checking today's snow report Seven Springs has 13 trails where Snowshoe has 55 they must have a pretty impressive snowmaking system also

Question: I was at whitetail yesterday and did Angel's Drop late in the afternoon around 6:45. It seemed like all moguls and drifts to me. A friend said he skiied it earlier in the day and it was filled with grass patches. We arrived there at around 4PM. Is it logistically and physically possible that snow was made between when he made the run and I made the run?

Donna

drifts??? moguls probably but im not sure what you mean by drifts. manmade snow shouldnt drift at all. its possible for snow to be made in a short period if temps and wind are right. i thougth whitetail groomed at midday, but they might not do that anymore.

Whitetail stopped the mid-day grooming runs a few years ago. It was a nice luxury when snow conditions were very good the first several years Whitetail was open. But grooming = lost snow (each time you groom, you lose some base), and it also costs money. Since the past few seasons haven't delivered ample amounts of snow to area resorts, I think this practice was discontinued.

However, I believe Whitetail was making snow in the morning and kept the guns going as long as they could. After that, they probably made a grooming run. (Snowmaking by itself isn't too useful unless it's immediately followed by grooming; the snowmaking machines tend to make "clumps" of snow that must then be smoothed out over the surface of the slope.) So that probably explains why there were grassy spots in the morning (while snowmaking was still underway) and why they disappeared in the evening.

- Scott

What mountain in your opinion has the best snowmaking system? If you read their web sites or their brouchures they all say things such as "World's most efficient" "Award winning" "World's largest".

My home mountain is Seven Springs so I can only speak to theirs. I know for a fact that they can turn on 400 HKD guns and numerous Omicron ground guns at once. (They very rarely use fan jet guns.) They have a 100 million gallon lake with 80 feeder lakes. Given the right conditions they can pump out a foot of snow in 24 hours over most of the mountain. They have the advantage of having stationary guns and do not have to move lines and guns to make snow on different slopes.

What is it like at other mountains? Just curious.

springs sound pretty impressive and probably the best ive seen. those hkd guns produce some really good snow compared to air waters or fan guns. the worst ive seen is whitetail. its totally laid out wrong for the mountain. guns on the east side of the trails when the predominant wind is from the west.

Which mtn has the best snowmaking...interesting topic. All the mid-atlantic resorts seem to be pretty good at it now, but I have to agree that Seven Springs has a killer set-up. They go way back (1950's?) as a national leader in that dept. More recently, they were the first I remember to install permanent snow making, around 15 or 20 years ago? I think Bryce has those street-light type apparatus too, but far fewer slopes to tend to. Liberty might be best of those closer to DC. No doubt Snowshoe great at snowmaking too, over extensive terrain, but hard to compare to Seven Springs. Snowshoe gets more natural and holds it well. Like Netskier says, not only do you need the guns, but also access to lots of water. I understand in Vermont some of the areas are hurting extra bad this winter, not only because of warm temps, but because drought conditions from last summer and fall meant little water to use during the rare cold spells good enough for snowmaking. Massanutten and Wintergreen do amazingly well for their southern locations. I think the average daytime winter temperature at those two places has got to be notably warmer than the ski areas in WV and western PA.

Winterplace, Wv. Over 183+ tower fan guns -- no one has this many (on a mountain this small).

Hello GiantLeap, do you know if Winterplace has any steep slopes to compare with Shays Revenge at Snowshoe? Thanks

hey guys, as far as I can remember, winterplace has some nice steeps, but not as good at shays and cupp. a little bit close to widowmaker, but in my oppinion not as good at winterplace. yes winterplace boasts the "best" snowmaking, but last time i went skiing my reservations were at winterplace. granted it was march, but winterplace was half closed and this was their last open day--i skiied for free and took my money up to snowshoe, where everything was open and they received eight inches of snow while i was there.

WP has some steep terrain -- most noticeabley the top of Plunge/ Nosedive. Turkey Chute (which has yet to be open this season) also has some steepness to it.

Winterplace does not have long trails, but it is not bad for a quick day trip. I have been skiing there 5 years, still have fun.