Gore Mtn Snowmaking (11-12)

Snowmaking has started at Gore.  Image from goremountain.com.

Looks like a pretty cool morning:



(BTW takeahiker46er - thx for giving credit to gore on the photo above. According to Emily, any photo that come from the website or facebook are ok to re-use as long as credit is given to Gore.)

Gore said they started blowing yesterday afternoon on their Facebook. Woot Woot!

It was 27 degrees in town around 7 this morning so temps on the mountain were ideal, but day time temps hit about 38 in the shade.

There was a few errant flakes falling here this afternoon..

I drove through the gore lot this afternoon. Yawn...unimpressed. It looks like they fired up a fan gun as a test. No sign of snowmaking on the early shift tonight. Bring your golf clubs if you are coming up to ski on the 25th!

Last Friday (11/18) I took a behind-the-scenes tour of Gore's snowmaking plant with Mike Pratt.  The crew had just finished up their first night of snowmaking operations.  Besides seeing snow (!) on the trails, new guns, compressors and pumps, and the water and air distribution infrastructure, I had the chance to ask Mike a bunch of questions that may be of interest to NY Ski Forum participants, including how much more efficient are the new guns (answer: about 4 times as efficient) and what are the current limiting factors in Gore's snowmaking plant (if you think the answer is compressed air, you may be surprised).

Looking up Sunway:


Water distribution, Twister valve house:

Great post Jeff.  I enjoyed the snowmaking plant tour at saratogaskier.  

Jeff - Nice interview.
Do you know if they plan to install fan guns on the Gondola towers? There has been some mention of this and the picture of the Arena does not seem to show fan guns on the towers. Also, with the massive increase in guns did Gore's snowmaking budget increase or are they making do with the same money as last year?

Thanks.

Thanks X and CMR.  Regarding fan guns at The Arena, what they've done is install outlets (water/electric) on the gondi towers.  As far as I know, no new fan guns were purchased this year, although they may have some new demonstators.  I saw at least 8 fan guns on Friday, 5 of which were at the Saddle area.

Anything happening at Gore?  How is Friday or Sat looking from an on the ground source?

Hoser wrote

Anything happening at Gore?  How is Friday or Sat looking from an on the ground source?

NOAA wrote

Tonight: Snow, freezing rain, and sleet likely before 10pm, then snow. Low around 22. Breezy, with a southeast wind 13 to 16 mph increasing to between 21 and 24 mph. Winds could gust as high as 37 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total nighttime ice accumulation of 0.1 to 0.2 of an inch possible. Total nighttime snow and sleet accumulation of 7 to 11 inches possible.

Wednesday: Snow showers, freezing rain, and sleet before 2pm, then a chance of snow showers. High near 33. Windy, with a east wind between 18 and 26 mph, with gusts as high as 40 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New ice accumulation of less than a 0.1 of an inch possible. New snow and sleet accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

Is what's happening at Gore.

I think there will be something on the ground for this weekend.

Yeah thinking more manmade,  seeing anything the last couple days, temperatures must have provided decent opportunities at night if not most of the day.

Here is a look at Gore's new tower mounted TechnoAlpine M-18 fan gun in action yesterday. The new equipment was installed at the ski bowl tube park this summer. It is a little disappointing that this advanced new equipment was installed in the tube park and not in the Arena or some other high traffic area at the mountain.

wow that gun looks beastly!! i agree though..what a waste of firepower to put it on the tube park..

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I'll mention to the head of snowmaking and to MP that they should talk to Zach and 70's boy when making decisions on where to put guns in the future since you all seem to know so much...

Would you put it there?

zach wrote

Here is a look at Gore's new tower mounted TechnoAlpine M-18 fan gun in action yesterday. The new equipment was installed at the ski bowl tube park this summer. It is a little disappointing that this advanced new equipment was installed in the tube park and not in the Arena or some other high traffic area at the mountain.

Zach, I believe that picture is courtesy of 4 E.W.D. Productions is it not?

As well as the M18 at the ski bowl, they had a Super Pole Cat running at the top of the tube hill, along with fan guns lining Lower Sunway, Bear Cub Run, and Headwaters. New tower guns in effect on Lower Sunway, Otter Slide, and 3B. "All hydrant's running on Pine-Knot, Topride and Tannery with an expected opening of Wednesday" according to Mike Pratt.

Guns were also getting set up on upper showcase-lower sleighride- lower wild air- arena. The pads were being placed on the lift towers by the ski patrol which is always a good sign.

Well Zach you asked, so here you go...They were put there for a very good reason. The one mounted at the bottom of the tube hill is there to be used on demand at the hill when conditions become too fast (ie they blast some snow on the lanes for about 15 minutes , and presto slower lanes and SAFER lanes). as for the new tower guns at the ski bowl, they along with the mounted fan can be remote controlled from the pumphouse up on Gore, which frees up the snowmakers from having to go to the ski bowl every hour or so, to check on the guns. Also, all of the new equipment was mounted on the north side of what they are blasting as the wind will help to carry snow across the terrain

People please stop bitching about Gore, it will snow soon, and we'll all be happy! If you don't like Gore please go somewhere else