Hunter Mountain Snowmaking Progress

[MarkC]

So is it a HBK opening or are they doing one way down at a time? They have yet to fire the full capacity of the system. What are they waiting for?

 

[dmc]

So is it a HBK opening or are they doing one way down at a time? They have yet to fire the full capacity of the system. What are they waiting for?

Maybe they are easing into it... I don't know...

We could get catskillman to ask... maybe...

 

[MarkC]

Maybe they are easing into it... I don't know...

We could get catskillman to ask... maybe...

Maybe then we can all know when the restrooms are going to be clean

 

[dmc]

Maybe then we can all know when the restrooms are going to be clean

Maybe they are diverting resources from snowmaking to all the Alpine Zone issues...

 

[drjeff]

So is it a HBK opening or are they doing one way down at a time? They have yet to fire the full capacity of the system. What are they waiting for?

I would think, that with really for the first time ever the wealth of information that has come out in Ski Area Management trade journals about the actually cost effectiveness of making snow at certain wetbulb temps with respect to quantity produced, that even Hunter, like many ski areas are choosing to make "smarter snow" whenever possible than just to go full out at more marginal times and end up using more of their finite annual snowmaking budget to ultimately produce less snow. The simple fact is that nowadays there's way more reliable data that tells an area what it really costs to make a certain amount of snow, and they tend to want to maximize their production, which sometimes means that they'll minimize their efforts and certain temps and/or times of the year

Sure, they're going to get open, but maybe not with as much terrain as one would have expected, since possibly after looking at what it would cost them to run the system full out at the wet bulb temps they've had, they very well could see that if they scale things back a bit to get open, and then wait a bit for colder air, that they can they more efficiently both interms of quantity and cost to produce that quantity cover more of the mountain and use less of the over snowmaking budget to do so. Also lets be honest, the "real" crowds when they make $$ are still about a month away. The 1st weekend of December isn't going to end up in the top 10 busiest days of the year at just about any resort out there. It is a business afterall

I'm sure the Killington comparison will be brought up. They've tended to "front load" their snowmaking operations the last number of years, and as a result of going sometimes for quantity over efficiency in early season marginal temps, we've seen them become much more anemic with their late season snowmaking efforts at the same time. The budget is what the budget is. Will that change this season at Killington with the new GM?? I'm sure that only the "big bosses" out in Park City know that answer.

 

[MarkC]

Trust me I fully understand ski area management and snowmaking budgets. The point I am trying to make is that a sad day exists when Belleaye and Windham are more than likely to open with more acreage than the snowmaking capitol of the world.

 

[dmc]

Trust me I fully understand ski area management and snowmaking budgets. The point I am trying to make is that a sad day exists when Belleaye and Windham are more than likely to open with more acreage than the snowmaking capitol of the world.

Who said that?

And no offense to the Belleayre crowd - but even H>B>K is way better than most of what they have to offer...

AND - there's still 3 days left so who knows where they will expand next...

 

[kingslug]

Considering what we went through last year...isn't anyone happy that we can ski before Xmas...

 

[ERJ-145CA]

Considering what we went through last year...isn't anyone happy that we can ski before Xmas...

I'm happy, but I skied before X-mas last year too.

 

[slatham]

Ok, my 2 cents. A comparision.

A couple of years ago Hunter opened on a Sunday (I beleive the Sunday of Thanksgiving but can't recall - but it was the last Sun in Nov or 1st Sun in Dec). One trail - HBK. Maybe they had Belt.

But the point is this. I skied the next Saturday - technically the first Saturday of the season. They were more than 50% open, including the West Side!! It was an absolutely mind blowing display of snowmaking firepower.

Now we can argue until the cows come home on temp and wet bulb this past week vs that year, but it is clear as day to me that the snowmaking knob at Hunter, at least so far, has been turned way down. I am very surprised. As of right now they have no right to the claim "Snowmaking Capital of the World".

 

[catskillman]

Maybe they are easing into it... I don't know...

We could get catskillman to ask... maybe...

Ask a question, get an answer!

Hunter will open Saturday with only HBK. Website will be updated later today.

Regarding the rest rooms - as I reported earlier the one's at the Summit have been painted. (They will probally smell at times based on the individuals using them.)

 

[millerm277]

A couple of years ago Hunter opened on a Sunday (I beleive the Sunday of Thanksgiving but can't recall - but it was the last Sun in Nov or 1st Sun in Dec). One trail - HBK. Maybe they had Belt.

But the point is this. I skied the next Saturday - technically the first Saturday of the season. They were more than 50% open, including the West Side!! It was an absolutely mind blowing display of snowmaking firepower.

Now we can argue until the cows come home on temp and wet bulb this past week vs that year, but it is clear as day to me that the snowmaking knob at Hunter, at least so far, has been turned way down. I am very surprised. As of right now they have no right to the claim "Snowmaking Capital of the World".

They blow HBK a mile deep, maybe running Belt at the same time, but not necessarily. Then they turn the guns on on the rest of the hill. That's pretty much standard procedure, IMO.

 

[JimG.]

I'm fairly disappointed that it's only HBK on Saturday.

 

[andrec10]

They have had all week. Very dissapointed! Should have at least had the Belt open as well.

 

[RichT]

Who would of thought that Windham would open before Hunter? But it is this year......Windham opens friday. Still like Hunter better!

 

[180]

What a bunch of whiners.

 

[ScottySkis]

Sent from my ADR6410LVW using Tapatalk 2
Windham is a place I went once know need to go back.

 

[andrec10]

Its a sad, sad day when Windham opens before Hunter!!!

 

[ScottySkis]

Its a sad, sad day when Windham opens before Hunter!!!

Sent from my ADR6410LVW using Tapatalk 2

It's really just 24 hours .

 

[JimG.]

I'm on a slippery slope here, better cool off and let Hunter get its' act together.

NOT in a WROD mood this weekend.

Going to ski elsewhere with more open terrain, probably K Sat-Sun.