Snowmaking/Operating Strategy Outlook - Ongoing Thread

[Highway Star]

EDIT Fall 2016: Back for more in 2016!!!!

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EDIT Fall 2015: Decided to make this a general thread for speculation, conjecture, reports, rumors about snowmaking and operations for the coming week or two. Especially considering the marginal temps so far this season.

When will Killington make snow? Where will they make it? What lifts will run? Get the answers here.

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Forecast has improved slightly, snowmaking could start around 3am Saturday morning, going until 9am Sunday. Decent temps but not optimal for production. The coming week looks like no snowmaking into next weekend, with overnight temps above freezing which increases the rate of melting. Solid snowmaking temps show up on Wednesday the 25th, right before Thanksgiving, cold and sustained enough for them to get North Ridge open for T-day and then top to bottom on Saturday the 28th.

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.ph ... =0&dd=&bw=" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/killin ... =11/1/2015" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
(Subtract about 5 degrees to get the temps at North Ridge Triple base)

Now.....what will be the strategy? Will they try to open this Sunday and stay open during the week, to help bookings for Thanksgiving weekend? This means there is a chance too much snow will melt for them to stay open though next weekend. Or will they blow icy whales (small whales), let them sit through the week, hopefully reducing the melting, then groom them out prior to opening next weekend? (if they can)

[skiadikt]

given that all the snow they made last weekend melted away and they're faced with another warm week w/overnight temps above freezing, things don't look good. if they were planning to reopen, we'll know for sure by the end of the day. but at this point, even if they just blew whales, doubt they'd last the week. at this point hard to imagine much more than the north ridge for t-giving weekend.

north ridge.png (129.13 KiB) Viewed 5937 times

[rogman]

I expect they will blow North Ridge open ASAP, and stay open through the week as long as they can. It mostly stays in the high 30s up top, so they should be okay. They need to be open to sell bookings. Towards the following weekend, they will get a little relief as temperatures turn cooler. Once those cooler temperatures arrive, I expect them to blow enough to get trails open, but not do any serious base building. Instead they will go for trail count, and pray the terrains survives through Thanksgiving weekend. Snowmakers will be sprinting. Realistically, they need to have top to bottom on K1, as well as Snowdon for that. Post Thanksgiving, probably a more "normal" approach to snow making.

[Jim]

Forget snowmaking. At this point we need a natural storm to get the mountain going.

[Bubba]

The forecast calls for a couple of inches of mountain snows this weekend, then warming again through most of next week.

[brownman]

Beast facing the consequences of calling out Old Man Winter with all that bluster a couple weeks ago.
Mountain Coaster open ?

Does bode well for next year's World Cup

[throbster]

From the Conditions page:

11:59 am 11/13/15--It's your lucky Friday the 13th, skiers and riders, because we've got the announcement you've been waiting for: We are reopening for skiing and riding at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 15.

Our ambitious snowmakers have been working hard, preparing the North Ridge area for the arrival of ideal temperatures, which are expected late this evening. Their aggressive plan calls for full-tilt snowmaking to continue as long as favorable weather lasts. We hope to be able to offer skiing and riding daily from here on out but, of course, that is ultimately up to Mother Nature.

On Sunday morning we plan to have two open trails, Rime and Reason, served by the North Ridge Triple. The K-1 Express Gondola will provide uploading and downloading and you will need to use the Peak Walkway to and from the open North Ridge Area. Hopefully youve been hitting the >Stairmaster.

The K-1 Express Gondola will upload from 10:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m. and downloading will be available until 4:00 p.m. The North Ridge Triple will allow uploading until 3:45 p.m.

[pepperdawg]

They need to focus all Dis snowmaking on the beloved Killingon Pico Interconnect!!!!

[Highway Star]

Looks like the forecast is drifting bit to the colder, looks like they might be able to squeak in a bit of snowmaking on a few nights this week. No top to bottom for next weekend, but they should be able to stay open.

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.ph ... 1644672914" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Highway Star]

Looks like no snowmaking until Friday night. They should be able to stay open through the weekend but I would expect crowds on the NRT and marginal snow surfaces. No top to bottom until Thanksgiving weekend or black Friday.

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.ph ... 1644672914" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[freeski]

The cold today shows how poor weather forecasts are more than 3 days out. Late last week the prediction was for a warm up midweek and it was 17F this morning in Concord, NH. Good news for those areas trying to open for Thanksgiving.

from Sugarloaf this morning:

12277482_1504923489835187_1572843758_n[2].jpg (73.1 KiB) Viewed 4924 times

[roundabout]

Looks like no snowmaking until Friday night. They should be able to stay open through the weekend but I would expect crowds on the NRT and marginal snow surfaces. No top to bottom until Thanksgiving weekend or black Friday.

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.ph ... 1644672914" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Temps in the teens on Sunday/Monday night look to warm for snowmaking.

[RustyK]

Rumor has it that top to bottom will be there by Turkey day,,,

[rogman]

They should be able to get through the weekend up top. Starting Sunday or Monday, the over night lows should allow them to get down to K1. It's a little marginal, but they should be able to pump enough air to get a WROD by T-Day.

[Highway Star]

Looks like no snowmaking until Friday night. They should be able to stay open through the weekend but I would expect crowds on the NRT and marginal snow surfaces. No top to bottom until Thanksgiving weekend or black Friday.

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.ph ... 1644672914" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Temps in the teens on Sunday/Monday night look to warm for snowmaking.

Maybe we'll see top to bottom some time next week, but not this weekend.