I'll take the bait and start this.....
With the Colorado season off to a late start I figured I would take a look at the weather at the resorts around here. Looks like Snowshoe, 7 Springs (who will hopefully test equipment better this year), and to be honest most of the resorts around here (besides the three Snowtime resorts) might have temps that would allow them to test out some of the new equipment next weekend. So here we go... will any of the resorts take the bait and show off new toys next weekend? Weather wont allow for any real accumlating snowmaking, but I'll take the eye candy at this point.
As far as opening dates, the only one I have heard around here is Snowshoe targeting 11/25/2015
Isn't the real question whether or not Snowshoe will get something over on the Western Territories open by Thanksgiving weekend. ;-)
One would think that SS is itching to test those new snow guns on Cupp. Right now Sat night calling for a low of 31*
Based on past history, how much of Snowshoe is likely to be open on Thanksgiving weekend?
According to Facebook snowshoe got some testing in last night
They ran it hard for at least an hour plus this AM.
From my balcony Friday morning
Have they tested the new guns and plumbing on Cupp.?
The Colonel wrote:
Have they tested the new guns and plumbing on Cupp.?
I did not see any evidence of that on Friday or Saturday. I did not walk over, just drove by.
You would think if they did, they would blow up social media with pics and announcements.
Indian summer this week so additional testing is a week+ away.
Snowshoe seems to have a friendly wager with the director of ski operations on getting Cupp open by December 15th... if opening doesnt happen 11/25... I think they might have just picked the dates of my first trip. If the weather turns and the equipment is what they claim I feel like they could get it open earlier.... but I understand focusing on the Green and Blue runs in the main Basin.
"Meet Ken, our Director of Ski Operations. With brand new guns on Cupp Run ready to roll for this season, Ken is feeling very confident. So confident, that he has promised to have Cupp open by no later than December 15th... or he'll shave his beard. As you can see, Ken has been growing his beloved beard for quite some time, and he's well, very attached to it. Stay tuned for updates on the status of Cupp, and Ken's efforts to save his beard..." From Snowshoe's facebook.
Forecasted temps at Snowshoe for this weekend look ideal for testing those new uber-efficient guns!
Someone posted on FB that they tested them the other night but I believe she was mistaken. I would think they would PR the heck out of their new guns.
Blue Don 1982 wrote:
Someone posted on FB that they tested them the other night but I believe she was mistaken. I would think they would PR the heck out of their new guns.
The coldest recent low was Sat night at ~39F. I don't think so either...I would have heard them :)
Any chance they actually open on the 25th...looks like they need a change in the forecast
rbrtlav wrote:
Any chance they actually open on the 25th...looks like they need a change in the forecast
I think the question should be.....any chance they can open by early Dec?
So, realistically speaking in light of the weather forecasts, when are we likely to make our first turns in the Mid-Atlantic this season? My first day last season was November 22 at Bryce, which was among the first areas to open.
Who is willing to make predictions for opening dates for:
Woody
First group: 12/4
Second and Third group: 12/11
Last group: 12/18
Looks about right to me unless Snowshoe manages to get one trail in Basin Area open with the cold weather this coming weekend and more cold nights just before Thanksgiving!
The Colonel
The webpage that Snowshoe had talking about opening on Nov. 25 is . . . not there today. Snowshoe is supposed to have Demo Days Dec. 5-6. But those have been cancelled or postponed in the past. The Showshoe "snow guarantee" about having more open terrain than anyplace else in NC/VA/WV/MD doesn't start until Dec. 18.
SugarFest and Demo Days at Sugar is scheduled for Dec. 9-10 so certainly will be trying to get as much open as possible by that weekend.
I suggest checking the cams at whitetail tonight. You can see the lights are on(usually means a snowmaking run/test) as well as some portable air and water guns and a white pick up. Really strange it's not supposed to get down past 40 tonight.
Antoine wrote:
I suggest checking the cams at whitetail tonight. You can see the lights are on(usually means a snowmaking run/test) as well as some portable air and water guns and a white pick up. Really strange it's not supposed to get down past 40 tonight.
Well...they have to test the lights too. They often flip them on for the evenings of pre-season job fairs, which I think occurred. So I wouldn't put much stock in it, snow wise.
Based on latest weather forecasts, I think this is a year it's a challenge to be open by Christmas week. Happens often. ...we've just been spoiled with cold starts a couple times the last few years. Hey - I'm honest! ;-)
I just signed up to go to the Caribbean for a week in mid-December.
Embarrassed to admit it, but for the rest of you it should mean a blizzard will hit local ski areas the minute my plane takes off.
I think Snowshoe and Wisp (and maybe if there are others in those places that seem to have microclimates) have a shot at 12/5. I honestly think that the Snow Time and 7 Springs will open the same weekend (hopefully 12/12) because the SnowTime resorts seem to be able to get the slopes covered in half the time as 7 springs in optimal conditions, and this time of the year it seems like there isnt a huge temp difference between them. I think some of it is the layout, and some of it is the quality of snowmaking infrastructure.
However much I know better than to take the accuweather extended to seriously... I like what I see for Whitetail for 12/10 onward, I also question the range of temps the first week of December.
Getting close!
FreshPow wrote:
Antoine wrote:
I suggest checking the cams at whitetail tonight. You can see the lights are on(usually means a snowmaking run/test) as well as some portable air and water guns and a white pick up. Really strange it's not supposed to get down past 40 tonight.
Well...they have to test the lights too. They often flip them on for the evenings of pre-season job fairs, which I think occurred. So I wouldn't put much stock in it, snow wise.
Based on latest weather forecasts, I think this is a year it's a challenge to be open by Christmas week. Happens often. ...we've just been spoiled with cold starts a couple times the last few years. Hey - I'm honest! ;-)
this was the case as I suspected. And yes we have been spoiled the last couple of years.
Surprise news from NC today. Cataloochee is opening on Sun, Nov. 15!
Sugar blew snow for a few nights to get a white background on a couple trails for the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new 6-pack Summit Express. Snow guns were on during the day. But no hint of when they might open.
The VIPs at the ceremony included the Governor of NC and the CEO of Dopplemayr. Governor McCrory learned to ski as a teen at Sugar. After the VIPs rode up . . . and down . . . in the gondola, other people got to take a ride as well. Snow guns were on and the temps were seasonably cool. Sugar will get plenty of press coverage.
marzNC wrote:
Surprise news from NC today. Cataloochee is opening on Sun, Nov. 15!
Sugar blew snow for a few nights to get a white background on a couple trails for the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new 6-pack Summit Express. Snow guns were on during the day. But no hint of when they might open.
The VIPs at the ceremony included the Governor of NC and the CEO of Dopplemayr. Governor McCrory learned to ski as a teen at Sugar. After the VIPs rode up . . . and down . . . in the gondola, other people got to take a ride as well. Snow guns were on and the temps were seasonably cool. Sugar will get plenty of press coverage.
Four slopes and two lifts open at Cataloochee. http://cataloochee.com/the-mountain/snow-report/
Not bad!
Woody
I was watching our local weather here in Yinzerville and they really lowered the temps for the weekend / next week.
That made me look at the Snowshoe forecast. Lows of 16* both Sat and Sun nights and below freezing every night starting on Thu.
Maybe there's hope for Turkey Day skiing?
I noticed the same forecasts. Some promising snow making conditions if it develops or trends even colder.
I took Wednesday off for opening a while back, and was hoping to start my season Wed/Thursday AM. If they announce they are actually opening I will likely try and get a room at Expedition Station or the Inn.... hope to see some of you all there next week.
Sugar decided to open last Sunday for the day. Opened 30 min after Cat. Cat stayed open Mon and Tue. Sugar was closed.
Cat is trying to stay open continuously this week.
I think whitetail might try to give it a go. You can see some portable guns set up already on some trails. I don't think if they give it a try its gonna top to bottom. But they have some snowmaking temps coming up duringn the nights with the temp during. The day staying in the 40s.
Update from whitetail: on their Instagram they claim to have tested their snowmaking system. And are ready to fire them up (start building a base) when temps allow. They also claim that day time temps do not seem to be to much of a problem for the foreseeable future. They are waiting for cold temps. I don't think they will have turkey day skiing however.
I don't think they will open without Angel drop...but who knows. Post on instagram says they are going once night time temps allow and has a picture with a test run..
Abasin looking pretty good now. 21" the last 3 days.
Meanwhile, NWS announces October was the warmest on record, globally, and the warmest month in comparison to averages. yikes. Old Man Winter come back !!!!
Winter is on the way. Hopefully: https://www.aer.com/science-research/climate-weather/arctic-oscillation
Andys reliability is so totally refreshing. Old mam winter save us from this debate !!!
Whitetail will make snow on Sunday as a post on Facebook claims. Night time temps seem to indicate that they could make snow until Tuesday night. And possibly wendsay.
Whitetail is hinting on their FB page that snowmaking might happen on Sun night.
Looks like hidden valley has stuff on http://www.hiddenvalleyresort.com/resort-cams/
I dont see anything at 7 Springs yet... which is surprising.
Wonder if either of any of the SnowTime resorts are still going to give it a go tonight!
Whitetail seems to be te only one very unfortunate, I would think liberty would give it a go on a couple of trails with that double capacity they have with that new water line.
On a second note I thought they had a water main break because they had a baco working on a awater line earlier this week.
They being Liberty or Whitetail?
Antoine wrote:
Whitetail seems to be te only one very unfortunate, I would think liberty would give it a go on a couple of trails with that double capacity they have with that new water line.
On a second note I thought they had a water main break because they had a baco working on a awater line earlier this week.
R U ALL friggin Serious????
come on...im an ole burnout from way back...what is the bomb that we r on now?
Timberline snow cam shows white on deck & groundAND it appears they are making snow, temp 25 at 7:00pm on Sun Nov 22!!
The Colonel
rbrtlav wrote:
They being Liberty or Whitetail?
Antoine wrote:
Whitetail seems to be te only one very unfortunate, I would think liberty would give it a go on a couple of trails with that double capacity they have with that new water line.
On a second note I thought they had a water main break because they had a baco working on a awater line earlier this week.
Them being whitetail.
whitetail also just fired up their Guns.
Apparently 7 Springs is blowing snow as well... not sure why all the lights are off though.
And from Wintergreen's Facebook page 2 hours ago:
"Hint, hint: keep an eye on our webcams, (wintergreenresort.com/Mountain-Cam/). You may or may not catch a glimpse of some of that fluffy white stuff!"
Crossing my fingers and hoping they mean more than just a system's test!
looks like wintergreen got a smattering of "snow" overnight.
fwiw, the famile pagamony will be at wintergreen dec 19-22. i might take skis, if not, i'll still have bourbon.
rbrtlav wrote:
Apparently 7 Springs is blowing snow as well... not sure why all the lights are off though.
Looking good!
Windham and Hunter were blowing snow this afternoon on the upper mountain for a few primary trails. Temp at the base was about 32 but it was pretty dry. Had time for a little detour on the way to Albany.
Elk has a little snow at the top. Fan guns are laid out at the base ready to go.
Seven sprigs is making snow as well as hidden valley& the shoe (in sure the resort in the valley are as well) but what is surprising is that whitetail is not. They claim that last night was a test. But there are previous post indicating a test already took place! I'm confused the temps look like they can make snow (at least at the summit) Another story worth mentioning is big Boulder posted a picture teasing an oppening day for the weekend.
Massanutten started up the guns. Posted a few pics on their Facebook page of snowmaking during the day. Talking about "beginning-middle Dec" opening.
What is the earliest Whitetail opens? I don't follow that closely but seems like the second week in December?
My survey.
back to work.
Rain most of nxt week... but at least lows near freezing at WT/Lib/RT, and continuing to trend downward towards the weekend. Once that rain clears out, we'll see. 2nd weekend may be optimistic.
jimmy wrote:
What is the earliest Whitetail opens? I don't follow that closely but seems like the second week in December?
Well, I've been wondering, too. Looks like good overnight snowmaking weather December 2, 3, 4 and then again on December 8-12 and beyond. Days will be warm, though. I'd expect to see WT open on Saturday, December 12. We might even get lucky a week earlier, but that'll depend on daytime temps and r@!n.
Woody
I think a more likely opening date for Whitetail is the third week of December. Whitetail likes to have a "soft" opening on a Thursday or Friday. If the weather stays cold enough to make and keep snow and we don't get r@in then the second weekend could be possible.
Winter forcast from my favorite meteorologist, Chris Bailey. While Crhis forcasts weather for Kentucky, he is big at investigating weather trends and thus you can get an idea of what might happen in our area:
http://weather.bloginky.com/2015/11/25/the-winter-forecast-3/
Looks like a back-loaded winter.
I'm going to be a positive paul here. Big Boulder just announced they will open on the 27 for white Friday!
Snowshoe won't be running lifts but apparently will have a park open this weekend for those willing to hike. Season pass holders or those donating can goods get free access....wonder if a soft opening of the skidder lift up top will happen...
So what is the closest mountain to DC that will be open this weekend?
Big Boulder PA looks like the answer. If you want to go further afield, then it might be Jiminy Peak MA or Cataloochee NC.
Woody
Big Boulder will probably only have a small snowboard park open. And I would call to see if it is really open and how lsrge the crowd!
hoyadrew wrote:
So what is the closest mountain to DC that will be open this weekend?
Don't see much point in driving 8 hours to Cataloochee. In that amount of driving time could get to Gore in NY, which opens on Friday morning. Only question is how much it rains on Fri night before the next cold front comes in. I'm farther north in Lake Placid for other reasons besides skiing. Whiteface opened today. Headed there on Sat. Has been fun the last couple of years going from the top of the gondola all the way to the base.
Seven springs will also open a hike terrain park they call "the turkey jam"
Tapped the keg on Black Friday at Jiminy Peak in MA. First day of the season for them. Unless they do some creative snow shoveling, could be the last open day for them for a few days since a trail-wide bare spot formed at a crux at the top (all skiers from the top had to pass over it, so it got quickly scrapped.) Glad I got it when I did.
Very few places open in the Northeast this weekend, all with below normal terrain. Even Hunter in the Catskills was closed.
Jiminy was empty and I got my $45 worth. Guessing lift served 1000 - 1100 of vert. Got in plenty of fun turns; legs are toast.
I am glad you had a "quads toasted" first day at Jiminy! It is a great area! Have an uneventful trip back!
We are all jealous!
The Colonel
Last year I skied over 1 1/2 ft at Whitegrass the day after Thanksgiving. This year...
right now its an easy call. fly denver on friday, ski sat and sun at loveland or abasin, and return on sunday night red eye. powder is priceless.
edit: looks like the best 300' hill was open this weekend. rock on appal !
That's exactly the plan for this coming weekend, red eye and all. But instead of A-Basin....SLC & Alta.
pagamony wrote:
right now its an easy call. fly denver on friday, ski sat and sun at loveland or abasin, and return on sunday night red eye. powder is priceless.
edit: looks like the best 300' hill was open this weekend. rock on appal !
Unfortunately, I don't think any of the resorts in the Southeast will really have any opportune moments to make snow in the next two weeks. The beginning of this winter is looking like a bust on the East coast. Time to cry and find sidework to pay the bills hah. #mothernaturebringthecoldplz
7Springs wont be open even at a VERY limited (5%) basis until mid Dec.
If then. If the long term outlook for December holds true, we might be looking at More Of The Same straight though Xmas, with only a handful of days suitable for snowmaking and lots of thawing.
I hope the models and forecasters are wrong on this one!
Sincraft wrote:
7Springs wont be open even at a VERY limited (5%) basis until mid Dec.
Thin to none left here. App is still technically open but I wouldn't bother. Slush is for spring. Couple cooler days coming up, might get more open tis weekend but not that likely. Really tired of the blast blast blast to open for half a week then shut down another week, rinse and repeat until late December.
Another example that proves ski season out east is now really January-April instead of December-March..
The19thHole wrote:
That's exactly the plan for this coming weekend, red eye and all. But instead of A-Basin....SLC & Alta.
pagamony wrote:
right now its an easy call. fly denver on friday, ski sat and sun at loveland or abasin, and return on sunday night red eye. powder is priceless.
edit: looks like the best 300' hill was open this weekend. rock on appal !
Yep and yep. I'm heading out to Summit County second weekend of December; booked over a month ago. It''s a good weekend for an early-season trip; the local areas generally (last year being an exception) haven't yet spun up much, it's enough after T-Giving that the odds of a decent base are decent, and it's enough before Xmas that the prices and crowds are minimal.
~3 seasons ago the best powder days I got all year were that weekend in Utah. Hit Honeycomb Canyon @ Solitude on canyon opening day; the place was deserted.
I think I've seen a lot of the same Wx that Fish has; this winter looks to be back loaded. Bright side, freezing of the Great Lakes should be delayed (compared to last winter), allowing for some better lake effect for The Valley this season. Plus, I'll be getting mine mostly elsewhere in December, so I'm not sweating it too much.
Just to brighten everyone's day, here's a postive forecast for the winter:
I just returned from Laurel Mountain to pick up an old double chair. This is one winter when I don't mind mild weather. Construction at Laurel is in full swing and Bryan from Ligonier Construction says they will be done in time for next season. The D9 is on site. You may now return to hand wringing posts about lack of cold and snow. :~)
Bonzski wrote:
I'm doing my part
And then some...
Are you there today? If so, Cupp looks better than the basin area.
BTW, What's in those 2 glasses? lol
Holiday Valley mentioned on Facebook that they MIGHT be open this Sunday.
Was ready to head to K-mart next weekend for the annual PSIA Pro-jam but with what they have open and barely at that with no real snowmaking window in sight, I think I'll bag it and save my $$ and do a west trip for a couple of days and then plan on doing a lot of skiing in April when it's always better.
I just spoke with a rep at Snowshoe. She said they are hoping to make an opening day decision next Tue / Wed.
There is a chance they MAY NOT OPEN until DEC 18th .... but it could be Dec 11th if the weather cooperates
Blue knob got some snow last night but they also plan on opening in this dec 11!
Checking snowcams.... really disappointing. They have a 6 to 10 hour window at night for most areas but unless things change quickly, we may be playing golf until after the new year. Latest forcasts are not promising. Snow would be nice but I'll take sub freezing temps for a week.
Looking at forecast I honestly don't see how any PA and WV areas can get open before the 18th, and even then I think we might be looking at only Snowshoe and maybe 7 Springs. Hopefully weather changes the week before Christmas and we can see places opening Christmas week... it sucks for us, but I doubt the resorts are too upset as long as they can be open for Christmas breaks.
I will be honest... I have Jan 4-6th earmarked for snowshoe. Debating about looking out west if things dont change...
No big surprise, but Wintergreen just announced they will not make their planned Dec. 12 opening.
The only silver lining I can see with all of this is that maybe the late start to the season means my kids won't be tired of skiing by the time March rolls around. Maybe we can use our Wintergreen season pass reciprocal benefits to check out Ragged Mountain in New Hampshire during spring break the first week in April.
Sincraft wrote:
As someone that may be renting out a cabin near 7s, this impacts me financially.
I feel your pain. 2 condos at Snowshoe sitting vacant.
These slow starts have to be a killer for some resorts. We all talk about a great late season but let's face it, people get spring fever in March and start think about the beach, golf and grad parties. Only us die hards are skiing and we are not big revenue generators for the resorts.
According to the weather guy I depend on, the weather pattern will start to flip next week with the pattern going toward a more wintery pattern by mid month. We may be able to salvage the Holiday season after all with predictions of a snowy January and February.
I lost the whole week of Tgiving rent because I have a collapsed well...had a couple of rentals bfore xmas that were booked and now have to be canceled untill iI can get the overworked well folks out there....
Dont even want to think about the repair bill not to mention all of the work orders trying to fix the water problem while the renters were trying to flush the toilets....
OPEC will keep on pumping driving my Oil investments into oblivion...that should make Snowsmith happy...threw a bone to ya bud!
And now we are in an El nino start to winter with the models trying to show some cold shots coming in mid dec on That I am still suspect about...thats right mr Smith...we can track the same stuff as ur Boy chris bailey...Lets hope that what he is watching can come true...
And then...I could only catch one keeper Grouper on the last day of grouper season....lines crossed...15 buck lures getting snapped off...30 bucks of Fishing braid spooled...Geeze...then we come up on another boat bottom fishing with the nicest Mango snapper you could Imagine...there u go folks...Mango is the Word!....too friggin warm....
Was hoping up til now that Appalacian would get open this weekend, but lows in the 20s mid week turned in to lows in the 30s instead. They appear to have some cover, but doesn't look like they will open yet :-(
Wow, looks like an even warmer stretch coming up end of this week/next weekend. With a mild week before that.
We need a trip report from 19th Hole on Utah....
I'll give one on CO for next weekend...
For the Wx historians here, what was the latest that PA/MD/WV/VA opened up a single area? (Not counting terrain parks and sorry, but NC is too dang far from DC to count.) Has any Poconos area opened this season?
JohnL wrote:
and sorry, but NC is too dang far from DC to count.) Has any Poconos area opened this season?
Ya, we're all washed up here too. I think they may have gotten 4-5 days of WROD skiing before it melted. Personally, I don't think they should be able to count a few odd days as "opening day" when it is just a fluke and they can't STAY open on in to the winter. Next week is looking too warm and we have family birthday festivites that involve non skiers anyway so we couldn't go next weekend regardless.
If you get open for 3 days in October then shut down until late December it is hardly fair to count October as your "opening day".
JohnL wrote:
We need a trip report from 19th Hole on Utah....
I'll give one on CO for next weekend...
For the Wx historians here, what was the latest that PA/MD/WV/VA opened up a single area? (Not counting terrain parks and sorry, but NC is too dang far from DC to count.) Has any Poconos area opened this season?
Dont be poconyonos into this thread with ur intent on hyping ur upcoming CO trip u MUDDA!!!!!!!!........
dont forget to post a report!
JohnL wrote:
Wow, looks like an even warmer stretch coming up end of this week/next weekend. With a mild week before that.
We need a trip report from 19th Hole on Utah....
I'll give one on CO for next weekend...
For the Wx historians here, what was the latest that PA/MD/WV/VA opened up a single area? (Not counting terrain parks and sorry, but NC is too dang far from DC to count.) Has any Poconos area opened this season?
Big Boulder has been open weekends only for a couple of weeks.
hoyadrew wrote:
JohnL wrote:
Wow, looks like an even warmer stretch coming up end of this week/next weekend. With a mild week before that.
We need a trip report from 19th Hole on Utah....
I'll give one on CO for next weekend...
For the Wx historians here, what was the latest that PA/MD/WV/VA opened up a single area? (Not counting terrain parks and sorry, but NC is too dang far from DC to count.) Has any Poconos area opened this season?
Big Boulder has been open weekends only for a couple of weeks.
Wasn't it just terrain park? Still, I'll give them credit.
fishnski wrote:
JohnL wrote:
We need a trip report from 19th Hole on Utah....
I'll give one on CO for next weekend...
For the Wx historians here, what was the latest that PA/MD/WV/VA opened up a single area? (Not counting terrain parks and sorry, but NC is too dang far from DC to count.) Has any Poconos area opened this season?
Dont be poconyonos into this thread with ur intent on hyping ur upcoming CO trip u MUDDA!!!!!!!!........
dont forget to post a report!
That's Mr. MUDDA, sir, to you!!!! ;)
Without snow and trip reports, we will be eating our own real soon. I am curious how Utah was.
Rumor has it, some other DC'ers heading out west real soon. Denis must be loving life...
Hate to be the pessimist but the latest two week forecasts are depressing. Even the higher Mid-A resorts are going to have to be remarkably good at 3am snowmaking to have a chance of opening by Christmas.
Norsk wrote:
Hate to be the pessimist but the latest two week forecasts are depressing. Even the higher Mid-A resorts are going to have to be remarkably good at 3am snowmaking to have a chance of opening by Christmas.
Dec 2012 was the only season in the last ten that there was no snow at all at Massanutten the week before Christmas. My daughter and I were there anyway since I had booked a timeshare week. Made friends with a family who was also there for a week. They did a day trip to Snowshoe, which had something open, because they were determined to ski for a day at least. A cold snap allow Mnut to have a few trails open by the end of Christmas week as I remember. By Jan. 11, the trails off the summit were open for a warm weekend when Freestyle had a demo tent open. By Jan. 18, things seemed relatively normal for the MLK weekend. At the end of the season, got in a bonus weekend because of a late season snowstorm March 9-10 with crgildart and son. Enough snow on the valley golf course for sliding and building a snowman.
Snowshoe just announced 12/11 Friday opening with limited terrain.
skijw wrote:
Snowshoe just announced 12/11 Friday opening with limited terrain.
Wow. I never thought it was possible.
Meanwhile at Wintergreen the dreaded temperature inversion has reared its ugly head. Below freezing overnights in Charlottesville, but lows only in the upper 30's at elevation.
TomH wrote:
Maybe really really limited terrain.
From my GM (Skidder, Heislers, Upper Whistlepunk, Powder Monkey, carpet maybe)
Blue Don 1982 wrote:
TomH wrote:
Maybe really really limited terrain.From my GM (Skidder, Heislers, Upper Whistlepunk, Powder Monkey, carpet maybe)
That wouldn't be served by Ballhooter lift? Grab Hammer and Powder Monkey lifts? If you add them all up, it will be one top to bottom green run. :-)
Per another response on Facebook:
As of right now, we are planning to have one route down the mountain consisting of Skidder, Heisler Way, Upper Whistlepunk, Powder Monkey, and Whiffletree. With two operational lifts, Ballhooter and Skidder. We will be expanding terrain as quickly as possible to open more trails.
I'll see how the week goes....I might go and take cheap lodging at the inn or X station. It's warm enough to drive the RWD car, so at the very least I'll get a nice drive and some time on the slopes.
Merry Christmas.......Notice the projected dates on these models.
Maybe once it finally starts a pattern will set in
I skied Alta this past Sunday. They haven't had a lot of snow in Utah yet this season, with Alta reporting 50-someodd inches total this season so far. That worked out to about 2-3 feet on the ground. Most of the good stuff was still closed, and what was open off the groomers was crusty in the morning, softer in the afternoon. Not that I'm complaining or anything. I was skiing with my daughter (potential Univ of Utah student) but managed to take the High Traverse over to Rustler and ski some of the chutes & gullies off the Collins chair, all of which was fun in the afternoon, but thin. Glad I was on rentals.
Supreme was still closed, and only the groomers were open off Sugarloaf. People were skiing Westerward Ho off the Wildcat chair in the afternoon, but it looked no different than Cherry Bowl two weeks after a storm--people were getting tripped up by the stumps, dirt, and rocks. Saw one guy lose a ski after getting tripped up on a small pine sticking out of the snow, and the ski rocketed down the hill a good 300 yards and into the woods. Bet he had fun going after it, but we all have to suffer those bits now and again.
Alta had the most open this weekend. I drove over to Park City/Deer Valley, both of which opened on Saturday with limited terrain. They had only a couple inches of natural snow at their bases and were blowing snow like crazy.
The forecasted storm this coming weekend should improve things dramatically. Wish I could have stayed, but then my daughter and I wouldn't have had the pleasure of rising at 5:15am on Sunday, skiing hard all day, then taking the red eye back Sunday night, driving 3 hours home from RIC, and staying up for 40 hours straight :)
We need a trip report from 19th Hole on Utah....
I think 7S really blew it here recently. They had many opportunities to blow some good snow for at least 4 or 5 days when the weather projected lows that in reality were much lower. Where I live, it's usually 5-8 degrees warmer, and every morning I have been waking up to high 20's temps. Looking back at actual temps overnight, there was at least 4 or 5 hours of QUALITY snowmaking for at least 4 days that 7Springs could have engaged in. By quality, I mean 20degree wetbulb temps.
I will bet , because of the last warm snap that caused them to lose 80% of what they made several weeks ago, 7Springs saw the futurecast for this weekend hitting into the mid 60s and said forget about it. They also anticipate a solid week or two of rain in the forecast leading into xmas which, honestly I always expect around xmas as I battle my GFCI's and Xmas lights exactly around that time.
Because they missed this opportunity, I would be surprised if they can be open for xmas. While season pass holders like myself arent very happy with this (or the fact they have cheaper/uglier season passes), 7S is the one most impacted as they lose out on millions from people staying over night, purchasing lift tickets and eating their god aweful overpriced thrice frozen food.
But...I'm sure they will make it up to us passholders with some obscure Weds free hot dog day...
http://www.skisoutheast.com/six-days-a-counting-to-great-news-cold-wonderful-cold/
7 Springs and SnowTime don't look to be as lucky... but I think Snowshoe, Sugar, and Beech might get 3 days of daytime snowmaking and then might be setup for almost nightly snowmaking through the end of the year. Hopefully can get them over the early season struggle. Now if only this would slip a bit further north.
Canaan Valley, per their website, is opening on Saturday at noon with 6 trails and then at 9AM on Sunday.
Any word on Timberline?
hoyadrew wrote:
Canaan Valley, per their website, is opening on Saturday at noon with 6 trails and then at 9AM on Sunday.
Any word on Timberline?
Wow. Is that possible?! If that's the case, I am going!
Well they do have a couple days to connect the dots!!!
CV - 6 trails - 27.99 lift tix on Sat on Liftopia
I was curious so I checked Snowshoe. 84 smackers for Sat right now. What happened to dynamic pricing?
snapdragon wrote:
Well they do have a couple days to connect the dots!!!
Bahahaha.
CV is offering half day tickets on Sunday for $30 (9a-1p or 12:30p-4:30p). I think I might head to Snowshoe Saturday and spend Sunday morning at CV. Any chance of Snowshoe opening on Friday?
My valley intel has assured me the dots will be connected.
hoyadrew wrote:
I think I might head to Snowshoe Saturday and spend Sunday morning at CV. Any chance of Snowshoe opening on Friday?
Not a chance. Rain forecast for Thu and temps don't cool down until late Thu night / Fri AM. They'll need Fri to recover what will be lost this week.
It's a shit-show down there right now and I fear the worst for Christmas week. I hope they can make a ton of snow when temps allow this weekend. Otherwise, all those people will be skiing 5 - 10 trails over the Holidays.
I'll be there this weekend to witness the carnage first hand.
I'm going to try to check out Appalachian Sunday, assuming they can get stuff open with Thurs-Sun morning snow making temps in the forecast there..
I can see how some ski areas might make enough snow to open a handful of trails this weekend. But those same trails are going to have to sustain them over the Xmas holiday period, and given the torch coming, they may end up slowly losing trails. If anything resembling typical holiday crowds show up, the one or two slopes (and lines) are going to be packed in tight. With no where to go, you'll spend most of your time eyeing wayward skiers & boarders and not doing any quality skiiing. Ugh.
I'm going to stay put, sulk, glare at Wasatch ski cams, and hope for an opportunity to take some turns on Monday the 4th.
The19thHole wrote:
I'm going to stay put, sulk, glare at Wasatch ski cams, and hope for an opportunity to take some turns on Monday the 4th.
I'm going to take a crack at THIS Sunday. Local NC resort 10 day forecast has cold Thurs through Saturday but WARM and RAIN next Tuesday through Thursday the 24th, what a disappointment. Hoping this Sunday isn't insane but if everyone else is looking at the same weather forecast it just might be..
Looks like snowshoe is trying again tonight...it's only 7, wonder if anyone else will try and get a start to a base down tonight
crgildart wrote:
I'm going to take a crack at THIS Sunday. Local NC resort 10 day forecast has cold Thurs through Saturday but WARM and RAIN next Tuesday through Thursday the 24th, what a disappointment. Hoping this Sunday isn't insane but if everyone else is looking at the same weather forecast it just might be..
Meteos are suggesting a fair amount of rain, too, given the southwest flow. Probably all the way into at least southern New England. Then again after Xmas...sucks.
This is a good site. Shows a graphic representation of the GFS model over the next two weeks, and the rainstorms (assuming the model is right) show up well:
http://www.tropicaltidbits.com/analysis/models/
The '97-'98 El Nino winter (perhaps similar to this one) is nicely summarized here:
http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/techrpts/tr9802/tr9802.pdf
My favorite part of the PDF file are these 3 sentences: "Late in the month (Jan '98), an east coast storm caused beach erosion and dumped record snowfall across the central and southern Appalachians, with Flat Top, WV accumulating 35.0 inches of snow in a 24-hour period on January 27-28. Elsewhere in West Virginia, 24-hour snowfall records were established at Bluefield (21.9 inches) and Beckley (31.0 inches). Storm total snowfall reached 42 inches in Ghent, WV and 40 inches at Beech Mountain, NC. "
So maybe there's hope!
Blue knob is in a cloud, and it's running it chairs how strange!
All three snowtime hills have claimed that snowmaking will ocur these two nights. Checking the weather it seems like liberty has the coolest temps going. But we will have to wait and see!
Wintergreen is making snow on Upper Dobie in the hopes of having it open on Sunday. Upper and Lower Dobie make for a nice run, but Upper Dobie itself isn't worth it. They expect to lose whatever they're making now during the warm spell next week.
Whitetail is staring up their system based on webcams...some of the models have stuff cooling down a bit right after Christmas, hopefully they can get enough down that some cover holds up until then. Glad to see them trying, this might be only the 4th night this year snow making has been possible for them.
snapdragon wrote:
My valley intel has assured me the dots will be connected.
Any news if green run(s) could open tomorrow at Canaan? The other half can only ski beginner runs...
Massanutten website said:
12/19/15 at 2 pm - We made snow last night and are thrilled to see overnight temps reaching the teens tonight. A limited opening is possible for Monday or Tuesday.
Mnut blew snow on Geronimo and Southern Comfort. Have expanded the snow tubing by adding another conveyor lift on the other side so I’m sure they want to at least get that open for folks who will be around using a timeshare week next week. For some of those people, if the kids get to do a day or two of ski school early in the week that will be enough to make them happy.
Probably similar thinking at Wintergreen in terms of getting Dobie skiable.
Snow guns are still blasting as of 9:30am at Massanutten. Temp in the valley is about 32, so should get in another few hours of daytime snowmaking on the mountain.
Was at Canaan Valley today at the open. Condition was pretty good. Top was a little icy in the shade. Runs were somewhat narrow. But had a good time on a sunny windless day. They opened some green runs around noon-ish just when we were leaving after 15 great runs. At least got one day in before 2016 hits. :-)
skijw wrote:
Was at Canaan Valley today ... They opened some green runs around noon-ish just when we were leaving after 15 great runs. At least got one day in before 2016 hits. :-)
Hit Canaan on Saturday for its matinee afternoon opening. Was classic season opening WROD with the top and very bottom on 'black' terrain. It skied that way. Was actually a quick refresher on one's turns. Let alone goggle scraping. Were many beginners and intermediates going off "trail" and the white ribbon (of death). Most eventually hiking it down.
Was actually my first ever visit to the valley. Enjoyed the quite lesurely drive from Loudoun County, VA. Hooray Robert Byrd and his brand of highway pork.
Either by friendliness, small crowd, or the apparent fact it seems I look like one of the regulars there, I had many nodding my way or saying hello, including the Mt Mgr and GM, Mike and Steve (if I recall correctly). Mike spoke of being eager to open something by the weekend - and to that I credit his team's work. They did - and by this post, it's apparent they continued. Well done.
Finished the day by hitting the bar, only to get a collective wave on entering from a group of cougar moms eager to see me from across the room (alas, I was with the gf). Enjoyed a mild Yuengling before the drive back, further meeting Stan, the Park Superintendent who nodded my way during a walk through. He soon walked over and said, sorry, I looked like someone else. But said, hey, if the Ranger's going to nod at me, I'm nodding back (the cougar moms, a little trickier). Good to make his introduction as well.
Although I didn't get a chance to linger, I'll be eager to return to Tucker County. Stumptown Ales looked inviting.
Welcome to the valley fresh pow....love the vibe..doesnt take long for u to feel like a local...folks up there are genuine and will always make u feel welcome.....there are bigger snowier mountains but the Valley is a postcard in its own right...the locals make up for the big wigs areas with that homebuiscuit feeling of we are having fun...we love to jones for a snow..and when we get everthing to line up we wouldnt want to be anywhere else!!......dont forget the Next valley...just south of Canaan....the Valley of the Alpps...the next frontier!
Alright... this might be optimistic, but it looks like around 12/28 we might be getting to a pattern that will start allowing nightly snowmaking at places like Snowshoe and 7 Springs. Not enough to save the Christmas break, but hopefully enough to start seeing more terrain open up.
Anybody that has had a bit more time to look at weather have their 2 cents to put in?
I like pork! Considering the natural wealth that has been taken from both above and below the ground in WV, ie lumber and coal, the cost of that highway is a drop in the bucket in the grand scheme of things. Your are welcome to drive the old routes and roll the life dice. Ever think how that light in your house gets electricity? Mt Storm. You should be on your knees thanking the late Senator Byrd for all his hard work.
snapdragon wrote:
I like pork! Considering the natural wealth that has been taken from both above and below the ground in WV, ie lumber and coal, the cost of that highway is a drop in the bucket in the grand scheme of things. Your are welcome to drive the old routes and roll the life dice. Ever think how that light in your house gets electricity? Mt Storm. You should be on your knees thanking the late Senator Byrd for all his hard work.
The port was awesome. Nobody was on it! I think I passed maybe 2 cars all the way (and nobody passed me) Saturday morning. The last section on one lane road (93) before Davis could be equally as fast if not for the speed limit.
snapdragon wrote:
Your are welcome to drive the old routes and roll the life dice. Ever think how that light in your house gets electricity? Mt Storm. You should be on your knees thanking the late Senator Byrd for all his hard work.
...hey. I said "Hooray". I too saw nary another car and had absolutely no complaints. Eager to return. ...and may it bring the Valley further visitor spending. ;-)
snapdragon wrote:
Considering the natural wealth that
has beencontinues to be taken from both above and below the ground in WV, ie lumber and coal,
Yesterday was FABULOUS at Appalaician, almost 100% open. This moring was OK with temps in the low 40s, but rain moved in around 11. We called it a day after the morning lessons and saved our money for another trip there this spring. Like to ski there early and late season because they usually have the best snow early and late. It's supposed to rain hard the rest of this week with temps in the 70s Christmas Day :-(.. What a disaster for the people that depend on the resorts for their livelihoods. I'm sure they'll get another cold blast after Christmas and get it covered again before New Years but man... glad we got a couple days in this week instead of waiting until Dec 26th.
7 Springs is opening the 23rd. Their next chance of snowmaking appears to be 12/31-1/1 at the earliest: be interested to see how long thay can stay open, but no point on letting the snow from this weekend all go to waste.
wgo wrote:
Wintergreen will open upper dobie and potato patch today. Very limited terrain, but nice they were able to get something open considering the weather.
Pagamony was there. WG made a valiant effort and Saturday morning looked like a ground level blizzard. By this morning thick fog and rain and I saw exactly two skiers on their little patch of white. But it was not that tempting to this old skier. Ran around the valley visiting distilliries, cider works, breweries, and bbq joints. Hiked a little. Took the girls to Monticello. It was great.
+1 for visting multiple breweries. Did you stop by Blue Ridge Pig?
+1 Blue Ridge Pig. Pretty good que, but the potato salad and baked beans were awesome. The joint is pretty nifty also. How do you like that Paulette's place ?
You know, I like Blue Ridge Pig enough that I have never been to the other place on rt 151 (Paulie's, I think).
Did you hit all of the breweries? Any favorites?
Starting to feel like a thread hijack here, but I guess we need to be talking about something until the weather turns...
Indeed, it might be awhile before skiing returns to that part of the world.
Devils Backbone and Wild Wolf are sort of apples and oranges and I need more sample size to compare, but really liked the black ipa at db. Those cider places have really taken over but we only went to the Blue Toad which is most worthy - the cherry cider is especially dangerous. I don't know how all these spirit houses will survive but more power to them.
Overall, it's a pain to have all the lodging and skiing on top of the mountain and all the good food and spirits at the bottom.
Whitetail just turned on uppercut guns. Not long till the other snow time hills turn theirs on aswell!
There will be a lot of pent up demand next weekend.
Midweek could be sweet for those who make it out. Decent snow, empty slopes.
Blue Knob is opening tomorrow with $25 lift tickets to the midstation. I might try and do that sunday depending on what 7 Springs or Wisp manage to get open. (Unless by some miracle SnowTime is running a lift Sunday, I suspect they will either be Wednesday or next Friday though)
Seems that only roundtop made snow out of the three snow time hills.
Antoine wrote:
Seems that only roundtop made snow out of the three snow time hills.
Saw limited snowmaking activity early Saturday on Whitetail and Liberty webcams. Whiteness in view on WT as I drove by on I--81 in the afternoon, but only spotty patches are in view onlne today (Sunday). Even less at Liberty. Can't make snow until the weather cooperates.
Anyone that was at TLine this weekend have any opinion about if they will get upper Whitelightning open by next weekend?
Bad news, had to cut the grass today, even have blooming yellow dandelions, first for January, even when I lived in Texas during the last wicked El Nino.
Good news, cold air is finally here for a long spell, NC resorts started blowing again Friday and are open today with plenty of cold forecast through the week to build enough base to stay open for the foreseeable future. Game on for real this time!
My guess would be yes. They were certainly blowing hard on it. Current TL snowmaking philosophy seems to be that the highest priorities are: WL (top to bottom), Salamander, Lower Heaven (presumably for the small terrain park), the bunny slope, and associated access trails. I'm happy to criticize when deserved, but that makes sense to me. Something for everyone.
Thanks Norsk. Hope they get the temps to get some top to bottom trails open by next weekend.
JohnL wrote:
There will be a lot of pent up demand next weekend.
Midweek could be sweet for those who make it out. Decent snow, empty slopes.
Some opened today, but next weekend will be insane. Everyone that got ski gear for Christmas will be planning to head up Friday night or Saturday morning.
He can raise it to whatever he thinks you'll pay. Still hasn't found that high mark yet! Have you ever seen anyone LOWER the regular lift ticket price (or do they raise it)? It's Disney Economics....or Disneynomics...haven't seen an admission (or parking) you wouldn't pay.
For what it's worth 7 springs was pretty empty today for a Sunday, got lower lot at 9:30 and never really waited more than a few minutes in the singles line. I suspect snowshoe would have been busy anyway this weekend, but what they did probably prevented cancellations and made people feel better about standing in long lines. See 7 springs Facebook from yesterday, (saturday) people were less than thrilled. I'm sure the Steelers game had to do with some of it....but without knowing what the cancellation rate or policy was at 7 springs I wonder if crowds would have been different if they had cheaper tickets.
What was open at 7 springs was nice (I've never thought they have the highest quality snow, but if anything it was at least equal to or slightly better what I have come to expect there)...i suspect most of the front face and maybe lost boy will be open by midweek, and Santa's beard park looked like it might have enough snow for a build out tonight. I wish I had a 9:40 picture of the top of Lost Boy and a 3:50 picture of it. The amount of snow they are making is quite impressive, and with how wide open 7 Springs is they really do have a TON of slope to cover, when you see the massive area of green slowly turning white throughout the day it puts it in to perspective how much snow they are capable of producing.
Anybody notice if SS was making snow on Cupp Run?
The Colonel wrote:
Anybody notice if SS was making snow on Cupp Run?
I left ~3pm today they were not blowing on Cupp. There's still lots to cover on basin side, my guess is they start sometime this week in prep for this weekend.
Got some great runs in early today. First couple runs (9am) were on Log Slide. Out of habit, or whatever, most people continued the run from Saturday.... from Heilser to turn hard right onto Upper Whistlepunk. Log Slide was a ghost town, groomed, no blowers a nice morning sun. Great for ripping.
Spent the rest of the morning on Spruce. The left side had good powder continually fresshed by the fan blowers. Called it quits ~1pm.
AndyGene wrote:
If they open up top to bottom will Fred jump the ligt ticket price tp $120?
100% rate hike for 0% new open terrain. Like their FB says, the conditions are what make the rate increase justifiable...
A foot of powder on Whiteout wouldn't justify a $60 lift ticket in my opinion. But what do they know, they aren't skiers.
Bonzski wrote:
The Colonel wrote:
Anybody notice if SS was making snow on Cupp Run?
I left ~3pm today they were not blowing on Cupp. There's still lots to cover on basin side, my guess is they start sometime this week in prep for this weekend.
Got some great runs in early today. First couple runs (9am) were on Log Slide. Out of habit, or whatever, most people continued the run from Saturday.... from Heilser to turn hard right onto Upper Whistlepunk. Log Slide was a ghost town, groomed, no blowers a nice morning sun. Great for ripping.
Spent the rest of the morning on Spruce. The left side had good powder continually fresshed by the fan blowers. Called it quits ~1pm.
Saturday was painful - everyone there for New Years just had to get at least one day in and they all stacked up down one parade route. Was fun, but bordering on reckless. The choke points were sometimes impossible to navigate with multiple people down blocking every route. Some ice by midday.
Sunday (today) was great. Couple more runs open and a fraction of the crowds. Snow was in great shape and sun was shining. Progression park (without the park) was pretty much empty and was wide open. I think that is what you were referring to as Log Flume as Log Flume didn't show open. Spruce was also nice with a few jumps and curves to keep it interesting. Lift lines were for the most part non-existent today.
They seem to be blowing like mad but nothing on the western side. I'd be surprised if they don't get powderridge and a few other blue runs off of ball hooter open this week. I have high hopes for next weekend
Why are the Whitetail web cams showing no ongoing snowmaking?
The Colonel wrote:
Why are the Whitetail web cams showing no ongoing snowmaking?
Some guns are on now. It just dipped below freezing there.
The Colonel wrote:
Anybody notice if SS was making snow on Cupp Run?
My buddy called SS yesterday and they said they were focusing on expanding the basin area. I thought the new guns on Cupp would allow them to make snow there without utilizing resources from other areas?
Disappointing IMO but that's par for this season so far.
This snowmaking "effort" by whitetail and the other snow times is sad. Now unless I'm just a aware of the temps being to high I must ask why is that you just turn those fan guns on? They have not run on angel drop at WT or on the terrain park at Liberty...
Speakig of Liberty I think it's worth noting that they are making snow on the backside which is rare especially for this "early" season.
Antoine wrote:
This snowmaking "effort" by whitetail and the other snow times is sad. Now unless I'm just a aware of the temps being to high I must ask why is that you just turn those fan guns on? They have not run on angel drop at WT or on the terrain park at Liberty...
Speakig of Liberty I think it's worth noting that they are making snow on the backside which is rare especially for this "early" season.
I'm not sure I follow. Whitetail has been running guns on all slopes with the exception of Far Side and Bold Decision.
Blue Don 1982 wrote:
The Colonel wrote:
Anybody notice if SS was making snow on Cupp Run?
My buddy called SS yesterday and they said they were focusing on expanding the basin area. I thought the new guns on Cupp would allow them to make snow there without utilizing resources from other areas?
Disappointing IMO but that's par for this season so far.
The reason to get Cupp open is to relieve crowding on basin side before/during Xmas & NY holiday period. Now the rush is over and they can wait a week or so and be ready for MLK weekend. I bet they wait until after the next warm-up and rain this Thurs/Fri.
Re Whitetail:
What's up with their web cams presentation, the pics are small and cannot be enlarged to view details, especially on my large IPhone 6 screen.
Antoine wrote:
This snowmaking "effort" by whitetail and the other snow times is sad. Now unless I'm just a aware of the temps being to high I must ask why is that you just turn those fan guns on? They have not run on angel drop at WT or on the terrain park at Liberty...
I think the temps took a long time to cool down last night... and the humidity took some time to drop. Based on what Snowshoe and some of the other resorts have shown the fan guns seem to need an extra degree or 2 over the pole guns (somebody posted a video the other night, still dont quite follow why, but I suspect it has to do with hangtime), either way Whitetail is looks substancially better now than they did just 10 hours ago in the shot Scott posted!
Roundtop has said they will announce when they are opening tomorrow, Whitetail is reporting a planned opening of "later this week", and Liberty seems to be moving right along as well. From the cams Roundtop seems to be in the best shape at the moment... but I wouldnt be surprised if they all open on the same day. (I'm hoping for Wednesday with normal hours... with continued nighttime snowmaking, I suspect this warmup over the weekend wont cause any of them to close)
Massanutten opening one trail & lift (beginners) on Tuesday, more trails & lifts on Wed
Just got email that Liberty is opening Thurs at 9am.
Roundtop has announced that they will open at 9am Wednesday, January 6. They seem to have gotten an earlier start than some other areas and say they will have at least three TTB runs open: Minuteman, Susquehanna and Exhibition.
Go Roundtop !
Woody
Whitetail has announced they are opening this Thursday at 8:30 AM.
TomH wrote:
Anyone that was at TLine this weekend have any opinion about if they will get upper Whitelightning open by next weekend?
Well TomH, they annonced on facebook late last night that White Lightning WILL BE OPEN, FROM THE TOP this weekend. No reason to doubt that after seeing how things were going last weekend.
Thanks Jimmy. Midstation would be a bit hard to take after spending last week at Copper :) See you Saturday.
Massanutten was able to blow snow on all the core trails all day yesterday and today. Had guns off on Southern Comfort while it was open 9am-5pm. Overall, the snow conditions were pretty good with only a few slicker spots. The renovations in the main lodge building are pretty nice. I know the instructors must be enjoying their new space in the new building.
All lifts except the J-bar will be running Wed. DJ will be open. Lower Showtime for sure, maybe even Upper Showtime.
Pretty sure the demo weekend by Freestyle of Charlottesville Jan. 9-10 is on. Hopefully it won't rain during the day on Sat.
