Colder Temperatures, Pushing Snow and Welcoming the UNM Ski Team
ORIGINAL POST
I just got done pushing snow down at the base area and thought I’d give you all an update on today’s snow conditions. Last night, conditions were originally forecasted to be marginal at best—but when I woke up in the middle of the night and checked the thermometer, the air temperature had dropped to 27.7 degrees and the wet bulb was reading at 24 degrees! The freezing temperatures mixed with low humidity made for unexpectedly ideal snowmaking conditions, so we ended up blowing snow from just before 5am up until 9am. It was basically like gaining a whole extra night of snowmaking!
Although we’ve been making a ton of snow and pushing out really huge piles, we’re currently working on patching up a thin spot on the middle of Thumper, right along Lift 5. Last night we had three guns blowing just on that spot, and tonight our plan is to focus all five guns on it, depending on wind conditions. With temperatures forecasted to continue to drop tonight and tomorrow, our mountain operations team is optimistic we’ll be able to touch up some of these thinner areas. That being said, there is a chance Sipapu may not be able to open all of its runs on Saturday.
We are also excited to welcome the University of New Mexico’s Ski Team to Sipapu this Sunday and Monday. The college’s top skiers will be here, setting up gates to begin this season’s race training. We are proud to have both the Santa Fe and the University of New Mexico Ski teams training exclusively at Sipapu this year!
As always, stay up-to-date with our resort conditions and updates by watching our live mountain cam and checking our website daily. Follow Sipapu on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and of course, make sure to follow our snowmaking progress via this blog!
Happy trails!
PUBLISHED POST
I just got done pushing snow down at the base area and thought I’d give you all an update on today’s snow conditions. Last night, temperatures were originally forecasted to be marginal at best—but when I checked the thermometer around 4:00 this morning, the air temperature had dropped to 27.7 degrees and the wet bulb was reading at 24 degrees! The freezing temperatures mixed with low humidity made for unexpected snowmaking conditions, so I ended up blowing snow from just before 5am up until 9am. I’m really pleased the forecast was incorrect and we were able to have a bonus night of snowmaking!
Practice Slope. Photo Cred: Brian Martinez
Although we’ve been making a ton of snow and pushing out piles with the snowcat, we’re currently concentrating our efforts on patching up a thin spot on the middle of Thumper, right along Lift 5. Last night I had three guns focused on beefing up the snow in that spot, and tonight my plan is to focus five guns on that spot. With temperatures forecasted to drop substantially tonight and tomorrow, the mountain operations team is optimistic we’ll be able to supplement the snow in some of the thinner areas.
Here’s how the base area looked after I finished pushing snow piles out this morning. Photo Cred: Brian Martinez
We are also excited to welcome the University of New Mexico’s Ski Team to Sipapu this Sunday and Monday. The college’s top skiers will be here, setting up gates to begin this season’s race training. We are very proud to have both the Santa Fe and the University of New Mexico ski teams training at Sipapu this year! As always, stay up-to-date with our resort conditions and updates by watching our live mountain cam and checking our website daily. Follow Sipapu on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and of course, make sure to follow our snowmaking progress via this blog! Happy trails!
