Red River readies for pre-Thanksgiving opening

BY MICHAEL JOHNSTONE
Staff writer

RED RIVER — With only two weeks left to prepare for the opening of the winter season, the Red River Ski Area (RRSA) is busy making the final preparations for opening day, scheduled for Nov. 26.
The keys to a successful opening are having the personnel in place to operate the ski area, and enough snow for the skiers and snowboarders to have a good time. Mother Nature recently helped with a snowfall that brought over eight inches to the top of the mountain.
As is common throughout the industry, artificial snowmaking systems are used to add to the natural snowfall.
According to Dave Stevenson, who is the rental shop manager, groomer, and who has also spent more than 20 years in the snowmaking department, the temperatures have been perfect since they began making snow this year on Nov. 1. RRSA uses two types of snowmaking guns, an airless fan gun and an airless, fanless waterstick. Both work well, but the 20 fan guns are able to make snow at warmer temperatures than the 60 watersticks. The majority of the snowmaking is done by a professional crew from New Zealand.
After piles of snow are made, grooming machines spread the snow onto the slopes, then the familiar corduroy grooves are made in the snow using the machine’s tiller. With proper temperatures and humidity the system can turn 2,700 gallons of water per minute into snow. The water is obtained from the snowmaking ponds, which are the kid’s fishing ponds in the summer. They are replenished with groundwater and water from Pioneer Creek.
The plan is to have the “lil” Blue Chair, Gold Chair, and Red Chair running for opening day. More runs off the Red Chair will be open if the temperatures stay cold, and the whole mountain could open with a good natural snowfall.

Don’t forget the staff
In addition to preparing the slopes for the arriving skiers and snowboarders, more planning is necessary to open a resort. Employees are needed for a variety of jobs: operating the chairlifts, working in the rental and retail departments, teaching ski and snowboard lessons, running the restaurants, and patrolling the mountain.
Richard Torres has been hired as the new Food and Beverage manager and will have the Ski Chalet cafeteria open on the first day. The newly-remodeled Lift House Bar and Grill will also be open for lunch and apres ski.
Greg Scott is the new ski patrol director; Scott has five years of patrolling experience at Red River Ski Area. He is focusing on safety issues before opening day, such as clearly marking obstacles, installing protective tower pads and covering the snowmaking hydrants. He is also making sure the staff has completed their first-aid refresher courses.
In addition to local workers, international students from Brazil and other parts of South America will be employed in a variety of departments. They will arrive closer to the Christmas holidays.
Prices for opening day lift tickets are still being determined, but they will be discounted, based on the amount of available terrain.

Comments to mjohnstone@sangrechronicle.com