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Seeing the improvement in snowmaking after sending help in from Belleayre, it really seems that Gore's management culture and priorities need a reset. In my opinion, the following things need to be done: 1. Set expectations that snowmaking is to always be at maximum capacity, whether that is...

It is actually the exact opposite of not being able to keep tension on the lift. Let me explain. Straightbrook, and all of Gore's lifts have hydraulic tensioning. The hydraulic cylinder is set to always supply a constant force, but be allowed to either extend or retract to maintain it. This...

There were significant lift problems today. North was down all day and never opened. There were several mechanics working at the top of it, but the report says it will be closed all day tomorrow. Normally it's a lift I don't really care about, but I would've likely ridden it today if it were...

It appears only Lower Echo is closed for racing, so you would still be able to move between the areas.

I saw on the snowmakers of the world unite facebook group that Belleayre sent some snowmakers to Gore to help out.

I'm speaking to what I'm used to at Killington, and the other Vermont resorts. Maybe it's different for each utility company. Over there, curtailments, when they occur, are typically 5pm to 9pm. There have not been any that I'm aware of this year. They had several last year though. Sometimes...

Curtailments are not something you opt in and out of. The utility company in any given area has to supply power to a wide variety of customers in a wide variety of demand scenarios. Demand is at its highest in the evenings before very cold nights. They can't overload the grid, or there will be...

When there is a chance for an electrical curtailment, Whiteface will only make snow on trails within the lower mountain snowmaking zone. This zone is the easiest to drain and recharge, so it means fewer lost production hours if they get curtailed. The problem is the remaining trails they need to...

Burnt Ridge closed again tomorrow. I don't get the decision making for what lifts run. They have both the gondola and AE2 scheduled for tomorrow. No one wants to ride the AE2 in these temps when the gondola has zero line. It would make more sense to open Burnt Ridge, which serves additional terrain.

Expanding snowmaking footprint without expanding snowmaking capacity is always a recipe for failure. The reason it continues to happen is because one is a lot cheaper than the other. The hole shot thing isn't till February 27th. That being said, it's 5 weeks away, and they'll need to devote...

According to the report, snowmaking is back on Tahawus, Sunway, Lower Sunway, and Bear Cub run. So no effort to expand. Also, Burnt Ridge and the Ski Bowl will be closed tomorrow.

Normally that is the case, but not if you're trying to avoid a curtailment. In that case, the diesel would be used as the primary, and the electric as the backup. All 4 detachables have two backups. The other issue with some lifts is that the lift runs very slow when running on diesel, like less...

This is often called a curtailment. They sometimes happen in the evenings before very cold nights, as this is when demand on the grid is the highest. I think pretty much every ski resort has had to deal with them at some point. What is unusual in this case is that it is impacting the lifts...

Whiteface seemed to uniquely struggle when Pratt was CEO. I'm not sure why, but I definitely noticed, and it was extremely frustrating. It wasn't all bad though. In 2022 they started opening the summit on opening day. This resolved what in my opinion were two major issues. One, the gondola used...

It's one of my least favorite lifts to ride, due to it being very slow and stopping constantly.

I posted a more detailed report in the trip reports section. @Kleetus I feel very much the same as you. I would've expected today's conditions just after a thaw. Not after 2+ weeks of perfect temps. This picture of Showcase is I think the most indicative of Gore's snowmaking this year. A thin...

I went to Gore today, partly because I was going with a friend who had evening plans, so it made sense to take advantage of the shorter drive, and to ride the new Hudson Chair. I'll give my thoughts on the new lift, as well as a full report, addressing what went well on this holiday Saturday...

Except that Whiteface and Belleayre have invested a lot in human capital, and significantly improved their snowmaking performance as a result. Gore actually regressed from last year despite having much more favorable weather this year.

It was not cold enough to make snow today, but shockingly, I did not see any evidence of them setting up for the next phase. No guns staged for Sagamore, Uncas, Rumor, Lies, Open Pit, or anywhere else. Normally during warm ups, you set up for the next phase. All other ski resorts do it.

Let's not get into conspiracy theories about the ski bowl ruining the rest of the mountain and being scapegoated for any operational shortcomings on the main mountain. I'm guessing even the most outspoken critics will be there this weekend to avoid crowds at the main base. The tone of this...