6 tain; tableside breakfast and dinner menus with wine offerings and bar service; and picturesque views of the North Country aboard vintage midcentury dome cars. And the railway plans on extending weekend passenger service in the off-season months of March, April and May to show that it’s a year-round operation, according to SNC General Superintendent Justin Gonyo, based in North Creek. “Iowa Pacific is eagerly looking to establish more of a foothold in the Northeast,” Gonyo said. “And with the SNC not even being two years old yet, we’ve already achieved some pretty significant points here on the Adirondack Branch. Every day, it’s pushing it forward, growing it more.” The SNC is currently working on marjeting efforts for its 2013 summer season. They will be re-creating the D&H’s Summer Paradise marketing campaign, creating packages for travelers that will include rail service, hospitality at palces such as the Copperfield Inn, and family entertainment at attractions such as the Lake George Steamboat Company. At one point, the D&H had owned the rail line between North Creek and Saratoga Springs, as well as the Lake George Steamboat Company. Visitors who want to take the train and a scenic ride on Lake George will be able to ride the train from Saratoga to Thurman, where they will be shuttled 12 miles to the Steamboat Company in downtown Lake George. “basically, your vacation can start once you get on one of our trains.” Gonyo said. For more information, visit www. sncrr.com or call 877-726RAIL (7245).
Riding the Snow Train
When the Saratoga North Creek Railroad announced that they’d be running Snow Trains from Saratoga Springs to Gore Mountain, we knew we’d have to give it a try. We set our alarm clocks to get up early one Saturday morning last February, and arrived at the Saratoga Springs train station about 15 minutes before the 7am departure. Snow Train crew members loaded our skis and boot bags into the baggage car. Within a few minutes we boarded the train and found our seats in the dome car. The train was already moving as we sat down. I checked my watch: 7:02am, right on time. Our seating was spacious and comfortable - essentially an upholstered couch that wrapped around two small tables. In a space that could easily accomodate 6, our family of 4 had plenty of elbow room. Menus were already on the tables, and within a few minutes crew members came around to offer drinks and take our breakfast order. Food onboard the train was excellent: we enjoyed tasty omelettes, bacon, toast, orange juice and coffee. Crew members were professional, friendly, and enthusiastic about the Snow Train. The tracks are surrounded mostly by woods for the first half of the trip, but at around the 1-hour mark the train crosses a bridge 140’ above the Sacandaga River, just upstream of its junction with the Hudson. From that point on, the Hudson River is in view all the way to North Creek. I must have driven Route 28 between Warrensburg and North Creek hundreds of times over the past couple decades, yet the landscape from the train seemed completely new. Our kids enjoyed the ride too - there wasn’t a single “how much longer” from either kid on the ride up or back, and that’s saying a lot for ages 4 and 7! Even though I was excited to ski, the trip was so relaxing and enjoyable I almost didn’t want it to end. The two hours passed quickly, and we rolled into the North Creek rail station at exactly 9:00. The train crew unloaded our skis and bags, and we piled into a shuttle bus for the five minute ride up to the ski area. The ride back to Saratoga Springs was just as enjoyable as the ride up. As one Snow Train rider commented, it’s kind of like enjoying apres ski drinks and snacks (the 4 of us split two club sandwiches, excellent), and when it’s over you’re home (well, almost)! Rates and additional information can be found on their website at www.sncrr.com. by Jeff Farbaniec
Snowmaking: A Behind-the-Scenes Tour
Snowmaking can be a skier’s best friend, extending the season and making skiing possible when natural snow is in short supply. All snowmaking systems operate by forcing a mixture of water and air through a snow gun, but every ski mountain’s snowmaking plant is unique, utilizing different equipment, strategies and techniques. Mike Pratt, General Manager at Gore Mountain, provides a behind-the-scenes look at Gore’s snowmaking plant. These days, snowmaking is all about efficiency: maximizing snow output and minimizing energy consumption. With last winter’s scant snowfall, the timing of Gore’s addition of 160 new high-efficiency tower guns couldn’t have been better. The new guns are a big deal: they represent the single biggest upgrade to Gore’s snowmaking system since tapping the Hudson River 15 years ago. “With the new tower guns, we can make more snow faster and get more trails open earlier,” Pratt explains. “And the efficiency of the new equipment is amazing: the new guns run about 20 - 25% of the energy consumption of the old guns. Basically we’re running 4 guns for the energy of one old ground gun. A good analogy is that it’s like switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs.” Snowmaking systems utilize massive water pumps to deliver water through a network of distribution pipes to slopeside snowmaking guns. Most systems, including Gore’s, also require huge quantities of compressed air distributed through a second network of pipes. The key to successful snowmaking lies in managing the air / water mix at each individual snow gun and in the system as a whole. When operating at maximum output in ideal conditions, Gore’s snowmaking plant is able to cover nearly 30 acres with a foot of snow every 24 hours. Automated fan guns represent other opportunities for snowmaking efficiency. Some units are equipped with an on-board weather station, so as the temperature, wind and humidity levels change, snowmaking output is automatically maximized. 240-volt electrical service is required for these units, so they can’t be used everywhere on the mountain. “The fan guns have made a real difference for us in key, high-traffic areas,” Pratt explains. “The top of Sunway, for example, is frequently exposed to wind, so we installed a tower-mounted fan gun at the Saddle Lodge and that has really improved snow conditions in that area.” The top of Pine Knot and The Arena are some of the other locations where fan guns have recently been added. Every ski mountain is different, requiring snowmaking crews to develop unique solutions, and Gore has its own set of challenges and opportunities. “We’re lucky to have the Hudson River as our water source,” says Pratt. “Before the Hudson pipeline (1996) we were pushing about 80 million gallons of water per year through the snowmaking system. Now we’re pushing 250 million gallons through. Being spread out on nine sides of 4 mountains means you have to sequence the crews and equipment carefully and efficiently. We have sixteen distribution valve houses all over the mountain, so if you decide you want to make snow on Burnt Ridge for example, you have to go to a couple of different valve houses to send the water to the right places. But that variety and diversity of our terrain is part of what makes Gore so special, and with that comes a unique set of challenges.” Of course the hard work of the snowmaking crew is a big part of the snowmaking operation. These are the guys who work through darkness and cold temperatures moving equipment, positioning snow guns, adjusting the flow of water and air. When you’re on the slopes this winter and you have a really great run, let one of these guys know how much you appreciate their hard work and how much enjoy the snow they made – it’ll make their day. Jeff Farbaniec is an avid telemark skier and Adirondack 46er who writes The Saratoga Skier & Hiker (saratogaskier.blogspot.com), a blog of his primarily Adirondack outdoor adventures.
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