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I thought I would get this started now that the season is upon us. Looks like snowmaking weather, especially at elevation, returns November 9th. With the new low E guns, there’s more than enough air to run Jester and Downspout at once to the base of HG, so I still expect an on schedule opening, even if we have to download. There’s an outside chance of t2b, but I’m guessing that downloading will be the most likely scenario after looking at the long range forecast.
Word on the street is that snowmaking will start within the next few days and continue into the foreseeable future. They will blow at elevation when temps require it and expand downward as they allow. With the increase in low e guns over the past 5 years, I think we are still in excellent shape for a t2b opening. If not, I would imagine t2b on Black Friday is attainable. That is if temps hold of course.
November 8th
11:00 AM
Welcome to Winter! Snowmaking is underway, temperatures dropped below freezing, and are forecast to stay consistent for a few days. Snowmakers are hard at work on Organgrinder and Jester. They plan to work their way down to the base of Valley House as weather permits. With a potential snowstorm brewing for next week, Old Man Winter should be back in full effect.
It looks like the top of the mountain could pick up 12”-18” through next Tuesday, so as long as they get the temps at the bottom, we should be t2b opening day.
Temps are looking great for Sugarbush to hit the opening day target. With the 6”-7” that fell today, and the potential for 10” or more on Monday/Tuesday, there will be a great base to start with. My guess is that they open with Jester, Downspout, Valley House Traverse, Snowball and Spring Fling. Bonus trail of OG if temps force them to the head towards the top. I don’t see 2 routes to the bottom being open (Snowball/Spring Fling and Lower Downspout/Lower Jester/Coffee Run), so I think that follows. With the new pipe on Snowball/Spring Fling, and the always debated Low E guns, I think they can knock that out by the middle of next week and then move to Valley House Traverse and Jester. Of course, it will take 3 different snowmaking moves to get those trails open (Snowball/Spring Fling, Valley House Traverse/Jester or Downspout, and Jester Downspout). There would be capacity leftover from just running VHT, but I don’t think it’s enough to pound a whole trail.
Are they really making snow on Domino? That’s what the app says. Don’t recall them ever making snow on that trail nor was there pipes. Also the app has lower jester as a black diamond.
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They must be working out some of the kinks in the app, because you are correct. There is no snowmaking on Domino (Domino Chute has it) and Lower Jester is definitely not a black diamond. Regardless, the priority this time of the season is going to be Spring Fling, Snowball, VHT, Downspout, Jester, and OG. Then Lower Downspout, Lower Jester, Coffee Run. After that Ripcord, Lower OG, and the cutbacks of Lower Jester.Quote:
Originally Posted by MorningWoods
Thats what I thought. Didn’t make much sense. Is everyone still over in the other forum?
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I check both (although AZ more often currently). Win started posting on AZ again last week.Quote:
Originally Posted by MorningWoods
Also fwiw, the website shows snowmaking on only Downspout, OG, and Snowball currently. Wow is the app on the iPhone screwy with the trail report right now. I usually only look at the app for the webcams and temps. I hadn't looked at the trail report in a while. It currently shows snowmaking on a ton of trails (Birdland, Cat's Meow, Domino Chute, Gondolier, Lower Domino, Domino, HG Traverse, Lower Jester, Allyn's Traverse, Lower RC, OG, and Ripcord). Definitely a bunch that they wouldn't be making on at this point and a few that have no snow-making capability at all. Trail ratings are pretty screwy too. Coffee Run is a diamond on the app! As are Header, HG Traverse, Reverse Traverse, and Snowball! Definitely some kinks to work out there.
Yeah. It’s all screwed up. Hopefully bottom line is that they can make more snow faster with all the low e guns they put in over the last several years.
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Opening day is going to be pretty sweet if this storm produces as well as the one on Friday. I see an opening day of Snowball/Spring Fling, but I bet they have VHT, Jester, OG, and Downspout by Thanksgiving.
Since when is Snowball rated expert?
The app is screwed up. Snowmaking indicators are wrong as well. Or at least they were.
How much snow do we need for a natural trail or two to open? It’s heavy dense snow. That must help.
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Depends on how much you care about your bases,... :)Quote:
Originally Posted by MorningWoods
If HG were open, I’m sure that Spills would be open to Route 22. It looks like it’s been snowing most of the day. If that dense snow continues, and they get more on Thursday, they could have enough to open Jester with the snowmaking they’ve already put in. However, I don’t think they’ve had enough on Downspout to get that open yet.Quote:
Originally Posted by MorningWoods
Interestingly, the snow report from 90 mins ago says Spring Fling snowmaking comes online tonight, but the web cams show them blasting it as we speak.
Can anyone drop the local knowledge on where they are actually blowing right now?
The "operations will resume tonight" was in there yesterday I'm pretty sure. So they updated some other things in the report today but not that particular phrase.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tin Woodsman
Probably want to finish up down low before moving back up to mid/upper mountain trails. They're doing a Friday opening for passholders on an ungroomed Snowball/Spring Fling via the Valley House chair. Pretty cool for those that can make it up there (although not sure I'd want to subject my legs to ungroomed whales on my first day out).
Skiing was really good yesterday. I wish they could have opened Bravo to alleviate the line at Valley House. Operations was saying that there was not enough blown/managed terrain down from the top of Bravo. They were also not ready to open Heavens gate. Winter happened too fast and the little snow making system that could, didn't so we have what we have. Efforts were concentrated on Spring fling so they could not blow elsewhere.
Today was a lot less crowded than Saturday. With Fling a lot 'faster' than yesterday, the soft snow and early season bumps on Lower Snowball (and right side of bottom of Fling after Spring Road cutover), along with skier's right on (Upper) Snowball...even into Ravenna's, was my route of repeated choice. Legs feeling it...and that's good! No indication of anything other than current lift/trails for tomorrow? Looking forward to expanded terrain, though not whining, as it's only 11/18/18.
Win mentioned over on AZ that DS/Upper Jester should be ready by midweek.Quote:
Originally Posted by pinnoke
Saturday was a good day except for the Valley House line. The snow was still soft on Twist, Moonshine and Steins. Steins was a lot of fun on natural snow in November. A bit different today with the overnight cold firming up the snow but still a lot of fun to start the season. I repeated the same path that pinnoke took on Lower Snowball/cutover and the bottom of Spring Fling.
If anybody is reading out there...you should be skiing with us as soon as you can! Today was an amazing powder day! Heavy on the bottom 1/3 of mountain, but lovin' it nearly as much as the top of the runs. It was beautiful, too....everything drenched in white; no wind; 'mild'. Fantastic Snowvember day!
winter is my favourite season