We were happy to receive an invitation to a recent small-scale tour and question and answer forum with Wisp Resort General Manager Ron Hawkes and Marketing Director Lori Zagola. The tours were limited to 10 persons and were offered over the MLK Holiday Weekend. We've summarized the information and thoughts from our tour below!
- The water in the pond at the top of the mountain does not dictate snowmaking capabilities. The water from the pond goes into a sort of well below the pumphouse, and is constantly being refilled by the pumps at the lakeside. If the pond is low, that means they’ve made a lot of snow. The pumps at the lake - which are new in 2024 - are working at full capacity - but the snowmaking system is just so fast , it will run through water usually faster than is getting pumped. A low pond means guns are blazing and all is well! The snowmaking gallons per minute, 15,500 to be specific, are faster than even 7 Springs, which has more acreage. Wisp is packing BIG BANG when the guns are on. The pumps for ASCI Whitewater are in a separate building and not part of the Wisp Snowmaking system.
- Wisp Resort uses a combination of snowmaking guns, sticks, and portable guns. The snowmaking equipment on MainStreet is original to the slope, same for the snowmaking in North Camp. While these systems are functioning and produce high quality snow, they are not the 'latest and greatest' and there are some minor quirks or issues. For example, the snow sticks on MainStreet need only water to run, but the temperature must be 18 degrees or lower for them to produce. The snow sticks in North Camp are somewhat newer, but no longer manufactured, so when they break down, they're broken down for good. New snow guns and sticks have been added alongside the front of the mountain and new snowmaking wire and pipe have been laid out in East Ridge with plans to continue replacing outdated systems with newer models. The portable guns are incredibly heavy and very difficult to move. Their placement and use is very strategic based and moving to a new slope can take several hours to move even just one.
- Many rumors were addressed during the Q&A. Of most importance is that Wisp Resort does take time to thoroughly test lines and address issues during the 'off' season. They spend time and money on preventative maintenance when they can, but as anyone who owns a car or appliance knows, things often break without warning. The electrical and snowmaking systems are complex. Finding an answer can take several people hours to narrow down the issue. When issues are identified, they almost always are immediately fixed. Wisp Resort and Pacific Group are dedicated to keeping the resort running at its highest capacity. Leaks of any kind are unfortunate, but most of them do not directly impact snowmaking for the rest of the mountain.
While this was an invitation only event, Wisp Resort did say they'd be open to hosting more tours and doing similar events if there was enough interest. It was very enlightening and a fantastic environment for open and honest dialogue! If you're interested in getting more updates, you can find the Wisp Resort Insider Group on Facebook in addition to following Wisp Resort on their social media platforms.
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