Adk Enterprise-WF, Gore & Belleayre to open 11/23??

http://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/news/local-news/2018/11/whiteface-gore-belleayre-to-open-nov-23/

Here's my take on this bullshit. So we received an excellent base building snow last Friday, we have a forecast of 4-8" for tomorrow, and 6"+ for Thurs-Fri, and yet the press release that ORDA puts out, says next fucking Friday??!!
The handcuffed marketing departments, at each of the ORDA downhill skiing venues, have been teasing with their social media posts while proudly announcing that snowmaking has begun, but yet as their customers ask, "when are you opening?" the corporate response is "stay tuned".
So, is the cat out of the bag with the press release coming from the ORDA HQ? Or, are they hedging their bets and planning on opening WF and Gore this weekend, and that way they can pat themselves on the back, and say hey look how great ORDA is??

I'm surprised they wouldn't go for it.  Maybe have to rethink my plans.

Maybe not. Garnet Hill could be open and I'd love to ski out back. Still kind of disappointing, if true.

I just saw on another platform that a place called Ski Sugar opened yesterday in NORTH CAROLINA. Maybe that’s not relevant but it seemed related to me somehow.

Brownski wrote

I just saw on another platform that a place called Ski Sugar opened yesterday in NORTH CAROLINA. Maybe that’s not relevant but it seemed related to me somehow.

Not relevant.  Sugar and Cataloochee try to open first every year.  That means one or two beginner runs.  At Sugar usually with a little mud thrown in near the loading area well into early December.  Cat only stayed open on Sunday and will re-open later this week after a couple more days of snowmaking temps.  Sugar stayed open today . . . as the downpours started.

The owner of Sugar is the only one who refuses to buy any advertising on SkiSoutheast.  SkiSE has covered SE skiing for over 20 years.  They have installed high quality webcams in partnership with most of the ski areas, even the tiny ones like Cat (25 acres).

I find it more interesting than Wilmot, an hour north of Chicago, won't open until mid-Dec even though obviously it's already plenty cold enough for snowmaking.  That's one of the three midwest ski resorts that Vail Resorts bought a few years ago.  Have heard all sorts of complaints about Kirkwood not opening early since being bought by VR.  The new GM at Okemo was GM at Kirkwood for a while.  He is also VP for all the VR resorts in the NE (Stowe, Okemo, Sunapee).

Haven't looked to see when Windham and Hunter are opening.  I know Hunter usually opens relatively early.  Jiminy Peak did some snowmaking over the weekend and is working on picking an opening date.

Ski hills on the equator makin us look bad. What would snoballs say

Looking at the forecast with 6-15” forecast between the Tuesday and Friday storms plus really cold night temps at elevation in the single digits Tuesday and wednesday nights I’d be pretty surprised if WF does not open this weekend.  The Book during the AK era is it opens the week before thanksgiving if at all possible.  They have done it with far less favorable weather than we have this year.  

The wild card is with the work they were / are still ? Doing to the snow making system can they blow at the base.

My guess is they open

Could it be a staffing issue? All I ever hear from the regulars here is that they don't pay well. Definitely tough for mountain management to do it's job.

Johnnyonthespot wrote

Could it be a staffing issue? All I ever hear from the regulars here is that they don't pay well. Definitely tough for mountain management to do it's job.

My bet is on this. They most likely can’t get butts in position to open this weekend. The would need to have staff ready. Remember - this is NYS.

Opening day for WF and Gore is announced - first and exclusively - by press release from the Governor's office. There hasn't been one yet and ORDA wouldn't dare steal the Governor's thunder.

I predict such a press release on Wednesday announcing opening day this Saturday (at least for Gore).

Spongeworthy wrote

Opening day for WF and Gore is announced - first and exclusively - by press release from the Governor's office. There hasn't been one yet and ORDA wouldn't dare steal the Governor's thunder.

I predict such a press release on Wednesday announcing opening day this Saturday (at least for Gore).

This makes a lot of sense. Or maybe I should say, this sounds like a plausible explanation.

IMO it would make more sense to say "our goal is to open Saturday, weather permitting." Then shoot for Friday. Then those who have to plan in advance would plan to come, and those who could call an audible might be able to snag Friday.

FYI, Vail Resorts is playing the "open early" game pretty well in Nov.  Two days early for Breck and Keystone last week.  This week it's Beaver Creek and Vail.

https://www.summitdaily.com/news/vail-beaver-creek-to-open-early-for-2018-19-season/

". . .Vail, originally slated to open Friday, Nov. 16, will open for the season on Wednesday, Nov. 14, at 9 a.m. Beaver Creek will open Saturday, Nov. 17, four days ahead of its scheduled Nov. 21 opening date. . . ."

https://www.summitdaily.com/news/sports/open-sesame-breckenridge-keystone-to-both-open-early-for-first-time-in-nearly-a-decade-on-wednesday/

". . .Both Breckenridge Ski Resort and Keystone Resort will open on Wednesday, rather than the originally-planned Friday, for the 2018-19 winter season. The resorts say up to five feet of snow has fallen across Breckenridge and Keystone since mid-October, with up to four feet of snow in the past week alone. . . ."

I don't really consider the week before Thanksgiving as being "early" for mountains that have 10k' peaks or above.

Marcski wrote

I don't really consider the week before Thanksgiving as being "early" for mountains that have 10k' peaks or above.

I was talking about "early" as in before the pre-announced opening dates.  That's why VR is getting extra media coverage for free.

Ahh, I got ya.  My bad.

Damn, my prediction was way off. Didn't account for the holiday

Mount van Hoevenberg officially opening 17 November.  Yeah.  Meanwhile I've got enough snow to ski local.  At least until it rains.

Johnnyonthespot wrote

Could it be a staffing issue? All I ever hear from the regulars here is that they don't pay well. Definitely tough for mountain management to do it's job.

I was whining about this last year when I came up to Gore on a Monday to find the place barely running after they were almost entirely open on the weekend. I complained to customer service about wasting a ticket and a drive, and the response was, yeah, staffing "problems". Yeah, obviously, you didn't schedule enough people, duh. Then there was the time about ten years ago, when I showed up on a mid winter Tuesday with a foot of fresh on a nice base, and only half of the place was running. When I asked a patroller why, he said, it's Tuesday, looking at me like I was an alien. So, all I can get from that is that there is a beauracrat sitting in a cube that schedules the whole season before it starts, no matter the conditions. And that's why I'll never go to Gore on a weekday, and never consider a season pass, because they, you know, have rules, and screw the skiers. Too bad.