Whiteface - Lookout Mountain...estimated opening?

snoloco wrote

Evantful, They blew some snow on Wilmington last year, then decided to leave the whole thing to rot.  I'm guessing that they'll be overly cautious in subsequent years because of that.  Lookout didn't exist in 06-07, and if it did, I'm guessing it would never have opened that year.  Oh well, no powder on Hoyt's or in SVG.

Sno, that was a good triage last year.  The season would have ended in early March otherwise.  This year, we're in the 2nd quarter of the game and doing well while you're furious that we gave up a first down.  Ease up.  Your blood pressure must be through the roof.

I think you have to look at the management side of things to at least understand - although perhaps not necessarily like - their approach.  The goal of ORDA is below; I appreciate you have a difference of opinion with the strategy and tactics involved in adhering to the mission below.

Consider this:  not all pro sports franchises are out to win a championship.  The owner's goal may be to increase profitability rather than titles - this seems to have been the mantra of the Chicago Cubs, Red Sox and Toronto Maple Leafs for several generations.  Similarly, ORDA may not be out to open as early/late as Killington, all lifts operational by Christmas, etc.  I don't think any of us would complain if they did, however, I think we understand how management has opted to strategize and execute.

What would be more moronic, advertising Lookout Mountain or not advertising it?  In sales there's an acronym....SWAT.  Sell What's Available Today.  Sell the car that's on the lot, ready to go and not the one that's going to take 2 months to arrive.  That's what WF did.

ORDA mission
1. Institute a comprehensive, coordinated program of activities utilizing the Olympic facilities, Gore Mountain, and Belleayre Mountain, in and around Lake Placid, North Creek, and Highmount, New York, in order to insure optimum year-round use and enjoyment of these facilities to the economic and social benefit of the regions and to minimize the financial burden on state and local government by maximizing revenue opportunities.
2. Improve the physical fitness and recreational education of the people of New York and the United States.
3.Develop, implement and supervise a comprehensive, coordinated program for the management, promotion and scheduling of a wide range of national and international athletic training and competitive opportunities that maximize the utilization of the Olympic facilities.
4.Develop, construct, operate, manage and maintain facilities for the training and housing of amateur athletes in connection with the United States Olympic Committee's training center program and ORDA's conduct of national and international sports events.

You made a good point, but I wouldn't compare opening all lifts in a given year to winning a championship.  Opening all lifts in a given year is pretty much a minimum standard to having effective snowmaking.

Coach said they were moving snowmaking up there yesterday, but the report says otherwise.  Will see for myself whether or not they stuck to that plan on Wednesday or Sunday.

My guess is that they're holding off blowing Wilmington till the weekend and will cover the lower portion then.  Next week when it warms up, there still is going to be OK temps on the upper mountain, so they can cover that later.

WhIle I can give them a pass for leaving it to rot last year, I think it was a slippery slope leading to it not opening in average, but not great years like this one is shaping up to be.  We shall see how it all plays out, but I guarantee I, and many others will be writing strongly worded emails to management if Lookout doesn't open this year.

I think ORDA left out "all lifts by Christmas, no exceptions!" in their mission statement.

snoloco wrote

  We shall see how it all plays out, but I guarantee I, and many others will be writing strongly worded emails to management if Lookout doesn't open this year.

Show em you're a tiger!

Once the ORDA suggestion box garbage can fills up, maybe they'll start reading them.

nepa wrote

 Technically, you're an adult, but to me you sound like a little crybaby.

FTGDW!!  larry off the charts!  

Give me a break.  Because your cheap goggles freeze up you don't want the mtn to blow snow on high traffic zones during the day!

take your goggles into mid.  put them on the cage over the heater boreen side of the mid lodge.  sit in a chair and suck your thumb for 15 minutes while the moisture dries out of your goggles and then go ski like a man!  

good jesus I cant believe you actually typed that chit!  

snoloco wrote

If all ski areas are going to suffer, then why can I count the number of snowmaking trails not touched yet at Killington on one hand?

you can do the same thing for WF right now!

snoloco wrote

Coach Z wrote

Evidently Snos emails to management were read.

Wow!! I thought my email found it's way to the official ORDA suggestion box.  

no one read your emails.  

ScottyJack wrote

 
good jesus I cant believe you actually typed that chit!

  

It really makes you wonder don't it SJ

What do you expect with kids from Jerzy

My goggles don't freeze up.  I wear glasses under them that do fog and freeze up almost instantly if I ski under snowmaking, or pretty much any cold day for that matter.

It is one of the most frustrating things I've ever experienced while skiing.  Imagine being there early on a cold day, but the conditions are good and you want to enjoy the skiing, but are forced to stop 3 or more times every run to scrape the ice off your glasses.  No, skiing with them frozen isn't an option because you can't see anything, and skiing without my glasses isn't an option for the same reason.  I can't ski under the guns unless there's no other way to avoid them because all the moisture in the air makes it even worse.

My dad just ordered me a pair of goggles equipped with a ventilation fan, so hopefully that helps.  

ScottyJack wrote

snoloco wrote

If all ski areas are going to suffer, then why can I count the number of snowmaking trails not touched yet at Killington on one hand?

you can do the same thing for WF right now!

Yeah, if you leave Lookout brown then you can.  

Otherwise:

Upper Mac, Upper Cloud, Lower Skyward, Lower Parkway, Upper Northway, Hoyt's, LBO, Wilmington.  Can't count 9 trails on one hand.

endoftheline wrote

They make this massive pile every year and never seem to push it downhill where it is really needed, especially in the spring when the rocks start poking out just a couple hundred feet below the pile.

umm, yes they do push the pile down the hill.  that's one of them spots where the sun angle would melt a glacier...  

endoftheline wrote

I could start a whole thread on the many puzzling moves that continue year in year out on WF in regard to snowmaking and most locals would agree as its talked about constantly.

most locals wouldn't last one night making snow on WF.  

ScottyJack wrote

nepa wrote

 Technically, you're an adult, but to me you sound like a little crybaby.

FTGDW!!  larry off the charts!  

Give me a break.  Because your cheap goggles freeze up you don't want the mtn to blow snow on high traffic zones during the day!

take your goggles into mid.  put them on the cage over the heater boreen side of the mid lodge.  sit in a chair and suck your thumb for 15 minutes while the moisture dries out of your goggles and then go ski like a man!  

good jesus I cant believe you actually typed that chit!

HAHA! So much awesome with this post.

snoloco wrote

My dad just ordered me a pair of goggles equipped with a ventilation fan, so hopefully that helps.

contacts not an option?? have you checked into prescription goggle lens?  

ScottyJack wrote

most locals wouldn't last one night making snow on WF.

Riding the snow shovels downhill looks fun. The kids used to bust up big every time we saw them. They got around pretty good on those.

So much for not wanting kids, eh Scotty!!!

hehe

Prescription goggles are ridiculously expensive and with the cold temps that I often go out in, I think contacts would freeze to my eye.

Reviews said that you literally cannot fog the goggles themselves with the fan in them if it's on.  Hopefully the same is true about my glasses.

snoloco wrote

Yeah, if you leave Lookout brown then you can.  

Otherwise:

Upper Mac, Lower Parkway, Upper Northway, Hoyt's, LBO, Wilmington.  Can't count 9 trails on one hand.

Upper cloud doesn't need snowmaking.  natural snow only.  we would riot if they blew on upper cloud!!  snow making has been underway for days on bottom of ladies drop -  which is part of lower sky!  

so OK I have to use all the fingers on one hand and one finger on the other hand.  guess which finger I choose to use on the other hand?   Hint - it's not my thumb!

snoloco wrote

Prescription goggles are ridiculously expensive and with the cold temps that I often go out in, I think contacts would freeze to my eye.

Reviews said that you literally cannot fog the goggles themselves with the fan in them if it's on.  Hopefully the same is true about my glasses.

if your eyes are capable of contact use go for it.  I wear contacts.  sometimes one might blow off but I go out in cold weather too but I take my contacts off in the house, so its warm and they thaw.  

I should probably also weight Wilmington trail as 2 or 3 trails because of its length.  After all, the opening day route is about the same length and reported as 5 trails.  Excelsior-Summit Express-Upper Valley-Lower Valley-Fox.

And I also didn't count short connector trails like Weber's Way and Parkway Exit.

Bottom line is Lookout has to open and open soon.  I don't see how you could disagree with me there because you think Hoyt's is the best trail on the mountain.