Stratton Thread

[The Sneak]

Eh. Hard to get excited about it after so many pow days at K buy sunday might be a nice day

 

[ghughes20]

Stratton put out a press release highlighting recent investments. The below is regarding upgraded to snowmaking guns. Sounds like they also purchased a new groomer.

The full presser can be found here…

Stratton Mountain Capital Expenditures - What's New For Winter 24-25 - STRATTON MOUNTAIN BLOG

Stratton Mountain Capital Expenditures are over $20 million for 24-25, enhancing multiple facets of the guest and employee experience.

blog.stratton.com

Snowmaking​

The experience begins with snow. All the dreams, all the best days, and all the memories, snow is the consistent element to each extraordinary winter experience. Preparing the mountain to open, well that all begins with snowmaking. Stratton Mountain is investing over $2 million directly into snowmaking, to make the best days even better. This is the first phase in a multi-year, multi-million-dollar investment in transforming the mountain’s 95% snowmaking coverage and capabilities into one of the industry’s most powerful, consistent, and efficient snowmaking ecosystems. The multi-phase snowmaking project will position Stratton’s snowmaking capabilities as the most robust and reliable systems for the future.

Following last year’s successful implementation of 70 HKD KLIK snowmaking hydrants on Suntanner and Polar Bear, the mountain is going all in on the system, installing another 160 HKD KLIK hydrants on a number of favorite trails consisting of Franks Fall Line, Mike’s Way, West Meadow, Drifter Link and Old Log Road. New hydrants on Mike’s Way? That’s correct, 25 HKD Impulse low-energy, high-performance tower snow guns will find a permanent home on Mike’s Way this season, replacing the manual process of bringing ground guns to the trail for snowmaking. This allows the Green Circle summit trail to open earlier, stay open late, and be resurfaced regularly for optimal terrain and conditions from the summit, for all abilities.

 

[skiur]

95% snowmaking coverage makes me not want to go there.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

necessary evil. if you want to ski in new england every weekend sometimes you need to go where good snowmaking and grooming is par. stratton serves its purpose early season, and the woods are decent and empty once they fill in.

 

[skiur]

necessary evil. if you want to ski in new england every weekend sometimes you need to go where good snowmaking and grooming is par. stratton serves its purpose early season, and the woods are decent and empty once they fill in.

95% isn't necessary, more like 70% is where it should be, I do understand that the clientele Stratton caters to doesn't go on ungroomed terrain but 95% is ridiculous.

 

[Zand]

Yeah I was gonna say, think about what Magic looks like 90% of the year and that's what you'd have at Stratton for coverage without snowmaking and that's without the thousands more people they get daily. I prefer natural snow as much as anyone but an intermediate based hill that averages in the low 100s annually for snowfall needs as much snowmaking as they can get.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

Yeah I was gonna say, think about what Magic looks like 90% of the year and that's what you'd have at Stratton for coverage without snowmaking and that's without the thousands more people they get daily. I prefer natural snow as much as anyone but an intermediate based hill that averages in the low 100s annually for snowfall needs as much snowmaking as they can get.

stratton also has a very significant elevation advantage over magic. but yea.

 

[xlr8r]

Was up at Stratton this past weekend, a lot of work being done by Doppelmayr on URSA. New summit lift shack already installed, a couple Doppelmayr guys were working on the electrical on Saturday. Also the new snowmaking feed under the access road has been backfilled, but not done paving yet, caught me by surprise driving off the asphalt onto gravel going way too fast for how bumpy the gravel is. Also seemed like they were excavating a culvert at the Sunbowl base.

 

[icecoast1]

95% isn't necessary, more like 70% is where it should be, I do understand that the clientele Stratton caters to doesn't go on ungroomed terrain but 95% is ridiculous.

The snowmaking coverage is a good thing in the northeast. It's the going out and grooming everything edge to edge after any snowfall philosophy they have that sucks there.

 

[skiur]

The snowmaking coverage is a good thing in the northeast. It's the going out and grooming everything edge to edge after any snowfall philosophy they have that sucks there.

Disagree, trails with a man-made base ski totally different (much crappier) than a natural base regardless of grooming. Yes man-made is a necessary evil in the northeast but some trails need to not have it.

 

[icecoast1]

Disagree, trails with a man-made base ski totally different (much crappier) than a natural base regardless of grooming. Yes man-made is a necessary evil in the northeast but some trails need to not have it.

I agree on how they ski and prefer it myself as well but it's not feasible at Stratton. It's a bigger magic with less interesting terrain, detachables and a ritzy village without solid snowmaking

 

[xlr8r]

At Stratton, It would be nice if they left a couple more trails all natural. I feel like Spruce, Slalom Glade, or Drifter would be good candidates to be left alone with no snowmaking.

 

[ColdRain&Snow]

95% snowmaking coverage makes me not want to go there.

I went to Sunday river last season, saw those 20” uphill water pipes, and will never be satisfied with stratton’s system until i see those pipes at the summit

 

[Newpylong]

Stratton can already put the same amount of water to any one area of the mountain as SR. Like Loon they are a sleeper snowmaking powerhouse.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

At Stratton, It would be nice if they left a couple more trails all natural. I feel like Spruce, Slalom Glade, or Drifter would be good candidates to be left alone with no snowmaking.

when there is snow there is some semi interesting natural stuff allllll the way skiers right in the sun bowl. i forget the names.

 

[ghughes20]

when there is snow there is some semi interesting natural stuff allllll the way skiers right in the sun bowl. i forget the names.

Ricks Catch 22 & Rising Star are the trails you're referring to. These are cut-trails that have no snow-making and are never groomed.

Also, Test Pilot (Tree run to skiers right off Upper Kidderbrook) is great when there's snow.

 

[Zand]

Catch 22 and Rising Star are the only trails I can think of that are rated black diamond but are too flat to ski on a powder day without getting stuck multiple times.

 

[x10003q]

At Stratton, It would be nice if they left a couple more trails all natural. I feel like Spruce, Slalom Glade, or Drifter would be good candidates to be left alone with no snowmaking.

They have not been blowing snow on Liftline the last few years and it usually does not open until way into the season. There are too many skiers to leave these main trails that you mention to the whims of natural snow. If you want natural snow trails (besides Rick's Catch 22 and Rising Star) you can wait for them to open Sunbeam and Gentle Ben in the Sun Bowl, and Dino's Drop and Cabot Run off the Snow Bowl HSQ.

 

[icecoast1]

Ricks Catch 22 & Rising Star are the trails you're referring to. These are cut-trails that have no snow-making and are never groomed.

Also, Test Pilot (Tree run to skiers right off Upper Kidderbrook) is great when there's snow.

All the way to the skiers right is kidderbrook, which sees minimal snowmaking. Super trail might as well be natural now too, the vast majority of it is a barren wasteland since the US Open went out west

 

[x10003q]

All the way to the skiers right is kidderbrook, which sees minimal snowmaking. Super trail might as well be natural now too, the vast majority of it is a barren wasteland since the US Open went out west

Stratton has not blown snow on the skiers left half of the Supertrail for years. It is unfortunate.