Hunter Snowmaking?

[Greg]

The blog on Monday:

I will say that NOAA's forecast this morning showed a chance of snow showers in the area starting Wednesday and continuing through the week. We will certainly not be opening this week, but residents may see a few puffs of white when we test our snowmaking system...so keep a look out.

Any guns last night, D?

 

[dmc]

Nope...
they wont start until they know they can go the distance... They don't really seem to buy into the whole - "CHECK US OUT - WE'LL BE OPEN ON nnn"
They are pretty realistic about this...

Hoses are out - emplyoees are ready...

I'm in Texas today - have the next 2 days off to spend at home... I'll hit the hill and see whats up...

 

[Greg]

Thanks D. I think they normally fire up around this time on the mainline if they can. I seem to recall seeing pics from early November in most years. Unfortunately, they've wiped out that whole Pic of the Day library off their site which is unfortunate. I liked browsing through that.

 

[trtaylor]

Thanks D. I think they normally fire up around this time on the mainline if they can. I seem to recall seeing pics from early November in most years. Unfortunately, they've wiped out that whole Pic of the Day library off their site which is unfortunate. I liked browsing through that.

Yes, I was thinking the exact same thing.

Web site redesigns are overrated.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

The Hunter of yesteryear would be shooting for a weekend opening at least on the upper mountain with Downloading..

 

[drjeff]

The Hunter of yesteryear would be shooting for a weekend opening at least on the upper mountain with Downloading..

The fuel and electricty to power the pumps/guns in yesteryear was alot cheaper than it is today though. That's the unfortunate reality for alot of potential test patches nowadays

 

[kingslug]

The fuel and electricty to power the pumps/guns in yesteryear was alot cheaper than it is today though. That's the unfortunate reality for alot of potential test patches nowadays

This is affecting EVERYTHING. Hell even lettuce is $3.50 a head, no doubt due to transport charges.

 

[koreshot]

I am no snowmaker or meteorologyst, but it seems to me that Hunter might be playing it a bit too safe on this one. The next 3 or 4 nights seem cold enough to blow some serious snow to me. And it doesn't look like it will warm up so much in that day that they would lose the snow.

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Remember when Hunter was the Snowmaking Capital of the East???

 

[koreshot]

GSS, do you know if Belleayre is blowing snow? They keep saying they are opening in 3 days, but do they know they need snow to open?

 

[millerm277]

Remember when Hunter was the Snowmaking Capital of the East???

They are, but for them, it's not going to pay to make a bunch of snow now to watch it melt away, especially if they're competing with Belleayre for early-season customers.

Hunter can open in two days or so with good temps along the mainline, top-to-bottom, so they don't really have to worry about needing to try to build up a base now, I would bet they'll start making real snow about a week or so before Thanksgiving. (Give or take a few days depending on temps).

 

[JimG.]

They are, but for them, it's not going to pay to make a bunch of snow now to watch it melt away, especially if they're competing with Belleayre for early-season customers.

Hunter can open in two days or so with good temps along the mainline, top-to-bottom, so they don't really have to worry about needing to try to build up a base now, I would bet they'll start making real snow about a week or so before Thanksgiving. (Give or take a few days depending on temps).

The facts.

Thanks.

 

[dmc]

Remember when Hunter was the Snowmaking Capital of the East???

Sure - i thought about it last year when I was skiing in June...

 

[RIDEr]

I'm sure that if the 'skills resorts open next weekend then it will focus more on their rail sessions and a 1/4 of the mountain with 1-2 trails... unless you have a season pass then I don't see it being worth the drive

 

[Greg]

Remember when Hunter was the Snowmaking Capital of the East???

Sure - i thought about it last year when I was skiing in June...

Ouch........

I have to make it a point to earn some May turns at Hunter next spring...

 

[JimG.]

Sure - i thought about it last year when I was skiing in June...

Nice.

And true.

 

[JimG.]

I am no snowmaker or meteorologyst, but it seems to me that Hunter might be playing it a bit too safe on this one. The next 3 or 4 nights seem cold enough to blow some serious snow to me. And it doesn't look like it will warm up so much in that day that they would lose the snow.

The snowmaking upgrades at Hunter are subtle and effective.

I've been skiing there for decades and am still amazed at how quickly they open trails top to bottom when they get round the clock cold and I think that's what they're waiting for, a good 65-75 hour window of snowmaking weather.

So they stopped what I think alot of folks call "base building". Once they get going, they can bury that place and be 95% open in 2 weeks.

 

[koreshot]

The snowmaking upgrades at Hunter are subtle and effective.

I've been skiing there for decades and am still amazed at how quickly they open trails top to bottom when they get round the clock cold and I think that's what they're waiting for, a good 65-75 hour window of snowmaking weather.

So they stopped what I think alot of folks call "base building". Once they get going, they can bury that place and be 95% open in 2 weeks.

You say they are waiting for a 3 day window for round the clock snowmaking. Is this just a principle that Hunter follows? It seems many resorts are content blowing snow at night and turning the guns off once it warms above freezing in the day. Is there a technical reason why Hunter isn't doing that right now, or is it just their philosophy for saving their money and resources until they can really go for it? Is there a substantial cost (other than the staff) associated with frequently turning the guns on and off?

I do believe you when you say they can cover the mountain fast. I have only skied there a few times, and it was early season each time. I was amazed at how much snow they were able to blow, even during the day. Is it my imagination, or do they space their fan guns really close to each other? It seems when the guns are going full blast, you can stay just under the guns and get fresh tracks all day. The visibility sucks though...

 

[dmc]

Just took a spin by the hill... Very quiet... Everything is mowed down - the hoses are out...
More talk about one of the Hunter ski patrollers getting shipped off to Iraq with the military then opening from my patroller friends..

It snowed lightly lst night - was in the 20's but humid - ice on the car this am..
Around 38 now...

I doubt they will make snow this week.. But you never know.. The decision making process at Hunter is mystifying; surrounded by frugal business methods.

 

[JimG.]

You say they are waiting for a 3 day window for round the clock snowmaking. Is this just a principle that Hunter follows? It seems many resorts are content blowing snow at night and turning the guns off once it warms above freezing in the day. Is there a technical reason why Hunter isn't doing that right now, or is it just their philosophy for saving their money and resources until they can really go for it? Is there a substantial cost (other than the staff) associated with frequently turning the guns on and off?

I do believe you when you say they can cover the mountain fast. I have only skied there a few times, and it was early season each time. I was amazed at how much snow they were able to blow, even during the day. Is it my imagination, or do they space their fan guns really close to each other? It seems when the guns are going full blast, you can stay just under the guns and get fresh tracks all day. The visibility sucks though...

I think it's the principle they have followed for the past 5 years or so. Used to be they would fire the guns up as soon as it was cold enough. I'm sure part of it is frugality as dmc mentioned. But another part of it is the ability to bury the place for good once the weather is consistently cold (as in the daytime too). They just don't need to waste resources building a base, watching it melt some, then blowing more snow in a series of small productions.

I'm not sure about the fan guns in particular, but Hunter has a veritable ton of permanently fixed snow guns on just about every trail. When they start going hog wild, it creates a small microclimate that can approach blizzard like conditions.

I remember skiing down Cliff a few years ago during a manmade dump. I almost got lost and actually fell down. I think it's the only time I actually experienced vertigo. I honestly couldn't tell up from down. Total whiteout.