WHITER WINTER
SKI RESORTS CAN MAKE MORE SNOW THIS YEAR
After two winters of below average snowfall, local resorts spent the offseason improving their snowmaking capability.
Blue Knob upgraded and expanded its system; Boyce Park concessionaire Jim Shultz purchased Snomax, an additive, to make more and better snow; Hidden Valley overhauled its pump house to increase the water it can convert to snow; and Laurel Mountain replaced old snowmaking pipes.
No local resort did more than Seven Springs to upgrade its already extensive snowmaking system. Its more than 1,000 snow guns cover 95 percent of the 33 slopes and trails that go over 285 acres.
Although the resort receives an annual average of 135 inches of natural snow from late November through late March, it got only 99 inches last winter and 86 inches in 2015-2016.
Here are a few things to know about making snow:
It blends water, compressed air and temperature and can begin at 28 degrees if the humidity is low, but the amount produced will be minimal. Colder temperatures equal more snow. A veritable blizzard can be generated in single-digit or below-zero temperatures.
Seven Springs added 66 tower snowguns and six portable snowguns to the Wagner slope on the front side of the mountain and the Gunnar slope on the back side, better known as the North Face. The resort rates those slopes as “more difficult” and “most difficult,” respectively. The new snowguns use less compressed air and give snowmakers more flexibility in adapting to varying weather conditions.
The snowmaking stations on the Gunnar Slope and Yodeler Trail (most difficult) and Lost Girl Trail (easier) were converted to a high-pressure system. Resort spokeswoman Katie Buchan said the increased water pressure will generate more and better snow.
The resort also added nine snowmaking towers, placed about 100 feet apart, to expand the size of North Park, a terrain park for skiers and snowboarders that has been redesigned into a “beginner-friendly zone,” with small- and medium-sized features such as banked turns.
Seven Springs also scheduled a number of off-mountain improvements, some of which won’t be completed until the end of the year.
They include the renovation of the Center Lobby and Bavarian Lounge with updated flooring, finishes, accents and furnishings; and 414 hotel rooms that will get new carpet, fresh paint and upgraded furnishings, bedding and amenities.
The Junior Suites and 10th floor executive level, a total of 100 rooms, will feature remodeled bathrooms, new carpeting, new furnishings and upgraded bedding and amenities.
The resort has purchased new sets of Rossignol children’s skis and boots and Burton snowboards and boots. A 4-9 p.m. night session lift ticket is available Sundays through Thursdays, excluding holidays. Adults $46, children (ages 611) $36.
Jamie Forys, who has taught skiing and snowboarding for 20 years, is the new director of the resort’s Snowsports School. “There is nothing better than knowing you have something fun to do when it is snowing,” she said. Here are developments at other local resorts:
Blue Knob
In addition to the snowmaking improvements, the resort’s new owners bought several hundred sets of rental skis and snowboard equipment and a new snowgrooming machine. They also are offering snow tubing discounts for season pass holders.
Weekday specials include discounts for seniors, college students, active members of the military and first-responders.
Boyce Park
ConcessionaireJim Shultz bought two of TechnoAlpin’s largest snowmaking machines to bolster the 12-acre area’s snowmaking capacity. The area uses 12 million gallons of water each winter to cover its eight slopes and trails and snow tubing runs withup to 4 feet of snow.
The much improved snowmaking system lets the area to open earlier and close later.
Hidden Valley
The new pump house gives its snowmakers better control of the pumps’ output, improves their ability to adapt to changing weather and saves electricity.
It has increased the system’s maximum output from 3,700 gallons to 4,700 gallons per minute, a boost that lets 12 more snowguns operate at the same time.
Laurel Mountain
Friends of Laurel Mountain Night — 4-9 p.m. Fridays — is a great deal, hands-down. The $45 price includes a lift ticket and rental equipment for adults and children, a savings of $49 and $39, respectively. Andadults and children new to snowsports can receive a beginner group lesson at 6 p.m. on Fridays for $20, a savings of $14.
Note: Season pass holders at Hidden Valley, Laurel Mountain, Seven Springs and Wisp are eligible for a free one-day lift ticket at the other resorts.