Gore Mtn Snowmaking (10-11)

From Gore Mgmt:

"We'll be going around the clock, probably shutting down Mon & Tues.

And going again as soon as Ma Nature allows.
 
Target is Friday, 11/26.
 
Priority #1: Ruby Run - Sunway - Quicksilver - 3B -  Jamboree.
 
Priority #2: Topridge."

Not a big surprise but thought I would share.  

I have to agree with Kid ... the total amount spent on snowmaking for the year is probably already fixed, or nearly so. I'm glad we haven't spent any of it yet.

Personally I'd like to see Gore knock out Foxlair after Ruby Run, but I realize that probably puts me in the minority.  Opinions?

Definitely Topridge.

Allows for separation of the masses, eliminates that dangerous corner from becoming even more dangerous (with everyone funneling down to the same spot), and it's just a better trail.

In fact, I don't care if they open Showcase, Quicksilver, Wild Air, and Sleighride before they open Foxlair.

mattchuck2 wrote

In fact, I don't care if they open Showcase, Quicksilver, Wild Air, and Sleighride before they open Foxlair.

If you could bang Foxlair out in a day... then you'd have a legit intermediate and beginner way down.

I remember back in the day (before the Gondi) they'd go for Showcase first.  That would work for me for sure.

* * *

I saw this for Gore:



HR: "Hey what's going on?"

MP: "Very close; 34' at Bear, 32' at Base."

I would bang out Foxliar to  Showcase and Twister  first.. I think Twister is one of the most important trails on the mountain..Leave the beginner stuff till later. Intermediates and experts are the ones who will ski the WROD's..

I wonder if it would make sense to go over to the north side early in the season. North side faces north so it gets very little sun which would really help during a late November/early december heat wave. Of course the problem is that it doesn't help with opening the upper mountain.

I heard there are (at least) 6 guns on Topridge right now. Sunway looks mostly white, and 3 visible guns going on there. Watch out for those invisible ones

Update: "Waiting and ready for temps to drop. Gore made real progress overnight. White, but thin all the way from base of Topridge to top of Bear & Ruby to bottom of Quicksilver. Images coming tomorrow."

"Real good night. Running over 100 guns right now. Warm Mon & Tues. We'll get going again Wednesday and see what Thursday brings. Target still Friday."

News from Gore:
 
Friday, 10:00: Gondola opens for season.

Skiing: Ruby Run - Sunway - QuickSilver - 3B - Jamboree.
 
Sat: Looking to add in Topridge.

Won't know until Friday afternoon if it will be groomed, or skied with snowmaking in progress.

From the updated Gore website:

We will open Saturday at 8:30am.

Friday's front is passing slowly with ice likely that will end as rain.

Lifts do not operate well with icing conditions and the snow quality will be best Saturday if we delay our grooming plan.

Update 7pm:

"As noted earlier we are opening on Saturday am. Saturday will be good. Gondola w/ Ruby - Sunway - Quick - 3B - Jambo with no snowmaking during the day.

Snowmakers will be on Sunway (below QuickSilver), Topridge, Pine Knot and Tannery.

We will look at Topridge and add in as soon as we can. Topridge snow took a big hit from warm wind yesterday. We are hammering it now and if we can get it open, we will.

Saturday night, we will dress critical areas that are open. We are reacting, ready, anxious, excited, and working hard."

If that's an offical Gore statement, it seems to me they're definitely trying to be proactive reassuring people about their snowmaking efforts. Cool how they mentioned they'll be right on any  bad spots.

Can't fault them for not opening Friday. It's been awfully warm here.

Drizzle in the air this morning and Gore is totally socked in by fog. There's a good wind moving at elevation. This is the stuff that damages the snow surface rather quickly.

Snowwhale in front of the gondi. Hope to post more later.

Today was a day to deal with "stuff."  Ski gear mostly.

At around 2 we finished and the girls went to the most excellent children's area of the Johnsburg town library.

I went over to Gore, took that picture above, and went to see if Mike was around. We talked for a few minutes before I asked him if we could go up top to take a look.  He had a meeting, but told me that if I came back later, around 4pm, he'd see what he could do.

After taking the girls back to the cabin, I did a little work on the fire and then headed back.  I connected with Kurt Wisell, and we headed over to the big shed where the snowmaking crew was gathering.

What happened surprised me. I figured we'd head up, see some guns blowing on Topridge or Sunway, maybe snap a few pics and I'd call it a day.  Temps had dropped more slowly than anticipated, and the guys were just starting to charge the lines.

I met Mark Kenyon the head of snowmaking operations, who has been blowing snow at Gore "since it was a hill."  I later learned that that meant 29 years.  It was pretty simple back then, just Showcase, Sunway and Sleeping Bear had plumbing.

This guy just LOVES to make snow. I asked him why. He said he likes to do something where you can notice the difference when you're done. (He lets the grass grow in the summer for the same reason.)

"After you've been out all night blowing snow, it's fun to take a sled up to the bottom of whatever you've been working on and listen to the old guys hoot and holler as they ski your whales. I never like it when my snow gets groomed out before people can ski it."



We got to the bottom of Topridge and it was clear that the early week weather had hit it hard.  



There's a lot to do and tonight's temp (NWS is calling it 15F) presented a real early season opportunity and the guys wanted to jump on it.



They were running the lift to make access easier, so we took it up. The lift itself was CAKED in ICE. I was surprised as the elevation at the base of Topridge isn't that much higher than our elevation in North River, where we had only a glaze.

I really wasn't expecting to be getting this deep into it, and I was under-dressed. I had multiple synthetic layers but no shell pants and I literally froze my a$$ off on the ice encrusted ride to the top.

At the top of Bear, I met the whole crew that was working Topridge ... Mark, Mike, Juan, Wade, Josh and Chuck.  They hooked me up. Wade gave me his spare pants and Josh gave me a headlamp.  I have to say these are some of the warmest people you'll ever meet. Here's some flatlander with a little camera and the wrong pants ... and without any real introduction they accepted me and accepted responsibility for me.



Soon after the lines were charged, we headed out and started working out way down Topridge from the top of Bear.  It was really too dark to get any decent pictures. My big moment was when Mike let me open the air valve on one of the Rats.  You start by opening the water valve, and then slowly open the air. It's pretty cool. Like the power trip you get from cranking up a monster stereo that is set-up outdoors.

Jamesdeluxe is always saying "you Gore guys think too much about snowmaking."  He's probably right.  And with every that's been done recently on the topic, y'all are probably sick of it.  But this is more a story about a bunch of guys, who work together the way an army does, to complete a mission.  You only have to be with them for a minute to realize how strong the bond is between each of them.

I wish I had done a better job conveying the feeling I got from meeting the crew. But it's late and this old guy has to save some energy to hoot and holler tomorrow.

AWESOME Report!  That is so great that Mike let you go up and see how it works.  I often think about the Gore crew and how hard they work all night making snow and grooming so we can ski the next day.  I hope Mike will let you do more behind the scenes reports like that so we can learn more about mountain ops.

Now that is one of the most interesting reports I have ever read.  Thanks!

Just another reason why this is the best place in the world to live and Ski!

guns on lower sunway


tower guns on pine knot


rats ready to go on foxlair


polecat at the bottom of lower sunway

great work snowmakers