Updated 15 hours ago
3,068 views
Heading out to Snowshoe on Monday. I know they are reporting 5-6 inches from Saturday. Any first hand reports on how much additional fell on Sunday?
Nothing fell today, early it was a weird steady heavy frozen mist that coated your goggles then an on/off mix throughout the day. Snow has started tonight, heard 2-3 inches forecasted.
Lots of great snow.
Can anybody figure out why they’re not blowing snow on Lower Shay’s? They’ve had the new blue guns mounted and ready to go since (at least) early last week. Since it turned cold mid-week last week, it doesn’t look like they’ve blown any snow at all on LS. With the two rounds of natural snow plus an abundance of cold temps, they could have had it open by now. I was there Fri-Sun and they didn’t blow at all on LS. Meanwhile, they were blowing snow on Upper Shay’s and top to bottom on Cupp for long stretches throughout the weekend. But nothing at all on Lower Shay’s. What gives?
General report: great conditions on Sunday (though the freezing mist did affect visibility and goggles). There were a number of places to dip into the trees on the Western Territory and Sawmill if you aren’t too concerned about your equipment coming out pristine. We had a great time dipping over to Silver Creek on Sat when the lift lines were too unbearable mid-day.
All in all, a great time to head to Snowshoe. We had nonproblems driving back yesterday. The roads in metro DC were in much worse shape than the roads near Snowshoe.
My guess: If they just got the new guns mounted, then they probably are not tested and operable at this time.
The Colonel wrote:
My guess: If they just got the new guns mounted, then they probably are not tested and operable at this time.
They mounted them this summer. They are the only line of the New Blue Fan Guns that have not been utilized.
They were tested. Keep in mind the lower connector to the top of LS has no snowmaking so they have to build whales at the bottom of US then push them out to cover the connector.
dwm8a wrote:
Can anybody figure out why they’re not blowing snow on Lower Shay’s? They’ve had the new blue guns mounted and ready to go since (at least) early last week. Since it turned cold mid-week last week, it doesn’t look like they’ve blown any snow at all on LS. With the two rounds of natural snow plus an abundance of cold temps, they could have had it open by now.
The 2 rounds of natural snow were right after a period that started around Christmas where it was warm and rainy. From what I understand the mountain looked VERY different a week ago than it did this weekend. They were making snow in several places throughout the weekend to rebuild base that they lost as well as opening J-Hook and Sawmill. They have gotten huge warm ups the last 2 seasons and I suspect they don’t want to spread too thin. I suspect they will work the green trails that are up by powder ridge with lodging on them before Shays… especially with the holiday weekend
wgo wrote:
In other important news, I am sad to report that there is no longer a Thai Noodle bowl station in shavers center.
Agree but try them at Zenkei (former South Mtn Grille). I had one last night…..very good. Not as conveinent but a good option after lapping camp99 etc.
Also good to see the pizza by the slice place near western lift doing well.
Bonzski wrote:
Agree but try them at Zenkei (former South Mtn Grille). I had one last night…..very good. Not as conveinent but a good option after lapping camp99 etc.
Thanks for the tip, I’ll have to give them a try.
Going back to on slope discussion, it was good today. Snow was in great shape on most runs.
Regarding Lower Shays … I messaged them yesterday and they replied last evening
ME:
Do have any estimates on when Lower Shays will be open?
SS:
Hopefully by about this time next week!
Blue Don 1982 wrote:
Regarding Lower Shays … I messaged them yesterday and they replied last evening
ME:
Do have any estimates on when Lower Shays will be open?
SS:
Hopefully by about this time next week!
They posted the same answer on social media, that they are blowing on lower Shay’s with hope to open it soon.
Snowshoe has decided to stop snowmaking until the power company makes a repair. I’m still hoping to ski lower Shay’s this weekend. I’m keeping my fingers crossed
SNOWMAKING UPDATE: We have unfortunately had to delay opening Lower Shay’s Revenge by at least a couple of days. We experienced a major power outage here across Pocahontas County last Saturday. Our friends at Mon Power were able to identify the issue and get things back online relatively quickly, however the fix at that time was temporary. Until they are able to fully repair the system, they’ve asked that we suspend our snowmaking operations. Snowmaking requires a significant amount of energy, and until they have completed their work, we do not want to put an excessive strain on the grid and cause any further issues. We are hoping to resume snowmaking in the next few days. Apologies for any inconvenience, and thank you for your patience.
Snowshoe Mountain Friday Morning Update: We have been told to expect the repair to be complete by this evening. Our snowmakers will hit the ground running the minute they can. Fortunately, Mother Nature has delivered a couple inches over the past day and conditions are good on our open terrain. Lower Shay’s is unfortunately extremely unlikely this weekend.
Bonzski wrote:
wgo wrote:
In other important news, I am sad to report that there is no longer a Thai Noodle bowl station in shavers center.Agree but try them at Zenkei (former South Mtn Grille). I had one last night…..very good. Not as conveinent but a good option after lapping camp99 etc.
Also good to see the pizza by the slice place near western lift doing well.
My daughter and I are in Snowshoe for today and tomorrow. Temps were pretty low but conditions were terrific
I am sad to report that Zenkai was not serving noodle bowls and that they were not popular and they were going to be taking them off the menu. Too bad because at $10 - $12 the bowls were a fraction of the price of the entres. MDD and I shared a pretentious hamburger and french fry entree which was okay, and certainly hit the spot at 9pm after driving in from Bethesda, but in no way lived up to whatever menu lipstick it had on.
We discussed that perhaps they took the noodle bowls off the menu not because they were unpopular, but because it was too popular.
Skiing has been great, though.
My son and I did SS on Saturday. We expected it to be crazy busy given the ideal temps and conditions and our expectations were certainly met. Normally we would do at least a few hours at Silver Creek to avoid the crowds but we were meeting people in the main area so that was not an option. We used the normal strategies to avoid Ballhooter and Powder Monkey lifts but even the Western express had 15 minute waits until around 1 PM or so.
Anyway, conditions were great! Started with a few runs off of Ballhooter until things started getting too crowded. Made our way to Western and had a great 3 hours or so there. Lower Shays was open and offered a different experience depending on whether you took the center, right, or left line. We did laps on Cupp and Shays until about 1:30, ate a quick lunch, and then used Grabhammer lift to ski the 3 basin blues and Choker until around 3:30. We did make the mistake of using Ballhooter lift to get back to South Mountain after that, thinking that crowds might have thinned by then but even at that time crowds were pretty bad. Finished with a couple runs in the south mountain area but by that point things were pretty icy, especially on Sawmill. We managed 20 runs, not bad given the crowds.
We will be back next weekend with my wife and daughter for the full weekend. We decided to stay at Silver Creek for the upcoming trip. Not sure what strategy we will follow - we may stick to SC to start and then maybe take the shuttle for a couple hours on Cupp/Shays.
MDSkiGuy wrote:
We discussed that perhaps they took the noodle bowls off the menu not because they were unpopular, but because it was too popular.
Skiing has been great, though.
Too bad about the noodle bowls. I know you are talking about the new place rather than Shaver’s center, but I do feel the food options at Shaver’s center have taken a step backward. You are right about the skiing though…now if only there was something that could be done about the crowds on Ballhooter lift…
My buddy texted me from the Boathouse on Saturday around lunch time. Said the lines were the longest he’d ever seen. I looked at the webcams and it was crazy busy. I wonder at what point the large crowds are going to start making people go elsewhere.
Who would want to return next year to stand in line for 30 minutes?
Meeting some friends here this upcoming weekend, and right now the weather forecast has me in a somber mood. They finally get 100% open (sans glades), and mother nature has to swoop in and crap on my dreams of a fantastic trip. Hopefully I’m being too pessimistic and the snowpack will hold up, but I’m worried for sure.
Justinw303 wrote:
Meeting some friends here this upcoming weekend, and right now the weather forecast has me in a somber mood. They finally get 100% open (sans glades), and mother nature has to swoop in and crap on my dreams of a fantastic trip. Hopefully I’m being too pessimistic and the snowpack will hold up, but I’m worried for sure.
Actually this weekend is looking better. With warm rains coming for T-W-Th by Friday the rain ends with sub freezing temps through the weekend. Should be able to put some snow on top of a firm surface. Just make sure your edges are sharp!
Justinw303 wrote:
Meeting some friends here this upcoming weekend, and right now the weather forecast has me in a somber mood. They finally get 100% open (sans glades), and mother nature has to swoop in and crap on my dreams of a fantastic trip. Hopefully I’m being too pessimistic and the snowpack will hold up, but I’m worried for sure.
Coverage on trails will be fine. I am somber for this pattern of warm/rains every 7-10 days that wrecks the base in the trees & glades.
wgo wrote:
My son and I did SS on Saturday. We expected it to be crazy busy given the ideal temps and conditions and our expectations were certainly met. Normally we would do at least a few hours at Silver Creek to avoid the crowds but we were meeting people in the main area so that was not an option. We used the normal strategies to avoid Ballhooter and Powder Monkey lifts but even the Western express had 15 minute waits until around 1 PM or so.
Anyway, conditions were great! Started with a few runs off of Ballhooter until things started getting too crowded. Made our way to Western and had a great 3 hours or so there. Lower Shays was open and offered a different experience depending on whether you took the center, right, or left line. We did laps on Cupp and Shays until about 1:30, ate a quick lunch, and then used Grabhammer lift to ski the 3 basin blues and Choker until around 3:30. We did make the mistake of using Ballhooter lift to get back to South Mountain after that, thinking that crowds might have thinned by then but even at that time crowds were pretty bad. Finished with a couple runs in the south mountain area but by that point things were pretty icy, especially on Sawmill. We managed 20 runs, not bad given the crowds.
We will be back next weekend with my wife and daughter for the full weekend. We decided to stay at Silver Creek for the upcoming trip. Not sure what strategy we will follow - we may stick to SC to start and then maybe take the shuttle for a couple hours on Cupp/Shays.
20 laps across the mountian on a weekend is well played. The jr race team hosted 120 racers for slalom and giant slalom events on Widomaker both days…which didn’t help crowds on Ballhooter.
I always favor getting on Cupp/Shays early before the crowds build (11am) then to SC for short lift lines. Exception is if it was warm the previous day and then deep freeze up overnight, then you have to wait for Cupp to soften.
Bonzski wrote:
I always favor getting on Cupp/Shays early before the crowds build (11am) then to SC for short lift lines. Exception is if it was warm the previous day and then deep freeze up overnight, then you have to wait for Cupp to soften.
Unfortunately I think that is exactly the scenario we are looking at this weekend - rain and warmth this friday followed by a freeze overnight. Skis will be freshly sharpened and waxed so no concerns on that front, but we probably will want to wait a bit before heading over to Western.
I share your frustration with the rain/warmth cycles - glades were looking pretty skiable this weekend but the weather midweek will put a dent in the natural snowpack for sure. I agree with you that trail coverage should be fine, though.
Was over on Lower Shay’s late this morning for the first time this season. Asked a few skiers on the way over how it was-they said it was very firm not as soft as they had hoped. I found it nice having no problem keeping an edge as most of the other skiers who were on it then. It didn’t have any large sections of serious hardpack. Would have taken a few more runs but went over to see a few friends who were competing in the Cupp Run Challenge.
With the new big guns on the lower part of Shay’s it should bounce back over the weekend. After this on/off rain stretch in the first 2 weeks of February we have a chance to get some nice storms to finish out the month. Hopefully that can be carried into March like the dump we received last year.
wgo wrote:
Bonzski wrote:
I always favor getting on Cupp/Shays early before the crowds build (11am) then to SC for short lift lines. Exception is if it was warm the previous day and then deep freeze up overnight, then you have to wait for Cupp to soften.
Unfortunately I think that is exactly the scenario we are looking at this weekend - rain and warmth this friday followed by a freeze overnight. Skis will be freshly sharpened and waxed so no concerns on that front, but we probably will want to wait a bit before heading over to Western.
Friday keeps trending colder, with some percipitation (hopefully mostly snow). I’d look for them to have the guns on Friday through the evening so look for the WT to be pristine Sat morning. Fingers crossed!
Blue Don 1982 wrote:
My buddy texted me from the Boathouse on Saturday around lunch time. Said the lines were the longest he’d ever seen. I looked at the webcams and it was crazy busy. I wonder at what point the large crowds are going to start making people go elsewhere.
Who would want to return next year to stand in line for 30 minutes?
Interesting. We were there the weekend of Jan 25th, which was a terrific weekend. Cold, but not too cold, temps. 4 inches of natural snow (and they got more the following week). Good visibility.
Anyway, even with FFX and Montgomery county schools on long weekends, crowds Fri-Sun weren’t that bad. Western Territory never had a lift line. Ball Hooter, Powder Monkey, and Soaring Eagle lines were about what they usually are (definitely lines, but nothing unusual).
Maybe you just got unlucky?
One other Snowshoe point we were discussing on our trip: Given its positioning as a premium resort (ticket pricing, snow making, lodging costs), when is Snowshoe going to get with the program and install RFID pass readers? It really gets old having them scan the barcode on your epic pass every run, and I would think the lifties hate it too…
Reisen wrote:
One other Snowshoe point we were discussing on our trip: Given its positioning as a premium resort (ticket pricing, snow making, lodging costs), when is Snowshoe going to get with the program and install RFID pass readers? It really gets old having them scan the barcode on your epic pass every run, and I would think the lifties hate it too…
Is there anything else that you think Snowshoe should spend a couple of million dollars on besides RFID? That’s about the price tag from what I’ve heard at other destination resorts. Although in the last 4-5 years, several well known ski resorts in the northeast have moved to RFID, including Killington.
Snowbird was very late converting to RFID. Opted to build the Summit Lodge before installing RFID gates and the systems connected to that.
I would absolutely prefer RFID gates at Snowshoe, but it’s not clear to me that’s the best use of funds. It’s possible the costs of RFID are different at a resort like Snowshoe where you enter at the top of the mountain and complete a run before getting on a lift. At places like Snowbird, they don’t have RFID gates at every lift; they strategically place the RFID gates at lifts you have to use to get to other parts of the mountain (e.g., the tram, Gadzoom at Snowbird). I wonder if the cost is higher at a place like Snowshoe because they’d need to have more complete RFID coverage (or, alternatively, accept the fact that a move to RFID would make it easier for folks to ski without a lift ticket).
dwm8a wrote:
I would absolutely prefer RFID gates at Snowshoe, but it’s not clear to me that’s the best use of funds. It’s possible the costs of RFID are different at a resort like Snowshoe where you enter at the top of the mountain and complete a run before getting on a lift. At places like Snowbird, they don’t have RFID gates at every lift; they strategically place the RFID gates at lifts you have to use to get to other parts of the mountain (e.g., the tram, Gadzoom at Snowbird). I wonder if the cost is higher at a place like Snowshoe because they’d need to have more complete RFID coverage (or, alternatively, accept the fact that a move to RFID would make it easier for folks to ski without a lift ticket).
Also, not sure if it is an issue, but would having a massive RFID system in the radio quiet zone even be allowed?
Reisen wrote:
Interesting. We were there the weekend of Jan 25th, which was a terrific weekend. Cold, but not too cold, temps. 4 inches of natural snow (and they got more the following week). Good visibility.
Anyway, even with FFX and Montgomery county schools on long weekends, crowds Fri-Sun weren’t that bad. Western Territory never had a lift line. Ball Hooter, Powder Monkey, and Soaring Eagle lines were about what they usually are (definitely lines, but nothing unusual).
Maybe you just got unlucky?
What was the weather forecast in the days leading up to the weekend of Jan 25? If rain/mixed precip was predicted it might have scared off some people. Not everyone adheres to the “never cancel a ski trip due to a weather forecast” guideline.
marzNC wrote:
Reisen wrote:
One other Snowshoe point we were discussing on our trip: Given its positioning as a premium resort (ticket pricing, snow making, lodging costs), when is Snowshoe going to get with the program and install RFID pass readers? It really gets old having them scan the barcode on your epic pass every run, and I would think the lifties hate it too…
Is there anything else that you think Snowshoe should spend a couple of million dollars on besides RFID? That’s about the price tag from what I’ve heard at other destination resorts. Although in the last 4-5 years, several well known ski resorts in the northeast have moved to RFID, including Killington.
Snowbird was very late converting to RFID. Opted to build the Summit Lodge before installing RFID gates and the systems connected to that.
There are 2 parts to Vail’s RFID implementation. The liftys still scan each skier/rider at the same key portal access lifts as before. The other part is every lift has a pass-thru scanner that records your access to that lift. This is data is used by the EpicMix ecosystem and of course by Vail’s buisiness/customer analytics, but not to determine if you’re pass is valid. The pass-thru reader’s are not perfect…I noticed several instances where it missed me. I don’t believe liftys scanning with rfid is much more effecient than barcode, it might seem that way because you don’t have to fumble for your pass but you’re often standing there regardless.
marzNC wrote:
Reisen wrote:
One other Snowshoe point we were discussing on our trip: Given its positioning as a premium resort (ticket pricing, snow making, lodging costs), when is Snowshoe going to get with the program and install RFID pass readers? It really gets old having them scan the barcode on your epic pass every run, and I would think the lifties hate it too…
Is there anything else that you think Snowshoe should spend a couple of million dollars on besides RFID? That’s about the price tag from what I’ve heard at other destination resorts. Although in the last 4-5 years, several well known ski resorts in the northeast have moved to RFID, including Killington.
Snowbird was very late converting to RFID. Opted to build the Summit Lodge before installing RFID gates and the systems connected to that.
I would be pretty surprised if it costs $2M+ to convert to RFID scanners at Snowshoe. Maybe RFID gates, but I don’t necessarily think Snowshoe needs that; just the handheld scanners. Remember, RFID technology is in place in millions of POS terminals at places like gas stations, vending machines, etc. Further, the Ikon Passes already have the chips, which is one of the main costs. For just the handheld scanners, you should be looking at maybe $2k per scanner. They could do the whole mountain for $100k.
In terms of why RFID handheld scanners instead of bar codes, the benefits to me are pretty obvious (and I was using RFID passes in Europe in the 1990s). Not having to have a pass flapping in the wind, not having to fumble with turning it around for the lifty, and having it secure in a pass pocket should you fall.
It’s proven technology that is, at this point, pretty widely adopted. I have to think it’s not a matter of if but when for Snowshoe. The quiet zone is an interesting idea, but the power on these things is so low, especially compared to cell service or wifi (both of which operate in parts of the resort).
wgo wrote:
Reisen wrote:
Interesting. We were there the weekend of Jan 25th, which was a terrific weekend. Cold, but not too cold, temps. 4 inches of natural snow (and they got more the following week). Good visibility.
Anyway, even with FFX and Montgomery county schools on long weekends, crowds Fri-Sun weren’t that bad. Western Territory never had a lift line. Ball Hooter, Powder Monkey, and Soaring Eagle lines were about what they usually are (definitely lines, but nothing unusual).
Maybe you just got unlucky?
What was the weather forecast in the days leading up to the weekend of Jan 25? If rain/mixed precip was predicted it might have scared off some people. Not everyone adheres to the “never cancel a ski trip due to a weather forecast” guideline.
I think the forecast was good (ie. cold), but they might have gotten some mixed precip earlier in the week (I arrived Thurs night, and there was 3 inches of fresh snow on the ground). It is possible people were scared off by the warm first half of January, though.
Shotmaker wrote:
Lower Shay’s and Upper Shay’s were fantastic today!
They were great! Sunday was such a good day. Saturday was fun too, but many areas with exposed hardpack that you had to be aware of. Trails had softened up nicely by Sunday.
wgo wrote:
Shotmaker wrote:
Lower Shay’s and Upper Shay’s were fantastic today!
They were great! Sunday was such a good day. Saturday was fun too, but many areas with exposed hardpack that you had to be aware of. Trails had softened up nicely by Sunday.
I sampled U/L Shays Sat & Sun afternoons. I favored Saturday, skiers right on upper then left on lower (under the guns). Besides making snow with great texture, I noticed the new stick guns on Cupp are very quiet.
From SS via email
| THE 2019/20 RIDICULOUS PASS SALE |
| From March 5 - 14, 2019 the Snowshoe Ridiculous Pass Sale is only $259. Here’s your chance to get the absolute lowest price of the year! Don’t miss your chance for Snowshoe’s glorious terrain and at the best price. Prices go up to $459 after sale! |
| SAVE THE DATE |
| Sale begins March 5th |
We spent President’s Day weekend at SS with a couple of families (including some DCSkiers).
Saturday was an 8/10 day. Snowshoe’s base had been depleted from recent rains, but they blew overnight Friday, and the sun was shining. Most runs had only 1/2 coverage, the rest was grass / rocks. However, Widowmaker skied very well. Ballhooter had maybe the longest line I can remembers seeing:
Sunday, unfortunately, was not as good. The morning started off with a light freezing rain that seemed to cause problems with Western Express. The lift closed around 10:30am (just as I was getting there), and remains closed. I heard today that it may be down for several weeks.
I suspect, as a precaution, the other detachable lifts were taken down. That meant on the Sunday of President’s day, Ballhooter was down for several hours (approx 10:30am-1pm), along with Soaring Eagle (10:30am-1:30pm). That meant the only lifts operating at Snowshoe proper were Grabhammer, Powder Monkey, and Powder Ridge. Here was what those lifts’ lines looked like:
I have never been happier having Primo. Dozens of people walked up from the bottom to top of Powder Monkey, and looked exhausted coming up the side of Choker. Again, Widowmaker was the place to be
Finally, this morning (Monday), Western Express remained down, and Powder Monkey and Grabhammer were both closed early with some kind of issues (they got Powder Monkey up by maybe 10am). It absolutely poured rain last night, but SS did a great job blowing early, and had tons of guns going on the mountain. We skied from 9am to noon, then drove back.
Those are some long lines…maybe I should start carrying around my mountain goat ski tote with me when I am at Snowshoe in case I feel the need to hike uphill…
Per the SS ski report page the WT trails are open - maybe they already addressed the issues with the WT lift?
EDIT: the Arbuckle’s can at https://go2snowshoe.com/cams/ shows the lift working and people loading. So that’s good news.
