Looks like those Titans are going to be installed in the Widowmaker area based on the video.
Blue Don 1982 wrote:
Looks like those Titans are going to be installed in the Widowmaker area based on the video.
I think I heard that the guns would be moving from where they were unloaded. With 74 of them, that's a LOT of terrain that can be covered. All automated. Supposed to be very powerful so can still get the snow in the right place when it's windy. Bought and shipped from Italy because the Titan 2 handles the most water of any snowguns currently made.
https://www.snowshoemtn.com/-/media/Stratton/PDFs/Snowshoe-Snowmaking-Upgrades-Announcement3818final.pdf
SNOWSHOE, W. Va. ”“ (March 8, 2018) Snowshoe Mountain has announced that it will be investing nearly $4M in upgrades to its snowmaking and grooming technology this summer. Resort officials anticipate that the investment will allow them to open significantly more of their ski trails by early December and maintain a high-quality snow surface throughout the ski season; all while greatly reducing the mountain’s carbon footprint.
“This is the single most important investment our new owners, Alterra Mountain Company,could make in Snowshoe,” said Frank DeBerry, Snowshoe’s President and Chief Operating Officer. “As this past season demonstrates, Snowshoe’s unique microclimate and elevation provide us with the cold and snow we need to provide the best and most skiing and riding in the mid-Atlantic and Southeast. This investment further boosts and protects our greatest strength, all while taking yet another step towards reducing our impact on the environment.”
Increased Efficiency and Sustainability
o The re-tooled snowmaking system will cut the resort’s energy costs and consumption significantly, and return more than 5,000,000kwh back to the grid.
o 5,000,000kwh is enough to power 500 homes for an entire year.
New Snowguns and Automation Equipment
o The investment includes over 160 new snowguns to be positioned in key, fixed locations around the mountain, as well as the equipment needed to further automate the snowmaking system.o 75 Fixed Position Tower Fan Guns
â–ª High Production/Low Energy DemacLenko Titan 2.0 will be utilized
Ӣ The most powerful snowgun currently on the market, capable of making massive amounts of snow in short windows of time.
o 90 Low-Energy “Stick” Guns
â–ª Super energy-efficient SnowLogic DV7’s use less than 10% of the energy required of traditional snowmaking equipment.
â–ª Will allow the resort to maintain high-quality surface conditions with minimal energy usage.
o Automation Hardware & Software
â–ª Further automating the mountain’s snowmaking system will increase efficiency, giving it the maximum amount of production time during even brief snowmaking opportunities.
Glad you are a proponent of our 2nd Amendment Bonski! After all, without guns, no snow...no snow no skiing :)
Some of these guns are going to be used to blanket Lower Shay's...
Is that speculation or are you part of the team setting them up on Lower Shay's? Frank mentioned they would be mostly used in the basin & with the added ability to open the slopes off Soaring Eagle earlier or by Christmas week.
Shotmaker wrote:
Is that speculation or are you part of the team setting them up on Lower Shay's? Frank mentioned they would be mostly used in the basin & with the added ability to open the slopes off Soaring Eagle earlier or by Christmas week.
No speculation...Swoop and I peppered Ken with a few quesitons a few weeks back. These fan guns make a ton of snow but also can throw it really far (unlike stick guns). That's makes them well suited for the wider trails like Widomaker & Shays.
If you look on Snowshoe’s Instagram story you can see some of them have been installed as well as confirmation that they will be installed on lower shays!
Also...looks like they significantly upgraded the cable in the village. HD, more channels, including channels dedicated to showing lift lines and the evolution terrain park.
The level of investment @ snowshoe has really ramped up across the board over the last twelve months. A lot of little things that add up.
1. Citynet is rolling out the HD cable. Most of village + other dev this summer + others
2. new ski-out trail access from Shamrock & Black Bear
3. new townhouses (5 4-level) + center community area @ black bear
4. Retreats @ red spruce - new lots in basin side, all but 1-2 sold.
5. New brewery going in near silver creek
6. More guns & snowmaking invesetments
7. New "Sanctuary" development - converting sawmill with new primo lounge, lots/home building
8. new "Tuques" renovation + have heard they will be building out a new building next to Whistlepunk.
Hearing lots of rumours of other development as well, much of it 3rd party driven. good to see.
Sschneid wrote:
The level of investment @ snowshoe has really ramped up across the board over the last twelve months. A lot of little things that add up.
1. Citynet is rolling out the HD cable. Most of village + other dev this summer + others
2. new ski-out trail access from Shamrock & Black Bear
3. new townhouses (5 4-level) + center community area @ black bear
4. Retreats @ red spruce - new lots in basin side, all but 1-2 sold.
5. New brewery going in near silver creek
6. More guns & snowmaking invesetments
7. New "Sanctuary" development - converting sawmill with new primo lounge, lots/home building
8. new "Tuques" renovation + have heard they will be building out a new building next to Whistlepunk.
Hearing lots of rumours of other development as well, much of it 3rd party driven. good to see.
The purchase of Intrawest by KSL/HCC aka Alterra was announced in April 2017. Do you think most of the 3rd party developments were started after that? Or were some in the planning stages before 2017?
Intrawest bought Snowshoe in 1995. Fortress invested in Intrawest in 2006. Bill Rock left the Snowshoe GM job to take charge at Northstar for Vail Resorts in 2010. Intrawest tried to raise money by selling off Whistler-Blackcomb in 2012 and with an IPO in 2013.
Is it fair to say that not that much money was spent for capital projects at Snowshoe after 2012?
marzNC wrote:
Is it fair to say that not that much money was spent for capital projects at Snowshoe after 2012?
Yes and no...
Compared to other resorts in the region I think Snowshoe's spending during the housing crash is probably on the higher end. (Cupp snowmaking for example) That being said the current village finished construction around 2008 (at the housing crash) and I suspect lift/slope/resturaunt capacity has been an issue since then, and they have not had the capital to resolve that or finish the planned projects that were stopped. I will say, that at least the last 3 summers they have done capital improvements costing over 1 million, but there is definetly WAY more work and investment going on this summer than I have ever seen before. ( I think they said 7 million+ this summer)
On a side note you can add to the list.
- Seating and gas fireplaces/tables in the village
- Re-landscaping of the village
Sschneid wrote:
The level of investment @ snowshoe has really ramped up across the board over the last twelve months. A lot of little things that add up.
5. New brewery going in near silver creek
Brewery progress.....
Ok, this might be the "most unofficial offical" of new runs/lift planned for the Shoe.
http://thesanctuarywv.com/the-development-2/
Anyone has "the map" for future runs and lift location?
I suspect that is the best “map” you will see until either next spring or all of those properties sell.
I will say Snowshoe’s social media (and even Frank) have eluded to new lifts when asked about them this spring/summer for the first time. I’m just hoping the economy stays stable enough that we see this become reality.
On another note...they have been getting those blue fan guns up pretty quickly, most of them i have seen right now appear to be on heisler and flume, at least one (looks like they may be more coming) is on gandy dancer and we know some will be going to lower shays. I haven’t seen any of the new snow logic pole guns yet. They seem to be placed at least as close to each other as the snowtime resorts have their newer fan guns if not closer, and we have seen whitetail open blues in 72 hours with their system. (In sometimes marginal weather)
rbrtlav wrote:
I will say Snowshoe’s social media (and even Frank) have eluded to new lifts when asked about them this spring/summer for the first time. I’m just hoping the economy stays stable enough that we see this become reality.
Ok, I have to ask - any speculation on where these new lifts (and runs?) will be?
wgo wrote:
rbrtlav wrote:
I will say Snowshoe’s social media (and even Frank) have eluded to new lifts when asked about them this spring/summer for the first time. I’m just hoping the economy stays stable enough that we see this become reality.
Ok, I have to ask - any speculation on where these new lifts (and runs?) will be?
This is not new, it's a revitalization of the former Sawmill Village (by new developers). The basic plans are the same when Sawmill Village was designed. New trails/lifts are around the southern part of that "bowl"...skier's right from Sawmill glades etc. Ideal because of the northern exposure.
wgo wrote:
rbrtlav wrote:
I will say Snowshoe’s social media (and even Frank) have eluded to new lifts when asked about them this spring/summer for the first time. I’m just hoping the economy stays stable enough that we see this become reality.
Ok, I have to ask - any speculation on where these new lifts (and runs?) will be?
The rumor mill has a lift servicing the "future ski trail" just below The Sanctuary. The south mountain appears to be the best placement for a future lift and trail development as it doesn't require altering any existing ski/bike trails. There may already be an agreement in place between the developer and Snowshoe for this to happen. The Sanctuary's homes will be the most expensive individual properties on the mountain and to help in the sale of these what better then a lift with new trails. If this trail below the Sanctuary were to just connect to an existing trail (Sawmill) any one skiing from the Sanctuary would need to be a good black diamond/bump skier to get down the mountain.
The elevation of the south mountain (Cheat Mountain) is 4848' with a northern slope exposure. It's topography allows for a variety of skill levels and with some creative designs there could be a couple of trails on either or both sides of a lift. The base lift could be in the area where Sawmill, Camp 99, and Widowmaker come together. With a restaurant like The Boat House it could keep more skiers on these new slopes and hopefully aleviate some of the bottleneck on Ballhooter. It all comes down to $ and vision.
While I would love to see new trail development in the Western Territory if the new snow guns allow for Lower Shay's to be open consistently that would be great and hopefully get a few more skiers off Cupp. The old Hawthorne slope would be nice to reopen but it's just in a weird place on the mountain and for the investment unlikely to happen any time soon.
Addiitional runs and another lift on South Mountain would certainly be welcome. The addition of Camp 99, Sawmill, and Sawmill Glades really improved the overall experience at Snowshoe. I do hope that any new runs do not come at the expense of Sawmill Glades.
I’ve heard the same as bonzski and shotmaker. Powder ridge and powder monkey both have a fresh coat of green pain on the towers as of Memorial Day weekend, so I suspect they are both staying at least a few more seasons. However nice a HSQ for powder monkey would be, having new lifts leading to more terrain would be more of a fix to crowding. IMO the top of powder monkey and powder ridge can’t really support many more people, and neither can the trails they support.
Wondered down to the top of Widowmaker. Noticed new fan guns installed on Flume.
Next should be Widowmaker.
Snowshoe posted a bunch of pics on their instagram account of the new guns all over the mountain.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmPPaCCl-Em/?taken-by=snowshoemtn
Very impressive
Blue Don 1982 wrote:
Snowshoe posted a bunch of pics on their instagram account of the new guns all over the mountain.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmPPaCCl-Em/?taken-by=snowshoemtnVery impressive
Thanks Don for updating! Was up at the Shoe a few weeks ago noticed there were still about 15 of the fan guns at the bottom of Soaring Eagle lift. I then went over to Western Territory and Lower Shay's hiking up to the bottom of the headwall and didn't see anything new happening except some tubing on large spools close to the base lift.
Hopefully the plan is to strategically place the remaining fan guns there in addition to running the stick guns down the slope like they did on Cupp. This would make a great difference for our enjoyment and use of Shay's.
Shotmaker wrote:
Blue Don 1982 wrote:
Snowshoe posted a bunch of pics on their instagram account of the new guns all over the mountain.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmPPaCCl-Em/?taken-by=snowshoemtnVery impressive
Thanks Don for updating! Was up at the Shoe a few weeks ago noticed there were still about 15 of the fan guns at the bottom of Soaring Eagle lift. I then went over to Western Territory and Lower Shay's hiking up to the bottom of the headwall and didn't see anything new happening except some tubing on large spools close to the base lift.
Hopefully the plan is to strategically place the remaining fan guns there in addition to running the stick guns down the slope like they did on Cupp. This would make a great difference for our enjoyment and use of Shay's.
Here ya go Shotmaker....this is last weekend, looking up & down from half way down uppper Shays.
Bonzski wrote:
Shotmaker wrote:
Blue Don 1982 wrote:
Snowshoe posted a bunch of pics on their instagram account of the new guns all over the mountain.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BmPPaCCl-Em/?taken-by=snowshoemtnVery impressive
Thanks Don for updating! Was up at the Shoe a few weeks ago noticed there were still about 15 of the fan guns at the bottom of Soaring Eagle lift. I then went over to Western Territory and Lower Shay's hiking up to the bottom of the headwall and didn't see anything new happening except some tubing on large spools close to the base lift.
Hopefully the plan is to strategically place the remaining fan guns there in addition to running the stick guns down the slope like they did on Cupp. This would make a great difference for our enjoyment and use of Shay's.
Here ya go Shotmaker....this is last weekend, looking up & down from half way down uppper Shays.
Nice pics Bonzski! That part of Upper Shay's before the lift always suffers from early & late season sun exposure melting on nice days and strong winds that blow some the fresh snow otherwise. Hopefully these will help keep up the base there.
