ORDA Snowmaking Improvements

[MarzNC]

Sun Peaks in BC,, Canada is using snow blankets from Snow Secure. Idea is to keep the covered snow from April until it's time to spread it out in late fall or early winter to help get core groomed trails open for early season.

May 22, 2025

https://www.powder.com/news/sun-peaks-preserve-snowpack-mats

 

[Campgottagopee]

Taint really snowmaking but ORDA’s looking into snow banking at The Ho @Peter Minde.

https://orda.org/2025/06/26/the-art-and-science-of-saving-snow-at-mt-van-hoevenberg/

This isn't new.

My mom has told me how they would store ice (blocks cut out of the pond), in the ice shed, covered in sawdust and wood chips for future use in their icebox in the warmer months in the ADK. Then they got an electric fridge/freezer -- LoL

 

[Peter Minde]

My grandfather in Warrensburg told me that back in the day, in winter, he'd take the battery outta the car and bring it inside so it wouldn't freeze.

But I don't think cars were ubiquitous up there in the 30s and 40s

 

[x10003q]

My grandfather in Warrensburg told me that back in the day, in winter, he'd take the battery outta the car and bring it inside so it wouldn't freeze.

But I don't think cars were ubiquitous up there in the 30s and 40s

In the late 1970s, my family ( I was a teenager) was at Killington for a weekend and the predictions were crazy minus temps. We were staying at the October Country Inn (closed about 5 years ago). When we came home from skiing after a 'high of 0F' Saturday, temps had already dropped well below zero. The owners of the Inn told us and the other visitors to pull the batteries out of our cars and bring them inside, which we all did. At about 11pm I saw on the owners' regular old outdoor red liquid thermometer with a temp of -41F. Who knows how accurate that was. The Inn was in a pretty steep valley and it was clear skies.

The next morning it was -25F when we got up. When the sun came up it was -15F and I went out to install the battery. That thing was so heavy and hard to wedge in that I had to peel off my coat and hat because I was sweating so much. The car needed a good long crank, but it eventually started. I think Killington had a delayed open and we did ski that day. My Dad was a hardy New Englander and figured as long as we are here and the lifts are running we will be skiing. All our PBJs froze in our pockets. We all still talk about that weekend.

 

[Peter Minde]

Yeah.... in the late 1980s, I came up north for the Lake Placid Loppet. Stayed in a long-defunct hostel in Upper Jay. At night after the race, everyone was shivering in their bunk beds, like WTF? Did the furnace run outta fuel? No: the temperature dropped to -40 and the furnace just couldn't keep up. The next morning, everyone's were frozen solid. Fortunately, the owners had a battery booster that got us going.

 

[tirolski]

WF is the only ORDA bump without a snowmaking reservoir.
They are currently allowed to pump outta the Ausable.
The Ausable is currently approaching historical low levels.

Local number, Ex-261, near Lake Placid NY

Discover water data collected at monitoring location USGS-441834073545601, located in Essex County, New York and find additional nearby monitoring locations.

waterdata.usgs.gov

 

[Peter Minde]

Fer cryin' out loud, even Mt van Ho has a snowmaking reservoir. How does the crown jewel downhill bump not have one?

 

[tirolski]

Fer cryin' out loud, even Mt van Ho has a snowmaking reservoir. How does the crown jewel downhill bump not have one?

Cause it only has been a “conception” in the UMPs.

Who knows why that is?
ORDA's, DEC's & APA’s planning departments may have yer answer.

 

[Tjf1967]

Fer cryin' out loud, even Mt van Ho has a snowmaking reservoir. How does the crown jewel downhill bump not have one?

Look at a topo map