YummerzZz

They FORCED them to blow snow in marginal condition's lastnight,which in turn ended up melting alot of snow and making it really wet/icy.The humidity was WAYYYYY up lastnight and the "Big gun"s were pissing on the last headwall of Rivershot.Even the Wisper's gun's higher up were barely making anything also.PEAK doesn't seem to realize these gun's(SMI) are basically worthless in marginal condition's.In the past we would use only Wisper gun's in these type's of condition's.A Wisper gun allow's a huge range of adjustment,as to where you could have a tiny amount of water and a huge amount of air fyi.Now don't get me wrong,in temp's 25^ and below with low humidity,the "Big gun's" work great,but around NEPA,your better off with sticking to the air/water type snowmaking.Especially in the past few year's and what look's like year's to come.Oh yeah,it was really windy lastnight too,with a warm wind coming out of the W-SW.It was blowing the hell outta me so I'd say steady about 10mph with higher gust's,25mph or so.

Damn,I guess I will stop putting ice in my lemonade to cool it down.Your buddy had the right idea,but poor execution.It's all about scale.If you dump enough snow into that pond...IT WILL MOST DEFINITLY COOL DOWN THE WATER.Plus,the snow will sink to the bottom,unlike block's of ice.Don't ask me how I know this....lol.Listen,York Snow wouldn't make water cooler's if it didnt' make any difference.I've been messing with making snow since 1992 @ JFBB and have learned quite a few eye-opening thing's.Cold air+cold nucleated water+low humidity=great snow.I'm not trying to argue here,I would like to see all the mountain's fully open just like you guy's.

If anyone from BC management is listening here,this is a crazy idea that just might help you guy's out next time you light up if you give it a shot,it certainly beat's praying to Ullr...lol.Now,I have no idea how big your retaining pond's are,and I'm sure buying truckload's of ice isn't realistic,but I'm sure you guy's have some spare snow laying around(or take snow as you make it).Measure the temp in your pond near the intake first,then start dumping your spare snow into the far end of your pond's until you lower the pond temperature as low as you dare.Keep the snow away from the intake's and you should be okay,also don't let the water get as cold as to where it start's to turn to slurpee,as the pump's will cavitate and not be able to pump water.Next year you guy's should look into buying a water cooling setup from York Snow,I'm sure it would greatly help you out in the future.GOOD LUCK GUY'S!!!!

Bigdaddyk,I forgot to add,if you look at that wet-bulb chart,you can make fair snow at 32^ and 50% humidity or 31^ at 60% humidity or 30^ at 70% humidity.It is pretty rare to have higher than that humidity at those temps for the most part if someone decided to light up the guns.

I'll let you in on JF's secret's.Near-freezing river water,which is EXTREMLY dirty,so the sediment in it act's as a Snomax-like nucleator(no Snomax needed there!).Plus,it's in a protected river valley(NE facing) which tend's to get ALOT colder that most surronding area's.We use the thermometer at East Mtn. bottom as our reference point there.FYI Sno Mountain use's the WB airport's temperature as their reference point.Physic's are physic's no matter what gun/gun's you use to make snow.Those good old round-headed Wisper gun's,which most of you I'm sure have seen,are the BEST marginal Snowgun in existence imho/experience.BB's lake water is also near-freezing alot of the time too(in 30^ish weather),but it has less sediment than the river water @ JF(they use Snomax when they have it too).BB's RP temp is the web-cam.Sno Mountain use's a shallow reservoir where the water temp is around 40^-50^ most of the time due to it's depth and location at the bottom of the mountain,then you have all that warm water returning into it.So what's hurt Sno-tage is warm weather,warm water and a shortage in the supply of Snomax,along with tech. problem's/Washo.When your making snow you just have to use your judgement in adjusting gun's etc.,many,many factor's come into play when making snow.An interesting tidbit,the coldest temp I ever saw locally was @ the bottom of east mountain,-35^F

http://makesnow0.tripod.com/wetbulb.html Even if you minus 3^-5^ for elevation,it doesn't look good.Let's hope that Snomax order came in for them.Last time I talked to Dan they were waiting for it.Like I said somewhere else,with these new SMI gun's(Fan's and especially the Viking's),they need 25 degree's wet bulb or below w/o Snomax, or 27 degree's wet bulb or below with it.Hope for low humidity and cold,but it ain't looking good.

http://www.wnep.com/Global/link.asp?L=4423...p;nav=menu158_7 Where do you guy's see ANY snowmaking weather in the local WB/Scranton 7-day forecast??????

Uninc,you keep missing the point.Once everything was sorted out and up and running with park passes/fencing/etc.,park traffic would have been more than manageable and orderly.What you're seeing at JFBB is a incomplete masterpiece.If PL stayed,thing's would be vastly different.These guy's just had a vision/purpose that most can't grasp I guess.If you worked with them,or spent some time with them,you would then understand the scope of their expertise.They have that rare one in million talent that most of us wish we had,kinda like the way Shaq/Kobe or Pippen/Jordan played together,when it come's together at the right time,greatness and championship's soon follow.That's what most of us thought would happen @ JFBB this season and in following season's.Hence all the picture's of trophy's and prize's in the Chronicle's movie's.It really seemd like it was going to happen.But,alas,the perfect storm fizzled out with little more than a drizzle.

I feel like bringing out the horse beating stick one more time,lol.Plus,JF isn't open on christmas day like it usually is,so there's not much to do anyway.Yes,Peak did enter into the 25 year lease last season,although they spent most of the year just observing.Until.....JFBBGM rode into town and tore up all of X's work,then rebuilt the BBTP roughly mid-season,which did not please X I might add.JFBBGM supposedly attended a TP building school and was itching to test out the new skill's.They did make some progress last year,if you could call it that(Some of you do).I know what I and the PL guy's would call their progress...."A Circus".Where I am going with all this is if PL was able to stay and complete their vision,none of us would have anything to fear and have everything to look forward to.Remember why PL left MC to begin with,no snow for big jump's.JFBB WOULD have had HUGEEE jump's and LOADS of new jib's!!!!.Now we are left with the proverbial "Circus" once again.Thing's might be going half-decent now,but just you wait and see.I am SORELY dissapointed,as are all of you especially after I worked VERY hard and long to get the new snowmaking system up/running plus helping lay the groundwork for the new Park's and Pipe program.What motivated me all along was PL's long-term vision,now it's all just broken dream's.Moving on,I think we need a new paragraph. Something not mentioned on here that I know of,but some of you guy's may have realized,was the intense pressure on PL to get JF's park's up and running ASAP.For two guy's this was nearly an impossible mission in the available timeframe.You realize that you are talking about two seperate mountain's,five TP's and one pipe.I know personally how hard it is trying to get two mountain's ready with very little help,if any at all...most of you guy's have NO clue.PL knew what they were up against,but they were taking their time in getting BB's park's/pipe up and running proper.They are methodical/planning type dude's if you guy's know them(they also like to joke alot).In due time,BOTH area's would have been up and running great.Now your left with a half-baked(if that) ONE park and Terrain Garden at JF,and it look's like BB is going south already too.The new/existing management just did not understand PL's way of operating,their(JFBB's) motto is progress at any cost even if it's low/crap quality,let's just see some quick result's and get er' done.PL's city-type/celebrity/methodical attitude just clashed loudly with the hybrid mid-western+coal-cracker mangement mentalities.These ppl(JFBB) are clueless about accomplishing thing's in a unorthodox/unique/world-class style.Too bad we all have to suffer yet another sub-par year with many more sure to follow.That's if we even see cold enough weather to get those new SMI's gun's running with Global Warming and all that in future year's.Without sustained weather 25^/below or 28^/below with Snomax,snow production is terrible.Just ask JF's snowmaker's what they think of the new "Big Gun's".Gimme a good'ol Wisper gun anyday,greatest marginal temperature snowgun ever produced imho.I think I stated my peace for now,MERRY XMAS ALL!!!

They are talking about opening now on the 29th,but with this forecast of warm/rain on Monday and Tuesday,it'll be amazing if anyone manage's to open/stay open until after new year's day.So probally the weekend of Jan 6th.

This is my first post here,hello to all!I can't keep silent any longer after reading these discussion's.I had the pleasure of working this summer alongside Shawn and Julian.I can't describe in word's how super talented and smart this pair is.You guy's have NO idea of what you lost out on with the firing of those two!!!Julian and Shawn took pride and had skill in their work which is rarely ever seen in any field.I have been skiing/riding since 1990 and working in the industry since 1992 and have not seen anything like they planned to unveil at JFBB this year+future.Yes the park's are very nice now,but thank Shawn and Julian for all their hard work.If it wasn't for them(building jib's and teaching park crew how to create a decent park),you would still have Moto-X screwing thing's up for everyone.Due to conflict with Moto-X,these two no longer work for JFBB."X" is just a very jealous and vindictive type and couldn't stand to share the limelight with anyone else."X" used just about every reason "X" could conjure up under the sun to get rid of those two.The kitchen just wasn't big enough for all the chef's I reckon.It's a shame that all you customer's must suffer now and were lied to.To Shawn and Julian's defense,the snowcat incident was the new mechanic's fault(I can vouch he had no idea on how to work on Pisten Bully's,it was learn as you read/go).As for the tower gun's,they just wanted the snow to be put where they needed it to be.They MORE than held up their end of the bargain,but in the end their hand's got tied and they weren't allowed to express themselve's fully(which they believed/were promised that they would be able to do).All the jib's they built up to this point were their "Stock jib's".I saw and heard about their future plan's firsthand.JFBB will TRULY not progress until the old bone's are swept out of the closet completely.What a shame/letdown this year will be pretty much more of the same old,same old at JFBB after having such high hope's and aspiration's.