Well here I am, on December 4th, sitting at my desk and looking out my window at a sight I can’t say I’m particularly happy about. Mother Nature has continued with these unseasonably warm temperatures, so we have had to delay our Opening Day once again, now tentatively set for December 10th next week. The good news is that it starts getting colder over the next several days, particularly down low where we really haven’t had the opportunity to make much snow. I’m hopeful we’ll have the window needed to get enough snow made in the lower elevations to open top-to-bottom. We feel this is crucial to spread out the early season crowds.
Temps have been slightly better at higher elevations, which is why you’ve seen us pivot from opening Gate House early season, something we prefer to do if possible to get beginner terrain open, to working on additional Heaven’s Gate terrain like Organgrinder and Ripcord. This is another example of how we will need to be flexible this winter and adjust our plans to work with the ever-changing environment we live in.
As an interesting point of reference for how bizarre the last month has been, I can only recall two other winters since I started in 1991 where we weren’t open by Thanksgiving. Luckily, both of those winters shaped up to be pretty spectacular, and I’m hopeful this one will too. I know we’re all anxious and exited to get out on the hill, probably our staff more than anyone, so know that we’re working as hard as we can to open as soon as possible with the proper terrain.
Just a little longer, and we’ll all be back to the sport we know and love. In the meantime keep an eye on snow report for the latest information.