Just to show how the big resorts take advantage of snowmaking, pics show Trockener Steg at Zermatt last Weds and Thurs. Taking advantage of the cold snap, overnight they've covered the boulders and rocks, and opened the piste down off the glacier, allowing them to open the quad chair in the background, and offer a 3000' vertical down from Klein Matterhorn, and 1500' from Furggsattel. Weather forcast for this coming weekend is sunny, so I'm off on Friday night - good old easyjet !

Attachments: trsteg3.gif (65kB)   trsteg4.gif (57kB)  

Has the lecht released a new piste map with the location of snow cannons? i havent seen this map before, it seems to have the postions of the cannons on now. 17 in total so they must have bought some more like sum 1 else said earlier in this topic.

well done the lecht on this, at least they are heading in the right direction now

[www.lecht.co.uk]

Hollisk,

I don't think that means they have 17 cannon. I take it to mean that those are the places they can reach from their hydrants.

are you going with a group Hipennine ?
as i know the telemarkski co - john & Bonny, who I ski with will be there around then
I went to Zermatt week before christmas last year
snowmaking and natural snow down to village level on piste, but offpiste was very poor and dangerous too many rocks

There's a couple of intersting photos of the snow cannons firing at Les Deux Alpes about half way down this thread on Snowheads - no 'real' snow at all on the pistes shown.

I'll be interested to see when The Lecht fire theirs up, I'd guess temperatures have been okay to run them over the last few days so the decision must be operational I'd presume.

The Lecht were working on leveling out a raised track on the wren tow area this afternoon so looks as if they are trying to get the magic carpet in there. Eagle, Grouse and Buzzard tows have the hangers and buttons on and look ready to rock.

Telemarker,

Was there last weekend. Skiable from K.Matterhorn to Trockener Steg, and Furgsattel 6 pack open.

Unfortunately mega wind on Sunday closed down the mountain about 10 am, and had to come down. The lift company refunded everybody 1 day's lift pass in cash, even tho about 2500 people had already been out on the hill !

Interesting to note that the snowmakers have already created a run from Gornergrat down to Riffelberg, tho not operational yet. Also noted many ribbons of white on green (well yellowy-brown) alps all along the Rhone valley, down to about 1600m. Late Sunday afternoon, the snow line of the real stuff was down to about 1500m on north side of the rhone, but at over 2000m on south side.

With all this snow at the moment in the highlands, this is when snow-making would be effective in building up a base

^ Yup, a point, amongst others, I feel that will need to be made firmly on the 9th of December.

A day of great snowmaking conditions this would have been on the 'Gorm. Its currently -5°c at the summit with a RH humidity of 35%. Could be topping up the Top or blastings now onto the lower parts of the middle runs and Gunbarrel to build up the base and get the middle runs from marginal low down to good.

Somebody emailed me saying snowmaking could never happen so it's stupid to discuss or speculate about it's potential. Disagree, by discussing it esp at times when it could be used we'll help get an idea of it's potential. Already this season quite a substantial benfit could have been gained by early base building, and the season would be several weeks old. We do need more data though.

Killington on the east coast opens tomorrow, 16 pistes, 7 lifts from 167 snowcannons !!!

alan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Already this season
> quite a substantial benfit could have been gained
> by early base building, and the season would be
> several weeks old. We do need more data though.

Another point worth pushing with BK on the 9th methinks

boardup Wrote:
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> Killington on the east coast opens tomorrow, 16
> pistes, 7 lifts from 167 snowcannons !!!

Have been keeping taps on that. I'm off there in January

roga Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> alan Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Already this season
> > quite a substantial benfit could have been
> gained
> > by early base building, and the season would
> be
> > several weeks old. We do need more data
> though.
>
> Another point worth pushing with BK on the 9th
> methinks

Don't be silly! Killington WANT to make money from snowsports.

William Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Don't be silly! Killington WANT to make money from
> snowsports.

You made me guffaw William!