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  1. #1

    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    warren
    Posts
    1,217

    Welcome to the 2014/2015 Season

    Welcome to our new winter season. We will be opening tomorrow for skiing. We were not quite ready today for a passholder appreciation day but you will find some nice skiing and riding tomorrow. I just took a run and was pleased with what our new HKD's put out. Tomorrow Downspout all the way down will be groomed through Coffee Run and Lower Organgrinder will have some nice fresh manmade powder. The first turns especially will be sweet.

    Let me preempt some discussion about why we are only skiing from mid-mountain down tomorrow. The Heaven's Gate lift is still a couple of days away from being ready for public use.
    As for inspection about two weeks ago. it was running beautifully both on the electric motor and the auxiliary diesel motor, Every 7 years a lift is required to do a load test unless major system changes have been made and then it has to be done at that point before the Tram authority will clear it for public use. We had not had a load test of Heaven's Gate for several years. When the inspector from the Tram Authority was here it ran perfectly on the electric motor but when we switched it to diesel it ran but just a bit slower that the code requires, so it did not pass. After eliminating all the other possibilities we called in Cummins Engine to take the auxiliary motor apart.. Unfortunately, their work schedule did allow them to get here for several days. They discovered that the fuel injection system was not working properly so they took it back to their shop to fix it. Unfortunately, the part the required to complete the job was not in any East Coast locations so they had to track one down out West and have in shipped to them in Springfield, MA and they couldn't get it up here in time for to get it installed and then inspected by tomorrow morning. We expect Cummins will have it installed in a day or two and then we have to get the Vermont Tram inspector back to do the load test again. Not sure he is willing to to it on a weekend but we will try. Then it should be in great shape for the season.

    Thus, we will not be skiing Upper Jester but we changed the snowmaking priority to Lower Grinder to have that ready by tomorrow morning.



    Despite this I think you will enjoy the first day, and I look forward to a great season.

  2. #2
    Quote Originally Posted by win View Post
    Welcome to our new winter season. We will be opening tomorrow for skiing. We were not quite ready today for a passholder appreciation day but you will find some nice skiing and riding tomorrow. I just took a run and was pleased with what our new HKD's put out. Tomorrow Downspout all the way down will be groomed through Coffee Run and Lower Organgrinder will have some nice fresh manmade powder. The first turns especially will be sweet.

    Let me preempt some discussion about why we are only skiing from mid-mountain down tomorrow. The Heaven's Gate lift is still a couple of days away from being ready for public use.
    As for inspection about two weeks ago. it was running beautifully both on the electric motor and the auxiliary diesel motor, Every 7 years a lift is required to do a load test unless major system changes have been made and then it has to be done at that point before the Tram authority will clear it for public use. We had not had a load test of Heaven's Gate for several years. When the inspector from the Tram Authority was here it ran perfectly on the electric motor but when we switched it to diesel it ran but just a bit slower that the code requires, so it did not pass. After eliminating all the other possibilities we called in Cummins Engine to take the auxiliary motor apart.. Unfortunately, their work schedule did allow them to get here for several days. They discovered that the fuel injection system was not working properly so they took it back to their shop to fix it. Unfortunately, the part the required to complete the job was not in any East Coast locations so they had to track one down out West and have in shipped to them in Springfield, MA and they couldn't get it up here in time for to get it installed and then inspected by tomorrow morning. We expect Cummins will have it installed in a day or two and then we have to get the Vermont Tram inspector back to do the load test again. Not sure he is willing to to it on a weekend but we will try. Then it should be in great shape for the season.

    Thus, we will not be skiing Upper Jester but we changed the snowmaking priority to Lower Grinder to have that ready by tomorrow morning.

    Despite this I think you will enjoy the first day, and I look forward to a great season.
    Thanks Win. Appreciate the info. Welcome back. and here's to a big big winter for all and much happiness all around.

    Care to share how many (few?) early ups passes were sold????

  3. #3
    ThinkSno's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Waiting for you to catch up
    Posts
    107
    Yes, thanks for the update.

    Question-- if it is a known fact that every 7 years (or when major changes are made) this test is to be performed, why did the inspection wait until 2 weeks before the start of the season, especially after having so many lift problems last season?

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    warren
    Posts
    1,217
    Quote Originally Posted by ThinkSno View Post
    Yes, thanks for the update.

    Question-- if it is a known fact that every 7 years (or when major changes are made) this test is to be performed, why did the inspection wait until 2 weeks before the start of the season, especially after having so many lift problems last season?


    Because this is when Sky Trac finished their work and we could get the inspection scheduled.

  5. #5
    Thanks for the insight Win. It's only too typical of the challenges of the ski business that efforts to upgrade and improve a lifts performance end up causing a delay in its opening. It's also typical of bloggers - me included - to jump to conclusions without all the facts. Best of luck for a record season.

  6. #6
    I look at it this way, with a $73 ticket for 1 1/2 ways down Saturday will be a pass holders day as no one in their right mind would pay that much.

  7. #7
    Trail report showing no snowmaking at South. Please tell me that's not true with the great temps right now.

  8. #8
    While it seems like Win has accepted the current circumstances as a valid excuse for no TTB skiing, one look at Facebook, AZ, and SJ would tell me that the public has not.
    There is some serious damage control that needs to be done, starting with the $73 lift ticket. A superior product is out there for a lower price. That is economics 101, and I know SB is smarter than that.

  9. #9

    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Groton, MA and Warren, VT
    Posts
    124
    We are doing Killington tomorrow, $61 for top to bottom, 3 ways down, plus extras at the top. Looks like 5 lifts operating. Not bad.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Njski View Post
    While it seems like Win has accepted the current circumstances as a valid excuse for no TTB skiing, one look at Facebook, AZ, and SJ would tell me that the public has not.

    The problem is the "public that has not" is outnumbered by many that just don't care unless it was a vacation week. After looking on FB I saw 2-3 comments that were negative (unless they are deleting them). Win and SB know the die hards can get screwed over but will still go back for more, the dynamics are comparable to an abusive relationship.

  11. #11

    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    Ice Coast
    Posts
    145
    SR has 4 lifts, w/6 or 7 distinct routes down (Cascades, punch, monday morning, right stuff, lazy river, am express, risky biz, etc) and the coverage is excellent with all lifts that have snow cover operating all for 49$ with 10$ off if you contribute to the foodbank drive. The snow quality yesterday was quite good. I am sure the bush will have the lift fixed sometime by the Tgiving weekend and maybe the rain on Monday will not hamper the install and additional snowmaking that will be laid down in support of the wknd skiers

  12. #12
    Hawk's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Just ahead of you in the woods....
    Posts
    1,823
    Google Killington 2 for 1 and you will find that all you need to do is sign up for the weekly blog and you get a 2 for 1 ticket and your cost is now $32 a day. You can also do this with multiple email addresses and get more 2 for 1's. Conditions today were outstanding and there were no lift lines with 5 lifts running including the superstar quad.
    Quote Originally Posted by southvillager View Post
    We are doing Killington tomorrow, $61 for top to bottom, 3 ways down, plus extras at the top. Looks like 5 lifts operating. Not bad.
    Trouble with you is the trouble with me,
    Got two good eyes but we still don’t see!

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Hawk View Post
    Google Killington 2 for 1 and you will find that all you need to do is sign up for the weekly blog and you get a 2 for 1 ticket and your cost is now $32 a day. You can also do this with multiple email addresses and get more 2 for 1's. Conditions today were outstanding and there were no lift lines with 5 lifts running including the superstar quad.
    What was up with all the lift issues? K1 was down a while around lunch, rescue off Snowdon Quad, and other issues.

    Surprised they offered an apology. Maybe some places should take note

  14. #14
    Hawk's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Just ahead of you in the woods....
    Posts
    1,823
    Not sure but we did lunch and when we cam out it was up again. Got plenty of runs in and there were many sugarbush people down there.
    Trouble with you is the trouble with me,
    Got two good eyes but we still don’t see!

  15. #15
    FYI, Costco has no-blackout, fully-transferrable tickets to Killington for sale. Three tix for $189.99 -- that is $63.33 per ticket. If you buy in Nashua or other NH location, there is no sales tax.
    killington.jpg

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