ORDA Snowmaking Improvements

[snoloco]

If I could take this thread back, I'd change it to Belleayre Snowmaking improvements, because Gore and Whiteface are in pretty bad shape right now. Note that things could get better with consistent cold weather and some natural snow.

Unopened snowmaking trails at Whiteface, from top to bottom, and what I think will become of them note that I left out Upper Cloudspin:

Upper Skyward
Lower Skyward
Wilmington
Hoyt's
Lookout Below
Essex (in-progress)
Upper Northway
Upper Mackenzie
Lower Mackenzie
Wilderness
Middle Parkway (doubtful)

Same thing for Gore, and I left out trails like North Star that have pipes that haven't been used in years:

Upper Steilhang (in-progress?)
Lower Steilhang
Hullubaloo (in-progress)
Lower Darby (in-progress)
Santanoni
Little Cloud (in-progress?)
Wood-In (in-progress)
Wood Lots (in-progress)
Chatiemac
Rumor
Lies (in-progress)
Fairview
Sleeping Bear
Pete Gay (doubtful)
Twin Fawns (doubtful)
Echo/Cedars (in-progress, lower section only)
Hedges
Sagamore
Backwoods
Eagle's Nest
Pipeline
Peaceful Valley
Oak Ridge
46er

Yikes that's a lot, at both mountains. At this rate, I'm not sure the ski bowl will open at all, and Lookout might be just Wilmington for the 3rd year in a row, if that. The games absolutely decimated their ability to have a decent ski experience for the public.

 

[Harvey]

I still think it's a good title.

If Gore had followed your advice and never expanded on to Burnt Ridge or the Ski Bowl what would be the "percentage open?"

 

[not2brite]

So Gore and Whiteface are behind the curve in getting terrain open this year, but would they have gotten the funding for the improvements they have made if they did not get the WUG? This seems to be a pretty tough year for the entire region as far as snowmaking and open terrain goes. I have to imagine those improvements will pay off for us in the long term.
On a separate note, does anyone know how much collaboration there is between the 3 resorts? I am curious if Belleayre decided on its own or if it was instructed to fire on all cylinders to give people an alternative if they did not want to battle traffic and parking issues during the WUG.

 

[Harvey]

On a separate note, does anyone know how much collaboration there is between the 3 resorts? I am curious if Belleayre decided on its own or if it was instructed to fire on all cylinders to give people an alternative if they did not want to battle traffic and parking issues during the WUG.

Interesting thought!

 

[Q*bert Jones IV]

As someone on the gondola said to me yesterday, Belleayre is the Beast of the East right now.

 

[snoloco]

The problem with ORDA is they repeatedly put the chicken before the egg and so they are always playing catch-up. The upgrades Gore and Whiteface received were not for the games. They were to bring their systems from woefully inadequate, to simply inadequate. To somewhat catch them up with investments made by competitors, and terrain expansions at both mountains. It wasn't enough, but it helped.

Then they turned around and signed up for an event that required them to make a massive amount of snow, very early in the season. Gore is even doing yet another expansion this summer. They're right back where they started. If you build large expansions and don't complete any snowmaking upgrades with them, then the actual amount of terrain you have open will not change.

 

[Campgottagopee]

The problem with ORDA is it's run by NYS. They spend like drunken sailors. Then again, I guess they need to show something for that 29% raise they just gave themselves.

 

[Harvey]

If Gore had followed your advice and never expanded on to Burnt Ridge or the Ski Bowl what would be the "percentage open?"

Sno can you help me with this?

 

[tirolski]

The problem with ORDA is it's run by NYS. They spend like drunken sailors. Then again, I guess they need to show something for that 29% raise they just gave themselves.

Yeah and whatabout throwing a snowmaking bone to the rest of NY State other than just NY State owned Hudson River Watershed areas?

 

[Campgottagopee]

Yeah and whatabout throwing a snowmaking bone to the rest of NY State other than just NY State owned Hudson River Watershed areas?

Exactly!