Killington snowmaking to start Oct. 26th, plus misc hype....

[deadheadskier]

why closing May 2nd last year probably made sense given the payroll schedule they had (hopefully it's been changed, if not that doesn't make sense.)

having payroll end on a weekend day in the ski business makes absolutely no sense, especially a Saturday. It's your busiest day of the week. A department manager should be 100% focused on guest service that day, not limiting overtime.

 

[ta&idaho]

This is stupid. Extend the season by staying open (with more terrain) longer, not by blasting snow in the early Fall. Nobody needs two full months of WROD, and blasting snow before the weather realistically supports sustained operations is unbelievably wasteful (FYI: the average high in Rutland in October is 60 degrees. 60 degrees! The average low is only 36. http://www.weather.com/outlook/trav...y/graph/USVT0205?from=36hr_bottomnav_business). I'm glad this absurd practice (if it was ever anything more than bitter, revisionist nostalgia) died with the other excesses of the 80s. If there's an unexpected early season natural dump, earn yourself some turns. Otherwise, calm down and enjoy Winter when it actually arrives.

 

[Vortex]

This is stupid. Extend the season by staying open (with more terrain) longer, not by blasting snow in the early Fall. Nobody needs two full months of WROD, and blasting snow before the weather realistically supports sustained operations is unbelievably wasteful (FYI: the average high in Rutland in October is 60 degrees. 60 degrees! The average low is only 36. http://www.weather.com/outlook/trav...y/graph/USVT0205?from=36hr_bottomnav_business). I'm glad this absurd practice (if it was ever anything more than bitter, revisionist nostalgia) died with the other excesses of the 80s. If there's an unexpected early season natural dump, earn yourself some turns. Otherwise, calm down and enjoy Winter when it actually arrives.

I don't agree. I am that nobody that does need the extra time on the hill. I hang out with quite a few of the nobody types.

It is a supply and demand, proift and loss. DR jeff. Good points, you cover the issues well.

K chose not to open early and close late for a few years and it would seem that has had an effect. SR/ Boyne had been more agressive and it seems to also had an impact. The day of early Oct open and June closings seem to be gone for ever, but pressure has put late Oct and Early May into play.


I do get your point,and some agree. Spend the money when consitant cold winter weather arrives.


As far as marketing being the only Eastern ski group to say Oct to May skiing in the last two years sounds good on a brocure or at a ski show.

I would not at all be surpirsed to see K have the same thing to say this season.

 

[deadheadskier]

uh -oh

ta&idaho is gonna get it

:lol:

 

[SpinmasterK]

New snowguns arrived this morning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IfqYJxSURA&feature=player_profilepage

 

[drjeff]

New snowguns arrived this morning:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IfqYJxSURA&feature=player_profilepage

Nice snowmaking equipment stoke vid Tom!!

Quick question for you about the install?? Are you guys going to assemble in the parking lot and bring it up the hill and "plant it" via loader/excavator?? Or are you guys going to drive a cement truck upto the site and pour the foundation and assemble there??

 

[ta&idaho]

Just to clarify, I don't think Killington's installation of new snowmaking equipment is stupid. I think one particular poster's quixotic attempt to shame Killington into aiming for an early October opening date is stupid.

 

[Highway Star]

That thing is pretty trick..........where they are putting is it is a high traffic area, they'll probably use it to resurface on very regular basis.

 

[Highway Star]

This is stupid. Extend the season by staying open (with more terrain) longer, not by blasting snow in the early Fall. Nobody needs two full months of WROD, and blasting snow before the weather realistically supports sustained operations is unbelievably wasteful (FYI: the average high in Rutland in October is 60 degrees. 60 degrees! The average low is only 36. http://www.weather.com/outlook/trav...y/graph/USVT0205?from=36hr_bottomnav_business). I'm glad this absurd practice (if it was ever anything more than bitter, revisionist nostalgia) died with the other excesses of the 80s. If there's an unexpected early season natural dump, earn yourself some turns. Otherwise, calm down and enjoy Winter when it actually arrives.

You = Fail.

 

[KingM]

It doesn't make sense if you boil it down to the equation of ( lift ticket $ > $ spent blowing snow), but it makes a lot more sense in terms of K trying to cement its status as the big boy of Northeast skiing. You know, the one who takes the business seriously and gives the season pass holders extra value, who will spare no expense to keep things going during the mid-season r*** and with the ability to recover faster than anyone else.

So the fact that the average high for Rutland is 60 in October is just a plus. It shows that the resort is willing to give Mother Nature the middle finger, which is great PR.

 

[ta&idaho]

Excessive snowmaking has real costs, both economic and environmental. Snowmaking when conditions are not in the ideal range (a factor of both temperature and humidity) is highly inefficient. As this report notes, during an Aspen study, "snow was made at Aspen Mountain in November on eight occasions at ambient temperatures greater than 32°F and on seven occasions at ambient temperatures below 32°F. The eight events when ambient temperatures were greater than 32°F accounted for only 17 percent of the total amount of manmade snow produced in that month, and the other seven events accounted for the remaining 83 percent." Technology has made snowmaking more efficient, but prudent operation also plays a role. I love skiing, even on early-season WROD, but I also feel some sense of responsibility to reduce our sport's impact on the environment.

 

[millerm277]

Not sure if it has any thing to do with it, but Techno Alpin's US headquarters is out in the Salt Lake City area, not too far from Powdr's "flagship", Park City Mountain Resort.

Makes sense then, especially now that I see PCMR is listed on Techno Alpin's references list. I just found it odd, since they were testing SMI guns all last year.

 

[SpinmasterK]

Nice snowmaking equipment stoke vid Tom!!

Quick question for you about the install?? Are you guys going to assemble in the parking lot and bring it up the hill and "plant it" via loader/excavator?? Or are you guys going to drive a cement truck upto the site and pour the foundation and assemble there??

Both towers require a concrete foundation. So once the foundation is set, the equipment will be brought up and assembled on site. I will be ther to capture photos and video to share.

 

[drjeff]

Both towers require a concrete foundation. So once the foundation is set, the equipment will be brought up and assembled on site. I will be ther to capture photos and video to share.

Thanks for the info Tom. The only reason I asked is from having watched them install a bunch of tower mounted fan guns at Mount Snow the past 2 summers, midway through the installs the 1st year they changed their strategy from pouring the bases at the final location of the fan gun to pouring them down in the base area and then lifting them up the hill with a loader/excavator which proved easier than having to basically drag the cement truck up the hill to many of the install sites.

They'd pre dig the install site on the hill. Then pour the foundation inside a form that was pretty darn close to the size of a 55 gallon drum and install the "base" that the tower bolts onto in the base area. When dry, they'd mount the tower + fan gun to the base (still down in the base area) and then once assembled, haul the entire assembly via an exacvator up to the on hill installation site, "drop" it in place, back fill and done!

 

[tjf67]

Hey highway star is on to something here. Early and Late season are the key to many pass holders. That is why they buy them. Some die hards come early and late if their mountain is either yet to open, or closed already. I can understand why it may not be worth it to all.

It is also worth it to some.

I have gone to K in the past cause my hill was not open yet. I have also gone at the end of the year when mine shut down.

 

[mondeo]

Makes sense then, especially now that I see PCMR is listed on Techno Alpin's references list. I just found it odd, since they were testing SMI guns all last year.

If I remember correctly, they were testing HKDs last year as well, or at least had new HKDs that they should therefore have information for. I knew they had two brands going, I guess the other was SMI. If they had the HKD vs. SMI battle last year, it makes sense to go HKD vs. another competitor this year if HKD won the last round.

 

[tjf67]

This is stupid. Extend the season by staying open (with more terrain) longer, not by blasting snow in the early Fall. Nobody needs two full months of WROD, and blasting snow before the weather realistically supports sustained operations is unbelievably wasteful (FYI: the average high in Rutland in October is 60 degrees. 60 degrees! The average low is only 36. http://www.weather.com/outlook/trav...y/graph/USVT0205?from=36hr_bottomnav_business). I'm glad this absurd practice (if it was ever anything more than bitter, revisionist nostalgia) died with the other excesses of the 80s. If there's an unexpected early season natural dump, earn yourself some turns. Otherwise, calm down and enjoy Winter when it actually arrives.

Hey are you the guy that pushes people off of lifts for smoking?

 

[mondeo]

This is stupid. Extend the season by staying open (with more terrain) longer, not by blasting snow in the early Fall. Nobody needs two full months of WROD, and blasting snow before the weather realistically supports sustained operations is unbelievably wasteful (FYI: the average high in Rutland in October is 60 degrees. 60 degrees! The average low is only 36. http://www.weather.com/outlook/trav...y/graph/USVT0205?from=36hr_bottomnav_business). I'm glad this absurd practice (if it was ever anything more than bitter, revisionist nostalgia) died with the other excesses of the 80s. If there's an unexpected early season natural dump, earn yourself some turns. Otherwise, calm down and enjoy Winter when it actually arrives.

So the average low, for all of October, at 3K feet, is 29. Last half is a few degrees lower. And if you've got a good head start in October on your high altitude base, then while still manmade, you've gotten away from WROD by early to mid November because you can focus on expanding terrain rather than just getting enough stuff open. They had Superstar going the weekend before Thanksgiving last year.

 

[Tin Woodsman]

For the record.

I love how you quote this as if it represents a major concession or breakthrough. Having an upper mtn lift on the Canyon side of the hill is a no-brainer prerequisite for extending the season earlier. It's no mistake that KOD has been much later since the K-1 went in.

Yay - you win the Internet!

 

[Tin Woodsman]

agreed

Sugarbush has the best set up in the east for opening early or late on Mount Ellen. If the return was worth opening in October or closing in June, I'm sure win would go for it.

ski areas first and foremost are businesses. all about the Benjamin.

Not a great example - but for the major investment at the base of LP, Mt Ellen would be the early/late season mtn and would like be pushing a Nov 1 - May 15 operating schedule in most years.