Harvey
Administrator
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2020
Today was a day to deal with "stuff." Ski gear mostly.
At around 2 we finished and the girls went to the most excellent children's area of the Johnsburg town library.
I went over to Gore, took that picture above, and went to see if Mike was around. We talked for a few minutes before I asked him if we could go up top to take a look. He had a meeting, but told me that if I came back later, around 4pm, he'd see what he could do.
After taking the girls back to the cabin, I did a little work on the fire and then headed back. I connected with Kurt Wisell, and we headed over to the big shed where the snowmaking crew was gathering.
What happened surprised me. I figured we'd head up, see some guns blowing on Topridge or Sunway, maybe snap a few pics and I'd call it a day. Temps had dropped more slowly than anticipated, and the guys were just starting to charge the lines.
I met Mark Kenyon the head of snowmaking operations, who has been blowing snow at Gore "since it was a hill." I later learned that that meant 29 years. It was pretty simple back then, just Showcase, Sunway and Sleeping Bear had plumbing.
This guy just LOVES to make snow. I asked him why. He said he likes to do something where you can notice the difference when you're done. (He lets the grass grow in the summer for the same reason.)
"After you've been out all night blowing snow, it's fun to take a sled up to the bottom of whatever you've been working on and listen to the old guys hoot and holler as they ski your whales. I never like it when my snow gets groomed out before people can ski it."
We got to the bottom of Topridge and it was clear that the early week weather had hit it hard.
There's a lot to do and tonight's temp (NWS is calling it 15F) presented a real early season opportunity and the guys wanted to jump on it.
They were running the lift to make access easier, so we took it up. The lift itself was CAKED in ICE. I was surprised as the elevation at the base of Topridge isn't that much higher than our elevation in North River, where we had only a glaze.
I really wasn't expecting to be getting this deep into it, and I was under-dressed. I had multiple synthetic layers but no shell pants and I literally froze my a$$ off on the ice encrusted ride to the top.
At the top of Bear, I met the whole crew that was working Topridge ... Mark, Mike, Juan, Wade, Josh and Chuck. They hooked me up. Wade gave me his spare pants and Josh gave me a headlamp. I have to say these are some of the warmest people you'll ever meet. Here's some flatlander with a little camera and the wrong pants ... and without any real introduction they accepted me and accepted responsibility for me.
Soon after the lines were charged, we headed out and started working out way down Topridge from the top of Bear. It was really too dark to get any decent pictures. My big moment was when Mike let me open the air valve on one of the Rats. You start by opening the water valve, and then slowly open the air. It's pretty cool. Like the power trip you get from cranking up a monster stereo that is set-up outdoors.
Jamesdeluxe is always saying "you Gore guys think too much about snowmaking." He's probably right. And with every that's been done recently on the topic, y'all are probably sick of it. But this is more a story about a bunch of guys, who work together the way an army does, to complete a mission. You only have to be with them for a minute to realize how strong the bond is between each of them.
I wish I had done a better job conveying the feeling I got from meeting the crew. But it's late and this old guy has to save some energy to hoot and holler tomorrow.
At around 2 we finished and the girls went to the most excellent children's area of the Johnsburg town library.
I went over to Gore, took that picture above, and went to see if Mike was around. We talked for a few minutes before I asked him if we could go up top to take a look. He had a meeting, but told me that if I came back later, around 4pm, he'd see what he could do.
After taking the girls back to the cabin, I did a little work on the fire and then headed back. I connected with Kurt Wisell, and we headed over to the big shed where the snowmaking crew was gathering.
What happened surprised me. I figured we'd head up, see some guns blowing on Topridge or Sunway, maybe snap a few pics and I'd call it a day. Temps had dropped more slowly than anticipated, and the guys were just starting to charge the lines.
I met Mark Kenyon the head of snowmaking operations, who has been blowing snow at Gore "since it was a hill." I later learned that that meant 29 years. It was pretty simple back then, just Showcase, Sunway and Sleeping Bear had plumbing.
This guy just LOVES to make snow. I asked him why. He said he likes to do something where you can notice the difference when you're done. (He lets the grass grow in the summer for the same reason.)
"After you've been out all night blowing snow, it's fun to take a sled up to the bottom of whatever you've been working on and listen to the old guys hoot and holler as they ski your whales. I never like it when my snow gets groomed out before people can ski it."
We got to the bottom of Topridge and it was clear that the early week weather had hit it hard.
There's a lot to do and tonight's temp (NWS is calling it 15F) presented a real early season opportunity and the guys wanted to jump on it.
They were running the lift to make access easier, so we took it up. The lift itself was CAKED in ICE. I was surprised as the elevation at the base of Topridge isn't that much higher than our elevation in North River, where we had only a glaze.
I really wasn't expecting to be getting this deep into it, and I was under-dressed. I had multiple synthetic layers but no shell pants and I literally froze my a$$ off on the ice encrusted ride to the top.
At the top of Bear, I met the whole crew that was working Topridge ... Mark, Mike, Juan, Wade, Josh and Chuck. They hooked me up. Wade gave me his spare pants and Josh gave me a headlamp. I have to say these are some of the warmest people you'll ever meet. Here's some flatlander with a little camera and the wrong pants ... and without any real introduction they accepted me and accepted responsibility for me.
Soon after the lines were charged, we headed out and started working out way down Topridge from the top of Bear. It was really too dark to get any decent pictures. My big moment was when Mike let me open the air valve on one of the Rats. You start by opening the water valve, and then slowly open the air. It's pretty cool. Like the power trip you get from cranking up a monster stereo that is set-up outdoors.
Jamesdeluxe is always saying "you Gore guys think too much about snowmaking." He's probably right. And with every that's been done recently on the topic, y'all are probably sick of it. But this is more a story about a bunch of guys, who work together the way an army does, to complete a mission. You only have to be with them for a minute to realize how strong the bond is between each of them.
I wish I had done a better job conveying the feeling I got from meeting the crew. But it's late and this old guy has to save some energy to hoot and holler tomorrow.
