Newpylong
Well-known member
2/3 is as good as 0 depending on where it is and pipe topography.
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Will snowmaking shut down early this season?
- Thread starter ColdRain&Snow
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Ski2LiveLive2Ski
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Anywhere that doesn't make snow this Friday night is putting us on notice that they are done making snow and the skison will last only til what they have on their trails melts.
AdironRider
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Everyone I know in ops has said snowmaking has been much more expensive this year. Energy costs are up, and temps have been marginal (almost 7 degrees above average in the Upper Valley for example). That has led to less efficient snowmaking.
Combine that with at least three major thaws since Thanksgiving and you have snowmaking budgets that are blown.
Combine that with at least three major thaws since Thanksgiving and you have snowmaking budgets that are blown.
machski
Well-known member
Mid to late next week. February looking to go out a bit like it came in.
drjeff
Well-known member
Snow making annual budget toasted through or not. My hunch is as we get towards late month, and many places start to roll out their passes/pricing for next season, having some snowmaking, if temps are there, even if on just some core trails, will be used as a draw for folks considering what pass to next season.
Now we get out 3rd major Holiday period of the season with a melt out/hard freeze leading into the start of the weekend.... Would be nice if Mother Nature could throw the majority of the East Coast ski areas a couple of MAJOR snowstorms as Feb winds down and March starts.
Now we get out 3rd major Holiday period of the season with a melt out/hard freeze leading into the start of the weekend.... Would be nice if Mother Nature could throw the majority of the East Coast ski areas a couple of MAJOR snowstorms as Feb winds down and March starts.
True! i.e. Tragic
drjeff
Well-known member
I noticed while skiing around yesterday that the majority of the "non core" trails had their hoses pulled for the season. The core trails still had hoses at each gun.
Over all base depth wise, they've got about as much base down on the majority of their snowmaking trails, as they typically put down for the season. They still have portable fan guns deployed in position on Middle Exhibition and the headwall of Overbrook above the top of Rollercoaster from what I saw yesterday, so I strongly doubt that they're done making snow for the season, unless Mother Nature really brings multiple feet of natural snow ASAP and then doesn't follow up a snow event with a warm rain monsoon as she often has this season.
This was about the time last year that Vail announced plans to "extend the season" at numerous resorts of theirs last year. Will see if something similar gets announced this year or not. Mother Nature sure hasn't helped the East this year
I feel like Vail has less incentive compared to other passes to blow extra snow at the end and extend the season. They don’t offer the ski this year on next years pass like others do (Ski3, Ikon).
But they haven’t shortened the season much anywhere in VT so thats good.
But they haven’t shortened the season much anywhere in VT so thats good.
Newpylong
Well-known member
Did they not cover those two this year?
drjeff
Well-known member
Not yet. Mother Nature kept getting the the way of them getting to those 2.
Given that they deployed the portable fan guns to both of those locations within the last week, including the demo HKD Halo fan that arrived at the mountain about 10 days ago, I gather that they intend to hook up those hoses and power cords and light those sections up
Newpylong
Well-known member
Put Exhibition in the category of another "front and center" headscratcher why it's always late in the pecking order. Lodge to Middle Ex on down was always first w/ASC but that before the Cascade/Canyon project.
drjeff
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Truthfully I think Middle Ex became the 3rd priority of that middle part of the mountain when they lined the adjacent section of Lodge with fan guns right after Peak bought the mountain and then with Ego Alley getting snowmaking love for the race team typically earlier in a normal snowmaking season (this WASN'T a normal snowmaking season as Ego didn't get gun time until just before the Arctic Blast a couple of weeks ago) that making snow on a 3rd parallel section of terrain within say 100 yards laterally of each other, suddenly moved to a much lower priority wise on the roll out plan
Newpylong
Well-known member
Makes sense. Not that I ever get down there anymore, but if I did I wish they didn't bail on Upper Ex, that was one of my favorites.
drjeff
Well-known member
The bases for tower air water sticks are still along Upper Ex, guessing that pipe is swiss cheese now as it's been years since they hooked hoses up to it. Kind of all ended when they got rid of the vast majortity of their portable ground gun arsenal as even with sub 10 foot towers, the way that side hill falls away down to where the towers for the Grand Summit Express are, they were going to plaster that lift during and snowmaking ops
Newpylong
Well-known member
I am fairly sure that line is down fed from the top and goes down skier's right of what is now Upper Lodge and as of a few years ago they sometimes used the hydrants on that side where it was wide up there? I actaully think the line goes all the way down Exhibition the entire way, so I think it's still active.
drjeff
Well-known member
Could be.
Skiers/riders right at the top of Upper Ex hasn't to my knowledge, had a ground gun hooked up to that line in 5+ years, and it seems like when they do make snow on Middle Ex, they're using the line that they installed when they added snowmaking on Link from roughly the top terminal of the Ego lift down across Southbowl and over to Ridge as there often is an HKD Impluse at the junction of Upper Ex and Link running when Middle Ex is running. I could be 100% wrong on that since I know they had some "plumbing changes" associated with the West Lake project, and I am not quite sure what they changed and what remained the same on certain sections of the mountain
catskillman
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All the portable guns at Hunter have been moved next to the B lift, by the old snow cat maintenance shed. Sure looks pretty much over by now.......
Ski2LiveLive2Ski
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Crazy to not make snow Friday Nt before holiday weekend
drjeff
Well-known member
Gotta remember that Hunter has a bunch of trails with fixed mounted equipment as well. Just because the portable stuff may have been hauled off the hill and into off season storage location, isn't necessarily a sign that they're 100% done for sure with snowmaking this season vs just being done on some trails
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