Quad Chair Update

If you are a skier or snowboarder you know that last season was a tough one.  Searchmont had less snowfall than I can ever remember and that sure resulted in a difficult year with a whole lot of tough decisions.

The toughest was not to make snow on over half of our skiable terrain and not to operate the Quad Chair at Searchmont.

With visitation and revenues suffering due to the late start and lack of snow, the not for profit Searchmont Ski Association Inc. (SSAI) Board was forced to make the decision to ensure the ski areas future.

This season has certainly gotten off to a much better start.  We are wrapping up our snowmaking season this week and expect to have 100% of our skiable terrain open this weekend.  We continue to get great snowmaking temperatures and have experienced more natural snow than we have seen in years.  We are experiencing what can only be called the best conditions in recent memory.

Despite all of the positive momentum this season SSAI is again faced with a difficult decision regarding the Quad Chair. 

In 2006 the Technical Standards and Safety Association (TSSA) and the manufacturer of the lift, Doppelmayr issued a order to replace a part of the lifts sheave wheel (the wheel the cable rides on), the snap ring.  The snap ring in some wheels does not seat properly in a groove in the wheel.

In summary, another ski area had an issue and as a corrective measure Doppelmayr re-machined retaining ring grooves in the sheave wheel or replaced the sheaves but only for a limited time.  In order to have Doppelmayr complete this work, SSAI would have had to remove all of the affected wheels from the lift and ship them to Southern Ontario in the summer of 2007.  For a number of reasons this work could not be completed in the timeline proposed by Doppelmayr.

Since that time the issue has undergone two independent engineering reviews and detailed monitoring of the gaps to ensure that they have not changed or moved.  Application was made to the TSSA to exempt Searchmont from the requirement to repair the rings or sheaves.  These applications have been refused and in the spring of 2012, SSAI was issued an order to have the gaps repaired before the Chair would be allowed to operate. 

Why not just replace the rings and be done with it?  That certainly seems like the easiest approach however estimates to complete this work have exceeded $40,000.  In preparation for this season the decision was made to focus our attention on the other lifts and get them ready for the season and to re-evaluate once the season was underway.

For some time the outlook for the operation of the Quad really did not look promising due to the overall cost of the repair.  However, during recent discussions with TSSA new information came to light which may lead to a less costly repair and the possibility of operation for this season. 

With the good snow we are now experiencing, our outside operations crew will now focus their attention on re-evaluating these repairs and determining the true cost.  This information will be presented to the SSAI Board in the coming days.  If it is work that can be done in house and if the decision is made to go ahead it will begin immediately.

Meanwhile, we expect all of the terrain on the Quad to be opening in the coming days accessed from the double chair.

Stay tuned........

Goulais Opening

For many of us, our favourite run is the Goulais at Searchmont.  There is just something about cruising down that run.  Don't know if it's the pitch, the solitude of the tree-lined bottom section, catching a little air off the bottom roller or just the snow, which always seems to be a little grippier.

It's been a tough couple of years as those conditions we love just haven't been there on the Goulais due to a couple of years of tough snow.

Well, I'm pleased to announce that those feelings will be back as the Goulais will be open this weekend.

Snowmaking wrapped up on the Goulais yesterday and should be complete on the Melville today.  Guns are currently going hard in the Park on the Main and on Cougar Trax on the Quad.

Snow in the Park is something we haven't seen in a while either but things are looking good for a return of some solid features.

Stay tuned and keep the snow coming!!

Thank you!

Another season is upon us and I wanted to take this Blog to thank all of those who have helped to get us doing what we all love so much!

Special thank you to all of the staff who have worked so hard through some tough circumstances.  Special thank you to three of our outside operations staff, Dana Bennedict, Jim Mealey and Justin Peters who gave up there Christmas Day with their families to make snow and get the mountain groomed for boxing day.  Weather has been tough and it was quite an effort to pull it off.  Please take the time to thank them if you get the chance.

Thank you to the countless volunteers who assisted us during the off-season to complete a number of projects around the ski area.  From painting, brushing and just general clean up it was a huge help.  Searchmont is operated by a Not-For-Profit Board that has put in countless hours to keep Searchmont operational and moving forward toward a bright future and would not be operating today without such great volunteer commitment.  Thank you.

Finally, thank you to all the supporters who buy their passes early every year, sponsor various events or simply offer words of encouragement and/or support.  That support is essential to getting the facility open every year and following difficult snow years like we experienced last season it really means something.

THANK YOU!!!

Record Snowfall Advances Opening Day!

38cm is a new Sault record and the largest snowfall to hit Searchmont in years.  In fact we didn't receive that much snow in the entire month of December 2011 and it's very close to beating the total for January of last season.

We are in real good shape for a solid December 26th opening.

Temperatures are taking a dive tonight and look good for the next week and then some.  Snowmakers will be going hard to provide the best conditions possible.  Our focus will be on the main and then we will shift all 22 guns on the Goulais.

As we did last season we will open as much terrain as possible with natural conditions.  If you are like me that provided some of the best skiing all year and I can't wait to hit it again.  Don't get me wrong, I love the groomed stuff but we all benefit from a little off piste shredding.

Not long now so stay tuned.

Warm Weather Returns

Temperatures well above seasonal rolled in last night.  We attempted to make snow but that was abruptly halted as the temperatures climbed 5 degrees in an hour.  More warm weather today but it looks like we may get a window this weekend.  The good news is there is a lot of snow in the forecast.  Keep it coming!!!!

Special thank you to the students of Sault College's Adventure Recreation Construction Techniques program for giving us a hand last week.  The students help prepare the Lodge roof for roofing repairs planned for next week.  They were a HUGE! help and we greatly appreciate it.

December 21st Opening Day

Another warm stretch has arrived in the Searchmont Valley with temperatures expected around 0 degrees later today.  This is expected to hang around through the weekend before some more seasonal temperatures return for early next week.

We are making snow at every opportunity and still look for a December 21st opening day.

Snowmaking has not been without it's difficulties.  In addition to some crazy swings in temperatures we had to deal with an air pipe which split causing a loss of system pressure.  This was not an easy repair based on it's location and definitely caused some missed snowmaking opportunities but has now been fixed and we are fully operational.

There have been some cold temperatures but they seem to be coming in very short stretches.  We have seen a couple of instances where the temperature has swung by as much as 8 degrees in one hour.  Crazy!!!  In addition there have been variances in temperature from top of the mountain to the bottom of as much as 5 degrees and that's warmer at the top!!!

The forecast looks good and we will be fully at it whenever possible.

Stay tuned!  It won't be long now.

Dan

We are 95% open but still struggling with weather

Weather continues to be the story this winter.  We have had some incredible days on the mountain and snow conditions on the groomed runs have really been quite good.  I find it tough getting truly ramped up when the trees are bare, the snow turns dirty and the air is damp.  That being said once you get sliding it really is not bad.

I managed a few runs this morning and the groomed terrain off the Triple Chair and the Slalom are fantastic.  I ventured off the groomed stuff to the Goulais and the Melville and had a blast.  These runs were unbelievable when we had that dump of snow last weekend but I really didn't know what to expect today.  I was pleasantly surprised!!  The runs on that side have bumped up nicely and are really a lot of fun to ski.  Rough in spots but really a fun ride.  The snow coverage also remains quite good.

The problem we are faced with is whether to groom those areas.  There is just enough snow in most areas to run a groomer.  The problem lies with the drainage ditches.  Those of you that have skied over there know what I'm talking about.  They can pose a real challenge.  There is just not enough snow to fill them so when groomed they can present a real danger.  Groomed terrain usually means higher speeds and someone going into that ditch at the bottom of the Goulais at speed would probably not fair too well.

The solution may very well be to leave as is and hope for snow!!  Stay tuned and enjoy the bump skiing while it's here.  It is fun!!!!