Hey Win, a few things.

First, kudos to your courage to step out and engage the cyber skiing community. As I SKIMRV.com lurker since the beginning, I think your posts are doing wonders for your mountain.

Second, congrats on getting the clay brook building and gate house lodges up. I think getting both buildings up, at the same time, is key to turning the corner financially. Of course, a long cold snowy winter would be even better.

Now to my questions, have your crews been able to clear out the slide brook express liftline so the lift can operate this coming winter?

Also, I really think its worth while to pursue adding snowmaking to Castlerock Connection, from Middle Earth to the Castlerock chair. Its problaly a princly sum considering all the reports you would need to file with the NFS, but worth it in the long view. Just my two cents.

random_ski_guy wrote:

Also, I really think its worth while to pursue adding snowmaking to Castlerock Connection, from Middle Earth to the Castlerock chair. Its problaly a princly sum considering all the reports you would need to file with the NFS, but worth it in the long view. Just my two cents.

See Q&A #4:

http://skiing.alpinezone.com/articles/challenge/2006/response.htm?resort=sugarbush

random_ski_guy wrote:

Now to my questions, have your crews been able to clear out the slide brook express liftline so the lift can operate this coming winter?

As Win has stated a few times, the SBX didn't run very often b/c there wasn't enough snowcover at the bottom of the Slide Brook basin to enable snowmobiles to get in there in case of an evacuation or rescue situation. I'm pretty sure thet's either one of their stricter operating guidelines or perhaps even a commitment they made to the USFS as part of the agreement allowing the SBX in the first place. My bases can assure you, cover was lacking at those elevations for most of the winter.

Edit: I went back and looked. Here's what Win said in the AZ Challenge:

"Slidebrook is only 11 years old and should run for years. We run it on Holidays and weekends unless the temperatures are not seemed safe or the wind does not allow it to run safely. We have fortunately never had an evacuation, but a full set of chairs could take quite a while to evacuate, and that is why we watch the temperatures carefully. We also have to have enough snow on the roads into Slidebrook to run snowmobiles and other lift evacuation equipment. This is a State requirement as well as our own policy. This year, we had very thin cover and that is why, in the spring, we were not able to run it more"

thanks Gregg and Tin, but i thought part of the reason the slide brook didn't run after those nasty wind storms was due to trees coming down as well as the lack of snow. i guess i am mistaken.

When ASC owned the MT they ran Slidebrook all the time. It was there trademake and marketing splash, They spent lots of advertising $$ on a pull out in all ski magazines advertising it. After that was the biggest ski day year since Mascara MT days. It was Bob A. who looked at the # and said it was less costly to..mid week... use the bus shuttle.....we have invested in. I do believe if our mid-week # increase to a exceptible # they will then be able to afford to run the lift mid-week. It is not a permit issue. Now for the possative spin: If they are that busy the trees will be skied out during the week. I personally am willing to take the bus. Even though for mid-week guest it is a visual rush. 2 or 3 days to being on snow again.

The issue this year was not clearing the trails. It was lack of snow depth. By regulation we have to be able to get equipment into Slidebrook for both lift maintenance and repair and even more importantly for (God forbid) a lift evacuation. While we had good depth at times, there were periods in both mid and late season when the snow depth did not allow this and therefore we could not run Slidebrook. In a normal winter, we should be able to run it from mid to late December until late March. As I mentioned in a previous comment, our plan is to run it weekends and holiday weeks. As you probably know our shuttle buses run between the two base areas everyday every one-half hour. If we get sufficient crowds on weekdays to justify running it, we would consider that as well. Hope this helps.

By the way, out trail crew starts in earnest in August and we will be working on all of our mountain trails and wooded areas and approved portions of Slidebrook.

In fairness of full disclosure. We won't cut lines, but we will go up early to check things out on occasion!

win wrote:

By the way, out trail crew starts in earnest in August and we will be working on all of our mountain trails and wooded areas and approved portions of Slidebrook.

Win -

As a follow up to your answers on this matter in the AZ Ski Area challenge, is there any chance that civilians will be allowed to participate in this exercise? Or will that have to await more approvals etc.. from the USFS?

win wrote:

In fairness of full disclosure. We won't cut lines, but we will go up early to check things out on occasion!

Got to "take one for the team" on occasion!

win wrote:

In fairness of full disclosure. We won't cut lines, but we will go up early to check things out on occasion!

I have pointed you out to people in line, on a powder day, a number of times and they are astounded that you would be in line... ON A POWDER DAY!!! And Adam, too.

For the record many of them are also impressed to find the owners helping in the lines, on weekends. It shows the concern.

Things are really starting to take shape!
I went through yesterday to find that the restaurant is almost fully enclosed and the roof is going on the lodge.
It really does look good, sorry I didn't have my camera.
Maybe Lostone could post a picture for us?

Somebody caught me wandering around with my camera, yesterday!


Well, I did take a pic or two...

The big news is that Timbers is open! I have proof!



See? People are eating in the restaurant!

Things are coming along great. Posted a few more pix in the gallery, here:

http://forums.skimrv.com/modules.php?set_albumName=album06&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php

What a great day to be out on the mountain!

Nice photos, lostone. I like the ones from Mall & Stein's.

If Win is reading: could you give us a heads-up here when they're due to cap the silo?

That would be fun to watch, I think.

Loooooooooking Goooooooooood!

ski_resort_observer wrote:

Loooooooooking Goooooooooood!

Nooooo! That is over at Nooooorrrth!

(I know... I just have to get out more. )