What's going on with Hickory?

To ask a brutally honest question, should it be functional at this point? I mean that, with climate shift and everything else does anyone see it remaining viable?

The realities right now aren't nice but lets be real and quit ignoring the facts.

I think we are at the brink of a massive ski area die off.

I think you're both right and wrong.  There has already been a massive ski area die off, as the minimum efficient scale for ski resorts has raised over the years.  Some smaller areas have just not kept up and been able to cover their costs, so they have shut down.

There will certainly be more ski areas that are behind the curve and will go out of business soon.  Others will continue to improve and do well.  While last year in the east was a bust, the West had a good year, and many ski areas invested in their operations.  This December is setting up well here in the east, and the PNW is getting pounded with snow.

There will always be good and bad years in all regions.  Every time there's a bad one, wing nuts will continue to push how it's all climate change and how the ski industry will soon collapse.  It's simply not that extreme.  Enjoy the good years, and hope for snowmaking improvements to get through the bad ones.

Improvements in snowmaking technology are not a panacea, but should be able to stay ahead of the climate change for many years to come.

Not sure if I agree with a "massive ski area die off" (at least not recently). In the northeast, Tenney is reopening, Balsams has long term plans to reopen, Ascutney is reopening as a community area, a lot of community areas continue on despite tough times, Magic and Saddleback appear to be reinvigorating/reconfiguring, and not too long ago Crotched was reborn. Whaleback NH, Black ME, and Abram ME both have been reinvigorated as community oriented areas. My observation is that a lot of areas that struggled as private have rebirthed as either community areas or for profit areas with a strong focus on a core base.

I would really love to ski Hickory and I hope it can find a sustainable model. Tough without snowmaking though, even most community and nonprofit areas blow some snow to have a consistent and reliable base product. Without big natural snow numbers, snowmaking is a huge deficit to have. Hopefully Hickory can figure out a way to make it work, perhaps using some of the areas mentioned above as an example.

Tenney, Balsams, whatever.....pfft! Dude you are so out of touch with whats going on with our environment. I get it, it's not easy to be connected living in Boston but let me inform you about the shit show that''s about to be handed to everyone. It's on the cusp of getting so fucking ugly you have no clue. Our whole civilization is about to collapse but yeah, Tenney and whatever bullshit cute little ski mountain should be just fine.

If things continue like it's been going and the leading scientists are correct I stand by what I'm claiming. We are on the brink of a major ski area die off. But go ahead, kid yourselves.

The ski areas revivals you guys listed are nice but that's just last ditch efforts at saving something or prolonging the existence of something that it's loss is inevitable. Maybe some grass root ops will survive a little longer but it's not likely on the east coast or here in the south west.

The human brain is funny thing, even in the face of total devastation we will often convince ourselves that it isn't actually happening. Let me tell you boys something, it might not be so obvious where you live right now about the effects of climate shift we are seeing it happening here in the south west is coming in hard and strong, shit's about to get real. It's all around us, maybe not around you yet but it is here and it's very real. Buckle up bitches, shit is about to get nasty. Everyone is going to get fucked on this deal.

You people that don't actually live out here in these environments but claim to know what's going on with climate shift crack me the fuck up. I bet it still looks all good in that east coast ecosystem but just look at your fires this fall, it'a about to get worse. This change is all around us, it's happening so fast our heads are spinning. Soon enough topics like saving some now defunct mom and pop ski area will be long gone, we won't have time for this. Get in touch with reality. You guys that are unconnected with the outside natural world have no fucking clue what's happening.


Carry on.

RA, seek psychological help.

snoloco wrote

RA, seek psychological help.

Take a lap beater. This is your dumbest post yet. You likely have no connection yet with the natural world being a 16 year old skier from New Jersey.

snoloco wrote

RA, seek psychological help.

Nay, he's just having a little melt down from the climate change.

Snowballs wrote

snoloco wrote

RA, seek psychological help.

Nay, he's just having a little melt down from the climate change.

I'm staring to think Snowballs is actually just Loco sticking up for himself, or maybe it's his father or who knows.....

Either way this guy has a boner for Loco. Are you guys boyfriends?

Snowballs- throttle back sweetheart. Your love for Loco is embarrassing yourself.

I'm not kidding ya, the realities of climate shift are happening rapidly all around us out here. It's like a fucking snowball effect but what ever....right me off like some alarmist jack ass right? What would I know? I just have played in the mountains for 22 years now and have lived in the southwest for 15 years but ya,
I'm the dumb one. I should just shut up because some 16 year old kid knows better than me? GTFO.

Argue with me more about mountain climates and changes over the last 20+ years, you kids don't know shit.

OMG, I just made a joke! Go rag on some else.

I see your melt down continues lil girl. You could seriously use some humor as you're being a quite a joke.

Adorable. Melt down? Nope, just a healthy dose of reality that you aren't ready for, you kids are babies

RA, you're proving the point in my previous post quite well.

I'm very sorry to hear about Shawn.  I worked with him during the 10/11 season when I was volunteering at Hickory and he was a very nice, fun guy.  At that time we were all very excited at the potential for a Hickory revival.  That year we got a couple of nice storms and they managed to open a number of weekends.  A tow rope was added on the bottom slope for beginners, we were experimenting with grooming on a few of the lower trails (much to the dismay of the diehards), approval had been given for snow making and we had a borrowed gun that we were experimenting with at the base.  There was a lot of energy with all who showed up and it seemed like everything was headed in the right direction.  I've heard a lot of reasons as to why things went south after that but cannot comment on the validity of any of them.  It's just a shame that things didn't work out, it's a great small mountain with some terrific trails that will challenge the best of them.  I hope that there is still a future for Hickory.  

I think RA was self medicating. Reality is that the climate scientists are in an uproar as ocean temperatures are starting to fall and the rate of global warming has slowed dramatically. It just proves the system is too complex to model. Don't be confused, I am not saying it isn't real, I am saying that we don't have a clue what is or will happen.

Hickory thread has it all: Huntah, Whiteface, climate change rant along the lines of "I can see clearly thru my bubble what's going on in you assholes' bubbles!".

RIP Shawn.

Hickory always had lean years, but when you nail a great day there, the euphoria could make you want to save the place.  Or buy it.

Hickory lacks elevation.  Summit is < 2000'.  And it's pretty freakin steep, so you can't open on fast grass really.  Tough nut.

Harv did a great interview with Shawn before the 2010-11 season, the last that it actually operated? So much enthusiasm and promise... gone poof! RIP Hickory.
http://nyskiblog.com/shawn-dempsey-hickory-ski-center/

PeeTex wrote

Reality is that the climate scientists are in an uproar as ocean temperatures are starting to fall and the rate of global warming has slowed dramatically.

Completely false:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2016/12/05/followup_house_science_committee_global_warming_tweet_debunked_again.html

Also, we should keep our climate change discussion (both fear-mongering, and science denying) in the off-topic where it belongs.

mattchuck2 wrote

PeeTex wrote

Reality is that the climate scientists are in an uproar as ocean temperatures are starting to fall and the rate of global warming has slowed dramatically.

Completely false:
http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2016/12/05/followup_house_science_committee_global_warming_tweet_debunked_again.html

Also, we should keep our climate change discussion (both fear-mongering, and science denying) in the off-topic where it belongs.

Come on Matt, slate.com, really? Just another liberal outlet owned by the Washington post.

How about climate.gov

Which shows the stalling of global temperature rise and then all the data that shows the North Atlantic is entering a cold cycle
http://www.reportingclimatescience.com/2016/05/10/atlantic-cooling/

Notice, I did not say climate change wasn't real, I just said the scientists don't understand the recent data which seems counter to thier conventional wisdom.

And the runaway train has now been set in motion.

raisingarizona wrote

Adorable. Melt down? Nope, just a healthy dose of reality that you aren't ready for, you kids are babies

Drip. Drip. Drip.

I was just told that Hickory will not be opening this season