Don't see them opening anywhere close to Nov 12th as it looks to be a warm Fall.
mdr227 wrote:
Don't see them opening anywhere close to Nov 12th as it looks to be a warm Fall.
Well if the Shoe can't open, then all the Mid A ski hills are in trouble. SS can crank out the snow when weather permits.
PS - you transposed your #s. Opening set for 11/21 not 11/12. That's 9 extra days of "Cheat Mountain Magic"
December 15- WInter Brew Fest.
It is days like today that make me wish my kids were a little bit older. I would love to leave them at home with my wife or their grand parents for a weekend of debauchery. But alas they are at an age where this would cause more stress for all involved than is acceptable. Drink one for me.
Blue Don 1982 wrote:
mdr227 wrote:
Don't see them opening anywhere close to Nov 12th as it looks to be a warm Fall.
Well if the Shoe can't open, then all the Mid A ski hills are in trouble. SS can crank out the snow when weather permits.
PS - you transposed your #s. Opening set for 11/21 not 11/12. That's 9 extra days of "Cheat Mountain Magic"
Going to be fun to watch Ken push the button on the big-blue machine (network of 75 new Titan fan guns & 90 new stick guns). I anticipate test runs starting late Oct!
Who is Ken?
The Colonel wrote:
Who is Ken?
Ken Gaitor is head of mountain ops at snowshoe. After they put the new snow guns on cupp they ran a bit regarding his beard, I’m guessing after the 60 degree start to that December he won’t be doing that again...
posted the ski southeast article on that bit. Video is kinda funny.
http://www.skisoutheast.com/snowshoe-mountains-ken-gaitor-keeps-promise-cuts-beard/
All they need a week of cold temps the week before they will have a couple of runs open. Looking forward to seeing all the new guns do their magic. Perdicting the best year ever for man made snow this season!
jimw wrote:
All they need a week of cold temps the week before they will have a couple of runs open. Looking forward to seeing all the new guns do their magic. Perdicting the best year ever for man made snow this season!
Does Snowshoe ever run into a water supply issue? Massanutten and Wintergreen have put a lot of money into increasing the water available for snowmaking in the last 5-6 years. I assumed Snowshoe has plenty of water but wonder with all the new snowguns.
They have a huge lake at the bottom of Ballhooter, maybe 20 acres? No they don't run out of water.
jimmy wrote:
They have a huge lake at the bottom of Ballhooter, maybe 20 acres? No they don't run out of water.
Reason I didn't assume anything is that Wintergreen also draws from a pretty big lake. But that lake also supplies all the potable water for the resort. Wintergreen ran out of water for snowmaking last winter.
Massanutten built a 2-mile pipeline in order to have more water for snowmaking starting last season. The season before, Mnut ran out of water during one of the longer cold spells during early season. Also got permission to draw from the stream. Having more or less unlimited water made a big difference last season.
I do believe Snowshoe does have some water constrains at silver creek, but basin and western seem to have more than enough water.
It's kind of a bummer to see that the final day is March 24. They seemed to try to hit April 1 each year in the past.
eggraid wrote:
It's kind of a bummer to see that the final day is March 24. They seemed to try to hit April 1 each year in the past.
Isn't it better to pick a date that's pretty likely to work, and extend if Mother Nature cooperates, then to push out and disappoint people who start thinking about an end-of-season trip? Not talking about knowledgeable ski nuts who know enough to wait and see how snow conditions are by mid-March. Thinking about folks who just look at their calendar and the pre-scheduled closing date.
Snowshoe's Flurry of Savings is going on through 9 Oct. The usual lodging discounts etc. The best deal imho is $99 Early Season...pass good from opening day through Christmas day. With the new guns, any cooperation from mother nature means lots of terrain open early!
Bonzski wrote:
Snowshoe's Flurry of Savings is going on through 9 Oct. The usual lodging discounts etc. The best deal imho is $99 Early Season...pass good from opening day through Christmas day. With the new guns, any cooperation from mother nature means lots of terrain open early!
Totally agree. You, Chris and I skied Cupp top to bottom on 12/18/17. They started making snow on 12/8/17 on Cupp. 10 days, side to side coverage.
I have indisputable video evidence so the call on the slopes is confirmed. HAHA Video Evidence Bottom of the page
Earlier closing = new ownership
and Easter 2019 is mid April, so no vacations to be caught
The Colonel wrote:
Earlier closing = new ownership
and Easter 2019 is mid April, so no vacations to be caught
Even with all the March snow last year closing weekend was rainy and pretty empty (I think that was last year). They are trying to open almost a week earlier this year with the early thanksgiving, and the other Alterra resorts seem to have about the same dates they had last year. Maybe if we have a good January/Febuary they will make the staffing adjustments for another week..
The Colonel wrote:
Fairfax County and Loudoun County Public School's spring breaks are also mid- April this year.Earlier closing = new ownership
and Easter 2019 is mid April, so no vacations to be caught
rbrtlav wrote:
The Colonel wrote:
Earlier closing = new ownership
and Easter 2019 is mid April, so no vacations to be caught
Even with all the March snow last year closing weekend was rainy and pretty empty (I think that was last year). They are trying to open almost a week earlier this year with the early thanksgiving, and the other Alterra resorts seem to have about the same dates they had last year. Maybe if we have a good January/Febuary they will make the staffing adjustments for another week..
When staff comes from international locations extending the season can be problematic. They have their return plans in place. The staff that is made up of locals may also have their transition jobs starting. I believe it comes down to economics where the breakeven point is reached and it becomes more expensive to operate the resort than whats returned in revenue.
Late March/early April for my $ the best skiing is in New England and Canada on the east coast and most years a great time to go on that trip out west. Smaller crowds with lodging and ticket discounts give you good value. You should be able to get some good spring conditions with a decent base and the periodic dump of fresh powder.
I was there the weekend before they closed last year -- was told by an instructor that their closing date is not flexible based upon snow coverage. Supposedly, per this gentleman, it relates to a contract with the electrical company, and thus the date is firm.
wgo wrote:
One concern I have with the earlier closing date is that it could be an indicator to the casual skier that they should move their trip to be earlier than it would be otherwise. What I mean is, if someone sees that March 31 is the closing date, maybe they are comfortable booking a trip for March 24. Maybe they are not comfortable doing this if March 24 is the closing date. In this way making an earlier closing date can have a negative feedback effect. Is this a valid concern, or am I way off base here?
I think that may be overthinking how casual skiers/boarders decide to make the drive to Snowshoe in late March. Most likely they aren't going to be looking around for a closing until some time in Feb.
