thesnowway.com

Sunday River became the first eastern ski area to open for the 2009-2010 season today. Utilizing the uploading and downloading capabilities of the Locke Mountain Triple’s mid-station, Sunday River has T2 currently open with potentially more trails open for this weekend depending upon temperatures and snow making. Today featured an unannounced “soft” opening featuring free skiing and riding until 3:30 P.M. Thursday through Sunday, skiers and riders can enjoy T2 from the mid-station of Locke Mountain for $25.00. Snow making continues as temperatures allow.

This season saw a significant early season snowmaking push from former ASC brand resorts Sunday River (now owned by Boyne USA Resorts) and Killington (now owned by Powdr Corp). Both resorts began snowmaking operations earlier than any other year in recent memory and dropped hints of an early opening. Currently, Killington has neither committed to nor denied opening this coming weekend. Since Sunday River has already opened, the race is over and the pressure is off Killington for first to open honors.

The mid-mountain load station on the Lock Mountain Triple lift provides the Newry, ME based resort with significant advantages for opening faster than other ski areas. Unlike Killington and other ski areas in the early to open race, Sunday River need not have top to bottom skiing to open. Whereas Killington and other early opening mountains generally need temperatures to drop low enough to allow snow making top to bottom.

Thus begins the 2009-2010 ski season!

With the 2007-2008 season completed, TheSnowWay.com has compiled a season cost calculator detailing how I spent every penny of my money during the ski season. This calculator includes lift tickets, cost of gas, and season passes. Absent are costs of equipment which are not strictly a one season purchase. Additionally, I have not calculated in food expense.

I would estimate half of my meals were purchased from ski area food services so that is not an insignificant cost compared to brown bagging. However, my obsession with calculating total cost did not entail advanced computation of what the difference is between brown bagging a meal versus paying the ski area. Besides, sometimes you just WANT a tasty burger and cost is not an issue and comparing to brown bag is apples and oranges. Other complications such as having to spend pre-purchased Mad Money at Mad River Glen further complicated the idea which I decided not to implement.

Gas costs were calculated obsessively and with precision. Every ski day would begin by stopping at the local gas station two miles from my house. The gas tank would be filled and the trip odometer set to zero. Upon returning from skiing, I would stop at the same gas station, refill the tank, and record miles driven, gallons used, cost per gallon, and total cost of the fill up. All information except for miles driven was on a receipt for easy record keeping. Actual gas costs were slightly higher than included on the cost calculator as I did not include gas costs for the two miles to and from the gas station and my home.

Recording this information had an effect on my driving habits. For shorter trips, especially those under an hour, I would routinely drive just under the speed limit instead of my usual 70 MPH highway speed in order to maximize MPG. Longer drives, such as to Jay Peak, I would drive normally as extra cost of gas was not worth more time on the road. Very rarely did I miss a gas procedure but I occasionally did forget to set my odometer and estimated based on previous trips or I forgot to fill up once or twice and utilized an average MPG for that destination in question.

The total season cost was just over $1700 for 52 days including lift tickets, season passes, and gas but not including equipment purchases and food.

• TheSnowWay.com’s Total Cost Calculator for the Season

An online community was formed today to track Big Jay news and developments. The Ski Big Jay Google Group provides Big Jay skiers and riders a communication platform to discuss the issue, network, keep informed, and get active. The Google Group is open to the public and should see active discussion and perhaps hopefully lead to organization of the community.

• Ski Big Jay Google Group

A public forum was held at the Stateside Lodge of Jay Peak Resort on Saturday December 15, 2007 regarding restricted skier access to Big Jay. The decision to restrict skier access to Big Jay during the current ski season was made by a panel of organizations and managers including the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation, the Green Mountain Club, and Jay Peak Resort who were all represented at the meeting. Commissioner Jonathan Wood of the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation conducting the meeting with assistance from Ben Rose, executive director of the Green Mountain Club. Jay Peak Resort President Bill Steiger represented the ski area showing strong support for the action. Approximately seventy-five to one hundred people attended the meeting including backcountry skiers, Green Mountain Club members, locals, Jay Peak Ski Patrollers, and Jay Peak Resort employees.

The meeting began with opening comments from Jonathan Wood who stressed the importance of sharing view points without criticizing the opinions of other people. Wood presented background information on Big Jay including a historical perspective about how how the state acquired Big Jay and integrated the mountain in the Jay State Forest. Details about the Green Mountain Club easement were also covered with assistance from Ben Rose. Another Green Mountain Club representative provided a multimedia presentation showing a variety of photos detailing not just the destruction involving “The Scar” (as the illegal cut was called) but also extensive thinning and cutting else where on Big Jay. The presentation concluded with a description and photographs of the trail work conducted in October shortly before the ski season began.

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The Veteran’s Day Weekend proved to be an exciting one in the New England skiing world. Sunday River led the way, opening on Thursday, with Sugarloaf, Bretton Woods, and Mount Snow following to make four open ski areas in New England before the Holiday. Sunday River and Mount Snow are the clear leaders providing substantially more terrain than either Sugarloaf or Bretton Woods and continuing to expand trail counts daily.

Several resorts are following closely on the early season leaders. Snow making is currently in progress at Jay Peak on The Jet and Haynes, Sugarbush on Jester, Attitash on Illusion, Stowe on Ridgeview and Lord, and Waterville Valley on High Country. Snow making has also been spotted at Killington, Okemo, Bromley, and Stratton in Vermont and at Wachusett in Massachusetts. Some of these resorts will likely be open by next weekend with snow making temperatures on going.

Turn earners have reported in with natural snow turns made at Mount Mansfield, Mount Ellen, General Stark Mountain, Tuckerman Ravine, and the Great Gulf! Not much natural snow has fallen so far this season, especially compared to this time last year. But the opportunistic can capitalize on being flexible and diligent.

Snowmaking crews fired up the guns at seven New England ski areas Sunday night to commence preparations for opening the 2007-2008 season. Only time will tell which one of these front runners will open first but suffice to say no bull wheels will likely be turning for at least another two weeks. TheSnowWay.com will be reporting first tracks and first hand reports and pictures very soon! But for now, sit back and enjoy some pictures taken at each of the following mountains:

Maine:
Sugarloaf/USA
Sunday River

New Hampshire:
Attitash
Bretton Woods

Vermont:
Killington
Mount Snow
Sugarbush (No Cam Shot but snowmaking has been verified)