That was a very good article. I would be curious to know what the annual snow making budget is for Mt Snow. What do they spend on labor and what do they spend on energy consumption?
-
Welcome to AlpineZone, the largest online community of skiers and snowboarders in the Northeast!
You may have to REGISTER before you can post. Registering is FREE, gets rid of the majority of advertisements, and lets you participate in giveaways and other AlpineZone events!
The "Sugarbush Thread"
- Thread starter thetrailboss
- Start date
That was a very good article. I would be curious to know what the annual snow making budget is for Mt Snow. What do they spend on labor and what do they spend on energy consumption?
Hawk
Well-known member
Mach, I like getting crap from you. Seeing that we all know the same people and you have never come up and said hi when I come around. I will have to get MB to introduce us come this new years. So considering I was there during the glory years when new terrain and snow making upgrades happened every year for about 10 years and also working there once, I think I know something about good snow making. I guess I am spoiled. But it is the one thing they lack. If we had that then there would be no contest for being the best mountain in New England. Everybody knows that the most important thing in the ski business is the product. Snow is the product. If you have that then the rest is just noise.
Interesting last paragraph to snowmaking article:
"If it’s Christmas Eve and you need to get a key trail open that will ski well, but also handle the abuse of a holiday week, Randy Barrows is your guy. He’ll make the wet base-building snow while understanding the time it takes to put a layer of sweet, dry snow on top that will ski well in the morning. And he’ll do it without needing to groom it all."
This statement that there are different qualities in blown snow is something that receives little attention in SB snowmaking discussions. What kind of snow is produced by the method of make huge whales, let them drain, and groom them out? I'd venture it is not "sweet, dry snow".
"If it’s Christmas Eve and you need to get a key trail open that will ski well, but also handle the abuse of a holiday week, Randy Barrows is your guy. He’ll make the wet base-building snow while understanding the time it takes to put a layer of sweet, dry snow on top that will ski well in the morning. And he’ll do it without needing to groom it all."
This statement that there are different qualities in blown snow is something that receives little attention in SB snowmaking discussions. What kind of snow is produced by the method of make huge whales, let them drain, and groom them out? I'd venture it is not "sweet, dry snow".
uhhhh, Hawk... did you and Terry change your names recently????
http://www.sugarbush.com/blog/stokeexchange/recovery-return/
http://www.sugarbush.com/blog/stokeexchange/recovery-return/
machski
Well-known member
It's just funny Hawk, I skied SB quite a bit in the LBO holdings era. At that time, I thought the Snowmaking wasn't bad at SB and while they didn't cover as much as quickly as SR, LBO had gotten it probably as close as he could considering the environmental and governmental hurdles SB has that SR does not. I don't get to SB as much now and mostly go when they get the real goods so I can't really speak to their Snowmaking prowess day in and out. I do ski SR a lot (we own there and I did try looking for you opening weekend but MB had some other obligations then too so our paths didn't cross) and while they have gotten much better using the Low E guns from the first year they had them, they are no replacement for the quality the SR7/14's produced day in and out. They have done well with what the weather has given them, but I wouldn't call any of SR's snow making this year high quality non-wet. Not that the temps have allowed for much else. Hopefully we get real consistent cold all over New England by the end of the weekend or early next week. When that comes in, I'll be interested to hear if you think SB man-made snow quality improves as I suspect SR's will.
Sent from my XT1650 using AlpineZone mobile app
rocks860
Active member
Switched my week so I’ll be up there 1/27-2/3
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I was away at a wedding for a few days so just got back to see what yesterday's rain did. We had to delay opening a bit this morning. The snow was too soft to groom last night so the groomers went out early today to do what they could. The natural trails are done for now until we get some natural snow. Tonight the groomers will be double grooming most of the trails where we have made snow and as the temperatures have fallen we have turned the guns back on Ripcord, Murphy's, Lower Organgrinder and Lower Jester to get more terrain by the weekend. Depending on how Stein's grooms out we may go back there for a touch up as well. Over at ME we will be working on Northstar. We had a pipe break on Mid-Flats so that has to be welded to resume on some other trails but that should be in a day. Next week the temperatures are looking even colder so we will be moving snowmaking over to the Gatehouse side to let that open by the following weekend.
Thanks win for the updates! Today was actually not too bad out all things considered (although growing up skiing the poconos may have prepared me well for conditions like today). I was not at all surprised when I woke up and looked at the report and saw they decided they had to groom and delay opening.
A double groom on trails tonight should definitely make tomorrow closer to normal.
Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone
A double groom on trails tonight should definitely make tomorrow closer to normal.
Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone
rocks860
Active member
Wow didn’t realize win was posting here now. Thanks for the update and keeping sugarbush my favorite place to ski. Been skiing there for ~32 of my almost 35 years
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Hah, he found his way here not too long ago after the skimrv forum never came back to life.
In other news I think the temp readings on sugarbush's website are stuck. I'm pretty sure they haven't changed since I woke up this morning and right now it is mid 20s at my condo while the website still says 34 at the base. My elevation is probably only a few hundred feet above the base.
Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone
slatham
Well-known member
Use this as a sanity check on Sugarbush base temps:
https://www.wunderground.com/weather/us/vt/warren/KVTWARRE3
If you select the "Change" option you'll get a map with a bunch of other local stations. They all note the elevation of the station, and there's good data if you select the station - if you're into that kind of stuff.
https://www.wunderground.com/weather/us/vt/warren/KVTWARRE3
If you select the "Change" option you'll get a map with a bunch of other local stations. They all note the elevation of the station, and there's good data if you select the station - if you're into that kind of stuff.
The groomers did a spectacular job last night and even got to Stein's. (we did have one of the groomer's break down at the bottom of Stein's and had to be towed out so there was a bit of a mess low on skier's right but that will be fixed tonight. Our vehicle maintenance team has the groomer ready to go tonight too). I did first tracks on Stein's followed by Snowball and Spring Fling, and experienced as nice a grooming job as you will find anywhere. A few hours later it was more loose granular but still good skiing and riding. Tonight we will groom everything open where we are not making snow so tomorrow (especially early) should be nice again, and I plan to start on Stein's.
Snowmaking continues on Ripcord and the top especially is coming in very nice. The guns were running wetter nearer the base as temperatures came up but they are going down again. We will likely turn off there and Murphy's tomorrow and start to move elsewhere. I think we will turn on Stein's again Friday night and continue into Saturday to get some fresh snow and build up some moguls as well as starting to move over to the Gatehouse side to get more beginner and intermediate terrain open by next weekend. Over at ME we are also focusing on completing the trip to the bottom so that we can also take advantage of some really good temps next week to get the terrain park snow started.
We did get an inch of snow, and it is amazing what even a little amount does to the quality of the experience when groomed in with snow making. Hopefully, the cold temperatures over the warm waters on the Lakes will continue to send some clippers our way. That is what we say starting this week last year when we recorded 100 inches of snow by the new year.
Our snow reporter accidentally hit an override button which turned off the feed to the thermometers. It is corrected now.
Some facts on the SnoLogic guns. Unlike some other manufacturers, they run at a constant 8 cubic feet per minute (CFM). Some have 4 stages and others have 6. The lowest stage is used when temperatures are at the highest level to make snow (around 28-29 wetbulb). At that stage they put out 15 gallons per minute (GPM). As the temperatures go down the stages are adjusted. They smaller land guns have the 4 stages and range from 15-50 GPM. The six stage towers and guns range from 15-90 GPM.
Snowmaking continues on Ripcord and the top especially is coming in very nice. The guns were running wetter nearer the base as temperatures came up but they are going down again. We will likely turn off there and Murphy's tomorrow and start to move elsewhere. I think we will turn on Stein's again Friday night and continue into Saturday to get some fresh snow and build up some moguls as well as starting to move over to the Gatehouse side to get more beginner and intermediate terrain open by next weekend. Over at ME we are also focusing on completing the trip to the bottom so that we can also take advantage of some really good temps next week to get the terrain park snow started.
We did get an inch of snow, and it is amazing what even a little amount does to the quality of the experience when groomed in with snow making. Hopefully, the cold temperatures over the warm waters on the Lakes will continue to send some clippers our way. That is what we say starting this week last year when we recorded 100 inches of snow by the new year.
Our snow reporter accidentally hit an override button which turned off the feed to the thermometers. It is corrected now.
Some facts on the SnoLogic guns. Unlike some other manufacturers, they run at a constant 8 cubic feet per minute (CFM). Some have 4 stages and others have 6. The lowest stage is used when temperatures are at the highest level to make snow (around 28-29 wetbulb). At that stage they put out 15 gallons per minute (GPM). As the temperatures go down the stages are adjusted. They smaller land guns have the 4 stages and range from 15-50 GPM. The six stage towers and guns range from 15-90 GPM.
I was wondering what exactly happened low on steins in that area. Other than that area the rest of steins was quite nice and much better than I expected. I enjoyed everything that I skied today. If I had to pick a least favorite, probably downspout. Not sure why but it just seemed a bit chunky and firm even from first thing this morning. Everything else was groomed very nicely.
Thanks for getting the temps on the website fixed too. I love being able to see the temps at 3 different elevations on the mountain.
Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone
Thanks for getting the temps on the website fixed too. I love being able to see the temps at 3 different elevations on the mountain.
Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone
bumpcrasher
Member
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2007
- Messages
- 60
- Points
- 8
Absolutely amazing job resurfacing Stein's last night!! About 3 or inches of perfect gunpowder. Was certainly receiving a lot of compliments from the faithful. Got to give credit where it is due!
sugarbushskier
Member
My first weekend out this year; Stowe Saturday and Sugarbush Sunday. The amount of man made on some of the trails at SB was unbelievable! Huge whales on Murphys, middle & lower Organgrinder as well as Ripcord were some of the largest I've seen there in years. Snow was silky soft and the usual suspects such as Snowball, Upper Grinder, Jester etc all skied well with mostly mid winter typical conditions. Downspout and upper Steins were scratchy, but mid way down Steins, hard skiers left was sweet. Crowds were manageable and dropped of considerably after lunch. Win was out and about talking with folks in the lodge and in line which is always great to see the personal touch.
Next weekend is the first weekend for programs - so it will be more crowded for sure. Lets hope we get north of 20" this week and that will help open up even some natural trails. I am guessing by the end of the week - Gatehouse side of the Mtn will be in full swing.
Lower og below murphys is done. From that point up to ds is under the guns now. Still a section of middle jester that hasn't had any snowmaking yet. Lower snowball/racers edge and bird land would be all that's left on the main mountain I think after that. The cold temps this week should help them make great progress on gatehouse to help spread out crowds a bit.
Sent from my iPhone using AlpineZone
Similar threads
