Cleary: New Fan Guns and special events make Mount Snow a great destination this season

Mount Snow was the first ski resort to open in Vermont this season, thanks to great snow-making conditions and a $3.5 million investment by new owners Peak Resorts in 101 fan guns to blow snow.”The fan guns are more energy efficient and use less compressed air than traditional snowmaking guns because they have built-in compressors. They produce drier snow at marginal temperatures and allow us to make snow lower than we were able to before,” explained Chris Lenois, Mount Snow Communications Manager, in a recent interview.”The snow fans are more energy-efficient and cost pennies to run instead of dollars. We are expecting to reduce our diesel fuel consumption by 142,000 gallons and save up to $500,000 annually,” said Lenois.Peak Resorts bought Mount Snow and Attitash in New Hampshire this year when The American Ski Company sold all its New England properties. Peak already owned Crotched Mountain in New Hampshire, and, with these acquisitions, now operates 11 ski areas and 2 golf courses in 6 states.Lenois said that Tim Boyd, President of Peak, did question and answer sessions with the ski media, season-ticket holders and local business owners over Columbus Day weekend to let people know about the improvements that have been made to Mount Snow. In addition to the fan guns, $2.5 million was spent on refreshing the base area buildings with paint, carpeting and tile; the rental shops were retrofitted to streamline operations; and the main base lodge bathrooms were overhauled.Another new initiative brings expanded après-ski entertainment to six different resort venues, including the conversion of the Sundance Base Lodge into an 850-person live concert venue for the Sundance Concert Series. Two acts are already booked, State Radio on Jan. 5, 2008, and Soulive on Mar. 7, 2008, with more acts to be announced.Mount Snow is a great family resort destination and has a variety of terrain for guests of all abilities and other activities going on for those that don’t hit the slopes like tubing, snowmobile tours and sleigh riding. Hardcore skiers enjoy the North Face of the mountain for some of the steepest runs on the East Coast and recreational skiers are satisfied with 75 percent of the trails rated intermediate. Mount Snow was the first resort on the East to build a dedicated terrain park in 1995 and continues the tradition this year with a new terrain park, The Vermontster, in the Carinthia area.Mount Snow has two popular events scheduled this weekend: one is Demo Day on Dec. 15, where skiers and snowboarders can try out the latest equipment from Rossignol, Head, Burton, Atomic, Nordica, Technica, Volkl and others from 8 a.m. till noon in the main base lodge. There is no charge to demo equipment but a credit card security deposit is required for testing equipment. The first Youth Pay Their Age Day happens Dec. 16, offering skiers and riders ages 6-18 the ability to purchase lift tickets for the cost of their age. Proof of age will be required and kids 5 and under are always free. For more information on Mount Snow, visit www.mountsnow.com.All the New England resorts are looking forward to a great weekend of skiing and riding with new snow Thursday and more expected Sunday. Check out the full ski report for New England on page C4.