I just called the resort and received an update. The resort opened today with 5 trails, but only 1 down from the top--Upper White Lightning (black). As of 9:30 am today, it was snowing on the mountain and the mountain expects more snow througout the day and tonight. As soon as temps hit the 20s, Timberline will resume snowmaking. They would not say if they will be able to open more terrain by Saturday, but I know from past experience that their next priority is to open Salamander, a 2.5 mile green trail from the summit and that trail demands a lot of snow. After Salamander, the priority shifts to upper Dew Drop (blue) followed by upper Almost Heaven (blue).

[This message has been edited by johnfmh (edited 12-11-2003).]

I heard that their new lift is in fact not operational because they haven't received the chairs yet. Is that true?

The weather looks hopeful for snowmaking and natural snow across the region for the next few days - possibility of a snowstorm Saturday night and Sunday.

It would be nice of they graded Salamaner a bit to get rid of that flat area towards the bottom...

I just called them and they expect to be making snow today around noon. According to the snow report which is fixed now they are making Salamander the priority. I hope this "storm" on sunday will help accellerate this process.

According to the website the chairs are not yet there yet.

hahaha.

Gatsinko: I thought you typed "Gladed" instead of "Graded". I almost lost it. Imagine Adding Glades to Salamander. Might as well add a triage center while your at it.

I will sorta miss those Darth Vader chairs, especially on the cold days.

On the topic of Salamander, although they didn't change the slope of the trail, I think they put in some new pipes and did some work to improve drainage over there. It should help relieve some of the undercutting of the snowpack when spring rolls around. If you haven't been there in the spring, Salamander's base tended to start to collapse from underneath in a few extra wet areas when runoff and melt increased.

Timberline is reporting a base depth of 24-40. That's pretty healthy given the rain.
Someone on the road in Davis just called me and reported 4 inches on the ground and we may get another 3 tonight before this snow ends. If Timberline can get Salamander and Upper Dew Drop opened by Sat., it could have be A OK this weekend. The icing on the cake is more snow for Sunday.

[This message has been edited by johnfmh (edited 12-11-2003).]

I'd be happy to ride White Lightning all weekend, as long as there's fresh snow... some opening weekend powder would be very nice. And it sure won't be crowded, everybody goes to Snowshoe early-season.

>I'd be happy to ride White Lightning all weekend, as long as there's fresh snow...

YES! That's all I want for Christmas--just a little fresh snow at Timberline....

They opened the day after a severe rainstorm??

Johnfmh, Is that base average for Timberline at this early in the season?

I just talked to my wife and she said it was snowing pretty hard up there now so it looks like they will get at least a little help from Ma Nature.

>I heard that their new lift is in fact not operational because they haven't received the chairs yet. Is that true?

Hey Mitch:

It's not a new lift: it's Silver Queen with new chairs. Timberline's web site reported that the new chairs have not arrived, but as far as I know, the lift itself is still functional.

>Johnfmh, Is that base average for Timberline at this early in the season?

Yes, it is but is has less to do with weather and everything to do with how Timberline makes snow. Timberline puts down a bigger base on their slopes than their competitors. The resort claims they do this to protect their skier's equipment, but it's also a cost saving move (the resort is not as wealthy as some of its corporate competitors). A big initial base often spares the resort from having to re-coat slopes after thaws. This is one reason why it takes Timberline so long to open terrain. However, the flip side of the coin is that once terrain opens at Timberline, it generally stays open. If the resort can get 3 top to bottom trails open this weekend, it will be offering some of the best skiing in the region. Remember folks, these trails all cover 1,000 feet of vert. That's big for the Mid-Atlantic.

[This message has been edited by johnfmh (edited 12-12-2003).]