And so it begins.

The first snowmaking of the 2005/2006 winter season:
Snowmaking

I'm not so sure Snow Valley was the "first" to make snow this season, if they're defining "making snow" as testing out the snowguns.

Here is a shot from the mid-Atlantic's own Whitetail Resort on September 15:



I'm pretty sure I caught glimpses of Whitetail testing out the guns before September 15 on Whitetail's web cam, but didn't think to save the image. I saw Whitetail testing out the snowguns on September 20 as well.

What's not clear is whether they're testing out the snowmaking system, or if it was just a hot day and they decided to fire up the guns to cool off a bit.

Maybe it's just been so dry they were watering the slopes. One of the keys to keeping snow on a slope is to have it frozen. If you lay snow on top of an unfrozen ground, the ground never freezes and can form those rivers underneath the slopes.

I did get emailed from Whistler and they have begun to make snow with a projected opening date of Nov 24th.

What, no beer?

Here's a better one for ya: Sept 13th, Big Mountain Montana. Last day of their summer operations. 15 inches of snow on the summit of the mountain:

http://www.big-mountain.com/index.php?a=sod/archive&ayear=2005&amonth=9&archiveid=46

http://www.big-mountain.com/index.php?a=sod/archive&ayear=2005&amonth=9&archiveid=47

This may be a shot from the same day, or the day after:

http://www.big-mountain.com/index.php?a=sod/archive&ayear=2005&amonth=9&archiveid=48

I've got a certain fondness for Big Mountain. And apparently, they like me too, because they put a picture of me skiing their resort on the welcome page:

http://www.bigmtn.com/

September 21, 2005

Winter on the Way

Heads up, folks. Sub-zero alpine temperatures in Whistler have the snow-guns firing. With cold nights forecast, Whistler Blackcomb should see snow accumulation shortly. Snowmaking upgrades and summer grooming will provide improved snow conditions and greater terrain access in the early and late season.

[image]http://http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/index.htm[/image]

Could be that Whitetail was watering the grass? We are in a mild drought and grass on the slopes is important for preventing soil erosion. What better way to water the grass than blowing water through the snow guns?

I think you're right, now that I think about it -- they're probably watering the grass. I think that might be one of the most expensive water sprinklers money can buy.