River Run only skiing on Bald Mountain
Skier numbers a fraction of last years holiday
By GREG STAHL
Express Staff Writer
A
bit symbolic, but nevertheless off and running, Sun Valley Co. opened its 64th year of
operation the River Run side of Bald Mountain on Thanksgiving Day--Baldy's only open run
that day. Among the first to show up were, left to right, Dan Levy, JoAnn Levy, both of
Sun Valley, Julie McArthur; and professional golf star David Duval. (Express photo by
Willy Cook)
Too bad its not a joke.
"Acres open: Lower River Run.
Groomed Runs: Lower River Run.
Best Skiing: Lower River Run.
Special Messages: Lower River Run and the Kinderspielplatz will
continue to operate with good skiing conditions."
Those are messages posted on Sun Valley Co.s on-line ski
report yesterday at www.sunvalley.com.
Unseasonably warm temperatures are continuing to wreak havoc on
Sun Valleys ability to make snow, and Mother Nature has yet to dump a significant
snowfall on the Wood River Valley.
After Sun Valley general manager Wally Huffman announced last week
that there was 100-percent certainty that the Greyhawk chairlift on the Warm Springs side
of Bald Mountain would open Saturday, there wasnt enough snow on Lower Warm Springs
to make it possible.
"Because of the warm temperatures, the snowpack on Warm
Springs has not set up," states a press release dated Friday, Nov. 26. "In these
current conditions it would be possible for skiers to go through the snowpack to the
ground.
"We were very close, but because of the warm temperatures we
were unable to cover the slope adequately to make it safe for skiing."
Theres still hope for the coming weekend, however.
Sun Valley snowmaking crews and mountain personnel are going to
take another shot at opening the Greyhawk chair and Lower Warm Springs this Saturday, Sun
Valley spokesman Jack Sibbach said.
Sibbach said the Thanksgiving weekends skier numbers totaled
1,972, which is less than the total for Thanksgiving Day last year. Last years
Thanksgiving weekend skiers totaled 8,715.
Last year, however, top-to-bottom runs on River Run and Warm
Springs were open for Thanksgiving.
Most of those who booked Thanksgiving vacations with Sun Valley
still came despite the lack of snow and the warm temperatures. Sibbach said the resort
called those with reservations to tell them of the poor skiing conditions, but only about
15 percent of them canceled.
Unfortunately, aside from two weak storm systems that will move
through the Sun Valley area this week, the warm temperatures and lack of precipitation
will continue, at least for the short term, predicts Vernon Preston, National Weather
Service warning coordination meteorologist in Pocatello.
The two storm systems may drop up to six inches of snow on Sun
Valley.
Next week, however, another ridge of high pressure will begin to
build, he said, keeping temperatures above normal.
The long-term outlook, Preston said, is still for above-average
precipitation and below-average temperatures.