BK making snow as well?
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tromano
November 29, 2004
Member since 12/19/2002 🔗
998 posts
According to their website BK has been stockpiling snow this weekend as well. Its odd for them to open early but who knows.

the cams from wisp and 7S are now "slightly white". But I can imagine that a couple good 50 Degree days will put a mud puddle in all their plans. Are we just 3-4 cold nights away from opening?
snowcone
November 29, 2004
Member since 09/27/2002 🔗
589 posts
They can make all the snow they want. As is the situation in Snowshoe, its all gonna end up in the lake anyway sooner rather than later.

Read it and weep.
http://www.wxrisk.com/meteopage.html
johnfmh - DCSki Columnist
November 29, 2004
Member since 07/18/2001 🔗
1,992 posts
Quote:

They can make all the snow they want. As is the situation in Snowshoe, its all gonna end up in the lake anyway sooner rather than later.

Read it and weep.
http://www.wxrisk.com/meteopage.html




Tuesday looks to be brutal: warm weather and rain. I'd like to be angry at Timberline for not making much snow this weekend, but I think they made the right decision: wasting money and power to make snow before a warm front just doesn't make sense. I know how hard these resorts want to have an early season, but is it really worth the cost?
JohnL
November 29, 2004
Member since 01/6/2000 🔗
3,563 posts
Not a promising ski forecast for the first half of December. Just looking at NoVA, the temps are average to slightly above average for the 10 day. Unfortunately, the upcoming precipitation is all rain during periods of above average temps. Consistent with the wxrisk link provided by Snowcone.
Roger Z
November 29, 2004
Member since 01/16/2004 🔗
2,181 posts
Oh, we could be 3-4 cold nights away from opening. Unfortunately it does not appear that those 3-4 nights are going to occur in the next ten days. Where's the below-average temp, above-average snowfall winter gone? This is why I don't trust forecasts, whine whine whine...
JR
November 29, 2004
Member since 01/1/2003 🔗
276 posts
Even with the forecasted rain Snowshoe just announced today (monday) that Friday as opening day with 1 top to bottom run with more opening by Saturday or Sunday. I figure that they studied the forecast and are pretty sure they can open Friday or they wouldn't have bothered to officially announce a date...or at least I hope. Lets keep our fingers crossed.
Murphy
November 29, 2004
Member since 09/13/2004 🔗
618 posts
Wunderground calls for that Wednesday rain to change over to snow at some point in Elkins. Calling for more snow on Friday with high temperatures below freezing. It'll be interesting to see what they have open by Saturday.
JohnL
November 29, 2004
Member since 01/6/2000 🔗
3,563 posts
Tromano,

Even with this early snowmaking by Blue Knob, I don't think we'll see an early opening for Extrovert. (I always wait until Extrovert is open before making the trip out there.) At the ski expo earlier this month, the Blue Knob rep said that he expected Extrovert to be open in January. Apparently, the owners want some cash flow coming in during the early part of the season; more people ski the intermediate terrain than the expert terrain.

Also, Blue Knob's terrain park will be expanded this year - perhaps also to increase traffic to the mountain and income. The rep said they'll have two large jumps and a school bus (!) buried in the snow.

Plans change, so we'll see what happens.
snowcone
November 29, 2004
Member since 09/27/2002 🔗
589 posts
Just for Fun ..

For those of you that frequent Snowshoe, Timberline, Canaan you might have fun with these calculations. Might make for a more positive attitude! (Look who's talking!)

Calculate a more accurate local temperature using the Adiabatic Lapse Rate .. or the difference in temperature for every 1000 feet:
Dry rate = 3 degrees C. or 4.4 degrees F. (dryer than average extrapolate from dewpoint)
Wet rate = 2 degrees C. or 3.1 degrees F. (wetter than average, extrap ditto)
Dewpoint : closer to temperature = wetter, farther away = drier.

Elkins, WV altitude is 2000 feet. The Elkins AWOS (Automatic Weather Observation System used by pilots) is (304) 636-5603. Use temperature and dewpoint for calculations.

So Snowshoe might be calculated:
Elkins: Tem perature 26 F, Dewpoint 15 F, Snowshoe differential 3k ft. = 26 - (4.4*3) ... or appx 13 Fahrenheit ... WAY COLD enuf to BLOW!!!
shearer519
November 29, 2004
Member since 07/12/2004 🔗
149 posts
I also heard that Blue Knob will be expanding their terrian park. I read in a newspaper that it will be moved to upper high hopes. I also heard about the school bus in the snow. I am wondering what they will do to it. It sounds like an interesting feature to have in the park
tromano
November 29, 2004
Member since 12/19/2002 🔗
998 posts
Quote:

Tromano,

Even with this early snowmaking by Blue Knob, I don't think we'll see an early opening for Extrovert. (I always wait until Extrovert is open before making the trip out there.) At the ski expo earlier this month, the Blue Knob rep said that he expected Extrovert to be open in January. Apparently, the owners want some cash flow coming in during the early part of the season; more people ski the intermediate terrain than the expert terrain.

Also, Blue Knob's terrain park will be expanded this year - perhaps also to increase traffic to the mountain and income. The rep said they'll have two large jumps and a school bus (!) buried in the snow.

Plans change, so we'll see what happens.




I agree about extrovert. The mountain jsut isn't worth the trip until midseson when they get their black terrain open.

I thought the upper section of those trails 66 / high hopes would be a good park area. So that should be fun, Finally there will be a reason to go back to the top rather than getting off at the mid point every time. Refresh my memory, but skier can get on the double chair at the mid point for those who want to ride the park exclusively right?

the school bus sounds... well sorta creepy like some thing out of a haunted house or something. I wonder if you jump over the school bus or ski through the bus some how... Might be worth a look.

I hope their "glades" get open a bit too. There has been enough controversy about them that its worht an explore to see whats up.

Also, any word on the elusive blue trail? Is that still arround? / How do I get there?
JohnL
November 29, 2004
Member since 01/6/2000 🔗
3,563 posts
Hmmm, Upper High Hopes is very flat, I wonder if sliders will carry enough speed to go over the features?

Placing a terrain park in Upper High Hopes makes sense in that you get more use out of the upper mountain, it is a more visible location right under the chairs, and Upper Route 66 parallels Upper High Hopes, so you aren't losing any important terrain. From the BK trail map, there are a couple bisecting intermediate and beginner trails in that section of the mountain; so the placement of the terrain park could get a little tricky unless they close part of a trail.

I *thought* I recall from my conversation with the BK rep that the bus will be partially buried, with the top serving as a combo table-top / sliding surface. I'll keep my ski bases off any metal, thank you very much.
JohnL
November 29, 2004
Member since 01/6/2000 🔗
3,563 posts
Quote:

Also, any word on the elusive blue trail? Is that still arround? / How do I get there?





There was a post last year which gave explicit directions.

Quote:

can get on the double chair at the mid point for those who want to ride the park exclusively right




I think there is both a unloading and loading section at the mid-station. I normally unload at the mid-station, so my memory is a bit fuzzy. Since the lower mountain is mostly advanced terrain, I think beginners and lower intermediates would have to be able to load at the mid-station. Plus, the lower mountain terrain may not always be open.

The more I think about it, a terrain park on Upper High Hopes would be a very efficient use of lifts and terrain.
Lietmotiv
November 29, 2004
Member since 12/31/2001 🔗
113 posts
This is why we have West Coast skiing. I love Timberline and Snowshoe but I rarely make it out there until Late Dec or January when they start opening the Blacks. Until then I'll setlle on Colorado and Utah.
tromano
November 29, 2004
Member since 12/19/2002 🔗
998 posts
Quote:

Quote:

Also, any word on the elusive blue trail? Is that still arround? / How do I get there?





There was a post last year which gave explicit directions.

Quote:

can get on the double chair at the mid point for those who want to ride the park exclusively right




Yea, I remeber that too. However when you serch for "Blue Trail" you recieve literally 100s of hits back.
lridgerider
November 29, 2004
Member since 11/25/2004 🔗
9 posts
Well, that bus does sound like just about the most interesting terrain park feature i've heard about in a while. A bus is, if you think about it, quite a tall object to cover and would create a pretty huge ramp and a pretty huge potential falling distance. I'm not sure what i'd think about a rail/metal/grinding possibility on top of a school bus if I saw it, but I might stray away from a bus-grind feature. I think upper high hopes is suited for a terrain park pretty well because of it's slope and un-unique terrain (like what was mentioned with route 66). However, yes, consideration will need to be given to layout if I remember how mambo alley and beginner terrain curves around and adjacent to that trail. While I'm not sure if this is as worthy of discussing as the ever-popular rock-gladed terrain at BK, it could give more incentive for the average boarder or skiier to pay a visit to their friendly neighborhood BK.
JohnL
November 29, 2004
Member since 01/6/2000 🔗
3,563 posts
Quote:

it could give more incentive for the average boarder or skiier to pay a visit to their friendly neighborhood BK




The best case would be for all the new visitors to spend money at Blue Knob, but stay on the upper mountain.

The upper mountain at BK can get pretty cold and windy ...

Tromano, I believe I have the Blue Trail articles printed out at home. I'll look for them tonight and see if I can find the exact thread titles.
The Colonel - DCSki Supporter 
November 29, 2004
Member since 03/5/2004 🔗
3,110 posts
Yes, generally Snowshoe has temps colder than elkins because of the altitude difference. But sometimes the opposite effect is present, especially when there is a templ inversion and the warm air is aloft while the cold air is trpaped in the valleys like at Elkins.
The colonel
JohnL
November 29, 2004
Member since 01/6/2000 🔗
3,563 posts
Tromano,

Blue Trail and Blue Point Directions

Haven't skied it myself, but I'll have to check it out this year.

Also,
Seven Springs Unmarked Runs
tromano
November 30, 2004
Member since 12/19/2002 🔗
998 posts
Thanks John,

I will see if I can't find those secret areas next ime at the knob.
kennedy
November 30, 2004
Member since 12/8/2001 🔗
792 posts
If they bury a bus I'll try it just to say I did, better bring the beater board though.
Mountain Masher
December 2, 2004
Member since 03/13/2004 🔗
541 posts
The idea of....yet another terrain park at Blue Knob is ridiculous when one considers that BK's two previous attempts at creating a terrain park have both failed. BK's first attempt was when they dug-out (with a bulldozer during the Summer) a large half-pipe on upper Mambo Alley. When BK management realized that they didn't have enough snowmaking capacity to adequately cover the half-pipe, they gave up on the idea and the half-pipe area was filled-in a couple of years later. Then, BK tried to create a terrain park where the original beginners slope was located; again, BK failed at creating a terrain park. Since the trees (that created a natural wind block) had been previously removed by the current owners of BK, they found that they couldn't keep enough snow surface down on the terrain park. And, like before, they realized that they didn't have enough excess snowmaking capacity to maintain a terrain park. Needless to say, I believe that this latest attempt by BK management to create a terrain park will, once again, result in failure; plus, the junked school bus will be a real eyesore on a mountain that has already been heavily damaged by a massive for-profit logging operation, which did not employ a timber/resource management plan.

And, as far as the Blue Trail goes, the entire area (located along the left side (facing down-hill) of the Jack Rabbit slope) was completely destroyed by a logging operation that finished-up about 2 1/2 years ago. This was particularly tragic because the Blue Trail was a gladed area that contained some of the largest trees in Central PA. Also, it held snow really well. The logging company that did the logging for the owners of BK, bought the land and removed all of the valuable timber in what's called a "HEAVY select-cut" operation. Then, this area was sold by the timber contractor to the owners of BK ski area. While I realize that, last ski season, a couple of posters on this forum maintained that there is still some excellent tree skiing on the Blue Trail, I beg to differ with their assessment. First of all, you can't even find the Blue Trail anymore because it doesn't exist. All that remains is a mangled mess of large stumps, dislodged boulders, piles of logging waste and skid trails. Now, the entire area is even difficult to walk through, much less ski or snowboard through.

Ski and Tell

Snowcat got your tongue?

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