Thursday, December 02, 2010

Roundtop snowmaking is underway!

Roundtop started making snow for the winter season last night. I was surprised when I got up this morning that this annual activity was underway. I hadn’t heard the guns fire up at all, not that they are particularly noisy over by my cabin. Also, the day before had reached 61 before a huge rainstorm fell on the area and the temperature plummeted by 30-couple degrees. That’s not usually a combination I think of as being conducive to snow-making.

I’m not the only resident of the mountain that ignores the snowmaking. The local birds and animals seem as oblivious to the sound as I am. I did discover some years ago that it’s best not to take the dogs too close to the guns while they are spewing snow onto the lower half of the slopes. The sound hurts their sensitive ears, so I don’t walk them next to the slopes while snowmaking is underway.

Once snowmaking is underway, there’s little point in denying that winter is here. I tend to enjoy winter, so this was a happy start to the day for me. Snowmaking is a bit like an alarm clock for me—it’s time to think about hauling out or at least checking on the condition of the cross-country skiis and snowshoes, even if there’s no natural snow in my immediate future.

5 comments:

Scott said...

Gee, it seem a little early, but I'm basing that comment on the Piedmont. While it's supposed to go below freezing for the next several nights, the daytime temperatures are forecast to get into the 40s, which surely would melt the thin layer of snow the Roundtop guns are putting down. I just came back from a walk in my preserve (12:00 noon) and there was still ice on some of the puddles (from the torrential rainstorm we had yesterday), but even it was melting and cracked.

Carolyn H said...

Scott: This is certainly the first time I ever remember Roundtop making snow the day after a heavy rain. For an hour or so yesterday, the temperature even hit 60 right before that storm came through.

Carolyn H.

Cathy said...

I always think it kinda neat how they make snow for the ski area. One of teh ski area up open this week but with all the heavy rain we had yesterday. Bet the the slope are nothing but a mess.

Granny Sue said...

Apparently they made snow in southern WV around Thanksgiving--we saw it melting when we drove through there in a pouring rain Tuesday night.

Cicero Sings said...

Up in our neck of the woods (small interior town) they don't make snow. It either happens or it doesn't. So far this year it is a happening year.