Mount Snow to Fire Up The Guns 10/19

[WoodCore]

According to their web site, Mount Snow plans on firing up the snowguns on Launchpad tonight if temps cooperate.

http://www.mountsnow.com/snowreport.html


:beer:

 

[Highway Star]

Might be nice if they could spin the lift.....that would make it an official opening....

 

[drjeff]

Might be nice if they could spin the lift.....that would make it an official opening....

The line for the lift might end up being longer than the actual liftline

I'm sensing though some nice mid-October NEW ENGLAND snowmaking tommorrow AM

Heck, if I didn't have a party to goto here in CT tommorrow, I'd be spending tonight at my place at Mount Snow for some 1st hand pics of the snow!

 

[GrilledSteezeSandwich]

Jea!!!!!!

 

[Moe Ghoul]

Tick -Tock, the clock keeps counting down.

 

[BigK]

Wonder how much is going to melt. Still awesome though.

Why make snow at the Base of the mountain?

 

[skiing is life]

oh yes :grin::flag:

 

[Johnskiismore]

It's the most wonderful time,
of the year,

With snowguns a-blowin',
the water is flowin,

To bring us white cheer!

It's the most wonderful time,
of the year!

 

[Geoff]

Wonder how much is going to melt. Still awesome though.


Why make snow at the Base of the mountain?

For the same reason Preston Smith always blew snow in October. ....to market his snowmaking system. Early season isn't profitable but it has been proven out at Killington over the last 4 decades that a patch in October puts you on television in the flatlands for the evening news. The return on free advertising and building your brand far outweighs the expense of blowing the snow. We had decades of the weather dude going "Well, winter has started. Killington has started making snow." and the news babe shuddering saying something about how she's not ready for winter yet. The photos made many of the flatland newspapers. POWDR and Chris Nyberg clearly don't understand their market or the need to promote the resort and its snowmaking capability. Mount Snow and Sunday River get it. Little surprise that Killington skier visits are way off while Sunday River and Mount Snow had good seasons last year.

 

[BigK]

For the same reason Preston Smith always blew snow in October. ....to market his snowmaking system. Early season isn't profitable but it has been proven out at Killington over the last 4 decades that a patch in October puts you on television in the flatlands for the evening news. The return on free advertising and building your brand far outweighs the expense of blowing the snow. We had decades of the weather dude going "Well, winter has started. Killington has started making snow." and the news babe shuddering saying something about how she's not ready for winter yet. The photos made many of the flatland newspapers. POWDR and Chris Nyberg clearly don't understand their market or the need to promote the resort and its snowmaking capability. Mount Snow and Sunday River get it. Little surprise that Killington skier visits are way off while Sunday River and Mount Snow had good seasons last year.

Killington might just a little surprise for you Geoff. You might want to keep an eye on the hill from your window this weekend.

 

[Geoff]

Killington might just a little surprise for you Geoff. You might want to keep an eye on the hill from your window this weekend.

I can only see Ovation and Superstar out my window. I guess I'll have to go for a walk.

 

[BigK]

Glazebrook.

 

[Highway Star]

Killington might just a little surprise for you Geoff. You might want to keep an eye on the hill from your window this weekend.

We already know that Killington is going to test their system tonight. They haven't bothered to announce it though.

 

[BigK]

Isn't that what Mount Snow is doing? Blowing at the base of the mountain....At Least when K starts to make snow or test it will be at the peak, where it has a much better chance of lasting to actually be worthwhile.....By the way if K does test the guns tonight they will have them on earlier than Mount Snow, making them the first to make snow in the east.

 

[Johnskiismore]

Whay isn't Killington announcing it?

 

[o3jeff]

By the way if K does test the guns tonight they will have them on earlier than Mount Snow, making them the first to make snow in the east.

I think the bigger bragging right will be for who opens first.

 

[Highway Star]

Isn't that what Mount Snow is doing? Blowing at the base of the mountain....At Least when K starts to make snow or test it will be at the peak, where it has a much better chance of lasting to actually be worthwhile.....By the way if K does test the guns tonight they will have them on earlier than Mount Snow, making them the first to make snow in the east.

They are blowing at the bottom because they CAN. It's also much easier to setup a park that people can hike. It doesn't matter if it melts....it will get used before it does.

 

[ski_resort_observer]

The gauntlet is about to be dropped....giddyup!

 

[kingslug]

It's coming!!!!

 

[BushMogulMaster]

For the same reason Preston Smith always blew snow in October. ....to market his snowmaking system.

October? Heck, they were making snow in September! 92/93 was the first Oct. 1st opening at Killington. It was my dad's last season there. He was the Upper Basin Manager, and made the push to get the product on the ground and the lifts turning on 10/1. There were some eyebrows raised (even within the company), but they did it and it worked! They did it a couple times after that as well (93/94 & 97/98 ) .

It's certainly not profitable, but it's marketing points and it gets people excited. It only works, really, if you're the only one doing it. As soon as 3 or 4 areas are "competing" for first to open, it spreads the minimal early season crowds too thin, and takes the marketing emphasis off the individual areas.