Crotched Mountain - 2025-6 Season

joshua_segal

For the 2024-5 season see:
https://snowjournal.com/discussion/4337/crotched-mountain-2024-5-season

As per ski_it's request, here is a new thread for the 2025-6 Season.

Quietman

From the 2024-25 thread

joshua_segal;c-70255 wrote
Griffinr04061;c-70249 wroteIs there a date yet for the Fall Crotched Open House? I can not find any info. It is always a fun event!
I’ve heard nothing.

NELSBEER

A new season. A few updates from on the hill...

Crotched will be brighter at night this year thanks to all new LED lighting. Gone will be the perennial problems with burned out bulbs! Lighting costs will be way down, good news for an area that runs as many nights as Crotched.

The new lights turn on in a few seconds vs. the old lights 5 minute warm up. They are brighter too, avoid looking at them directly. Until they adjust the lights you may want sunglasses for the trip up!

Something people have been suggesting, asking about & 'why don't they' for years appeared this week.

Yes, we have our very own NEW (to us) Waffle Cabin installed adjacent to the Rover Triple lift. It apparently just needs an electric service to be ready to run, the interior is all set up. (New to us because it comes to us from Stowe which built a Waffle restaurant).

NELSBEER

Season's getting closer. Fall 'Block Party' is Saturday October 18th: noon until 3pm.
Chance to come by have food/drink, entertain the kids, see leaves & Waffle Cabin and check out conditions on the hill.

With a new (to us) lawn mowing apparatus in place, and the Honduran Weed Whacker team making its rounds... what more could we ask for?

Well, another new one for Crotched! Condo owners just received an e-mail asking us to keep our dogs leashed because goats and sheep will be 'working' on the hill in the area at the top of the triple lift (near Velocity trail). Yep, live brush clearing! Something else to see at the block party.

Looks like they are definitely trying to optimize trail conditions for effective snowmaking.

Our 'new' lawn mower... looks sort of familiar:

tedede

There's a Pisten Bully in the parking lot with a "15" painted on the side. I suspect it's a new-to-us hand-me-down from one of the larger resorts in the patch. Sorry, forgot to grab a photo today.

NELSBEER

Yes, that would be our new newest groomer, name plate says manufactured 2018, probably started service in 2019 making it only 4-5 seasons old. It reportedly has features we have never seen before. I heard there was even training for its operation.

With last season's 2 new to us PB 400's and the older Hunter PB400 winch cat (which works for grooming but hasn't winched in 2 years despite serious efforts on the maintenance crews part), we will have 4 prime time groomers plus the somewhat lighter Prinoth for the season.

Sheep & goats are gone, just a test.

Honduran weed whacker crew is on the hill this week, amazingly hard workers, half the whacking is done already.

joshua_segal

I was at CM yesterday (Sun., Nov. 23) when I noticed that there was an inch of snow on the ground. I don’t know if mine were the first but bragging rights for first tracks are no longer available at CM. My turns were made around 4:30PM.

NELSBEER

It's always fascinating to watch Crotched (or any other ski area) come to life in the weeks before the season's start. Mother nature dropping close to 10" of snow on CM Tuesday night definitely raised anticipation of the season here.

This years efforts at Crotched are not big or fancy changes, but the skier experience will be improved in many places.

Installation of the new LED lights is 85% complete, the remainder are half on site & half awaiting delivery. They do their job well, turn on quickly & won't burn out leaving dark trails.

Several truckloads of sand were distributed in the parking lot and graded out about a week ago. The new surface is still a little bumpy but the pot holes are fixed. Drive slowly & it is fine.

A new 2400 gpm pump was recently installed to move water to the snowmaking pond, it replaces a 20 year old 1800 gpm pump that chose to 'retire' itself over the summer. The new pump was working today keeping the pond full.

The snowmaking system has been gone over with increasing attention to detail each season. The crew proved the system is in good shape last night when they fired it up at about 7 pm. Its been running continuously for 24 hours. The new lights and the Rocket ran all night to support the snowmakers. Despite appearances, Crotched is not open!
They are preparing for multiple TtoB routes & the Magic Carpet on opening day.

The Rocket lift, with all new digital controls in place, will be living up to its name. Look forward to smooth uninterrupted rides this season. The Valley Lift just finished up repairs as well. All lifts are ready with the last few chairs hung today.

The most noticeable change, the new Waffle Cabin, now has electricity... it should be ready to sugar charge kids on opening day.

The current scheduled opening day is Friday December 12th. No uphill traffic is currently allowed. Nothing has been groomed and the natural cover looks good but isn't sufficient for skiing rough trails.

Meanwhile Sunapee opens this Friday (Dec 5th), regular CM skiers should see a lot of familiar faces there.

NewEnglandSkier13

NELSBEER;c-70919 wrote The Rocket lift, with all new digital controls in place, will be living up to its name. Look forward to smooth uninterrupted rides this season. The Valley Lift just finished up repairs as well. All lifts are ready with the last few chairs hung today.

On social media, they are claiming that the Rocket has a new drive as opposed to just electronics. Is there any truth to that or just the social media person not understanding ski lifts?

NELSBEER

From what I understand it is the drive controls. The motor was recently rebuilt and Dopplmeyer has been in a few times in the last few years working on the running gear part of the system. The actual ride on the lift has improved considerably.

The 'brains' of the system were still original equipment and periodically showed their age. Things like faults on towers 14 & 16 (we only have 13 towers). Still a moderate 6 figure price tag from what I hear.

newpylong

NewEnglandSkier13;c-70924 wrote
NELSBEER;c-70919 wrote The Rocket lift, with all new digital controls in place, will be living up to its name. Look forward to smooth uninterrupted rides this season. The Valley Lift just finished up repairs as well. All lifts are ready with the last few chairs hung today.
On social media, they are claiming that the Rocket has a new drive as opposed to just electronics. Is there any truth to that or just the social media person not understanding ski lifts?

The drive IS the electronics behind the lift. It takes incoming AC voltage, and based on operator input and programming decides what to do with that voltage and how it is sent to the motor. When controls are replaced, more times than not so is the drive.

obienick

Why do the Rocket's chairs lean when on the line?

oldsnowboarderme

Is a VFD being used for the drive motor or is it a DC motor arrangement?

Quietman

NELSBEER

I talked with the lifts supervisor & it was the drive as described by Newpvlong that was replaced. An OEM very early digital model was replaced with the latest model produced. It is slightly smaller but still fills one of the large control cabinets in the lifts base station. The DC motor is about 2' x 2' & 4' high.The upgrade took just a few days.

Still "boat anchor" technology compared to Fancy new lifts but at this point the Rocket is in about as good shape as it can be made.

The chairs have weights underneath them which are supposed to keep them roughly level, there typically not too much concern about them as long as the chairs enter the loading and unloading areas cleanly, people on the ch

NELSBEER

SNOWMAKING started last Wednesday at about 7 pm and ran until 7 am on Saturday. Enough snow was made for a good wide and reasonably deep cover.

The snow was left piled to drain until today (Tuesday) when upper hill grooming was started with very low temperatures. The result is a good packed granular surface that will give superior early season skiing. Expect 2+ top to bottom routes plus the beginner carpet area to be open.

The ponds are recovering slowly. Portable guns have been moved to second tier trails on the West side of the hill. Near the double lift.Snowmaking will resume ASAP.

Opening day should be Friday or Saturday, watch the website for final decision based on weather & the trail conditions.

Chuckstah

They announced Friday open on social media.

joshua_segal

Out of water! What’s open is great and the natural snow is wonderful.

Hopefully, the snowmaking pond will recharge quickly to allow trail expansion.

rickbolger

well if you get the deluge we got in the NY metro area this morning, the pond will refill, but at what price…

Quietman

The open snowmaking trails were pretty deep and look to have held up well. The woods that I really enjoyed on Wed likely did not. Mtn is open tonight.