Mother Nature made us bite our tongues. The temperature plunge to single digits and below made it difficult to enjoy the slopes. We were forced to work in short increments, as extreme temps made our job just a little bit tougher. Every effort to connect hoses and turn guns was first a battle to thaw the frozen. Even one droplet of water moving an opposite direction of snow blow caused guns to form ice blocks. Water trickled from inside guns outward, forming icicle beards fuller and more magical than the frost on our own.

The killer wasn’t in the cold. The wind knocked temps to negative degrees, and the extremity of chill factors created a safety concern across the slopes. Yes, the few hardcore riders and skiers took advantage of packed powder conditions during daylight, but early closure was no compromise for safety. What’s more than dressing for downhill is catching a ride uphill, and high winds are no joke for a wild chairlift ride.

Storm Eleanor, named Burglind in Austria, trapped skiers on chairlift at Silvretta Montafon ski resort in Austria. January 5, 2018.

We forfeited picture-taking to save our fingers from frost and managed to have a productive week, all misers unharmed, all fingers still moving. We rebuilt the third tubing lane, as last week’s snowmaking allowed for increased base depth and greater width.

This week’s weather outlook is another play for Mother Nature. Rain and warmer nights will put a brief pause on snowmaking (and allow a night off for snowmakers), though the extended forecast predicts more cool nights ahead. When the temps drop, we’ll be right back at it, reconditioning all trail surfaces and increasing base depth, where needed, to maintain awesome skiing and riding conditions.

 

The mountain is calling, get going while the going’s good. Get yourself on the slopes, and enjoy the ride.

See you here,

the snowmisers