Top To Bottom

[snoloco]

Looks like they're blowing the top of the GN, so by the weekend it should be 1 way on the walkway. Still disappointing they aren't going for top to bottom, while other mountains are opening terrain at similar or lower elevation as KBL.

[Highway Star]

Okemo wasn't open today.

If they start blowing top to bottom Thursday night they will probably have it for Sunday. They would've had to do it today if they were to have any hope of opening it on Saturday.

Next week isn't really supposed to be all that warm. I'm seeing highs in the lower 40's and lows somewhere in the 20's. Typical for this time of year. I guarantee if there wasn't a World Cup this year Killington would've been trying to get top to bottom by the weekend. Especially if other mountains were opening. It's just not going to be the priority this year, or any others where they have a World Cup Thanksgiving Weekend.

Having the guns staged there means nothing except that it will be the next terrain to be blown, which is the case every year.

Why with four days of temps never going above freezing couldnyou not get top to bottom?

Why are they not even blowing the top of great northern to make the stairs only have one way traffic?

I understand the World Cup means something to some people, not the average customer. We’re sacrificing our mountain so people who are loyal to other mountains can come for the weekend and maybe spend a few dollars on an event that Killington runs at a loss.

Lowland mountains like mount snow will be top to bottom and the biggest resort in the east will be confined to the slowest “not really a triple” around. Let’s hope the power line doesn’t blow out again this year.

Seriously? Four days of optimal snowmaking and we won’t even have considered top to bottom.

Yikes!!!

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.ph ... 3989452921" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Forecast now shows a 50+ hour window of FULLY optimal snowmaking temps, under 20F wet bulb, from 5am Friday until 9am Sunday - AT THE BOTTOM OF RAMS HEAD. It's a real problem if they can't get open top to bottom. Killington can pump about 12,000 GPM and it's impossible to put all of it onto Superstar. How much will the K-1 top to bottom route get...???

Just wanted to point out this forecast is for 2500ft at the BOTTOM OF RAMSHEAD.

how much do you think that would cost?

The lower Great Northern / Bunny Buster router is somewhere around 30-40 acre feet of snow to get open, or about $15k of snowmaking in optimal conditions - a drop in the bucket compared to what has been spent so far. This would require them to devote about half their water capacity for a 24 hour period, or about a 1/4 to 1/3rd for a longer period. They might be focusing on the north ridge for now, to fill it out, then will expand down low tonight.

I can tell you this though.....at 11 am on Thursday 11/9/17, they are making WAY more snow on Superstar than the K-1 side.

[madhatter]

Okemo wasn't open today.

If they start blowing top to bottom Thursday night they will probably have it for Sunday. They would've had to do it today if they were to have any hope of opening it on Saturday.

Next week isn't really supposed to be all that warm. I'm seeing highs in the lower 40's and lows somewhere in the 20's. Typical for this time of year. I guarantee if there wasn't a World Cup this year Killington would've been trying to get top to bottom by the weekend. Especially if other mountains were opening. It's just not going to be the priority this year, or any others where they have a World Cup Thanksgiving Weekend.

Having the guns staged there means nothing except that it will be the next terrain to be blown, which is the case every year.

Why with four days of temps never going above freezing couldnyou not get top to bottom?

Why are they not even blowing the top of great northern to make the stairs only have one way traffic?

I understand the World Cup means something to some people, not the average customer. We’re sacrificing our mountain so people who are loyal to other mountains can come for the weekend and maybe spend a few dollars on an event that Killington runs at a loss.

Lowland mountains like mount snow will be top to bottom and the biggest resort in the east will be confined to the slowest “not really a triple” around. Let’s hope the power line doesn’t blow out again this year.

Seriously? Four days of optimal snowmaking and we won’t even have considered top to bottom.

Yikes!!!

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.ph ... 3989452921" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Forecast now shows a 50+ hour window of FULLY optimal snowmaking temps, under 20F wet bulb, from 5am Friday until 9am Sunday - AT THE BOTTOM OF RAMS HEAD. It's a real problem if they can't get open top to bottom. Killington can pump about 12,000 GPM and it's impossible to put all of it onto Superstar. How much will the K-1 top to bottom route get...???

Just wanted to point out this forecast is for 2500ft at the BOTTOM OF RAMSHEAD.

how much do you think that would cost?

The lower Great Northern / Bunny Buster router is somewhere around 30-40 acre feet of snow to get open, or about $15k of snowmaking in optimal conditions - a drop in the bucket compared to what has been spent so far. This would require them to devote about half their water capacity for a 24 hour period, or about a 1/4 to 1/3rd for a longer period. They might be focusing on the north ridge for now, to fill it out, then will expand down low tonight.

I can tell you this though.....at 11 am on Thursday 11/9/17, they are making WAY more snow on Superstar than the K-1 side.

the WC is a separate entity and has a separate budget...was told yesterday that the cost was more in the 50k range and the risk of meltout was too high...

[ME2VTSkier]

Just doesn't make any sense why they haven't been blowing right from the Peak to get upper GN open as soon as possible. The windows are there if they aren't gonna continuously blow on Rime/Reason. For that matter, why after all this time haven't some permanent pole mounted automated fans been put up there for all the resurfacing they need to do all season?

[skiadikt]

should be ski to the north ridge as early as tomorrow. lower east fall as well. upper dipper & perhaps lower west glade by the weekend. if they throw the switch on top-to-bottom then sometime saturday is a real possibility. they also need to get skye lark skiable as part of the world cup so some resources need to be diverted there. all-in-all 2 weeks late but a great start. would be nice if they turned the golf course cam around and gave us a peak view.

[madhatter]

Just doesn't make any sense why they haven't been blowing right from the Peak to get upper GN open as soon as possible. more sun exposure over there?...The windows are there if they aren't gonna continuously blow on Rime/Reason. For that matter, why after all this time haven't some permanent pole mounted automated fans been put up there for all the resurfacing they need to do all season?I would assume they would get rather rime encrusted between uses...

as of right now is anyone else in the east even open? when will K offer TTB skiing vs other eastern areas? I don't really think K's plan is to offer as little as possible...or to be outdone by other areas...time will tell...

[skiadikt]

Just doesn't make any sense why they haven't been blowing right from the Peak to get upper GN open as soon as possible. The windows are there if they aren't gonna continuously blow on Rime/Reason. For that matter, why after all this time haven't some permanent pole mounted automated fans been put up there for all the resurfacing they need to do all season?

agree about the pole mounted fan gun similar to what they have at the bottom of mouse trap. the could keep that steep after the turn nicely covered. issue is probably running electricity to the area.

[Highway Star]

the WC is a separate entity and has a separate budget...was told yesterday that the cost was more in the 50k range and the risk of meltout was too high...

They are flat out lying to you, or you misunderstood. The lower route is 1 mile long. 30 acre feet of snow is enough to cover that to 2-1/2ft deep, 100 feet wide. Thus 40 acre feet is probably enough to include middle Chute, Mousetrap, etc. Snowmaking can cost as little as $300 per acre foot, in optimal conditions, or multiple thousands of dollars per acre foot, in horrible conditions. Maybe right this minute if they tried to go T-B it would cost $50k, but if they wait until the optimal window, it will be much less.

[Southside_Bobby]

As I said before, there's zero chance with the World Cup going on. Hate to say it, but it does impact public skiing terrain and not in a good way. Public skiing is never the emphasis of the host resort in the weeks prior to a WC event. They will be blowing Superstar all weekend and only North Ridge will be open to the public until Superstar is finished. They aren't even blowing GN from the top to avoid both ways on the stairs. Highway Star is going to be right on this one. Next week looks ok for nighttime snowmaking, which will be used to finish up Superstar for snow control on the 18th. They still have to get Skyelark covered as a training run, although last year they went top to bottom at the same time that they were doing that. There may be top to bottom by the 18th depending on how early they finish Superstar and otherwise it will happen on the 22nd.

Okemo does not have a World Cup to host in 2 weeks and they can and they can focus 100% on public terrain. Killington will realize that you can't have both the most terrain open in the east in November and a World Cup race. That's about all there is to it. Highway Star will be right about this one.

I think you are way off about this. People have already reported guns going at the top and on mousetrap. So they didn't open TTB during the first week. I think you will see it next week. Certainly the top.

How fast they get TTB and expand will totally depend on conditions and not at all on the WC.

And make no mistake about it, they need to get TTB as soon as possible. This isn't October anymore, where K can enjoy being the only one open for a few weeks before the likes of Mount Snow even tests their guns. Mount Snow opens this weekend.

Jiminy might open this weekend.

The peak stairway walk is for when it is the only way to ski in the East. Once other places open and are TTB, too many people won't drive to K to walk up and down and ski two trails.

We had a warm October, but with this cold we have an opportunity to get TTB earlier than the average year. And they will keep expanding as much as they can.

Any speculation that WC impacts any of it is just that, with no evidence.

Last year, what was open by Thanksgiving was totally determined by the conditions in the month leading up. Why would this year be any different.

Believe it or not, there are people who travel to see the race AND ski. It is totally in K's interest to have as much terrain open as possible by then.

The notion that the race "takes over the resort" is also an overstatement. Of course it is important, but the public terrain open for a year with a race will be determined by the same thing as any other year - conditions.

[Highway Star]

I think you are way off about this. People have already reported guns going at the top and on mousetrap. So they didn't open TTB during the first week. I think you will see it next week. Certainly the top.

Don't be such a nutswinger. They always run the fan gun on Mousetrap, it means nothing.

What is meaningful is that they can have 100+ snowguns blowing the heck out of Superstar, and a pittance of guns on Great Northern and UEF.

So glad they really care about the skiing customer. Enjoy your hats and free lunch.

[biged]

Why not open superstar under the guns this weekend. That would be beastly

[madhatter]

Why not open superstar under the guns this weekend. That would be beastly

no way that thing gets ski'd by the general public til after the WC...

[alanlw9]

Superstar run out and KBL are at the same elevation and they are blowing SS. Why would TTB cost exponentially more this year than it has in past years where weather wasn't perfect? The risk of wash out is a joke, we're in the second week of November.

So if we rule out cost and risk of wash out, what's keeping them from starting the march? Man power? If the water, air and weather are available, what gives?

Funding? You're saying that because we run the WC at a loss we don't have the funding to serve our main customer base? That's not a sound business decision.

[biged]

Why not open superstar under the guns this weekend. That would be beastly

no way that thing gets ski'd by the general public til after the WC...

You are most likely correct, if additional snow making is needed next week on it, then in my opinion no harm would occur by letting Killington customers ski top to bottom on superstar.

[Southside_Bobby]

Why not open superstar under the guns this weekend. That would be beastly

no way that thing gets ski'd by the general public til after the WC...

You are most likely correct, if additional snow making is needed next week on it, then in my opinion no harm would occur by letting Killington customers ski top to bottom on superstar.

It is a completely different surface that they are building over there.

Last year did happen, right?