What Happens After Hours?

 Let's be honest: this is New England. While this spring has offered some great powder days, we don’t always get those conditions we dream of. 

Fresh corduroy is the next best thing! 

Ever wonder what goes into that hum of the first chair run? I’ve dug up a few facts about slope grooming that you’ll find fascinating.

1. Working Late
Operations staff kick into full gear when the chairs are closed off to skiers. On the larger mountains it is not uncommon for grooming to take place over two eight-hour shifts through the night in order to cover all of the many trails. 

2. The Equipment
The machines behind the magic are impressive, to be sure. Snow-groomers (also called snow cats) often cost more than $230,000 and weigh more than 20,000 pounds! Among the most popular brands are Prinoth and Pisten Bully. Some cats have winches attached that allow the machine to be pulled up the particularly steep trails. 

Snow must be pushed back up the mountain where it has been skied off all day. The tiller attachment churns up the hard packed snow where it can then be moved around and smoothed out for the perfect trail. This is not an easy task! Controlling the complex machine so that best results are achieved takes many hours in the seat. 

A Prinoth Bison X at Loon Mountain

3. Danger

One rule a lot of groomers follow is never set foot out of the snow cat! The slippery slopes are one thing with skis on your feet, but another when just wearing boots. A wrong step could prove fatal when out alone at night on the snow-covered mountain.

The winch cats mentioned before can also be dangerous. Just imagine, for a second, what could happen to a 20,000 pound machine on a steep, double black diamond trail if the cable broke… Not a pretty image! 

4. Making The Work More Fun
Everyone has their ways of making the time spent in the cab of the snow cat less monotonous. Some guys will listen to music, sip coffee, chew tobacco (smoking in the confined space is not pleasant), or even bring their dog along for the ride. 

If you get the chance to talk to any mountain operations personnel, first, thank them for the hard work they put in, and second, ask them to tell you a story or two of their nights on the slopes.