Opening Day 10/11 Predictions

[Geoff]

Looks like I'm wrong. It appears Locke is only about 2500. Highest point at Sunday River is apparently 3140. I wouldn't have guessed that OZ was over 600 feet higher than Locke.

http://www.mountainzone.com/mountains/detail.asp?fid=6169756

Yep. On "terrain" mode in Google Maps, I see just shy of 2600'. The last contour line is 2560'.

At Killington, 2560 is the bottom of Bunny Buster where it intersects with Conclusion. 2500' is the 2nd bay in the parking lot. The top of Locke is 44.456N. The K1 is 43.619N. That's 85 nautical miles or 98 statute miles.

Eastern exposure and 100 miles farther south make quite the difference in marginal October/November temperatures.

 

[Geoff]

Gotta revise mine too. I think Killington will go for it now that they're installing the walkway! I'm guessing 10/21

This is the same business that sold spring season passes last year announcing a May closing date and then closed in April with wall-to-wall cover on Superstar because of a long range weather forecast that turned out to be dead wrong.

I'm from Missouri. Show me.

Unless it's an abnormally cold 2nd half of October, I'll go with Thursday November 4th for Killington and a week earlier for Sunday River.

 

[bvibert]

This is the same business that sold spring season passes last year announcing a May closing date and then closed in April with wall-to-wall cover on Superstar because of a long range weather forecast that turned out to be dead wrong.

I'm from Missouri. Show me.

Unless it's an abnormally cold 2nd half of October, I'll go with Thursday November 4th for Killington and a week earlier for Sunday River.

Mostly just wishful thinking on my part. There's not much chance of me getting up to Sunday River for early season skiing, but Killington would be a possibility...

 

[drjeff]

This is the same business that sold spring season passes last year announcing a May closing date and then closed in April with wall-to-wall cover on Superstar because of a long range weather forecast that turned out to be dead wrong.

I'm from Missouri. Show me.

Unless it's an abnormally cold 2nd half of October, I'll go with Thursday November 4th for Killington and a week earlier for Sunday River.

Geoff, a question for you as a long time K passholder (and based on many of your previous posts over the years I think I know what your answer will be) Given the financial reality of K's current management, and the likelyhood that the days of the "open 1st in the East at whatever cost and stay open until it's just not realistic to spin the lifts anymore" is gone. Would you prefer them taking the steps (pun somewhat intended ) like they're doing now in an attempt to apparently try and get back to an opening that *could* be a cople of weeks sooner then in previous years, or keep the lifts spinning a few weeks later in the season (with the econmic understanding) that closing day could very well have them with fully skiable lift served terrain, but be a couple of weeks later than it was the last few years??

 

[Geoff]

Geoff, a question for you as a long time K passholder (and based on many of your previous posts over the years I think I know what your answer will be) Given the financial reality of K's current management, and the likelyhood that the days of the "open 1st in the East at whatever cost and stay open until it's just not realistic to spin the lifts anymore" is gone. Would you prefer them taking the steps (pun somewhat intended ) like they're doing now in an attempt to apparently try and get back to an opening that *could* be a cople of weeks sooner then in previous years, or keep the lifts spinning a few weeks later in the season (with the econmic understanding) that closing day could very well have them with fully skiable lift served terrain, but be a couple of weeks later than it was the last few years??

I don't think it matters. I don't trust these owners to do much beyond what they're already doing. From what I've observed, they're more interested in staying closed in October and May to bean count their furloughed staff than do the right thing for their customer base.

If I had to pick, I'd pick a Memorial Day closing with the K1 targeted to run through the first weekend in May. Nobody can predict tempertatures in October and early November. Some years, they can open in October with top-to-bottom. Other years, they're closed Thanksgiving. You can control May skiing if you stockpile enough snow.

 

[jarrodski]

Will they have all the work done on the Sundown 6 pack by 11/20?

haha, actually we have a package deal called the 12 pack.