typical compressed air plant for snow making operations that use internal mix air/water guns requires between 500 HP for the smallest ski facilities to greater than 10,000 HP for the larger facilities."

I don't know if Burke uses internal mix air/water guns, but this at least gives you an idea of their compressor capacity. This suggests that lack of compressor horsepower is why we are seeing them limping (at best) along trying to recover.

No rental compressors and only 800 hp of power. That's terrible. Like 1980 terrible.


Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone

 

[burski]

For comparison Burke used to rent five, 400 hp compressors in the past for snowmaking - 2,000 hp of total air in the past vs today's firepower of 800 hp. These guys just don't get how to operate a ski area - $50 million for a hotel but can't spare a few thousand for snowmaking....

 

[MEtoVTSkier]

Did they buy a bunch of new portable fan guns? Seems they had a few pics of them early on. Onboard compressors must have eliminated the need for all that extra compressor capacity

 

[VTKilarney]

Some more Facebook antics.

This morning, Q Burke posted the following:
What a BEAUTIFUL morning and it's only expected to get better. Snow making continues on Dashney Mile with temps just right to build that base. Photo taken this morning heading down Upper Willoughby....the corduroy is waiting. Let's get to it!

So far there is one response to the post:
Your opportunity to build the base over the natural snow before the Xmas thaw was completely wasted. You have the third lowest trail count in VT right ahead of Queechee Ski Area and Suicide Six.

But do Quechee and Suicide Six have a $55 million hotel???????

 

[burski]

I believe they have a whopping total of 2 fan guns (this is not new Burke has always rented or demo'd fan guns in the past) - so no increase there.

 

[VTKilarney]

Patrick Bradley, the Events Coordinator at Burke had an interesting response to the Facebook comment. He posted this, with nothing more:

View attachment 14859






A Facebook account with the name "Burke Vermont" posted the following comment:

Will you be renting compressors so that you can make more snow during this cold spell?

Call me pessimistic, but I'm willing to be the answer is "no".

In all seriousness, won't they have to rectify this situation if they expect the hotel to be taken seriously?

 

[thetrailboss]

Did they buy a bunch of new portable fan guns? Seems they had a few pics of them early on. Onboard compressors must have eliminated the need for all that extra compressor capacity

They still are primarily a water/compressed air system though. They have electric only at a few places near the base areas.

 

[thetrailboss]

Patrick Bradley, the Events Coordinator at Burke had an interesting response to the Facebook comment. He posted this, with nothing more:

View attachment 14859






A Facebook account with the name "Burke Vermont" posted the following comment:

Will you be renting compressors so that you can make more snow during this cold spell?

Call me pessimistic, but I'm willing to be the answer is "no".

In all seriousness, won't they have to rectify this situation if they expect the hotel to be taken seriously?

\

Amateur hour. Pure amateur hour.