Killington's Epic Super Amazing Multi-Million Dollar Improvements for '09-'10!! Wow!

[Highway Star]

Killington's website says they have 88 miles of snowmaking pipe. *uneducated question alert* If they are replacing "...up to 2,000 feet of snowmaking pipe, including sections on Cascade and Great Eastern ", that would take...176+ years to replace all the pipe in the system once. It seems like there should be more than that getting replaced each year?

Interesting question. IIRC, life span of the pipe is roughly 30-40 years. You can look back on Killington's expansion history and do the math. For example, the pipes on lower Pipe Dream were installed in the mid-early 70's, and failed a few years ago. Similar for valley plunge. OTOH, pipes the vital main basin/snowdon and other areas have seen constant work already to keep them up to par, since those areas have had snowmaking since nearly the beginning 50 years ago.

I would think the next area that will need a major snowmaking overhaul (or have repeated problems) is Bear Mountain, since most of that was installed in the early 80's.

I doubt they are replacing entire runs of pipe in most cases. Just cutting out bad sections and replacing them.

You'd be amazed at the amount of old snowmaking junk floating around the mountain. Most surprising to me is the pipe and hydrants on old lower cascade, behind the net. Still haven't heard when that was closed off, but it was at least 15+ years ago.

 

[ComeBackMudPuddles]

Almost every resort is just doing maintenance, repairs and small upgrades. Nobody in their right mind would be spending millions on major work right now in this economy...

:angry::angry::angry::smash::angry::smash::smash: :uzi: :uzi::smash::flame::flame::angry::angry:uke: uke:


you're not supposed to make sense in this thread!!!! major party foul.

 

[RENO]

:angry::angry::angry::smash::angry::smash::smash: :uzi: :uzi::smash::flame::flame::angry::angry:uke: uke:


you're not supposed to make sense in this thread!!!! major party foul.

Sorry! I haven't had my 2nd cup of coffee yet this morning. Give me a minute to wake up... :lol:

 

[Newpylong]

your first three are very reasonable. in fact maybe the snowmaking still works on the fiddle and all they need to do is brush cutting and turn it on. getting the fiddle back online is the most impactful thing they can do other than the inerconnect. will certainly generate some buzz. the trail is there and it has pipe so it's really a no-brainer. cleaning the deadfall & doing some maintenance on the SRT also can be done cheaply. the rest of the stuff is dreamland ...

it still works on the fiddle. Three seasons ago they made snow.

 

[deadheadskier]

it still works on the fiddle. Three seasons ago they made snow.

any reasonable explanation as to why they have not made snow since? I recognize that some folks would prefer it remain a natural snow trail, but with it's width and exposure that would seem to really cut into it's days open. It's always been one of if not the favorite trail of mine at Killington and in general I don't care for wide trails, so that's saying something.

 

[Geoff]

any reasonable explanation as to why they have not made snow since? I recognize that some folks would prefer it remain a natural snow trail, but with it's width and exposure that would seem to really cut into it's days open. It's always been one of if not the favorite trail of mine at Killington and in general I don't care for wide trails, so that's saying something.

ASC stopped making snow on Fiddle when they got in huge financial trouble and were doing anything to trim operating costs. POWDR is even worse about squeezing every nickel out of the operation and continued the no-love for Devils Fiddle.

Fiddle absolutely should be a snowmaking trail. It faces southeast. It's rare that it is skiable on natural snow without doing a rock dance. Fiddle is always the first thing to soften in March due to exposure and elevation. It dramatically improves the experience on those days in March and April when the rest of the resort is bullet-proof.

 

[millerm277]

Interesting question. IIRC, life span of the pipe is roughly 30-40 years. You can look back on Killington's expansion history and do the math. For example, the pipes on lower Pipe Dream were installed in the mid-early 70's, and failed a few years ago. Similar for valley plunge. OTOH, pipes the vital main basin/snowdon and other areas have seen constant work already to keep them up to par, since those areas have had snowmaking since nearly the beginning 50 years ago.

I would think the next area that will need a major snowmaking overhaul (or have repeated problems) is Bear Mountain, since most of that was installed in the early 80's.

I doubt they are replacing entire runs of pipe in most cases. Just cutting out bad sections and replacing them.

Right, my logic was just more that it would seem like that length of pipe would be less than whatever base value you want to set for keeping the system at the same level of operation for the future. Wish they'd fix those pipes on Pipe Dream....(and Valley Plunge, but hey...at least they cleared it out after a lot of bitching about it).

You'd be amazed at the amount of old snowmaking junk floating around the mountain. Most surprising to me is the pipe and hydrants on old lower cascade, behind the net. Still haven't heard when that was closed off, but it was at least 15+ years ago.

Yeah, I know I spotted a bunch of K3000's in the woods rusting away somewhere down along Skyeship as well. (Way off trail).

 

[icedtea]

Old Sunrise still has snowmaking equipment lying around.

 

[thorski]

x2 :grin::grin:

X3 :beer:

 

[Newpylong]

Old Sunrise still has snowmaking equipment lying around.

Hi IceTea, what kind of equipment? I would think they would have just left the pipes - but there are other items that were abandoned there too?

 

[Newpylong]

Couldn't agree more.

ASC stopped making snow on Fiddle when they got in huge financial trouble and were doing anything to trim operating costs. POWDR is even worse about squeezing every nickel out of the operation and continued the no-love for Devils Fiddle.

Fiddle absolutely should be a snowmaking trail. It faces southeast. It's rare that it is skiable on natural snow without doing a rock dance. Fiddle is always the first thing to soften in March due to exposure and elevation. It dramatically improves the experience on those days in March and April when the rest of the resort is bullet-proof.

 

[icedtea]

Hi IceTea, what kind of equipment? I would think they would have just left the pipes - but there are other items that were abandoned there too?

I think there still is whatever they hooked the hoses up to back there and a good deal of hose by the top of the lift in one of the storage sheds.

 

[Geoff]

Hi IceTea, what kind of equipment? I would think they would have just left the pipes - but there are other items that were abandoned there too?

They removed the snowmaking pipe from Northeast Passage a year ago and deployed it elsewhere last summer. I guess it was way cheaper to spend the labor money to recycle the old pipe than to buy new. I haven't been on that part of the hill to see what is still lying around.

 

[Newpylong]

They removed the snowmaking pipe from Northeast Passage a year ago and deployed it elsewhere last summer. I guess it was way cheaper to spend the labor money to recycle the old pipe than to buy new. I haven't been on that part of the hill to see what is still lying around.

Not that there were many trails with coverage but I remember a few of the steeps off of Hawk's Nest having snowmaking? I think they were Thunderball, The Judge and Noreaster, with Gold Dust being a natural wild thing at some point. I wonder if they removed the pipes from all of these runs or just Sun Dog? I was out of the skiing scene for a few years which happened to be around 99 to 2002 or so, I wish I could have gotten a trail sign from one of those runs.

Doesn't the main line from Woodward go through Sunrise?


Geoff, do you remember if the Northbrook trail had snowmaking? I remember it being the only way from Snowshed /K base to Needle's Eye before they put in the Northbrook Quad and lower High Road wasn't it?

 

[millerm277]

Doesn't the main line from Woodward go through Sunrise?

Yes. For obvious reasons, I think we can safely assume that's still there.

 

[Geoff]

Geoff, do you remember if the Northbrook trail had snowmaking? I remember it being the only way from Snowshed /K base to Needle's Eye before they put in the Northbrook Quad and lower High Road wasn't it?

Here's a section of the 1985-1986 trail map.

 

[Newpylong]

Ah, doesnt' look like Northbrook had any then, but it shows Bearly as not having any either - but it does now.

 

[skiadikt]

ASC stopped making snow on Fiddle when they got in huge financial trouble and were doing anything to trim operating costs. POWDR is even worse about squeezing every nickel out of the operation and continued the no-love for Devils Fiddle.

Fiddle absolutely should be a snowmaking trail. It faces southeast. It's rare that it is skiable on natural snow without doing a rock dance. Fiddle is always the first thing to soften in March due to exposure and elevation. It dramatically improves the experience on those days in March and April when the rest of the resort is bullet-proof.

geoff & i have been pounding the table on this one. while most of us prefer nat snow, other than the day after a dump, i'm usually doing that rock dance. and newpy, i think asc last made snow on it 4 years ago.

i think it might also make some sense to do what's necessary to bring snowmaking back on-line on pipedream. trail's so wide that snowmaking on skier's left will have no effect on the often excellent natural snow on skier's right and will give them a reason to run the south ridge more often. in addition to the great natural skiing off the srt, the lift provides an important interconnect between bear and the canyon.

 

[Highway Star]

Previous thread on making snow on the Fiddle:

http://forums.alpinezone.com/46777-killington-devils-fiddle-will-see-snowmaking-year.html

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Here's a section of the 1985-1986 trail map.

Wow..I think I just got a woody looking at that..