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WINTER
2016
The ‘BradleyPacker’wasdesigned in1950, byWinter
ParkColorado resortmanager, SteveBradley, inaneffort
tomowdownmoguls. Itweighedabout700 lbsandwas
steeredbyaskier. Asonecan imagine thekey to
operating thisdevicewas to ‘stayuprightonyourskis’,
because if youwere to fall thegravitypowered
groomingmachinewouldcontinuedown the fall-line,
takingout anything in itsway…
including thehaplessskierpulling thedevice.
When I spokewithSteveSpiessman,DirectorofSlopeandGrounds
Maintenance (he manages snowmaking and grooming) at Blue
Mountain, he said that today the resort tries to keepabalancebe-
tweenpilingon theman-made snowearly in the seasonandgroom-
ing it into corduroyas soonas possible so skiers andboarders can
havean enjoyabledayon the slopes. Steve explains that since the
eighties,whengroomingbecameamajorpart of resort operations,
grooming equipment and technique has continued todevelop into
an art of its own. And, finding experiencedgroomingoperators is
not an easy task—it generally takes at least five years of training.
Though heavy equipment operators and farmers have aworking
knowledge of these bigmachines, they do not necessarily have a
background inworkingwithvariable snow conditions. Tilling soil or
pushinggravel ismoreor less thesame,but snowgrooming takeson
awhole new set of skills. Agroomer operator needs tobe able to
identify different snow conditions andadapt theway they operate
themachine toget thebest results.
Another development that has changedgrooming is the useof the
winchcat.Awinchcat parkson topofa runandassists thegroomer
bypullinghimup thehill usingacable that isattached to the front of
thegroomingmachine. This techniquewas originallyusedon steep
slopes likeBlue’sElevatorShaft, but nowSteve indicates thatwinch-
ing can assist groomers on other runs as well. The added pulling
powerof thewinchhelps thegroomer climboverpilesofman-made
snow,which isoftenmore slippery.
A cat driver’s job is a solitaryone.Workingona steep slope in the
dark, thewinch cat appears todefygravity, lookingas if it is glued
to the sideof amountain—headlightspointing straight upor straight
down.
BlueMountainmaintains eight groomingmachines and has a crew
of 27operators that work three shifts aday throughout thewinter.
Theygroomat theendof thedaybeforenight skiingstarts, thenonce
moreafter night skiing ends. Themost important grooming starts at
midnightand iscompletedbefore skiing startsat8:30a.m.
ESCARPMENT
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