Thursday, October 31, 2013
Nice, Steady Storm
This has been a very nice storm. 3" new yesterday, 2" new today, snowing nicely right now. Excellent skiing with more terrain on the way. Happy Halloween. Is it really still October? It feels like late November or December.
Nice, Steady Storm
This has been a very nice storm. 3" new yesterday, 2" new today, snowing nicely right now. Excellent skiing with more terrain on the way. Happy Halloween. Is it really still October? It feels like late November or December.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Tour de Sundance
I just took a late day spin on the Upper Mountain and Sundance. When I headed up the hill snow was falling nicely and visibility was limited on the Upper Mountain. I didn't bother grabbing my camera. Big mistake. Coming down, patches of sun broke through really lighting up Black Mountain, Dave's Wave, and The Professor. Today you will have to settle for the old, usual pictures from my office deck. Not really bad views though.
We are still making a little snow on the Upper Mountain, fattening up a few more spots. The majority of the snowmaking resources are being utilized on Sundance. I walked down the trail. Very good. The snowmaking forecast the next 48 hours is excellent. Hope to get that trail open for you soon.
We are still making a little snow on the Upper Mountain, fattening up a few more spots. The majority of the snowmaking resources are being utilized on Sundance. I walked down the trail. Very good. The snowmaking forecast the next 48 hours is excellent. Hope to get that trail open for you soon.
Tour de Sundance
I just took a late day spin on the Upper Mountain and Sundance. When I headed up the hill snow was falling nicely and visibility was limited on the Upper Mountain. I didn't bother grabbing my camera. Big mistake. Coming down, patches of sun broke through really lighting up Black Mountain, Dave's Wave, and The Professor. Today you will have to settle for the old, usual pictures from my office deck. Not really bad views though.
We are still making a little snow on the Upper Mountain, fattening up a few more spots. The majority of the snowmaking resources are being utilized on Sundance. I walked down the trail. Very good. The snowmaking forecast the next 48 hours is excellent. Hope to get that trail open for you soon.
We are still making a little snow on the Upper Mountain, fattening up a few more spots. The majority of the snowmaking resources are being utilized on Sundance. I walked down the trail. Very good. The snowmaking forecast the next 48 hours is excellent. Hope to get that trail open for you soon.
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Benchmark Dates
We track a lot of benchmark dates at A-Basin. The ski area has been open since December 1946. Unfortunately, we only have really good dates for the last 25 years. Here are some interesting benchmarks for Arapahoe Basin trivia buffs.
Earliest Opening - October 9, 2009. I have long heard rumor of a huge fall storm, perhaps September 1961, that led to a very early opening at A-Basin. I hear the same story from people at Loveland. Maybe one of these days I will dive into the NOAA records and figure that one out. Maybe someone with that knowledge will comment on this blog. The installation of snowmaking in 2002 changed our opening from a mid-November/mid-December date to mid-October.
Latest Closing - August 10, 1995. Not only was that one of our biggest snowfall seasons, but there was a combined snowfall in February, March, April, and May of 303 inches. We were 100% open well into June.
Longest Season - 1994-95. That season had 245 operating days lasting from December 9, 1994 through August 10, 1995. I have to admit the final days required downloading on Exhibition, uphill loading at Old Mid-Lenawee, a lot of walking in Dercum's Gulch with skiing on Lenawee Face and Humbug. It was a very interesting experiment that draws some great and very funny memories (comical) from those of us that were there.
Earliest Opening - October 9, 2009. I have long heard rumor of a huge fall storm, perhaps September 1961, that led to a very early opening at A-Basin. I hear the same story from people at Loveland. Maybe one of these days I will dive into the NOAA records and figure that one out. Maybe someone with that knowledge will comment on this blog. The installation of snowmaking in 2002 changed our opening from a mid-November/mid-December date to mid-October.
Latest Closing - August 10, 1995. Not only was that one of our biggest snowfall seasons, but there was a combined snowfall in February, March, April, and May of 303 inches. We were 100% open well into June.
Longest Season - 1994-95. That season had 245 operating days lasting from December 9, 1994 through August 10, 1995. I have to admit the final days required downloading on Exhibition, uphill loading at Old Mid-Lenawee, a lot of walking in Dercum's Gulch with skiing on Lenawee Face and Humbug. It was a very interesting experiment that draws some great and very funny memories (comical) from those of us that were there.
Benchmark Dates
We track a lot of benchmark dates at A-Basin. The ski area has been open since December 1946. Unfortunately, we only have really good dates for the last 25 years. Here are some interesting benchmarks for Arapahoe Basin trivia buffs.
Earliest Opening - October 9, 2009. I have long heard rumor of a huge fall storm, perhaps September 1961, that led to a very early opening at A-Basin. I hear the same story from people at Loveland. Maybe one of these days I will dive into the NOAA records and figure that one out. Maybe someone with that knowledge will comment on this blog. The installation of snowmaking in 2002 changed our opening from a mid-November/mid-December date to mid-October.
Latest Closing - August 10, 1995. Not only was that one of our biggest snowfall seasons, but there was a combined snowfall in February, March, April, and May of 303 inches. We were 100% open well into June.
Longest Season - 1994-95. That season had 245 operating days lasting from December 9, 1994 through August 10, 1995. I have to admit the final days required downloading on Exhibition, uphill loading at Old Mid-Lenawee, a lot of walking in Dercum's Gulch with skiing on Lenawee Face and Humbug. It was a very interesting experiment that draws some great and very funny memories (comical) from those of us that were there.
Earliest Opening - October 9, 2009. I have long heard rumor of a huge fall storm, perhaps September 1961, that led to a very early opening at A-Basin. I hear the same story from people at Loveland. Maybe one of these days I will dive into the NOAA records and figure that one out. Maybe someone with that knowledge will comment on this blog. The installation of snowmaking in 2002 changed our opening from a mid-November/mid-December date to mid-October.
Latest Closing - August 10, 1995. Not only was that one of our biggest snowfall seasons, but there was a combined snowfall in February, March, April, and May of 303 inches. We were 100% open well into June.
Longest Season - 1994-95. That season had 245 operating days lasting from December 9, 1994 through August 10, 1995. I have to admit the final days required downloading on Exhibition, uphill loading at Old Mid-Lenawee, a lot of walking in Dercum's Gulch with skiing on Lenawee Face and Humbug. It was a very interesting experiment that draws some great and very funny memories (comical) from those of us that were there.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
High Noon vs. Lenawee
A few people have asked why we don't open the Upper Mountain first under the assumption that it is colder up there and we could make snow sooner and open sooner. I wrote a post about this a couple of years ago. I couldn't find the post after a very quick look so I will write it up again, hopefully being consistent with my first post.
To start, there are a lot of snowmaking strategies we could use. High Noon is the shortest and most direct trail we can make snow on that allows us to open a chairlift (Molly Hogan excluded). Lenawee Face / Dercum's Gulch is quite a bit longer than High Noon. While the Upper Mountain is colder than the Lower Mountain, I am not sure the difference in temperature would make a big swing in when we open. In fact, because the Upper Mountain trail is longer and requires much more snowmaking (and has a little trickier snowmaking), we would likely open later if we started up there.
We have downloaded before. In fact, pre-snowmaking we downloaded regularly with old Exhibition Lift. I am sure we will download again, perhaps in a summer skiing scenario. It works. It takes more time. BMX's downloading capacity is 25% of its uploading capacity. On even a regular day, you can expect lines waiting to download. On a busy day, you can expect big lines.
When we open with BMX and High Noon, we have 1 lift and 1 trail. When we add Ramrod, we have 1 lift and 2 trails. If we went to the Summit to start, we would have 2 lifts and 1 trail. I think for early season High Noon makes better sense. In my mind it is less hassle, cheaper to operate, a better guest experience and probably has an earlier opening.
To start, there are a lot of snowmaking strategies we could use. High Noon is the shortest and most direct trail we can make snow on that allows us to open a chairlift (Molly Hogan excluded). Lenawee Face / Dercum's Gulch is quite a bit longer than High Noon. While the Upper Mountain is colder than the Lower Mountain, I am not sure the difference in temperature would make a big swing in when we open. In fact, because the Upper Mountain trail is longer and requires much more snowmaking (and has a little trickier snowmaking), we would likely open later if we started up there.
We have downloaded before. In fact, pre-snowmaking we downloaded regularly with old Exhibition Lift. I am sure we will download again, perhaps in a summer skiing scenario. It works. It takes more time. BMX's downloading capacity is 25% of its uploading capacity. On even a regular day, you can expect lines waiting to download. On a busy day, you can expect big lines.
When we open with BMX and High Noon, we have 1 lift and 1 trail. When we add Ramrod, we have 1 lift and 2 trails. If we went to the Summit to start, we would have 2 lifts and 1 trail. I think for early season High Noon makes better sense. In my mind it is less hassle, cheaper to operate, a better guest experience and probably has an earlier opening.
High Noon vs. Lenawee
A few people have asked why we don't open the Upper Mountain first under the assumption that it is colder up there and we could make snow sooner and open sooner. I wrote a post about this a couple of years ago. I couldn't find the post after a very quick look so I will write it up again, hopefully being consistent with my first post.
To start, there are a lot of snowmaking strategies we could use. High Noon is the shortest and most direct trail we can make snow on that allows us to open a chairlift (Molly Hogan excluded). Lenawee Face / Dercum's Gulch is quite a bit longer than High Noon. While the Upper Mountain is colder than the Lower Mountain, I am not sure the difference in temperature would make a big swing in when we open. In fact, because the Upper Mountain trail is longer and requires much more snowmaking (and has a little trickier snowmaking), we would likely open later if we started up there.
We have downloaded before. In fact, pre-snowmaking we downloaded regularly with old Exhibition Lift. I am sure we will download again, perhaps in a summer skiing scenario. It works. It takes more time. BMX's downloading capacity is 25% of its uploading capacity. On even a regular day, you can expect lines waiting to download. On a busy day, you can expect big lines.
When we open with BMX and High Noon, we have 1 lift and 1 trail. When we add Ramrod, we have 1 lift and 2 trails. If we went to the Summit to start, we would have 2 lifts and 1 trail. I think for early season High Noon makes better sense. In my mind it is less hassle, cheaper to operate, a better guest experience and probably has an earlier opening.
To start, there are a lot of snowmaking strategies we could use. High Noon is the shortest and most direct trail we can make snow on that allows us to open a chairlift (Molly Hogan excluded). Lenawee Face / Dercum's Gulch is quite a bit longer than High Noon. While the Upper Mountain is colder than the Lower Mountain, I am not sure the difference in temperature would make a big swing in when we open. In fact, because the Upper Mountain trail is longer and requires much more snowmaking (and has a little trickier snowmaking), we would likely open later if we started up there.
We have downloaded before. In fact, pre-snowmaking we downloaded regularly with old Exhibition Lift. I am sure we will download again, perhaps in a summer skiing scenario. It works. It takes more time. BMX's downloading capacity is 25% of its uploading capacity. On even a regular day, you can expect lines waiting to download. On a busy day, you can expect big lines.
When we open with BMX and High Noon, we have 1 lift and 1 trail. When we add Ramrod, we have 1 lift and 2 trails. If we went to the Summit to start, we would have 2 lifts and 1 trail. I think for early season High Noon makes better sense. In my mind it is less hassle, cheaper to operate, a better guest experience and probably has an earlier opening.
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Friday, October 25, 2013
Sundance
Snowmaking on Sundance began Thursday night. Great start there. Maybe by this time next week, we will be talking about opening that trail.
Sundance
Snowmaking on Sundance began Thursday night. Great start there. Maybe by this time next week, we will be talking about opening that trail.
Two Chairlifts Today
Lenawee Mountain Lift opened at 9 AM this morning. It is good to have two chairlifts running. While there were a few folks around today, the lift lines were very reasonable. The skiing was great and the skies were blue most of the day. Dercum's Gulch and Lenawee Face were wide and the snow was deep. In the evenings we will still be running several fan guns on the Upper Mountain and those trails will be a bit bigger and wider each day.
Two Chairlifts Today
Lenawee Mountain Lift opened at 9 AM this morning. It is good to have two chairlifts running. While there were a few folks around today, the lift lines were very reasonable. The skiing was great and the skies were blue most of the day. Dercum's Gulch and Lenawee Face were wide and the snow was deep. In the evenings we will still be running several fan guns on the Upper Mountain and those trails will be a bit bigger and wider each day.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Lenawee Will Open Friday
Lenawee Mountain Lift will open tomorrow, Friday October 25 about mid-morning. The chairlift will serve Lenawee Face and Dercum's Gulch. As the photos show, this will be an exceptional opening. The timing of this year's Upper Mountain Opening could not have worked out better. Streamflows, reservoir levels, and temperatures have been ideal for the last 2 weeks. This is also a very early upper mountain opening. I believe the earliest since a legendary early winter back in the early 1960's. Tomorrow's opening will be about 2-3 weeks ahead of what we have experienced since the installation of snowmaking in 2002.
Enjoy.
Lenawee Will Open Friday
Lenawee Mountain Lift will open tomorrow, Friday October 25 about mid-morning. The chairlift will serve Lenawee Face and Dercum's Gulch. As the photos show, this will be an exceptional opening. The timing of this year's Upper Mountain Opening could not have worked out better. Streamflows, reservoir levels, and temperatures have been ideal for the last 2 weeks. This is also a very early upper mountain opening. I believe the earliest since a legendary early winter back in the early 1960's. Tomorrow's opening will be about 2-3 weeks ahead of what we have experienced since the installation of snowmaking in 2002.
Enjoy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)