Quad Chair Update

If you are a skier or snowboarder you know that last season was a tough one.  Searchmont had less snowfall than I can ever remember and that sure resulted in a difficult year with a whole lot of tough decisions.

The toughest was not to make snow on over half of our skiable terrain and not to operate the Quad Chair at Searchmont.

With visitation and revenues suffering due to the late start and lack of snow, the not for profit Searchmont Ski Association Inc. (SSAI) Board was forced to make the decision to ensure the ski areas future.

This season has certainly gotten off to a much better start.  We are wrapping up our snowmaking season this week and expect to have 100% of our skiable terrain open this weekend.  We continue to get great snowmaking temperatures and have experienced more natural snow than we have seen in years.  We are experiencing what can only be called the best conditions in recent memory.

Despite all of the positive momentum this season SSAI is again faced with a difficult decision regarding the Quad Chair. 

In 2006 the Technical Standards and Safety Association (TSSA) and the manufacturer of the lift, Doppelmayr issued a order to replace a part of the lifts sheave wheel (the wheel the cable rides on), the snap ring.  The snap ring in some wheels does not seat properly in a groove in the wheel.

In summary, another ski area had an issue and as a corrective measure Doppelmayr re-machined retaining ring grooves in the sheave wheel or replaced the sheaves but only for a limited time.  In order to have Doppelmayr complete this work, SSAI would have had to remove all of the affected wheels from the lift and ship them to Southern Ontario in the summer of 2007.  For a number of reasons this work could not be completed in the timeline proposed by Doppelmayr.

Since that time the issue has undergone two independent engineering reviews and detailed monitoring of the gaps to ensure that they have not changed or moved.  Application was made to the TSSA to exempt Searchmont from the requirement to repair the rings or sheaves.  These applications have been refused and in the spring of 2012, SSAI was issued an order to have the gaps repaired before the Chair would be allowed to operate. 

Why not just replace the rings and be done with it?  That certainly seems like the easiest approach however estimates to complete this work have exceeded $40,000.  In preparation for this season the decision was made to focus our attention on the other lifts and get them ready for the season and to re-evaluate once the season was underway.

For some time the outlook for the operation of the Quad really did not look promising due to the overall cost of the repair.  However, during recent discussions with TSSA new information came to light which may lead to a less costly repair and the possibility of operation for this season. 

With the good snow we are now experiencing, our outside operations crew will now focus their attention on re-evaluating these repairs and determining the true cost.  This information will be presented to the SSAI Board in the coming days.  If it is work that can be done in house and if the decision is made to go ahead it will begin immediately.

Meanwhile, we expect all of the terrain on the Quad to be opening in the coming days accessed from the double chair.

Stay tuned........

Goulais Opening

For many of us, our favourite run is the Goulais at Searchmont.  There is just something about cruising down that run.  Don't know if it's the pitch, the solitude of the tree-lined bottom section, catching a little air off the bottom roller or just the snow, which always seems to be a little grippier.

It's been a tough couple of years as those conditions we love just haven't been there on the Goulais due to a couple of years of tough snow.

Well, I'm pleased to announce that those feelings will be back as the Goulais will be open this weekend.

Snowmaking wrapped up on the Goulais yesterday and should be complete on the Melville today.  Guns are currently going hard in the Park on the Main and on Cougar Trax on the Quad.

Snow in the Park is something we haven't seen in a while either but things are looking good for a return of some solid features.

Stay tuned and keep the snow coming!!