Administrator's note: This topic grew out of another. Tony's comments grew out of an explanation of what happened to Killington's opening day snowpack located here.
Thanks for the helpful and detailed explanation.
I would guess that the normal winter weather at Big Bear nearly half the time is warm days but at least a few hours of snowmaking at night. They stay in "maintenance mode" in this typical scenario. In November-January new terrain opens up usually only when they get 24-hour snowmaking, or the rare substantial storm like a year ago.
I also have observed that snow preserves better in low humidity than high humidity. Baldy gets a marine layer cloud/fog frequently in the afternoons that almost never gets as far inland as Big Bear. A related factor that I observe at Mammoth is that its chronic wind tends to result in snow sublimating directly into the atmosphere on some spring days, leaving the snow surface dry instead of forming a typical wet/slushy layer. I've had an occasional calm April day at Mammoth and noticed a much swifter transition to spring conditions than normal.
New England does not often have the "cold air behind the storm" weather that is almost automatic here. It does make me wonder how Killington ever managed to open in October in the old days. Part of it was probably Upper Cascade/mid-station loading setup. Any opinions whether Glades/Canyon are still skiable now if there were a way to transport to them?
Thanks for the helpful and detailed explanation.
I would guess that the normal winter weather at Big Bear nearly half the time is warm days but at least a few hours of snowmaking at night. They stay in "maintenance mode" in this typical scenario. In November-January new terrain opens up usually only when they get 24-hour snowmaking, or the rare substantial storm like a year ago.
I also have observed that snow preserves better in low humidity than high humidity. Baldy gets a marine layer cloud/fog frequently in the afternoons that almost never gets as far inland as Big Bear. A related factor that I observe at Mammoth is that its chronic wind tends to result in snow sublimating directly into the atmosphere on some spring days, leaving the snow surface dry instead of forming a typical wet/slushy layer. I've had an occasional calm April day at Mammoth and noticed a much swifter transition to spring conditions than normal.
New England does not often have the "cold air behind the storm" weather that is almost automatic here. It does make me wonder how Killington ever managed to open in October in the old days. Part of it was probably Upper Cascade/mid-station loading setup. Any opinions whether Glades/Canyon are still skiable now if there were a way to transport to them?