Blizzard of January 2012!

What Happens when Mother Nature gets stingy with snow? We make our own!! 

Pole mounted snow maker

Over the weekend, we created our own "Blizzard of January 2012" at Mount Peter in Warwick, New York. Starting Friday afternoon, January 13, our Mountain Operations crew went on a snow making frenzy. Over 60 hours of non-stop snow making opened new terrain and covered the mountain with a fresh blanket of the white stuff. That may sound like an easy task, but as you will see here, there is a lot more involved than meets the eye.

Mount Peter's snowmaking system is a vital part of the ski area's overall operation. Snowmaking allows the area to open earlier (Dec 24, 2011), and remain open even during very warm periods. The system allows our snowmaking crew (the BEST In the region) to lay down snow where the area needs it most, and to control the quality of the snow.

Snowmaking, basically, is the process of breaking water into very small droplets, and then freezing those droplets, forming snow. The resulting product is a small pellet around 50-100 microns in size. The snow that is made is similar to snow that has been drifted, or blown around. Manmade is generally more dense than natural snow, and that means it is usually more durable, and will hold up longer on a ski run than natural snow.

A snow making machine in action!

So how does Mount Peter create the perfect snow product? Mount Peter has over 20 snow making machines. They work by using a fan to move a high volume of air. Nozzles located on the snow maker spray small droplets of water into a frigid air column. The droplets are frozen as they move through the air column before falling back to the ground. The resulting snow is then moved and groomed with our grooming machine so it's ready for your enjoyment


So, yes, we have SNOW!!! No gimmicks, just lots of snow!!!

Meet Our Staff - Thor Mountain School

Thor - Mount Peter Ski & Snowboard Instructor and more!

Thor
Mountain School & Ski Patrol
Employed since 2007-08 season


Ski or snowboard? Both- plus telemark skiing!


Where did you learn to ski? I learned to ski here at Mount Peter when I was four years old. Rob Gallo (now Mount Peter's Alpine Programs Director) was my instructor!


What is your favorite run? Rim Run


Tell us something about your role here at Mount Peter. I am an instructor for skiing and snowboarding.  I also run clinics for our Mountain School instructors. I started helping ski patrol last season and I am working on my OEC/EMT certification now.

Thor in the reflection of a friends goggles.

What is your favorite Mount Peter memory? When I was a kid, one year there were people here giving out free Mountain Dew. Probably nobody remembers that, it was a long time ago, but that was a lot of fun! 

Make Your Child LOVE Skiing and Snowboarding

Sliding down a snow covered mountain on a plank or two is the greatest thing on earth! To share the joy with your beginning skier or snowboarder here are some tips from Greg, a long-time snow lover, father of two, snowboard instructor and Mount Peter Mountain Services rep. 


Before jumping in the car, a few simple gear selections will help everyone enjoy the day. Temperatures range widely from daybreak to closing as the sun moves around Mount Peter. Dress in layers so you can easily add or remove insulation. A wicking material next to the skin followed by pile or wool is best. Avoid cotton. It holds moisture and makes your kid cold. 


Keeping your head warm with a hat and your body toasty is very important! Finally, mittens with elastic around the wrists are best. Pull them up and OVER the jacket sleeves – NOT mittens first, then jacket over…. Inevitably, kids pull the mittens off. It’s difficult to remove the jacket mid-mountain to put mittens back on.


As a father, I recommend lessons. In my case, a “neutral third party” got the message through to my kids when I could not. If you choose to invest in lessons, make the most of them. Visit the potty before the start so time isn’t wasted in the restroom. Likewise, be early for lessons. Beginners can be intimidated by the activity on the mountain; starting calmly and on time will help them get the most out of it. 


Remember, young kids are not as strong or coordinated as adults. They simply can’t move long, heavy skis or a board like we do… Instead, let them “feel” what they should do rather than explaining. Move their skis FOR them, bend their knees FOR them. Sometimes, they REALLY can’t do it or they’re just plain tired. Try to realize when this is and switch gears.


When we adults are enjoying the snow it’s easy to forget our kids get tired quickly. An hour of snow-time followed by an hour of lessons is not “a really good time” for some youngsters. After an hour and a half most kids are getting tired, hungry and not able to concentrate. Take frequent snack breaks, then get back out there. (There are some good ideas on this blog about extra goodies to bring that will help your day outside.)


Most importantly, HAVE FUN! Sometimes the best days on the mountain are spent drinking cocoa, making jokes and splashing snow while the lift rolls by. If you make the day about their fun now, you’ll secure your own fun (with them too!) for years to come. 


Make Your Child LOVE Skiing and Snowboarding was originally printed in Mount Peter's Fall 2011 Mountain Times newsletter.

Meet Our Staff - Chris Ski Patrol

Chris - Mount Peter Ski Patrol, Crew Chief

Chris
Ski Patrol Crew Chief
Employed since 2002

Ski or Snowboard? Ski
When did you start skiing? When I was 16 years old.
Where did you learn to ski / ride? Bobcat Ski Center in Andes, New York. My friend’s family had a cabin up there and they taught me to ski there. 
What’s your favorite run at Mount Peter? St. Pete’s
Patrol training is pretty rigorous. Please tell us about it. A patrollers training begins with a year spent “shadowing” an experienced ski patroller. Then there is 100 hours of medical training which takes about three months to complete. Then of course, there’s the ski ability component. We train every week on what we call “S&T” which means ski and toboggan.

Lunch time in the patrol shed at Mt Peter.

Tell us something we wouldn't know about Ski Patrol.  We have 28 to 36 patrollers who come from wide range of backgrounds - carpenters, plumbers, entrepreneurs, Secret Service and IRS agents, a pastor’s wife – we all get along great and work well together. We have a tradition of sharing lunch at the patrol shed on the top of the mountain. One time lunch was a full turkey dinner. Another time was surf and turf. I guess you could say it’s a friendly competition.

Torch Light Parade at Mount Peter 2011

What’s one of your favorite Mount Peter memories? Last year we did the first torchlight parade to celebrate Mount Peter’s 75th anniversary and to commorate Charlie Booth's service to the mountain and its guests. Charlie was on the Mount Peter Ski Patrol for over fifty years. We had about 60 flares going. The parade went from top to bottom. We had staff from all over the mountain join. A friend who lives on a hillside facing Mount Peter called me to see if we were having a torch parade. You could see it from across the valley. It was a special night.


Photo Credit: Torch light parade via Straus Newspapers http://www.strausnews.com/articles/2011/03/25/warwick_advertiser/news/4.txt

Holiday Week Happiness at Mount Peter!

WOW! What a terrific Holiday Week we had! Skiing and snowboarding on a 10 to 20 inch base on a variety of trails! Many smiling faces and sunny days!


Being so close to New York City, we heard a wide variety of languages spoken on the slopes, in the lodge and at the base. We met people from near (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut) and far (Texas, California and Florida) -- as well as VERY FAR (Bogota, Colombia and New South Wales, Australia).

Check out our Facebook page for more pictures of our Holiday Week fun!

The cold weather is back and we started making snow last night! Mother nature is starting to cooperate and it is going to be an awesome winter! If you haven't been up to Mount Peter yet this winter, plan some time to visit. We are now open for night skiing and riding. Visit our website for rates and times. See you soon!

Meet Our Staff - Ryan Guest Services

Ryan - Mount Peter Guest Services

Ryan

Guest Services

Employed since: 08/09 season

Ski or Snowboard? Both!

When did you start skiing / snowboarding? Ski-4  Board-12

Where did you learn to ski / ride? Ski- Orange County Park, Davos Ski Area  Board-Vernon Valley/Great Gorge

What’s your favorite run at Mount Peter? River Bottom, of course! (Terrain Park)

Any advice that would help me get on the mountain efficiently? Get to the Ski Area early, always early! 

Guest services entails both in the office and on the mountain assistance for visitors. Tell us something about your position we wouldn't know about: I have an ‘on the move’ open door policy to my 'office'! I’m always around to answer any questions you may have.

What’s your favorite Mount Peter memory? Mount Peter's 75^th year  Anniversary spring rally celebration! It was a great day all around but to cap it off with the torch light parade down the mountain... being a part of that was pretty special. 

There's Snow at Mount Peter!

Each week on our Facebook Page we have the "Tuesday Test." In a nutshell, we post a picture taken at Mount Peter and you try to tell us what/where you think it is.


Our last "test" on December 27 was a cropped picture of our shiny red PistenBully snow grooming machine. 


For those of you who are interested, we wanted to give you a little more detail about it because it's actually a pretty cool piece of equipment. Here's the whole image...

Our PistenBully is Awesome!

As a skier or rider at Mount Peter you likely won't see this machine out working. You can tell it does most of its work after hours by the large lights on the top and sides.


Youngsters compared to us (Mount Peter opened in 1936), PistenBulley started making snow grooming machines in 1969. The key features - low center of gravity, maneuverability and wide tracks - allow it to groom straight up the steepest terrain including Dynamite and Wild West.

Dynamite! - Photo from 12/26/2011

This machine and all our other snow making equipment is nothing without our dedicated Mountain Operations team. 


Like the PistenBully, you likely won't see many of them while you're skiing or snowboarding at Mount Peter. A snow makers "day" usually starts when the sun goes down and ends around sunrise. 


Mother Nature has been testing our patience so far this year. When you look out your window there's no snow on the ground. But rest assured, there is snow for skiing and snowboarding at Mount Peter in nearby Warwick, New York thanks to these hard working guys.


So, here's a shout out to our snow makers! Thanks for making the best snow in the region!