Superstar 2023

[snoloco]

Going to be a very early close this year unless May is very cold. They'll be lucky to even make Memorial Day.

[skiadikt]

Hoses and guns were being removed today, snowmaking is done for the year.

actually as of my last lift ride around 3, there were still hoses on the very top and the middle from launch pad down the mid o exit. heard that there is the "possibility" of at least the very top this weekend.

definitely less than last year in some places, particularly along those lower towers. nevertheless mid to late may is definitely in play. weather will be the determining factor. while it's not my dime, i'd stay open during the week (w/o grooming) and let folks have at it as long as it lasts.

[snoloco]

They also have the HKD guns at the bottom which are hardwired. So it's possible those are used too.

[skiadikt]

Going to be a very early close this year unless May is very cold. They'll be lucky to even make Memorial Day.

very early?? i think not. 3rd weekend in may certainly a possibility.

the problem wasn't necessarily their "pumping capacity". was told they ran over budget this year. there was constant resurfacing during the season which delayed the build on superstar and they made a ton of snow on a number of trails that hadn't had snow made on them in years. 180" of snow is well below average and we had 6 thaws in december and the cycle continued well into january. i'd call the season a success. please find a place that does better.

[newpylong1]

Capacity absolutely played into it as well.

[jimmywilson69]

I've not played on the glacier in May yet. So while I think it's cool A F they shoot for June 1, blowing snow on some other long neglected trails was equally as Cool A F.

Tough year. In a normal year they can still do all of the "last on the list" and glacier build and that's sort of what this proves to me.

Increased capacity and efficiency certainly would help doing everything and I would think be a cost effective improvement. At least when compared to say new lift.

[brownman]

California beckons
As long as mudslides dont take 'em out, June is easy.

[Midwest Skier]

I feel like the impact of the temperature in April-May is as much, or even more important, in determining how long they can keep Superstar running.

In 2015-16 (the year from hell) they still made it well into May. If it's consistently in the 40s in Late April - Early May, it'll last a long time. If its 60-70, it won't.

[asher2789]

I feel like the impact of the temperature in April-May is as much, or even more important, in determining how long they can keep Superstar running.

In 2015-16 (the year from hell) they still made it well into May. If it's consistently in the 40s in Late April - Early May, it'll last a long time. If its 60-70, it won't.

i think 15/16 hit june, if not, it was memorial day weekend.

youre totally right about april/may weather being the big factor. also how often they groom it, which is dependent on the weather and when the weather happens... it also matters if its really sunny or not, if we have an overcast april with frozen precipitation it will last unless its consistently 70 and sunny in may. we also might get a ton of snow in april or even may. spring is a mystery. i think weve made it to june with a similar amount of glacier build before.

thought id look at the NWS climate forecasts... not looking good for making it to june.

[snoloco]

The biggest factor is whether it freezes overnight. Snow gets very sticky and melts fast when it does not freeze overnight. That's why it takes exponentially more snow to make June than it does to make May 15th.

[Big Bob]

The biggest factor is whether it freezes overnight. Snow gets very sticky and melts fast when it does not freeze overnight. That's why it takes exponentially more snow to make June than it does to make May 15th.

Natural snow gets sticky, the man made is icyier-coarser, so you don't get the suction.

[skiadikt]

and yes it takes exponentially more snow to make it to june 1 than may 15. the sun is higher, the days and nights are much warmer. despite making til june 4 (on fumes), last may was sunny and hot and ended the season earlier than some of us thought. same w 2020-21. remember hanging on the access rd w folks on sunday may 16 thinking we'd get one more day the following saturday to close it out. we didn't.

that's why 1997 was so amazing. i remember there being a tremendous amount of snow on superstar. on memorial weekend, it was still edge-to-edge w no rocks anywhere. btw they did not groom superstar so the snow lasted longer. skyelark @ 2:02 was open and bumped (wasn't groomed either). grooming matters for snow longevity. also double dipper, though closed was still skiable as you can see. you could still ski OL with minimal walking and there was plenty of snow in the supe woods and the light. we did get some snow that may and temps were cooler. so in the end, it's all about the weather.

https://youtu.be/fmh5ZuIalmU

[newpylong1]

It will be interesting to see how late Double D goes again this year after all the snow they put down. My guess is there will be some hikers after K1 closes.

[skiadikt]

yes newpy see you on double d after the k1 closes. skied the other dd today and that has a ton of snow as well. should be an awesome spring in the canyon.

as for supe, all the hoses have now been removed, it is DONE. looking at it today, smaller than last season but bigger than 2020/21 so who knows how long we go. some snow sat>sun and a bit of a cooler stretch over the next 10 days. hope springs eternal.

[Downdraft]

Good to see some wiser financial decisions being made. Crappy winter. Less snow. Don’t need to burn money for one trail that might make it a few more weekends for minimal revenue.