As all of you know this has been a very snow-challenged winter for all of the mid A. I have been a harsh critic of Bob Nutting in the past, but my mind has changed significantly about his commitment to the ski areas that he owns/operates in the Laurels  based on the following:

Item 1) The Lodge renovation at Laurel. Quite simply”¦. AMAZING. IMHO, the building could have been condemned prior to rehab. He turned the Lodge at Laurel into a Laurel Highlands show piece, with all of the additions and renovations. It’s too bad it can’t stay open year round. He pumped a boat load of HIS own $$$ into this place.

Item 2) I attended a house party last Saturday (55F) at a home located on the Rambler trail. There was, in some places, a 3.5 foot base with a minimum 2 foot base in others. I realize the quality of the snow guns at HV has a lot to do with this base, but I was very impressed to say the least. Even the HV regulars had nothing but praise for the snow making commitment.

hockeydave wrote:

As all of you know this has been a very snow-challenged winter for all of the mid A. I have been a harsh critic of Bob Nutting in the past, but my mind has changed significantly about his commitment to the ski areas that he owns/operates in the Laurels  based on the following:

Item 1) The Lodge renovation at Laurel. Quite simply”¦. AMAZING. IMHO, the building could have been condemned prior to rehab. He turned the Lodge at Laurel into a Laurel Highlands show piece, with all of the additions and renovations. It’s too bad it can’t stay open year round. He pumped a boat load of HIS own $$$ into this place.

Item 2) I attended a house party last Saturday (55F) at a home located on the Rambler trail. There was, in some places, a 3.5 foot base with a minimum 2 foot base in others. I realize the quality of the snow guns at HV has a lot to do with this base, but I was very impressed to say the least. Even the HV regulars had nothing but praise for the snow making commitment.

It's been about 15 years since I've made it to Seven Springs, but I love to hear about Mid-Atlantic areas working to provide the best product possible and thereby encourage more people to come back and ski more! 

I will say that 7Springs operation of HV has shown a strong committment to providing a quality ski product. They make snow when ever they can. During this very challenging weather year, the conditions at HV have been much better than I expected. I really feel for them since they are trying very hard to provide a great product only to have another sucky warm spell melt all the snow they made.

As far as Laurel Mtn is concerned, the place is gorgeous and as you said the lodge is a very special place. I love the Wildcat Lounge.  It is critically important that we show our support. There is discussion on this forum about the lack of expansion at some of the local resorts. Well we don't have expansion here, we have essentially a new ski resort, a very rare thing in DCski country. We must go there and spend our money. Or we will loose something very special.

My hats off to Mr. Nutting and the entire 7S/HV/LM team.

I guess I have a different take on things at 7s. As a very close proximity property owner and long standing season pass holder, I can say that snow making at 7s has been limited to what I can only summarize as what looks good from a Webcam or via their snow report. When absolutely necessary they have shown what they can produce but only when it's critical to keep up with crowds or poor snowfall on very limited terrain. It has been frustrating as I already see them disconnecting hoses and storing them, on slopes that have received less than optimal Snowmaking efforts thus far. Those slopes surely will be permanently closed for this year. Furthermore it's very apparent during warm snaps, not the one we are going through now I'm talking one or two days, how little base they are actually comfortable with. I'm sorry but the cost of their lift tickets and the number of lifts running isn't worth the cost. Those that visited this year to see everything east of North Face shut down knows what I'm talking about. For those that are inter3sted in terrain features, 7s has all but abandoned the terrain area left of North Face when copious amounts of natural snow isn't in play. The features available in the alley are overused, oddly built and quite often poorly maintained. 7s has no proper progression in the terrain parks which leads to people taking risks and getting hurt with no progressive features. Much of this again, due to very limited Snowmaking when you consider their Snowmaking coverage vs actual Snowmaking efforts

Sincraft wrote:

....7s has all but abandoned the terrain area left of North Face when copious amounts of natural snow isn't in play. The features available in the alley are overused, oddly built and quite often poorly maintained. 7s has no proper progression in the terrain parks ...

 

I definitely noticed this, as well as the poor conditions skiers right of North Face on my visit Saturday

Sincraft - as usual, you can take a sunny day and make it dreary. They made snow when ever it was possible. They even made snow during the day on weekends when the slopes were open, something they usually try and not do for obvious reasons. Can you name another resort that is not burdened with the same weather related problems. No you can't. Try some Prozac.

Staying open this year without a shutdown, which 7S and HV did, and LM very nearly did, is nothing short of remarkable.

I'm not going back all that many years, but under Kettler's ownership of HV with the snowmaking system and effort they were willing to put in, HV would have been shutdown a reasonable chunk of this winter.  Period.

The real concern I have is the financial ability of resorts to withstand a winter (more or less two now) like this...and who knows what next winter will bring.

Sincraft wrote:

I guess I have a different take on things at 7s. As a very close proximity property owner and long standing season pass holder, I can say that snow making at 7s has been limited to what I can only summarize as what looks good from a Webcam or via their snow report. When absolutely necessary they have shown what they can produce but only when it's critical to keep up with crowds or poor snowfall on very limited terrain. It has been frustrating as I already see them disconnecting hoses and storing them, on slopes that have received less than optimal Snowmaking efforts thus far. Those slopes surely will be permanently closed for this year. Furthermore it's very apparent during warm snaps, not the one we are going through now I'm talking one or two days, how little base they are actually comfortable with. I'm sorry but the cost of their lift tickets and the number of lifts running isn't worth the cost. Those that visited this year to see everything east of North Face shut down knows what I'm talking about. For those that are inter3sted in terrain features, 7s has all but abandoned the terrain area left of North Face when copious amounts of natural snow isn't in play. The features available in the alley are overused, oddly built and quite often poorly maintained. 7s has no proper progression in the terrain parks which leads to people taking risks and getting hurt with no progressive features. Much of this again, due to very limited Snowmaking when you consider their Snowmaking coverage vs actual Snowmaking efforts

 

I agree it is frustrating to think that the season is almost over and that terrain isn't coming back unless there is a big storm and a cold snap but ask JimK what he told me about the conditions he encountered at Seven Springs and Laurel compared to others in the Mid-A at the same time. Tell me that Timberline skiers would not die to have the stingy ogres at Seven Springs come run their mountain. As much as my hippie soul hates to acknowledge it, skiing is a business. 

The North Face has been terribly under utilized ever since the Gunnar Six went in. They could get away with snowmaking only on the middle two slopes, hell just the one closest to the Tahoe Quad would probably serve most of the skier traffic even on weekends. Granted I have seen a change in snowmaking philosophy and it does mean bases are maybe a little less deep but Seven Springs and Hidden Valley usually run out of skiers before they run out of snow so even with a conservative, "make only what is needed philosophy," they leave thousands of dollars of product unused and melting away. Snowmaking is very expensive. Maybe people would not grouse so much about lift ticket prices if instead they were called snowmaking and insurance passes. Ski resorts are businesses and if owners can not make a profit why bother? As it is, one still must have a love of the sport because I have no doubt that if maximum money making or huge profits were the sole criteria then I fear there would be a whole lot less ski resorts to choose from. The old ski industry saying is true. If you want to make a small fortune in the ski business, start with a large fortune.

You all (yunz) know I've been a Laurel Mountain fanatic ever since I showed up on this site, I didn't have such a skeptical view of Bob Nutting but when he bought the private assets on the mountain before he had a lease agreement with the State I felt that the move signaled the true intention of the purchase was to blunt the competition from Buncher CO that owned Hidden Valley at the time. Then the Great Recession happened and real estate was falling as fast as the unemployment rate soared. That was it, I thought. I was doubtful that I'd ever see lift served skiing at Laurel in my lifetime but what the hey. I knew the money was already earmarked but political things happen and projects get canceled. As snowsmith pointed out repeatedly, these kind of state financed projects don't seem to move along unless there is a strong push from somewhere outside of government to make it happen, be it grassroots popular demand or other less public interests such as affected business. In short, some political weight had to be swung to get the state pendulum moving. For Laurel we had local skier and small business support and a very vocal, local politician, Mayor Bellas, but without a doubt none of it would have happen if it where not for Bob Nutting. I don't think the State would have gone ahead and planted a $6.5 million dollar seed just to see if it would sprout on its own or that if a loosely disorganized group of locals could get it together to run the place (we couldn't),

I have some more thoughts I'll share later.

 

From Nutting to parking lot attendent....well run.  Will always perform favorably.

Besides...when did anyone in the region blow snow after PDW.  Maybe one of Bender's later seasons at HV. ;)  

56fish wrote:

Besides...when did anyone in the region blow snow after PDW.  Maybe one of Bender's later seasons at HV. ;)  

Snowtime, snowshoe, and 7 springs have all made snow in march the last few seasons

rbrtlav wrote:

56fish wrote:

Besides...when did anyone in the region blow snow after PDW.  Maybe one of Bender's later seasons at HV. ;)  

Snowtime, snowshoe, and 7 springs have all made snow in march the last few seasons

Other than high traffic areas, lift terminals?

 

56fish wrote:

 

Other than high traffic areas, lift terminals?

 

I know last year snowtime made snow everywhere as late as march 3. I think they have a deal with the power company that ends at the first billing cycle in March.

snowshoe was making whatever they needed to keep their advertised march 28th date last season

(also posted in the great weather news thread)

Hey, I got some inside info that seven springs is going to contine to blast snow at every oppertunity and will try to stay open to the end of March. 

They made a little bit on Sunday.  Blasting again on Thursday / Friday. 

Again, kudos to all 3 Laurel Highlands ski areas for their commitment to make snow over the next several days. How anyone in their right mind could complain (at least about that aspect of the resorts' operation) is beyond me.