Killington 2022-3 Thread

joshua_segal

The photo shown was from a screen shot from the North Ridge Webcam at Killington.

Notice: Snow guns deployed with hoses! It's almost here!

newpylong

They have been out for a couple weeks now.

Here is a nice podcast with the new snowmaking manager and Solimano for a bit at the end: https://4241stories.killington.com/podcast

obienick

I saw pics of guns out a couple weeks back. This is the first pic I’ve seen with hoses.

They *might* have brief windows to blow mice out over the next two nights. Depends how bold they want to go. I’d want to pressure test all those new valve stations ASAP.

9/23 AM might *just* dip to snowmaking conditions. Temp marginal. RH very poor.

9/23 PM to 9/24 AM they *might* get up to 6 hours of very very marginal conditions (lowest WB looking to be 27 at the summit).

Lots of warmer days and reservoir filling precipitation over the following few days.

DrJeff

Hoses out this time of the year isn't exactly that notable of a thing. Heck, you can see that Mount Snow has started putting them out for the season on the Carinthia cam where there's 1 hanging on the fan gun near the base lift terminal and another hanging on the HKD tower gun at the base/junction of Nitro and The Junkyard currently

conrad

Chance of snow showers tonight:
https://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lon=-72.81948566436766&lat=43.6077306135503

joshua_segal

With sub-freezing temps almost every night this week, I would have expected Killington's guns not only to be lit up, but perhaps even have opened - but alas; it is no longer the 1990s. The hosed-up snowgun shown in the opening to this thread looks the same today as it looked then :-(

DrJeff

joshua_segal;c-57296 wroteWith sub-freezing temps almost every night this week, I would have expected Killington's guns not only to be lit up, but perhaps even have opened - but alas; it is no longer the 1990s. The hosed-up snowgun shown in the opening to this thread looks the same today as it looked then :-(

My hunch is that after we get through the liquid event the next few days and then a couple of warmer days ahead of this coming weekend, then they fire the system up as the weather next week looks, while not "cold", much more seasonable and likely dry, which certainly will give whatever they may produce a more favorable chance of sticking around.

It still is "only" October 4th afterall ;) And at times one still has to be a realist over an all out, no holds barred, optomist, which can then often lead to one turning into a cranky conspiracy theory crummedgeon :D

joshua_segal

DrJeff;c-57297 wrote
joshua_segal;c-57296 wroteWith sub-freezing temps almost every night this week, I would have expected Killington's guns not only to be lit up, but perhaps even have opened - but alas; it is no longer the 1990s. The hosed-up snowgun shown in the opening to this thread looks the same today as it looked then :-(
My hunch is that after we get through the liquid event the next few days and then a couple of warmer days ahead of this coming weekend, then they fire the system up as the weather next week looks, while not "cold", much more seasonable and likely dry, which certainly will give whatever they may produce a more favorable chance of sticking around.

It still is "only" October 4th after all ;) And at times one still has to be a realist over an all-out, no holds barred, optimist, which can then often lead to one turning into a cranky conspiracy theory curmudgeon :D

My hunch is: You are right!!!

slatham

joshua_segal;c-57296 wroteWith sub-freezing temps almost every night this week, I would have expected Killington's guns not only to be lit up, but perhaps even have opened - but alas; it is no longer the 1990s. The hosed-up snowgun shown in the opening to this thread looks the same today as it looked then :-(

Hey Joshua. Where are you seeing this? I haven't found a good weather station for Killington @elevation, and the Mt Mansfield data doesn't show below freezing these past several days.

Forecast models do show some cold Friday night through (maybe) Sunday morning, if you assume 850mb temps are a good proxy for North Ridge. 925 temps look like just Friday night, and only on GFS - Euro not as cold. But hopefully cold enough to go for it. Maybe more coming the following week but thats getting a bit too far out to have confidence in the models.

newpylong

joshua_segal;c-57296 wroteWith sub-freezing temps almost every night this week, I would have expected Killington's guns not only to be lit up, but perhaps even have opened - but alas; it is no longer the 1990s. The hosed-up snowgun shown in the opening to this thread looks the same today as it looked then :-(

Me thinks you need a new weather source. It hasn't and won't drop to snowmaking temps until the weekend. Even then is looking worse by the minute.

joshua_segal

newpylong;c-57306 wrote
joshua_segal;c-57296 wroteWith sub-freezing temps almost every night this week, I would have expected Killington's guns not only to be lit up, but perhaps even have opened - but alas; it is no longer the 1990s. The hosed-up snowgun shown in the opening to this thread looks the same today as it looked then :-(
Me thinks you need a new weather source. It hasn't and won't drop to snowmaking temps until the weekend. Even then is looking worse by the minute.

When I wrote it, the current temp at the base was 26, which should translate to 20 to 23 in the North Ridge. It was also showing overnight lows in the high 20s for most of that week, which should translate to "wet bulb " in the North Ridge. That was the basis of my comment. This week, nothing below 30.

DrJeff

joshua_segal;c-57333 wrote
newpylong;c-57306 wrote
joshua_segal;c-57296 wroteWith sub-freezing temps almost every night this week, I would have expected Killington's guns not only to be lit up, but perhaps even have opened - but alas; it is no longer the 1990s. The hosed-up snowgun shown in the opening to this thread looks the same today as it looked then :-(
Me thinks you need a new weather source. It hasn't and won't drop to snowmaking temps until the weekend. Even then is looking worse by the minute.
When I wrote it, the current temp at the base was 26, which should translate to 20 to 23 in the North Ridge. It was also showing overnight lows in the high 20s for most of that week, which should translate to "wet bulb " in the North Ridge. That was the basis of my comment. This week, nothing below 30.

This time of year, that notion that an increase in elevation will translate into a decrease in temperature, isn't always the case, as often as we head into Fall, you will find that temperature inversions can be quite prevalent, where the colder air "sinks" into the valley locations (it's slightly denser) so as while it may be 26 at the base, it very well could be 36 up at elevation, and often when the temp gets to just below freezing, the dew point is very close, so that isn't always favorable for getting a better wetbulb temp as well

lotsoskiing

DrJeff;c-57338 wrote
joshua_segal;c-57333 wrote
newpylong;c-57306 wrote
joshua_segal;c-57296 wroteWith sub-freezing temps almost every night this week, I would have expected Killington's guns not only to be lit up, but perhaps even have opened - but alas; it is no longer the 1990s. The hosed-up snowgun shown in the opening to this thread looks the same today as it looked then :-(
Me thinks you need a new weather source. It hasn't and won't drop to snowmaking temps until the weekend. Even then is looking worse by the minute.
When I wrote it, the current temp at the base was 26, which should translate to 20 to 23 in the North Ridge. It was also showing overnight lows in the high 20s for most of that week, which should translate to "wet bulb " in the North Ridge. That was the basis of my comment. This week, nothing below 30.
This time of year, that notion that an increase in elevation will translate into a decrease in temperature, isn't always the case, as often as we head into Fall, you will find that temperature inversions can be quite prevalent, where the colder air "sinks" into the valley locations (it's slightly denser) so as while it may be 26 at the base, it very well could be 36 up at elevation, and often when the temp gets to just below freezing, the dew point is very close, so that isn't always favorable for getting a better wetbulb temp as well

Hard frost here in CVT on Monday (I think), temps in 20's. WCAX had Mt Washington summit at something like 41 degrees. Inversions do happen

slatham

I think Joshua knows all this, he just had a momentary lapse, probably based on the excitement of seeing cold temps!

I do wish Killington made its summit weather station data publicly available. While Mt Mansfield is a good proxy (especially when triangulated with Sugarbush and Stratton) there’s nothing like data from the site in question.

newpylong

joshua_segal;c-57333 wrote
newpylong;c-57306 wrote
joshua_segal;c-57296 wroteWith sub-freezing temps almost every night this week, I would have expected Killington's guns not only to be lit up, but perhaps even have opened - but alas; it is no longer the 1990s. The hosed-up snowgun shown in the opening to this thread looks the same today as it looked then :-(
Me thinks you need a new weather source. It hasn't and won't drop to snowmaking temps until the weekend. Even then is looking worse by the minute.
When I wrote it, the current temp at the base was 26, which should translate to 20 to 23 in the North Ridge. It was also showing overnight lows in the high 20s for most of that week, which should translate to "wet bulb " in the North Ridge. That was the basis of my comment. This week, nothing below 30.

Exactly, it was nowhere near those temps at the base or summit nor did the forecast ever show any 20s outside of this weekend coming up at the summit. Not only do I have access to data from the Superstar WX stations but I live only a couple towns to the east.

slatham

newpylong;c-57345 wrote
joshua_segal;c-57333 wrote
newpylong;c-57306 wrote
joshua_segal;c-57296 wroteWith sub-freezing temps almost every night this week, I would have expected Killington's guns not only to be lit up, but perhaps even have opened - but alas; it is no longer the 1990s. The hosed-up snowgun shown in the opening to this thread looks the same today as it looked then :-(
Me thinks you need a new weather source. It hasn't and won't drop to snowmaking temps until the weekend. Even then is looking worse by the minute.
When I wrote it, the current temp at the base was 26, which should translate to 20 to 23 in the North Ridge. It was also showing overnight lows in the high 20s for most of that week, which should translate to "wet bulb " in the North Ridge. That was the basis of my comment. This week, nothing below 30.
Exactly, it was nowhere near those temps at the base or summit nor did the forecast ever show any 20s outside of this weekend coming up at the summit. Not only do I have access to data from the Superstar WX stations but I live only a couple towns to the east.

Uh, yo dude, share the wealth. 4 stations on SS. How about access to top and bottom?

Although that’s still not summit……..

newpylong

Not on the computer I have to pick up the phone to get it... summit is easily inferred by top of Skye Peak readings.

They're still eyeing charging Saturday AM in the wee hours if the forecast looks good.

joshua_segal

After last weekend's one-night effort to put snow on the North Ridge, there has been no second night, and most of what they made has melted away.

Given that reality, I was surprised to see video of the snowmaking yesterday (10/11/22) on the local news in the greater Boston area. So, at the very least, they got some free advertising for their effort.

lotsoskiing

Given that reality, I was surprised to see video of the snowmaking yesterday (10/11/22) on the local news in the greater Boston area. So, at the very least, they got some free advertising for their effort.

Bingo. Worth the expense to make what has by now melted away

newpylong

Worth it for the on the job training these early season sessions provide too.