Wintergreen is blowing!
December 3, 2008
On the tubing hill!!???
The Colonel
I wonder if they count that as the official day that they started blowing snow? They have/had a contest to guess what time/date they would start. Maybe if they blow on the tubing hill it doesn't count toward the contest. Just my 2 cents...
I guess they started blowing elsewhere as well. Going to try and open a week earlier, December 6th...
From their website...
18 degrees at 7am! YES, winter is here! The start of the 08/09 snowmaking season began last night! Overnight temps provided a great opportunity for us to begin transforming our mountain into a Winter Playground. Our goal over the next couple of weeks will be to make as much snow as we can in hopes of opening THE PLUNGE by Thanksgiving weekend. We are also going to try hard to beat our scheduled opening of the ski area by a week and hope to ski and ride on December 6th. All of the weather people we talk to are telling us that below normal temps will be the norm for the rest of November. Cold weather like that should allow us to get off to a great start this season. Bring it on!
Well this talk has me stoked... So much that I just renewed our season passes!!! Bring on the snow!!! Heading to Wintergreen Thanksgiving weekend, sure wish they would be open then...
I have to say, I am disappointed in their snowmaking priorities. This could very well come back to bite them during the January thaw.
I am sure per sq ft the tubing slope is a better revenue producer
Tubing Park...better profit margin? You betcha.
Wintergreen site says they are ramping up the snowmaking and their slope status shows them making snow on Dobie. Looks like they are getting more aggressive or at least communicating better.
" Our goal over the next week will be to make as much snow as we can in hopes of opening THE PLUNGE (and maybe some skiing) by Thanksgiving Weekend. We would love to beat our scheduled opening of the ski area currently advertised as December 12th . We are not ready to say December 6th is "in the bag", we are to focused on beating that date by trying to ski on Thanksgiving weekend"
Last sentence is a little confusing, looks like someone was typing fast. I don't care what they say...just fire up the guns!
20 new fan guns were installed. I think when they bring the system fully on-line today/tonight we may be quite impressed with what they can do... I guy can hope, can't he? Would love to get some turns in over the Thanksgiving weekend... Even if it's just dobie, my son and I are eager to get on the new sticks...
That update is a bit confusing, but I know exactly what to read between the lines: "we want to open skiing ASAP, but got burned last year and backpedaled so much that we don't want to make any promises this year".
The fan guns improve snowmaking efficiency in certain ways, but they don't necessarily enable Wintergreen to make more snow -- they still have capacity limits to deal with. The fan guns do not impact the air limit, which is good, but they still impact the water and electricity limits (on the latter, probably not as much as running a single massive compressor).
I hope they take advantage of the great snowmaking weather -- it will be in the single digits overnight Friday into Saturday. There will be a warmup Sunday through Thursday which will probably eliminate daytime snowmaking and cut back on evening snowmaking efficiency. That's why the past 4 days/nights were such a golden opportunity.
I had to look again this morning. They are teasing us and should be punished. All in all, this is quite a November and I should honor that by breaking out the sticks.
I still resent that concentration on tubing - unless it makes so much money they can buy enough equipment to open the Highlands early.
11/21/2008: 8 degrees at 7am! Another blast of arctic air arrived last night, allowing us to make even more snow. We started off the week concentrating our snowmaking efforts in The Plunge Tubing Park and watching next weeks weather closely. Our strategy shifted yesterday with an increase in snowmaking on The Plunge, Eagles Swoop and Dobie. Our goal over the next week will be to make as much snow as we can in hopes of opening THE PLUNGE (and maybe some skiing) by Thanksgiving Weekend. We would love to beat our scheduled opening of the ski area currently advertised as December 12th . We are not ready to say December 6th is "in the bag", we are to focused on beating that date by trying to ski on Thanksgiving weekend... If you want to be ready for opening day, you had better get your equipment out of the attic and tuned up!
It's looking good for next weekend:
(Picture 11/24/08)
If it works out, I might stop by there for a few turns on Sunday, or maybe during the week next week.
Mountaintop temp right now is 31 degrees, humidity is 100%. Maybe some nice natural coming down soon. HolyMac and I will be up there first thing Saturday morning. I'll drop in a quick report Saturday night. Hoping for a little more than Dobie but I'll take what I can get for November in Virginia.
We'll be there as well... As you, we are hoping for more than Dobie but we have new skis wanting to run...
Off topic but my in-laws said that Wintergreen is having a ski swap at the Edge on Friday. Anyone ever been to one of these? Will be checking it out.
My kids' Wintergreen ski coach announced they have practice on Saturday, on snow! So I just paid for our passes today too, and I'm hoping for blue skies on Saturday.
We will also stop by the ski swap. I haven't been for the past two years, but last time I went, I picked up a used pair of boots that I still love. Also some poles, a kid's Polartec fleece, probably a helmet... I remember the prices for skis didn't seem very competitive, but everything else was quite reasonable.
All...if you see a guy in grey helmet, red jacket, black pants and red Rossignols tap me on the shoulder and say hi.
Hey GDWindowpane...WTG site says they are on target for opening Cross Trails and Swoop this weekend...say next focus will be on the Highlands. Could Highlands have a trail open by the 13th? That would really be something.
Yes I saw that as well... We'll see. I'm going striper fishing this weekend on the OBX. Taking Friday and Monday off. Hopefully the weather/fish will cooperate. Kids are trying to talk Mom into taking them to Wintergreen. We'll definately be there the following weekend. Last weekend the season passes work until Spring...
Hope they open up the swoop, not having the ski in/out option was a downer last weekend. Not to mention that the beers were somewhat more expensive at the Edge compared to my cooler at the house...
Any idea when they plan on starting night skiing? We'll probably be there Friday nights regularly.
Have a great weekend if you get the chance to make some turns...
)
