Early Season Snowmaking 2017

[ss20]

I'm hoping this pretty much replaces the "who will open first thread"...because the answer will be known very soon!

With nightly lows in the 20s tonight-Thursday night and high temperatures below freezing Friday and Saturday for everywhere north of the VT/NH-Mass border...I think this will be an unprecedented year for "early" season snowmaking. Rather than a race to get the "white ribbon of death" open...it'll be a race to get the most terrain open. And there'll almost certainly be more players open than the traditional Killington and Sunday River.

So...who gets the most terrain open and who plays the "early season" game that we might not see in a typical year?

 

[Jully]

I hope SR pushes expansion hard. They'll want to get South Ridge open by Thanksgiving. It would be cool to have Aurora open by Sunday. Don't know of that will be possible or not.

 

[WWF-VT]

I really don't care . I expect Sugarbush to be open on November 18th which is their planned opening day.

 

[bdfreetuna]

I'm hoping this pretty much replaces the "who will open first thread"...because the answer will be known very soon!

With nightly lows in the 20s tonight-Thursday night and high temperatures below freezing Friday and Saturday for everywhere north of the VT/NH-Mass border...I think this will be an unprecedented year for "early" season snowmaking. Rather than a race to get the "white ribbon of death" open...it'll be a race to get the most terrain open. And there'll almost certainly be more players open than the traditional Killington and Sunday River.

So...who gets the most terrain open and who plays the "early season" game that we might not see in a typical year?

Optimism is good!

 

[tumbler]

I really don't care . I expect Sugarbush to be open on November 18th which is their planned opening day.

i hope they take advantage of the cold temps down low later this week and make a push to the bottom. They probably won't but wishful thinking.

 

[Hawk]

Whenever Sugarbush opens is fine for me. I do not ever expect them to push to open early, or even on time for that matter. Win really does not care for the early season. There is no Money in it. It gives me the chance to go to Sunday River or even Killington to visit all my old friends from years past. I have not missed opening weekend in New England for the past 30 years and it is one of my favorite weekends of the year. The anticipation, the excitement and renewed energy of ski season really jacks me up. Seeing all your winter friends for the start of the season is a ritual that has been a part of my life for so long. I really love it.

 

[cdskier]

I doubt I'll make opening day. I have too many things to get done before I start skiing (for example usually I put up my Christmas lights the weekend after Thanksgiving...but this year I have a family wedding to attend that weekend so that screws that up). I was at SB's opening day a couple years ago and it was a ton of fun, but I'm also not going to go out of my way to make it if I have other things to get done before the season kicks into high gear.

 

[sugarbushskier]

Have my "early season" planned already. A weekend day at Stowe and Sugarbush on Dec 8-10th, then Founders Day at Mt Snow on the 12th. Not trying to chase the WROD for first turns as I know they will come.

Whether any of these areas open a day or two earlier than the others is insignificant as long as 2nd weekend of Dec forward allows for decent skiing. I know this time of year can still be considered early so have my plans for real mid winter (hopefully) skiing as of post holidays in the works. Still trying to get to Banff, but want to wait till a bit later in the season such as mid March for snowpack and weather.

in any event....it's time...and the stoke is high!

 

[WWF-VT]

Have my "early season" planned already. A weekend day at Stowe and Sugarbush on Dec 8-10th, then Founders Day at Mt Snow on the 12th. Not trying to chase the WROD for first turns as I know they will come.

Castlerock run Dec 10th 2016 didn't suck...

 

[sugarbushskier]

Castlerock run Dec 10th 2016 didn't suck...

No it did not! Sometimes you get lucky.

 

[machski]

I have hopes of seeing Barker fired up Sunday at SR. They will likely start making Aurora too but doubt we see that this weekend. They have some different plans this year for racing vs public. I know the new Spruce chair is planned to link Barker to Aurora (vs saying thru South Ridge) and I think it will be ready by Thanksgiving weekend. I am also curious to see if K makes a push down to the K1 or just stockpiles the Ridge trails this week. I think Loon will push hard as well as Mount Snow and Okemo this week.

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[ss20]

I'm very surprised to see Mount Snow as the most voted option after SR and Killington. They've never been early-openers...or even close, really. They posted a teaser image on FB with them dragging hoses on the North Face. Okemo and Bretton Woods are much more likely to push openings, based on their pasts.

Of course I'm not complaining...I'd take Mount Snow with Long John, The Gulch, Cascade/Canyon, and a North Face option over Killington with the North Ridge and a WROD down Snowdon leading to Bunny Buster and the end of Chute to get to the Snowdon Quad.

I have Sunday off of work surprisingly and will ski if there's a place top-to-bottom and the weather is OK.

 

[Vortex]

Guns have been on a few hours at the River. You can see Upper punch and T2 shining white.

 

[mriceyman]

North ridge cam looks very white


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[Glenn]

Temps are looking really good Later this week. The concern is early next week with a bit of rain in the forecast. Looks to be in the low 40's...which isn't bad. But rain won't help.

 

[jimmywilson69]

Its going to be in the single digits above 3000 feet for much of VT Friday night. If that translates to 15 degrees a 2000 feet, there will be a lot of production not only this week, but just in that over night period.

Will be interesting to see who opens. I suspect Killington and Sunday River will be trying for tomorrow with their typical early season offerings.

 

[The Sneak]

I definitely skied Mount Snow on veteran's day one year. IIRC it was Long John/Deer Run and Standard/Canyon or similar. This would have been approx 1993. Then again, as I posted in another thread....I also skied Jiminy on Veteran's day 92. That's a good story for another thread, it involves a very angry father and pouring rain.

 

[spiderpig]

Wow! Mount Snow first to announce an opening this weekend. Still think Killington will be open first.

ETA: The announcement included Wildcat, so it was a tie.

 

[mriceyman]

Wildcat opens Saturday


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[BenedictGomez]

Wow! Mount Snow first to announce an opening this weekend. Still think Killington will be open first.