WOOT WOOT! Nukin' in Missoula

[Rasputin]

I was bored, feeling cooped up, and also curious, so I ran up to Snowbowl today, to take a look at the progress of the new lift. Though the haul cable is up, the bullwheel is still sitting on the ground, and there doesn't appear to be anything constructed to hang it on. There is still a few weeks to get it done, but will Snowbowl's capacity for discord be the undoing of Sky Trac? Let the hand wringing commence!

[stuckathuntermtn]

Gonna be some amazing work if they get that going this season.
Word is they are looking at actually being able to open before Christmas this year. Around the 9th or 10th. Do your snow dances!

[Iowagriz]

Lookout just posted on social media. Semi pulled in the motor room and they lifted that in place with a crane. Bullwheel on site and next, cable already strung (from what I can tell).

From what I can tell, it appears Snowbowl is in about the same place. Just need a crane and the lift company in place. I'm optimistic it can happen by xmas.

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[Iowagriz]

On queue, Snowbowl just posted a video of them hoisting the motor room in place.

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[406]

^^^cool. Looks like the parked the crane to far away the first lift, ha.

[S_jenks]

This is strange.

Deep in my heart, part of it wants to believe Snowbowl will fail at their chair installation this season (because that's what they tend to do). The other half is rooting for them and garnering hope that they might actually pull this off.

Snowbowl better buy a keg for those workers if they manage to succeed.

[stuckathuntermtn]

This is strange.

Deep in my heart, part of it wants to believe Snowbowl will fail at their chair installation this season (because that's what they tend to do). The other half is rooting for them and garnering hope that they might actually pull this off.

Snowbowl better buy a keg for those workers if they manage to succeed.

Haha, yeah.
Anyway. Costumes for opening day? Trying to get a lot of mileage outta the penguin suit. If someone would come dressed as an orca and chase me around, that would be a grand old time.

[Rasputin]

This is strange.

Deep in my heart, part of it wants to believe Snowbowl will fail at their chair installation this season (because that's what they tend to do). The other half is rooting for them and garnering hope that they might actually pull this off.

Snowbowl better buy a keg for those workers if they manage to succeed.

Yeah, you kinda don't want Snowbowl to ruin their reputation for glacial progress. However it is sort of exciting.

Now that I know where the top terminal is, I find it hilarious, that one must still take the Snow Park lift to get to the top of TV. About half of the East side of TV will not be immediately served by this lift, but it will still knock off around ten minutes per lap, and won't require running down the long cold road, which I like to call "The Jerry Lewis Telethon" (it goes on and on, and is not at all interesting).

I am satisfied however, that it doesn't appear, from S_jenks pic, that they logged the areas I like to ski the most. I'm sad to see how much they logged from the "Sugar Fields" to the boundry line. The boundry line has always been the victim of sun, but the logging will extend that situation over an area that used to be well shaded. The boundry line area is the easiest terrain, which already saw the most traffic on the southern half of TV East.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Yeah, you kinda don't want Snowbowl to ruin their reputation for glacial progress. However it is sort of exciting.

Now that I know where the top terminal is, I find it hilarious, that one must still take the Snow Park lift to get to the top of TV. About half of the East side of TV will not be immediately served by this lift, but it will still knock off around ten minutes per lap, and won't require running down the long cold road, which I like to call "The Jerry Lewis Telethon" (it goes on and on, and is not at all interesting).

I am satisfied however, that it doesn't appear, from S_jenks pic, that they logged the areas I like to ski the most. I'm sad to see how much they logged from the "Sugar Fields" to the boundry line. The boundry line has always been the victim of sun, but the logging will extend that situation over an area that used to be well shaded. The boundry line area is the easiest terrain, which already saw the most traffic on the southern half of TV East.

Oh, I'm definitely using "Jerry Lewis Telethon," that's great.
What is this sun you speak of? What sun do you see from December thru March?

[Rasputin]

Oh, I'm definitely using "Jerry Lewis Telethon," that's great.
What is this sun you speak of? What sun do you see from December thru March?

I used to call it simply "the long cold road" and often " the blast freezer", but they didn't have the TV tie-in.

The dreaded orb in the sky comes out to destroy the snow promptly after every big dump.

The inversion is in place much of most winters, meaning in town is a low overcast sky, and sun on the mountain, only someone who doesn't ski much would think the sun doesn't shine at the Bowl often in the winter. Too much of the winter is bluebird days of looking down on the clouds covering Missoula, while the orb ruins the snow.

[jamal]

fuckin orbs man

went up there today. not bad for mid november, not sure i've ever skied this early tbh. didn't have time to go to lavelle or pt6 but maybe next time i'll leave the house before like 3pm

[stuckathuntermtn]

ORBS!

[Iowagriz]

Shitty zoomed in 100x phone pick. But I had noticed what I thought were lights on the run that would be near the top of the new lift (what is it's name?).

It appears it was burning of slash piles.

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[S_jenks]

Got up again for a one-n-done lap.

More brush burning going on, and it looks like the bottom terminal is fully installed. Still no chairs, but looks promising. The snow guns were also running, and even the snowcats were busy pushing and packing down snow.

Busy bees.







Good views and pleasant turns most of the way down the mountain. Need another good storm or two but the base is primed.

[rick woodson]

Got up again for a one-n-done lap.

More brush burning going on, and it looks like the bottom terminal is fully installed. Still no chairs, but looks promising. The snow guns were also running, and even the snowcats were busy pushing and packing down snow.

Busy bees.







Good views and pleasant turns most of the way down the mountain. Need another good storm or two but the base is primed.

Looking good! Fingers crossed for another deep december like last year.

[RootSkier]

Now that I know where the top terminal is, I find it hilarious, that one must still take the Snow Park lift to get to the top of TV.

Won't you be able to skate for like 2 minutes on a basically flat groomer to get to the top of Snow Park? Sure looks like it, but I haven't been up there so it's not 100% clear to me other than what I can see of the cut liftline.

[406]

Looks like it is about 1200 ft distance. Top elevation looks like about 6660(!). My gps track has snowpark lift topping at 6800. So depends on how you define easy,

[406]

Funny thing is master plan had lift going to top, but a lift between the top and location they ended up going:
https://www.montanasnowbowl.com/Pmdp%20Topo.pdf

Glad there will not be lift towers in middle of sunrise bowl.

[RootSkier]

Yeah but now my little one's favorite run will be the most obvious and traffic-filled way to get to Snow Park. Dang.

[S_jenks]

Maybe a bootpack will form? Looks like an easy couple-minute walk.

[tellybele]

^^Ha!....maybe a few minutes less than the short traverse/hike that we used to do?

[stuckathuntermtn]

Are they doing any clearing in the bowls? There's a lot of close together young trees/saplings (can't really ski through them) filling up where the nice steep rollover is in East Bowl. Tall enough that unless we have an epic year, they block it off. They need to go or be thinned out, IMHO. It's a marked run, so I assume it's NBD with the powers that be.

[Rasputin]

Won't you be able to skate for like 2 minutes on a basically flat groomer to get to the top of Snow Park? Sure looks like it, but I haven't been up there so it's not 100% clear to me other than what I can see of the cut liftline.

I won't be skating uphill, that would be silly. Also, my favorite parts of TV don't require that.

As 406 pointed out, the new lift was initially planned to go to the top, so we could ride the lift and ski from the top.

[stan51]

Are they doing any clearing in the bowls?

There is a volunteer crew that does some clearing and brushing each fall to work off passes. Last year we spent a day opening up West Bowl mostly below the bike trail. This year, we spent a day thinning above the bike trail and got to maybe 100 yards above Gelande ridge. Didn't get to the alder sapling forest on the East Bowl side this year. Last year we got Chicken Chute, A-face, and almost all of the traverse from East Bowl to A-face. Our big projects this year were Mogul Alley, top of Whipped Cream and the bottom half of High Roller.

[SUPERIOR]

^^ as someone who has just eye-fucked Snowbowl in the fall, this place has so much potential. If y’all were getting 300 inch winters or had massive brushing, it would be epic. Good on you for the volunteer work!


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