First Day of Snowmaking & Opening Day Update
- Nov 11, 2016
- 2 min read
Originally published on Wednesday Nov. 9, 2016.
Although we had a successful first morning of snowmaking today, we have made the difficult decision to delay Sipapu’s opening, which was originally scheduled for Nov. 12. I am hopeful we will be able to open Saturday, Nov. 19. I’m as eager to hit the slopes as you are! Sipapu is still on target to be the first resort to open in New Mexico, and with a season that extends into the second week of April, it has the longest season in the state.
We fired up the snow guns for the first time this season!
Even though we’re having to push opening day a bit, we’re still forecasted to have an amazing ski season. We do not see a correlation between a warm October/early November and future snowfall or season-long snow conditions. We’ve experienced previous seasons that had plenty of early snow and other seasons when winter weather was slow to materialize but it ended up being a fantastic season. With the help of Mother Nature, coupled with our sophisticated snowmaking system, we will be able to provide a great ski season for our guests. Winter is on its way, and we’re confident it’s going to be a fantastic year!This summer, Sipapu added new snowmaking infrastructure to maintain our motto, "first to open, last to close." These improvements will allow Sipapu's mountain team to cover the slopes with more snow in less time. We are eager to continue putting our advanced snowmaking system to work! Stay tuned to our snow report for more information. Temperatures are expected to drop below freezing tonight, and we are ready to run most or all guns in our fleet. Thanks to our new system, we’ll be able to push out 1,000 gallons of water per minute- this is over three times our previous pumping capacity! We’ll also be able to make up ground by commissioning our pump tonight, thus tripling snow output.
All guns are in place on the mountain!
With the delay in snowmaking, we’ve been able to put the finishing touches on the Howdy Extension revegetation. Revegetation is the process of replanting and rebuilding soil. This essentially does three things: stabilizes the soil, mitigates erosion and helps achieve root control. The extra time has allowed the crew to perfect the trail. I can’t wait to experience Howdy covered in fresh powder!
Snowmaking began this morning, November 9. As our team prepares the mountain for opening day, we will be sure to keep you posted. Check our website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram regularly for the latest information on opening day. If you have additional questions, feel free to call 800-587-2240. Passes will be issued daily Nov. 18th from 9am to 3pm. From Nov. 19th on we will issue passes from 8am to 4pm daily. See you on the mountain!
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