It looks like winter will start to return a little this weekend and then next week, although we could get another brief warming trend. We made the decision yesterday to bring in some more fire power for when the temperatures fall. We have rented 6 additional compressors that will arrive either Tuesday or Wednesday at Lincoln Peak. This will give us approximately 50% more snowmaking capacity at aLP and allow us to catch up what has been lost this past month. I think that by Christmas week we should have some good quality skiing and riding at both mountains and some expanded terrain with hopefully more coming on everyday. This is a meaningful investment, so bring some friends, buy some of our good new food and join us in the Castle Rock Pub and Timbers apres ski (if you are 21!)

In the discussion of the seating of Castlerock Pub, I may not have been clear enough as Lostone pointed out to me. Their are 80 seats at the tables for lunch and an additional 23 at the bar. For Apres ski when low tables get pushed against the wall, I think we can fit 150-200 in there. I did a count at our employee party last night and there were at least 150 without it being over crowded. Also the patio outside with the heat lamps is also going to allow more space.

Timbers is also available for apres ski but will move into a dining environment around 5:30 - 6:00pm But there are seats at the bar and good space between the bar and the dining tables. Take a look this weekend. The first reservations are 5:30pm tonight and the first owners are staying in Clay Brook this evening. If any wants to be in a photo, we are doing an official ribbong cutting tomorrow at 7:45 am on the stairs leading up from the courtyard to Super Bravo.

Win,

Any thoughts on repeating the ribbon cutting for the owners of the other three fractional intervals? Not a big deal, but this would be a way of getting the fractional owners to meet each other.

Bill
(prayin' for cold in balmy New Jersey)

Heat lamps out on the patio deck! Somtimes it can get a bit steamy/stuffy inside with all the wet gore-tex...nice to have the option to drink adult beverages on a heated patio!

win wrote:

It looks like winter will start to return a little this weekend and then next week, although we could get another brief warming trend. We made the decision yesterday to bring in some more fire power for when the temperatures fall. We have rented 6 additional compressors that will arrive either Tuesday or Wednesday at Lincoln Peak. This will give us approximately 50% more snowmaking capacity at aLP and allow us to catch up what has been lost this past month. I think that by Christmas week we should have some good quality skiing and riding at both mountains and some expanded terrain with hopefully more coming on everyday. This is a meaningful investment, so bring some friends, buy some of our good new food and join us in the Castle Rock Pub and Timbers apres ski (if you are 21!)

Win -

Thanks for the update. This is, IMHO, a really important signal of your commitment to a quality product for the holidays. I look forward to seeing what this extra firepower will be able to do once the cold temps return this weekend into next week. From what I've seen, the long-term trends are now moving in our favor, weather-wise. All the Wx blogs are chatting about 2-3 systems starting from the 20th and continuing through the 28th. enough to open Castlerock by New Year's? I highly doubt it, but probably enough cold air to get you to where you need to be - i.e. most of the GH pod, Snowball/Spring fling, Glade, Upper Birdland, Jester, Downspout, all of Grinder. Anything else will be a bonus.

Best of luck.

Well, I am hoping for some decent coverage as I will be making my first trip to Sugarbush on Dec 23-25. My family and I are really looking forward to it as we have heard great things about Sugarbush (mostly from me religiously monitoring this board). Hope we will at least get a taste of what Sugarbush is all about. I know X-Mas skiing in NE is a crapshoot but hopefully things will be much improved by the end of next week.

GolfingOwl wrote:

Well, I am hoping for some decent coverage as I will be making my first trip to Sugarbush on Dec 23-25. My family and I are really looking forward to it as we have heard great things about Sugarbush (mostly from me religiously monitoring this board). Hope we will at least get a taste of what Sugarbush is all about. I know X-Mas skiing in NE is a crapshoot but hopefully things will be much improved by the end of next week.

There's no doubt that it's going to be tight. Cold weather doesn't really come in strong until Monday/Monday night. From then until you arrive Saturday, it should be pretty much consistently below freezing. Still, that leaves just a bit over 100 hours until the Sat mornign rush to:

1) Resurface/deepen the open terrain on OG and Downspout.

2) Get Jester open top to bottom

3) Get Easy Rider, Hot Shot/Waterfall, and perhaps Sleeper/Sleepr Chute open

4) Get the beginner slope open

5) Expand to the Valley House pod with Spring Fling to Snowball (lots of snow needed for that wide slope). Possibly add Lower Snowball/Racer's Edge

6) Expand onto the mid-mountain intermediate/low expert cruisers like Glade, Upper Birdland, and Lower OG.

That's a lot of snowmaking to do and much of it - #3,4,5 above - will be at lower elevations where there will be somewhat marginal temps during the daytime. IN this light, it's easy to see why SB made the decision to bring in the extra firepower. Still, there's a lot of work to do and not a lot of time to do it.

Thanks for the update, Win. What's the hope for Mt Ellen by Christmas? Is there any chance of getting down to North Ridge? There's practically nothing left on Cruiser and Times Square, so it would basically be starting from scratch.

Given the forecasted temperatures next week we should be able to make it. Tonight we will be on FIS and Upper Rim Run at ME and Organgrinder at LP. It starts getting a lot colder on Tuesday after warming up again Sunday, so that is when we should be able to start blasting top and bottom. Our rentals arrive on Tuesday, so the timing should be good. If we get into the teens we can probably get 150 or so guns going simultaneously and that will help a lot.

BushMogulMaster wrote:

Thanks for the update, Win. What's the hope for Mt Ellen by Christmas? Is there any chance of getting down to North Ridge? There's practically nothing left on Cruiser and Times Square, so it would basically be starting from scratch.

You'd have to think that Cruiser> Straight Shot uis #1 priority, tight? Need T2B to really get things going.

Then Northstar to get a beginner route probably followed by Which Way to spread traffic out.

Then resurface and increase depths on existing terrain.

Then maybe Crackerjack and/or Inverness?

Hard to see much more than that getting done.

yes

Looks like a lot of expert snowmaking people in this thread!!!

Lets face it, the mountain has several quality snow making personnel and I am sure that all of us will wake up xmas morning to a wonderful day of skiing, thanks to these fine people. I bet we will be pleasantly surprised at the number of trails they will bring to life for our enjoyment.

I wouldn't think they were saying they were expert snowmakers. I would think, instead, that they were giving their suggestions as to what they thought to be the best way to get as much needed terrain open, as possible.

I doubt Hardy is worried about his job, due to the expertise shown here.

That said, I certainly hope your second part come to be.

Of course, I also hope your hopes are put on hold by a monster storm coming out of nowhere and a foot. Then 2 feet. Then 2 more feet. Then a 3 footer, and we should be set for the next couple weeks.

Lostone wrote:

Of course, I also hope your hopes are put on hold by a monster storm coming out of nowhere and a foot. Then 2 feet. Then 2 more feet. Then a 3 footer, and we should be set for the next couple weeks.

HI FIVE!!

All the Wx blogs are chatting about 2-3 systems starting from the 20th and continuing through the 28th. enough to open Castlerock by New Year's?


Would you mind posting a link to one of these optimistic weather blogs. I am really desperate for some cold weather. It so bad down here in NY, even talk of snow will brighten my day. I was at party last night and I wanted to punch the guy who kept insisting that this is no big deal and it's always like this.

Tin Woodsman wrote:

You'd have to think that Cruiser> Straight Shot uis #1 priority, tight? Need T2B to really get things going. Then Northstar to get a beginner route probably followed by Which Way to spread traffic out. Then resurface and increase depths on existing terrain. Then maybe Crackerjack and/or Inverness? Hard to see much more than that getting done.

That's what I thought. There's not much of a choice... ME has to have T2B for the holiday crouds. I don't think hour long waits to ride Summit would be good keeping the customers happy (not to mention the fact that I don't want to wait that long ) The temperatures are still looking good for snowmaking all week (15 Monday night, 20 Tuesday, 8 Tuesday night, 27 Wednesday, 18 Wednesday night, 27 Thursday, 10 Thursday night, etc.). Hopefully some serious progress can be made. The diesel compressors at LP will make a difference for sure. I know the water pumping capacity at LP outweighs the air capacity quite a bit, so these diesels should help bridge that gap.

Here's to low temps and more snow!!!