Originally Posted by
BushMogulMaster
Alright. Let's consider a few things. Snowmaking is not a "snap your fingers" type of operation. And it is very expensive and wasteful to resurface trails that have good cover, and have (as of today) recovered very very nicely. For example, the cord on Rim Run, Elbow, Lookin Good, North Star, Cruiser, Straight Shot, and Sugar Run was soft and very edgeable today. There were still some cleat marks and icy spots, yes. But overall, the groomed runs skied very nicely. Why shoot money out the end of a gun when you don't need to?
Resurfacing and new snowmaking, however, has in fact continued. Sugar Run and Riemergasse each have fresh snowmaking on them. Both very important. Sugar Run for beginner terrain, and Riemer for terrain park. Mainstream was resurfaced and skied great. It even covered lower Which Way. Parts of Inverness were resurfaced. Northridge Xpressway was resurfaced. The base area has been resurfaced multiple times.
Now, I know... I know (a general message for everyone). That's not might not be the terrain YOU want to ski. But guess what? It's not all about you. It's about each and every paying customer. Each person who pays for a ticket or pass is equally important to the operation. Inverness is important, because that's where GMVS trains and holds races. GMVS is extremely important to the operation. Not to mention the upcoming FIS race. Riemergasse is important because that's the park. Nope, I don't ski the park. But some people do, and it's another important piece of the puzzle. Sugar Run was key because it was the first nice and mellow beginner terrain opened up. And it skied great today. Mainstream needed resurfacing badly, because it was solid ice and it is the only easy way down from North Star. Lower NStar is pretty steep.
What you need to understand is that the mountain ops crew is making intelligent decisions about snowmaking, and they understand where the snow needs to be made, and how much they need to make. That's what they're trained to do. And they're doing a good job.
Are you going to see additional trails online soon? I think so. Wait and see.
But for those of you in doubt... there was snow made on FIS, albeit a small amount. Pre season, they were online with towers for a day or two to lay down some base. I have the photos to prove it!
Exterm has not had snowmaking, and I hope it doesn't this season. That trail skis 10000000% better on natural snow. The middle section was good today. The top needs some snow, but it looks like that's on the way.
As to why the mountain can't be online all over the place, take a step back and look at the big picture. There are limits on water consumption based both on water availability and pumping capacity. There are limits on electricity usage, and the mountain gets hit with curtailments at unfortunate times. There is lots of piping on the mountain, and you can only pump so much water around the hill. If Inverness, Northridge Xpressway, and Riemer are online... you simply can't get enough water up to FIS and Baldy. Snowmaking is a very complex subject, and the way snowmaking systems work is also very complex.
The decisions that are being made are well thought out, and are intelligent mountain ops decisions. You are all certainly entitled to have a different opinion, but remember... the people making the calls are professionals in this industry. Are you? If so, great! If not, consider strongly what I have pointed out, and give the team some credit for trying to do the best job they can.
Plowboy... the break in the line by the school WAS repaired. Regardless of the current condition of that line, IMO... there's no point in even thinking about replacing during the winter months.
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