Snow Gun Testing

[dlague]

Running through the day

A Basin - We fired up the snowguns at 11:00 p.m. last night and are still going strong nearly 14 hours later! The temps and humidity are still working in our favor; if the sun stays hidden and the temps stay cold, we're prepared to go 24-hours a day. When's opening day? Time will tell...



Loveland

 

[dlague]

Eldora testing now

 

[steamboat1]

K on North Ridge and SR on T2 still both need a solid 36 hrs of marginal to nominal temps. We are talking maybe 12 hours next week (two short 6 hr windows, one each night). Not gonna cut the mustard.

K opened in less than 48hrs. after they first turned on the guns last season. Not saying it's going to happen this year but given the opportunity they can.

 

[steamboat1]

Advantage air hogs

 

[Newpylong]

K opened in less than 48hrs. after they first turned on the guns last season. Not saying it's going to happen this year but given the opportunity they can.

36 < 48.

I think they can dust Rime enough to open in 24. It won't be pretty but they've done it.

 

[dlague]

Advantage air hogs

Helps that the air here is relatively dry!

 

[machski]

K on North Ridge and SR on T2 still both need a solid 36 hrs of marginal to nominal temps. We are talking maybe 12 hours next week (two short 6 hr windows, one each night). Not gonna cut the mustard.

Wrong on SR front. They opened a few years ago with literally just one night of snowmaking. Now the runout of T2 to the midstation was unarguably thin and conditions were not too stellar but they literally had nothing down at 5pm the evening before.

Of course, this won't happen this year with Aurora. But a solid 48 hour window should do it if they truely almost doubled the guns in there.

 

[dlague]

Wrong on SR front. They opened a few years ago with literally just one night of snowmaking. Now the runout of T2 to the midstation was unarguably thin and conditions were not too stellar but they literally had nothing down at 5pm the evening before.

Of course, this won't happen this year with Aurora. But a solid 48 hour window should do it if they truely almost doubled the guns in there.

I would not be surprised if SR did it! There have been years in the past where they have done that to be first in the nation. But both Killington and SR are willing to put down a marginal base to get the recognition. I was reading that Loveland wants an 18 inch base that take more time!

 

[Newpylong]

Wrong on SR front. They opened a few years ago with literally just one night of snowmaking. Now the runout of T2 to the midstation was unarguably thin and conditions were not too stellar but they literally had nothing down at 5pm the evening before.

Of course, this won't happen this year with Aurora. But a solid 48 hour window should do it if they truely almost doubled the guns in there.

What year was that?

 

[machski]

What year was that?

May have been 2014 or 2013. Can't remember, but I was there for the opening day.

 

[180]

Killington has opened with one night of snowmaking many times.

 

[drjeff]

Killington has opened with one night ofGOOD TEMPS for snowmaking many times.

Fixed it for you ;-) Give them a 14-18hr run with a wet bulb in the low 20's and dry air and yup, they can do that. Give them that same length of time with a 26-28 degree wet bulb and humidity levels in the 70% plus range, and that's an entirely different production scheme....

 

[cdskier]

Fixed it for you ;-) Give them a 14-18hr run with a wet bulb in the low 20's and dry air and yup, they can do that. Give them that same length of time with a 26-28 degree wet bulb and humidity levels in the 70% plus range, and that's an entirely different production scheme....

I was thinking about that very point when everyone was talking about how many hours it takes to make enough snow to open...the time is all very much temperature (and humidity) dependent as you point out.

 

[Newpylong]

Yes both SR and K have opened in one "night" of exceptional snowmaking conditions before but on average you rarely have nominal wet bulb for an extended period in early season. That is why I said 36 hours, factoring in an average wet bulb for that time period and no stellar snowmaking runs. There are always exceptions either way...

 

[180]

i would say that almost 50% of K opening days are done on one night

 

[steamboat1]

I would say K will not be the first to open this year as they were the first to open last year. I'll go even further in saying K won't be offering both mountain biking & skiing on opening day as they did last year seeing Monday is the last day of MTB.

 

[Jully]

Definitely not MTB and skiing, but I don't see Sunday River beating them. SR would need exceptional temps and for a longer period in order to open before K.