Montpelier, VT – While we celebrate Halloween and the final show of autumnal color, Vermont ski resorts are preparing for first chair and opening their arms to winter. As temperatures drop, new snowmaking equipment will fire up, and beautiful layers of white will start to cover the rivulets of trails winding down Vermont mountains.
Tentative opening dates at Vermont resorts are as follows:
- Killington Resort: Opened for season pass holders October 13-14, 2012, full opening day expected early November.
- Stowe Mountain Resort: Saturday, November 17, 2012
- Sugarbush Resort: Saturday, November 17, 2012
- Okemo Mountain Resort: Saturday, November 17, 2012
- Stratton Mountain: Wednesday, November 21, 2012
- Mount Snow Resort: Friday, November 23, 2012
- Smugglers’ Notch Resort: Friday, November 23, 2012
- Bromley Mountain: Friday, November 23, 2012
- Jay Peak Resort: Saturday, November 24, 2012
- Bolton Valley: Saturday, December 8, 2012
- Middlebury College Snow Bowl: Friday, December 14, 2012
- Magic Mountain: Saturday, December 15, 2012 (12/8 if possible)
- Mad River Glen: Saturday, December 15, 2012 (earlier if possible)
- Pico Mountain: Saturday, December 15, 2012
Keep reading for a taste of what Vermont ski resorts are doing to prepare for opening day:
Smugglers’ Notch Resort:
An investment of over $1 million in snowmaking enhancements brings an additional 150 high efficiency tower guns and a new electric compressor to Smugglers’ Notch Resort. This investment will allow more snow to be made at a wider temperature range and with greatly reduced energy costs. New guns have been positioned to provide increased coverage on selected popular trails on each of Smugglers’ three mountains. Smugglers’ plans to kick off ski and ride operations on Friday, November 23, 2012, the day after Thanksgiving, with intermediate terrain on Sterling Mountain available for skiers and riders to enjoy with early season lift ticket and lodging pricing.
A popular early season event now in its 18th year is the resort’s annual BrewFest showcasing local and regional breweries on Dec. 8. The evening features music, munchies and giveaways along with eight beer samples and a souvenir glass for the $18 entry price.
Stratton Mountain Resort:
The season’s first snowflakes fell at Stratton on October 8. Adding new snowguns to the arsenal, expanding coverage and increasing overall efficiency lets Stratton to lay down the white carpet over 93% of terrain.
Cold, dry air is ideal for making snow, though Stratton’s snowmaking system allows for some flexibility thanks to the latest technology and innovation. Powerful land and tower guns combine air and water with maximum efficiency to make the same amount of snow with much less air and require less energy consumption. Over 250 million gallons of water are on-hand in Stratton’s reservoir system, which also allows almost 100% of water run-off to be recaptured and reused as next year’s corduroy.
“It’s amazing what our talented team of skilled snowmakers and groomers can do with air and water,” said Mike Quinn, VP of Operations. “While I can tell you that we can cover a football field in three feet of snow in just one hour, what is really important is how the stuff feels under our skis and boards. It’s that commitment to quality that sets Stratton’s snow apart from others.”
Stratton Mountain plans to have that firepower at full force as soon as cold temperatures and low humidity strike, aiming to start the season on Nov. 21.
Bromley Mountain:
Bromley will turn on the guns as soon as temps permit after Nov. 1. The resort has installed 60 new, permanent energy efficient snow guns over the entire top of mountain on Upper Corkscrew, Run-Around 1, Plaza and Peril. That brings Bromley’s total gun count up to 310, spread out over 150 acres of the resort’s 178 acres of skiable terrain. Bromley’s tentative opening date is Nov. 23 to help work off that turkey dinner.
Stowe Mountain Resort:
Snowmaking investments continue at Stowe Mountain Resort. The winter of 2011-12 proved that snowmaking is an essential component to any successful and sustainable ski resort as nationwide, the winter resort industry experienced record-low snowfall for the past ten years. Stowe Mountain Resort received just over 200 inches of snow on Vermont’s highest peak, a mountain that averages 333 inches each ski season.
The ongoing on-mountain improvements that have taken place over the past eight years in Stowe include upgrades to snowmaking. Beginning with the creation of a 116 million gallon water storage area named Peregrine Lake and New England’s first and only fully-automated snowmaking system on Spruce Peak, snowmaking at Stowe Mountain Resort has reached new heights.
This year Stowe Mountain Resort continues to invest in its snowmaking operations with an additional $4.7 million in new equipment and upgrades that include 325 HKD tower guns, 150 energy efficient land guns, 16 Super Pole Cat fan guns and seven miles of new snowmaking pipe.
Magic Mountain:
Magic Mountain has spent the summer adding two trails to its snowmaking system which now covers 70% of the mountain. Expert trails Witch and Black Line are now on-line, adding to snowmaking coverage on Magic’sWest Side featuring some the East’s most difficult and challenging terrain. In addition, Magic’s volunteer army has been out in force on three weekends this fall clearing and opening up its existing network of tree-skiing glades while also creating an entirely new glade. The new glade is not on the trail map, but just ask a few of the regulars and they will be more than happy to show you where it is.
With Magic’s trails tightly mowed and cleared, the ski area will be ready for both man-made and natural snow for a mid-December season opening.
Sugarbush Resort:
Opening day at Lincoln Peak at Sugarbush is scheduled for Nov. 17. Last season’s purchase of 40 new high-efficiency snowmakers allows Sugarbush snowmakers to make more snow, more efficiently and at a wider range of temperatures. To keep that snow in top shape, this year Sugarbush has purchased another Pisten Bully groomer to add to the resort’s fleet.
Bolton Valley:
Bolton Valley plans to start making snow toward the end of November. They will focus on getting trails off of Vista Peak open first. The planned opening date is Saturday, Dec. 8.
Okemo Mountain Resort:
Okemo Mountain Resort is ready for whatever Mother Nature sends its way. Lifts have been load-tested, tower guns are poised and snowmakers are waiting for that first stretch of cold temperatures that will trigger the start of what the resort terms “Operation Winter.”
Okemo covers about 600 acres of ski and snowboard trails with snow blasting from nearly 1,200 guns. Okemo’s massive snowmaking system pumps 9,200 gallons of water per minute at full capacity and can cover a trail, making it skiable, in about 24 hours.
Okemo’s target opening date for the 2012-13 ski and snowboard season is Saturday, Nov. 17.
Mount Snow Resort:
The big guns are ready to go at Mount Snow with a system that can fill an Olympic-size swimming pool with snow in just 47 minutes. With a state-of-the-art arsenal of snow guns, anchored by more than 250 high output/high efficiency fan guns, once the temperature drops below the freezing mark for a couple of days skiers and riders will be seeing a lot of snow being made in a short period of time. The resort’s goal is to open with a quality product before Thanksgiving weekend with top-to-bottom runs for all ability levels, including a full terrain park at Carinthia. North America’s only six passenger bubble chair, the Bluebird Express, will service all open terrain from the summit of Mount Snow, the Discovery Triple will provide access to learning terrain and Nitro Express Quad will get freestyle skiers and riders to the top of Carinthia.
Killington Resort:
Killington already offered skiing and riding to its season pass holders during a pre-season weekend on Oct. 13-14. While the resort has not yet announced its official opening day for the general public, once the temperatures drop the resort’s snow guns will be turned on for the second time this season.
Pico Mountain:
In celebration of the 75th anniversary, Pico Mountain has added a new trail for the 2012-13 winter season, giving the mountain a total of 53 trails. It plans to open on Dec. 15 for skiing and riding.
Jay Peak Resort:
Jay Peak received a foot of the white stuff from two early October storms and anticipates firing up its snow guns around the middle of November. The resort invested an additional $300,000 in its snowmaking system during the warm months to provide coverage on the trails that will be serviced by its new quad chair and across its new learning terrain.
Trapp Family Lodge:
Trapp Family Lodge officials plan to fire up the cross-country ski resort’s snowmaking system before Thanksgiving, as soon as temperatures permit.