SNOW TRAILS, OHIO
Part of Snow Trails half-million investment this season paid for significant upgrades to its snowmaking system. Enhancements include an $80,000, 300 hp variable speed water pump that increases pumping capacity by 30 percent; a 2,000 GPM water well with a new cooling tower, the first industrial-sized system of its kind in the Midwest; new water lines over a mile in length; and 12 new SMI tower-mounted snow guns—four Super Pole Cats and eight Pole Cats—that increase snowmaking capacity by 38 percent.

The new water pump and cooling tower substantially increase the resort’s snowmaking efficiency. Prior to installing the cooling tower, water pulled from the well was around 54 Fº. The new tower will cool the water by 13 Fº, making the system more productive at marginal temperatures.


BIG POWDERHORN, MICHIGAN
After Big Powderhorn’s main lodge burned down last January, the resort invested more than $3.5 million to build a new one. The resulting Gun Barrel Lodge is a three-story structure that houses ticketing, rental and ski school on the first floor; dinning options, restrooms, retail shop and patio on the second floor; and The Hideout bar and grille and a large deck on the third floor.

Unlike the original, the Gun Barrel Lodge does not include guest rooms. Instead, the resort dedicated its efforts to using the space to better serve day guests. The new lodge provides more convenient access to the slopes, including ski access on three sides of the building, more direct access to and from rental, and access from rental directly onto the beginner area.

The new lodge was designed to be more energy efficient, both now and in the future. It incorporates low-e glass and vastly updated weatherproofing throughout. The lodge was also designed to incorporate alternative heating sources, such as geothermal and solar, when those become more economical in the future.


MONT SAINTE-SAUVEUR, QUÉBEC
Mont Sainte-Sauveur expanded its Bar Bistro 70 restaurant and bar and installed Axess RFID gates as part of a multi-million dollar effort to improve service. The $1.8-million addition to the bar more than doubles its size, to 6,600 square feet, and upgrades the kitchen itself, with larger areas for food preparation and receiving/storage. A new menu offers healthy fare with reduced salt and preservatives. Vauvreau design and DCYSA architects did the renovation’s prep work.

Out on the slopes, Sauveur has installed wireless RFID Axess gates and tweaked its mazes to facilitate lift access for guests. The $1 million system allows RFID cardholders to load their cards online, so they can skip the ticket window and go directly to the lifts, and it eliminates the need to show the ticket each time in the liftline. In the long run, the use of RFID cards will allow Sauveur to communicate with guests better and to offer personalized deals and promotions.


LOON, NEW HAMPSHIRe
Loon Mountain recently expanded its terrain and snowmaking systems. Four new trails on the resort's South Peak add 17.5 acres of new terrain. The trails consist of both expert and novice runs and include the new home of Loon's Burton Progression Park.

The $1.2-million project also included a significant expansion to Loon’s snowmaking arsenal, with 167 low-e HKD tower guns added throughout the resort—67 of them on the four new trails. The new snow guns increase overall snow production by as much as 150 percent and helped Loon become the first New Hampshire to open this season, and one of the first in the Northeast.


VAIL, COLORADO
Vail has constructed its first on-mountain table-service restaurant, “the 10th,” at Mid-Vail. Hyder Construction broke ground for the facility in August 2010, resumed work last spring and completed the work in November.

Designed by Zehren & Associates, the 13,000+-square-foot restaurant will seat approximately 160 people in the main dining area, with seating for an additional 80 between the bar and terrace. The main dining room affords spectacular views of the Gore Range.

The restaurant’s design and finishes contain typical mountain-architecture flourishes, with wood ceilings and stone walls, but have a more contemporary flair than Vail’s other onhill facilities. The bar seats 40 people and is accented with translucent green onyx that's lit from below.

While the 10th is open to all, a portion of the seats will be set aside each day for members of the Vail Mountain Club, up to one week in advance—at which point all remaining seats will be made available. Walk-in seating will also be available each day.