Killington Snow Plan Update

[hillbangin]

9:15 pm 01/06/15--Snowmaking continues full bore at The Beast with maximum production becoming the norm during this cold snap. Guns have gone off on Outer Limits, which will be open and ungroomed on Wednesday, but our snowmakers continue to bury Snowshed Slope, Timberline, Header and others.

On Wednesday temperatures will dip into the negatives and snowmaking will shift to lower elevations. Groomers will take to the mountain all the way until first chair to make sure that surfaces from Cascade to Bear Claw are workable despite the bitter cold.

So what is 'full bore' - looks like 2 trails at a time in 2 different pods? That was the pattern for XMas Week - Thanks for hitting OL - but let's get to the canyon soon - PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[shortski]

My guess, looking at what they were doing yesterday on OL, Wildfire and Timberline, with the new energy efficient guns, is they max out on water capacity. The new guns use much less air and more water. Maybe time to upgrade pump capacity.

[bears ass]

I thought the woodward pipeline meant unlimited water.

[Stormchaser]

I thought the woodward pipeline meant unlimited water.

Unlimited water capacity and unlimited pump capacity aren't one in the same...

[Bubba]

Wholesale New England power prices are up about 50% from yesterday, now averaging around $125 per MWH and may be as high or higher tomorrow. JT, how will this impact snowmaking?

[blakeslee_a]

I am surprised nobody is up in arms yet about the building of the superpipe according to the conditions page...

[steamboat1]

I am surprised nobody is up in arms yet about the building of the superpipe according to the conditions page...

Last year they just made snow on it then groomed it out. Actually made for a nice alternative route to the base.

[ME2VTSkier]

Wholesale New England power prices are up about 50% from yesterday, now averaging around $125 per MWH and may be as high or higher tomorrow. JT, how will this impact snowmaking?

Well that sure changed fast, as I expected with a shot of well below zero temps overrunning NE.

[Bubba]

Wholesale New England power prices are up about 50% from yesterday, now averaging around $125 per MWH and may be as high or higher tomorrow. JT, how will this impact snowmaking?

Well that sure changed fast, as I expected with a shot of well below zero temps overrunning NE.

Still well below last year when prices were > $300 per MWH. The price is only half the problem though. Snowmaking depends in part on interruptible power contracts and there may yet be curtailments ordered here and elsewhere. Various interstate pipelines coming up from the Gulf Coast to the northeast are curtailing interruptible deliveries in order to meet firm contract loads and interruptible natural gas customers in New York and New Jersey are already feeling the pinch and having to switch to oil or cut back operations. Some electric generating plants are being impacted as a result.

[Mistergiff]

Did Upper Pike & KA over at Pico ever get any action from the snowmakers?

To all,
I wanted to update you all on some of the current snowplan details. Although we are forecasted to have an unfrozen moisture day on Sunday, we have had a very productive snowmaking week with another to follow next week. Obviously with the mositure on Sunday and cold drop Monday, we will focus on a percentage of re-surfacing but for the most part we are on expansion on a number of projects. The upside of this front coming in is that we are forecasted to have 3-5 inches of snow Saturday night.

Pico
•Completing Bronco with Outpost chair for Saturday.
•Expand on Ace of Clubs to bring in the Knomes chair and trails if we see some more natural. Be back in this area shortly to get Triple slope and park features
•Expand on Upper KA all day Saturday before potential r*in and resume and complete on Monday.
•Set-up and re-surface 49’ner when Pico closed next Tuesday through Wednesday.
•Upper and Mid Pike mid to late next week.

Killington
•Re-surface Tubing venue
•Dreammaker snowmaking for skiing this weekend and park build week after next.
•Wildfire re-build complete today.
•Re-surfacing upper Superstar Headwall.
•Middle and Lower Header on Ramshead to open these late additions.
•Timberline will close Monday for the week for snowmaking and park build with weekend opening.
•Re-surface on a number of trail sections.
•Quality spot guns will continue to run in various locations throughout this week and weekend.
•Outer Limits starting today with hope of skiing under the gun tomorrow during the day. We will resume on this after the warmup on Sunday.

In addition, the seeded bump program will begin next week both at Pico and Killington at various locations.
See you on the hill,
Jeff Temple

[Dr. NO]

Did Upper Pike & KA over at Pico ever get any action from the snowmakers?

To all,
I wanted to update you all on some of the current snowplan details. Although we are forecasted to have an unfrozen moisture day on Sunday, we have had a very productive snowmaking week with another to follow next week. Obviously with the mositure on Sunday and cold drop Monday, we will focus on a percentage of re-surfacing but for the most part we are on expansion on a number of projects. The upside of this front coming in is that we are forecasted to have 3-5 inches of snow Saturday night.

Pico
•Completing Bronco with Outpost chair for Saturday.
•Expand on Ace of Clubs to bring in the Knomes chair and trails if we see some more natural. Be back in this area shortly to get Triple slope and park features
•Expand on Upper KA all day Saturday before potential r*in and resume and complete on Monday.
•Set-up and re-surface 49’ner when Pico closed next Tuesday through Wednesday.
•Upper and Mid Pike mid to late next week.

Killington
•Re-surface Tubing venue
•Dreammaker snowmaking for skiing this weekend and park build week after next.
•Wildfire re-build complete today.
•Re-surfacing upper Superstar Headwall.
•Middle and Lower Header on Ramshead to open these late additions.
•Timberline will close Monday for the week for snowmaking and park build with weekend opening.
•Re-surface on a number of trail sections.
•Quality spot guns will continue to run in various locations throughout this week and weekend.
•Outer Limits starting today with hope of skiing under the gun tomorrow during the day. We will resume on this after the warmup on Sunday.

In addition, the seeded bump program will begin next week both at Pico and Killington at various locations.
See you on the hill,
Jeff Temple

Drove past last Saturday heading to RutVegas. Looked like Upper Pike was already done with no guns on it. KA was under a blizzard of guns going from the top. Probably be open Thursday with plenty for all. Hmm, Probably will not be up in time to ski and eat on Thirsty Thursday but may stop in for a Dos Equis Amber or two.

[madhatter]

Did Upper Pike & KA over at Pico ever get any action from the snowmakers?

To all,
I wanted to update you all on some of the current snowplan details. Although we are forecasted to have an unfrozen moisture day on Sunday, we have had a very productive snowmaking week with another to follow next week. Obviously with the mositure on Sunday and cold drop Monday, we will focus on a percentage of re-surfacing but for the most part we are on expansion on a number of projects. The upside of this front coming in is that we are forecasted to have 3-5 inches of snow Saturday night.

Pico
•Completing Bronco with Outpost chair for Saturday.
•Expand on Ace of Clubs to bring in the Knomes chair and trails if we see some more natural. Be back in this area shortly to get Triple slope and park features
•Expand on Upper KA all day Saturday before potential r*in and resume and complete on Monday.
•Set-up and re-surface 49’ner when Pico closed next Tuesday through Wednesday.
•Upper and Mid Pike mid to late next week.

Killington
•Re-surface Tubing venue
•Dreammaker snowmaking for skiing this weekend and park build week after next.
•Wildfire re-build complete today.
•Re-surfacing upper Superstar Headwall.
•Middle and Lower Header on Ramshead to open these late additions.
•Timberline will close Monday for the week for snowmaking and park build with weekend opening.
•Re-surface on a number of trail sections.
•Quality spot guns will continue to run in various locations throughout this week and weekend.
•Outer Limits starting today with hope of skiing under the gun tomorrow during the day. We will resume on this after the warmup on Sunday.

In addition, the seeded bump program will begin next week both at Pico and Killington at various locations.
See you on the hill,
Jeff Temple

upper pike was barren on sunday, KA had been blown on...

[Big Bob]

Copied from this afternoons condition report

Or take a few runs on Devils Fiddle, in its natural state, before the snowmakers get to it later in the week.

This is what you have been waiting for Rogman.

[tyrolean_skier]

Copied from this afternoons condition report

Or take a few runs on Devils Fiddle, in its natural state, before the snowmakers get to it later in the week.

This is what you have been waiting for Rogman.

I wish I could have skied the Fiddle in its natural state. By the time I get back to skiing it will have seen some love from the snowmakers.