Autumn Arrives

As we round out the month of September, the views from the mountain have become increasingly colorful signaling the arrival of fall. The cooler mornings and darker evenings remind us that winter will soon be bearing down on us. Despite our best efforts, it seems this time of year always comes quicker than we'd like. The list of things we'd like to finish never seems to be done before the leaves start their show. This year is no exception. If you've followed along over the summer, you know that the Snowriver team has more irons in the fire than can be easily counted, but they've diligently chipped away and accomplished a tremendous amount already. Now, we've got the winter season in site and are doubling down our efforts to finish strong. Read on to learn more about what we've been up to over the past couple of weeks. 

Shortly after purchasing the resort in August of last year, we ordered new LP SmartSide siding to reside the entire Sugar Maple Chalet. Unfortunately, the materials arrived later than we had hoped and we weren't able to complete this project before the snow started to fly last October. While it would have been nice to have a fresh new look right away, this delay worked out better in one way. Given the long wait through the winter, we were able to order new windows and doors for the entire building and have them delivered in time to install before starting on the siding. This has made the process much smoother for our team as they were able to completely remove the siding along with the old windows. Then they installed the new windows, followed by trim, and then finally the new siding. The team is closing in on the completion of the siding installation, with just caulking and painting remaining on a majority of the building. It's amazing how much of a visual difference it makes to have proper siding on the chalet for the first time. 

This spring we also decided to take on another residing project at the Gabbro Studios. These three buildings had vintage cedar shake siding on the upper third, which unfortunately clattered in the wind keeping our guests awake at night. We elected to remove all of those noisy shakes and replaced them with new LP Cedar Shake siding. After a fresh coat of paint to match the roof of the adjacent Lodge, these buildings are looking mighty sharp. Check out the before and after photos below.

With the return terminal substantially completed, the lift-build crew set their sights on the drive terminal. We welcomed Keweenaw Crane Company back for another week of heavy lifting. The drive terminal included some of the heaviest picks of the project, including the drive platform. This assembly of carriage, bull wheel, electric motor, and gearbox was the largest at 32,000lbs. Once installed onto its tracks, the rest of the terminal structure was constructed around it, piece by piece over four long days. The final tower was installed on the last day with the crane on-site, completing all major structures of the lift. From there, the team began assembly and installation of the windows, floor panels, and cladding which is expected to wrap up by October 2nd. Electricians from Doppelmayr are scheduled to arrive then to begin the complex task of bringing the lift to life, a process we expect to take the full month of October. Click through the photos below to see the progress!