Friends of Oak Hill
It’s December and it’s cold, and many of you are wondering when the new snowmaking system will be operational and when the new trails will open for skiing. We had hoped to have the new trails open before the holidays, but as you might have guessed the summer rains severely impacted our schedule. Despite the truly remarkable effort of the construction teams, we are several weeks behind our hopes.
In the meantime, whenever natural snowfall allows, we are prepared to provide grooming and great skiing on the Golf Course, Garipay and the outer Oak Hill trails. Check our website for conditions here.
We are closing in on completing the snowmaking system and want to give everyone a more detailed update on progress over the course of the last month:
- The water intake system has been installed. This work had to wait until the closing of the Storrs Pond campgrounds in mid-October to avoid disruption.
- The intake vault and valve house have been set and are awaiting the installation of pumps and valves.
- Compressors and pumps are on site and are ready to be installed in the new pump house. This process requires custom welding. Up to three welders will be on site over the coming weeks to complete the work.
- The snowmaking piping and hydrants have been installed except for a few final connections to the valve house.
Much of this work requires on-site, real-time engineering, with adjustments to account for delayed parts deliveries and the usual problems associated with site specific work. It’s a complex project. The exact opening date remains uncertain. The contractors will need to complete punch list items and we expect to encounter normal start-up issues as we fire up the snow guns.
All of us are excited to get on the new trails. With luck, we’ll be blowing snow by the new year! We really appreciate your patience and ongoing support!
If you have questions or comments, please let us know at info@oakhilloutdoorcenter.org.
