AND SO IT BEGINS (queue the Lord of the Rings meme). If you weren’t thinking about winter before, I’m sure you’re thinking about it since we posted our first snow two Fridays ago or even more snow this past Saturday. We’re officially in the season prologue. The prelude. The Star Wars scrolling marquee if you will. Of course, our mountain operations team has kept the throttle fully forward all summer and fall, prepping for winter to ensure that the on-mountain experience is improved and ready to go come Opening Day on November 22nd.
Since it’s been a while since we’ve provided an ops update, I wanted to provide a little snapshot into what each team has been working on these last couple of months. If you don’t have the time to dive into the deep end below, just know we’re feeling really confident that we’re positioned for a smoother operational year.
Snowmaking
Let’s kick things off with a bang. Based on the forecast snowmaking operations are set to begin TONIGHT. While earlier this summer we were more concerned about the drought, conditions have vastly improved through the fall. Both our snowmaking ponds are completely full, and the rivers and streams have come up quite a bit with all the recent rainfall. Given current temps, we’ll be focusing up high on trails like Jester and Allyn’s Traverse at Lincoln Peak and Rim Run and Panorama at Mt. Ellen, though once base temps drop we’ll be looking to move down low and focus on Gate House and Valley House for early season terrain.
We plan to make snow down low right now whenever temps allow but will pivot to upper elevations when that’s not an option. We’re fortunate to have a couple different opening terrain options to look at this season, something we didn’t have the luxury of last year when we were finishing up the Heaven’s Gate installation.
Elsewhere in snowmaking the team worked hard this summer on gun repairs and pipe repairs. In particular, they completed a big repair near Birch Run, which as you might recall was an area affected by a leak last year that prevented us from making snow on Sunrise.
New Surface Lift
Perhaps our most visible new project this year is the surface lift that we installed this summer. As you likely saw in previous blogs or from our social team, we recently finished construction of a new surface lift at Mt. Ellen to replace Tommy’s Toy rope tow. This new carpet lift, now named Easy Up (a guest submission who named it after the trail it sits on: Easy Does It) should vastly improve the beginner experience at Mt. Ellen, allowing us to offer a better first step progression in learning to ski and ride. The lift is located just below GMX and near Sunny Q with a newly resurfaced learning area.
The lift is covered, which should also help improve the experience as a respite from the elements, and the proximity to Sunny Q makes for an easy transition to the next set of beginner terrain when guests are ready. We’re stoked to welcome a new generation of skiers to Mt. Ellen and can’t wait for you to try it out.
Lift Maintenance
Elsewhere on lift work our lift maintenance team has been quite busy moving through their maintenance schedule. First and foremost we completed some important upgrades to a couple of lifts this summer. GMX saw new processors installed, the Summit Quad received a new drive and controls, and North Lynx got a gearbox rebuild, all of which should help with overall reliability on those lifts. Of course, I imagine the big news you want to hear about is Slide Brook. Alterra sent a team to help solve the issues with that lift. After significant work they were able to troubleshoot the issue and Slide Brook will be ready to roll this winter.
These bigger projects are on top of all their normal summer maintenance including things like line work, grip work, and seatback replacements. Inspections are ahead of schedule, and we’re in great shape heading into the season to open lifts as soon as snow depths allow.
Trail Crew
Another initiative you’ll be excited to hear about is our revitalized trail crew program. These crews put in a ton of on-mountain work, including a lot of glade trimming. This crew improved areas like Lew’s Line, Eden, Deeper Sleeper, Doors 1, 2, and 3 out in Slide Brook, Wild Turkey, Big Birch, and Graduation Woods among others. That’s in addition to plenty of trail cutting like cleaning up the sides of trails and near lift lines and towers.
Other Work
Other crews, including Lift ops, Parks, Vehicle Maintenance, Facilities, and Ski Patrol, have all been hard at work as well. Things like welcoming a new groomer to our fleet, widening the Heaven’s Gate unload deck for a better guest experience, as well as replacing other decks, painting, culvert work, and much more.
All in all the teams worked hard all summer and fall to get us ready for winter, and we can’t wait to welcome you back. As our Opening Day terrain continues to come into focus, we’ll be sure to keep peeling back the curtain for you. Until then, cross your fingers for cold temps and more precipitation. Of course, don’t forget to keep an eye on the snow report for the latest updates. It won’t be long now.