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  1. #31
    Two towers are up at the bottom, they must have used an excavator. Wonder if they will paint them or leave them the galvanized metal?


  2. #32
    Quote Originally Posted by Dblshot View Post
    Two towers are up at the bottom, they must have used an excavator. Wonder if they will paint them or leave them the galvanized metal?
    I am just returning to the SKIMRV after the summer off, so I will catch everyone up on this stream of posts. Dopplemayr's contract with us is to turn the lift over by November 11th and while there is still a lot to do, they say that will happen. Of course, weather and other things could cause that not to happen but we are planning on it now.

    The big building to the right of the new lift looking up hill is for Mountain Water and Lift Maintenance. The bottom floor contains two sand filters where water from Clay Brook flows to be filtered and fed into the overall water system in the winter. Only our wells are needed in the summer. These filters were in the old building basement which was torn down. The second and third floors of the new building with be for lift maintenance. They will have their lockers there, storage for parts and a work area for repairs. They were in the Vehicle Maintenance building previously but this is better space for them and Snowmakers will now use their space which is better for them.

    The bottom terminal is supposed to arrive today and then a crane is scheduled to install it tomorrow. The towers are waiting for the ladders to get delivered and attached. The helicopter is now scheduled to fly next Tuesday, October 13th. It is a one or two day job. The bottom lift shaft is water tight so the electrical work can now begin by Dopplemayr. The Drive is assembled offsite and brought in for installation.

    Much of the work on the Valley Traverse has been completed including the new snowmaking pipe and new 18' retaining wall in front of the top terminal. Once the bull wheel and top lift shack are in, the final grading will be completed.

    Yes, we would expect that skiers and riders traversing over to The Gatehouse lift would be doing so safely. I think you will find that shorter lines because of the two lifts may actually make that easier.

    With respect to snowmaking, a few major investments have been made this summer We replaced the pipe on Straight Shot at ME. This not only insures the integrity of the line but allows more water through it up the mountain. We purchased two new 3,000 CFM compressors at ME. With the new Low Energy guns, we will not need more than one much of the time to maximize the water going up the mountain. We are buying 75 new low energy land guns (HKDs and Snowlogics) for trails like Upper Jester, Upper Rim Run, Hot Shot, Birdland, Lower Downspout where towers do not work. And repairs to valves and pump at Lincoln Peak will increase our GPM by around 10%. These were all planned CAPEX items, but we are also replacing the snowmaking pipe that runs from the Pond to the Sugarbush Access Road. This was planned in a couple of years, but a break this summer showed us the walls were dangerously corroded and thin and having it break in the middle of winter was not a risk we wanted to take. Fortunately, we are in a position to take on this extra chore without stopping other projects.

    In temperatures permit, we are planning as in the past to start snowmaking on both mountains around the first of November.

  3. #33
    Does winjr=Win?

    Glad to seen some more improvements. Will the low e guns replace the old ground guns. I find those thing especially irritating and would be glad to see them gone. When will we expect to seen the valley house open?
    Last edited by Benski; 10-07-2015 at 01:01 PM.

  4. #34
    I just looked at the webcam. I think the second tower obstructs that jump on skiers right of coffee run, right before it merges with the mall.

  5. #35
    Yes, they replace those ratnick land guns. As I said we are buying 75 this year. Probably need 25-50 more to totally replace all of the ratnicks.We will see whether Snowlogic or HKD works best.

    VH lift opening depends on two factors. 1). Turnover from Dopplemayr which also means State load test exam and 2). When temps allow us to make snow on Snowball and Spring Fling. The HKD towers can get those trails open in three days or less on snowmaking. We would love that to be opening day but we will see.

    I had to register again so added the Jr. to win.

  6. #36
    Quote Originally Posted by winjr View Post
    Yes, they replace those ratnick land guns. As I said we are buying 75 this year. Probably need 25-50 more to totally replace all of the ratnicks.We will see whether Snowlogic or HKD works best.

    VH lift opening depends on two factors. 1). Turnover from Dopplemayr which also means State load test exam and 2). When temps allow us to make snow on Snowball and Spring Fling. The HKD towers can get those trails open in three days or less on snowmaking. We would love that to be opening day but we will see.

    I had to register again so added the Jr. to win.
    Welcome back, Boss. Hope you had a good summer.

    My curiosities. How did things work out with the skinny pancake last season and will they be back? My family were big fans.

    What's the deal with the cable splicing and would it be possible to watch it?

    Were you satisfied with the efficiency of the low e guns installed last season? How did they do in marginal temperatures? Did the real world performance match the specifications? Was there a learning curve to using the low eguns such that you anticipate better performance now that the crews know how to use them?

  7. #37
    Will opening spring fling and snowball take priority over Jester this year?

  8. #38
    tower 1 appears to be finished! How did the crossbar get up there without a helicopter?

  9. #39
    Quote Originally Posted by Benski View Post
    tower 1 appears to be finished! How did the crossbar get up there without a helicopter?
    Crane

  10. #40
    I see 2 towers on the webcam with the tops on them! And now Win is back posting updates. Ski season is coming!

  11. #41

    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    North NJ and SB (every chance I get)
    Posts
    99
    A lot of progress this morning
    Attached Images Attached Images

  12. #42
    Skinny Pancake will be back. It worked our well for both of us and the guests liked them a lot. I am also really pleased they are in two spots in the Burlington Airport. It makes flight delays go better.

    The cable is due to be spliced on October 28th. One can watch it from Coffee Run behind the Valley House Lodge.

    Yes, all the guns we bought performed well. The first series of SnowLogics took a while to understand how to best use, but each year has gotten better, so the snowmaking team in now a real fan. They operate at a consistent 5 CFM where the HKDs are variable. There are advantages to both, and we like the combination and where they are located.

    If we get temperatures at mid-mountain down we will prioritize Snowball and Spring Fling over Upper Jester, but we will be ready to go wherever in order to open by November 21st. The past few years we have been top to bottom and the goal is not to have to down load if at all possible. Being able to get all 4,000+ GPM in early season because of the new guns makes this much more likely.

    I hope many of you are up here this weekend. Today was needed rain, but the next three days look great.

  13. #43
    Quote Originally Posted by winjr View Post
    Skinny Pancake will be back. It worked our well for both of us and the guests liked them a lot. I am also really pleased they are in two spots in the Burlington Airport. It makes flight delays go better.

    The cable is due to be spliced on October 28th. One can watch it from Coffee Run behind the Valley House Lodge.

    Yes, all the guns we bought performed well. The first series of SnowLogics took a while to understand how to best use, but each year has gotten better, so the snowmaking team in now a real fan. They operate at a consistent 5 CFM where the HKDs are variable. There are advantages to both, and we like the combination and where they are located.

    If we get temperatures at mid-mountain down we will prioritize Snowball and Spring Fling over Upper Jester, but we will be ready to go wherever in order to open by November 21st. The past few years we have been top to bottom and the goal is not to have to down load if at all possible. Being able to get all 4,000+ GPM in early season because of the new guns makes this much more likely.

    I hope many of you are up here this weekend. Today was needed rain, but the next three days look great.
    The 28th is a wednesday. Midweek is a killer for us working stiffs. I assume that it's weather permitting so hopefully it gets pushed over to a friday.

  14. #44

    Valley House Chair construction on Sugarbush webcams

    Quote Originally Posted by winjr View Post
    Yes, they replace those ratnick land guns. As I said we are buying 75 this year. Probably need 25-50 more to totally replace all of the ratnicks.We will see whether Snowlogic or HKD works best.

    VH lift opening depends on two factors. 1). Turnover from Dopplemayr which also means State load test exam and 2). When temps allow us to make snow on Snowball and Spring Fling. The HKD towers can get those trails open in three days or less on snowmaking. We would love that to be opening day but we will see.

    I had to register again so added the Jr. to win.
    Will there still be SR-7's on the hill? I know they aren't the most efficient, but those things can really put out and throw some snow...

  15. #45
    There will some left this year but our intent is to replace them all. You can run 50 of the Snowlogic with same air as one of them.

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