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November 23, 2004
Lift 4 opens Wednesday for Donation Day
Skiers won't struggle with ski area terrain choices this opening day. Telluride Ski & Golf Co. officials have made it simple and are opening the 2004-05 ski season with Lift 4 only on Donation Day this Wednesday.
By the weekend more terrain on the area is expected to open but the traditional opening day benefit for the Telluride Ski & Snowboard Club will keep skiers on Lift 4 terrain.
Lift tickets on Wednesday cost $24 for everyone and all proceeds directly benefit the club - season passes, discounts, or complimentary tickets will not be accepted Donation Day but free donuts, hot chocolate, and coffee as per tradition will be, at the gondola plaza.
Ski area officials said Telluride received the most snowfall in the state over the weekend with more than 17 inches, amounting to a 39-inch base. Telski Mountain Operations officials however are waiting for more snow and mountain maintenance before giving all other lifts the go-ahead.
"We're not making a decision until we're more firm and more realistic about it," said Telski's Communication Coordinator Katie Singer. "But we're working fast to get the rest of the area open."
The much anticipated Lift 9 opening is also currently undecided, but Telski officials said when it does open it will run normally after an almost season-long bout of half-capacity loading last winter. This fall Telski Mountain Operations installed a new gearbox and are currently working on pre-season maintenance after last winter's mechanical failure. A chipped gear in the gearbox forced officials to run the lift at half-load capacity January through April, putting skiers on the lift every one or two chairs. Officials said last season that Lift 9 moves a minimal amount of traffic midweek and usually runs at half capacity, but still the limited lift access drew local skier complaints.
"Lift 9's opening is still to be announced, but when it does start running it will be running better than it ever has," said Singer.
Lift 9 was installed for the 1984-85 season and hadn't encountered a problem of that magnitude save for a few two- to three-day closure periods due to mechanical problems. Talk of replacing the 20-year-old chair is ongoing.
Lift 8 also operated under limitations last season, closing daily at 2 p.m. - one hour earlier than its regular hour of 3:15 p.m.
While running all of the lifts on the mountain - high-speed quads in Prospect Basin to the two-decade old Lift 9 - costs the ski company the same, Singer said, on the ground costs for snowmaking and grooming are different, especially this year.
This year's on-mountain budget is just a small fraction of Telski's Prospect Bowl expansion that rang in at about $14 million completed in 2001 - now three years after the expansion, on-mountain costs are the heaviest in capital expenditures and divided among Sno-cat and snowmaking purchases.
Singer said the ski company has spent $3.1 million in Sno-cats and new ski area owners Chuck and Chad Horning are moving more financing toward the on-mountain operating budget to the tune of about $3 to $4 million.
"It's a larger operating budget for everyone, including ski patrol and mountain operations," said Singer. "The Hornings are reinvesting in capital expenditures."
The area is currently being groomed by four new mainline Sno-cats that cost the company $195,000 each; a new winch cat at $225,000; and, a park piston bully at $210,000. Telski owns a total of 15 Sno-cats, and has upped its snowmobile count by 10 new machines this season.
Snowmaking, too, got a boost. Four new air compressors, costing the company $25,000, will help open the area Wednesday.
"Right now we have snowmaking efforts on various spots on the mountain, and all Sno-cats are working to access all areas," said Singer, "grooming, compacting to make [Lifts] 5 and 6 accessible. We're making snow all over."
When the ski area opens Wednesday about 24 patrollers will be working with an additional 32 to start Dec. 18, and under a higher Telluride Ski Patrol budget. Singer said the patrol roster is the largest the area's has ever had and its budget was increased accordingly.
By Kara Tatone
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Posted by Adam at November 23, 2004 04:23 PM