BRATTLEBORO-While most residents sought refuge indoors during the icy grip of the polar vortex, a dedicated team of volunteers braved the cold to bring snow to a barren hillside.
Todd Fahey, vice president of the board of the Brattleboro Ski Hill, spearheaded the efforts on Jan. 3, turning an already-long week into a marathon.
As a self-proclaimed "diehard skier," he chargeD into the frigid air despite having spent most of the past 24 hours on his feet at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, where he works as system senior director.
The conditions were good from a snowmaking standpoint - a calculated balance of relative humidity and subzero temperatures, a measurement snowmakers refer to as the "wet bulb" temperature.
"You can make snow above 32 degrees [...] but it won't be very good," Fahey explains.
With relative humidity at about 65% and temperatures in the low 20s, this is their chance to get enough coverage on the hill.
A shrinking window of opportunity
With average temperatures increasing in recent decades, such windows for making snow have narrowed, often requiring snowmaking to take place overnight.
"I was here until 3 a.m.," Fahey admits between sips of coffee only five hours later. "Might as well make hay while the sun is shining."
Alongside one other volunteer, he's tackling unforeseen challenges to ensure enough snow can be made by Thursday, Jan. 9, when the ski area opens for the season.
With Mount Snow set to donate its instructors' time for community youth lessons on opening day, Fahey and the team prioritize the hill's readiness - sleep can wait.
To keep the snow flowing, at least one experienced volunteer must be on site to perform regular maintenance rounds and to de-ice the crucial components of each of the three guns in operation.
The same conditions that enable snowmaking nip at exposed skin and turn strands of hair into icicles. In the face of the plummeting clouds, volunteers wear neon jackets bearing the name "Ski Hill Operations," words that will soon glaze over in an icy frosting.
Dry spell limits operations
On top of uncooperative temperatures thus far in the season, water availability has also been an issue this year.
Earlier attempts in the season to coat the hill ended in frustration.
"In less than 72 hours, these guns ran the pond dry, shutting everything down," says Mark Castillo, a Brattleboro resident and seasoned volunteer.
This event marks one of two instances where snowmaking efforts were halted due to lingering drought conditions from last summer.
"Nobody, not even the old-timers, can remember this happening before," says Fahey, reflecting on his five-year tenure volunteering for the hill and broader conversations with the board and community.
Looking over the bubbling fountain that prevents the surface from icing over in the snowmaking pond, the team is working with the town to keep the water flowing through the system.
Consuming approximately 120 gallons of water per minute, each gun requires a significant supply to sufficiently blanket the hill.
With the loan of newer, more efficient snowmaking guns from Stratton Mountain Resort and snowmaking system manufacturer Demaclenko, the Brattleboro Ski Hill stands a fighting chance against ever-increasing challenges.
As he changes the intake water filter on one of the older guns, Castillo shares some insight into its history.
"This here gun came from Maple Valley when they closed in 1997 - and it was pretty old then!" he says admiringly, referencing the defunct Dummerston ski area.
According to statistics from the National Ski Areas Association in 2023, snow machines create actual snow, meaning that almost all of the water used in its creation - about 95%, in Vermont - returns to the ground in the form of spring snow melt.
And with less and less snow falling year to year, ski areas have become more reliant on technology that increases energy consumption. These newer machines are capable of producing more snow coverage with less water and using less energy, a welcome feature for ski areas making snow during or after a long drought.
Despite several clogged nozzles, the gun is still tenaciously blowing snow. Castillo estimates that the machine has funneled snow through its faded blue mouth for 27,000 hours.
Amid masses of fine frozen mist, larger flakes of natural snow blend with the dancing swirls of manmade snow, bringing smiles to the rosy cheeks of the team members.
Keeping the spirit alive
"We're all passionate about the sport," Fahey says. "If we can get some kids into the sport, that's what makes it all worth it."
With the ever-rising prices of resort tickets, the board of the Brattleboro Ski Hill holds accessibility at the heart of the organization's mission. Since becoming an independent nonprofit in 1997, the Ski Hill has held the price of tickets at $5.
Despite serious obstacles, the team remains optimistic and grateful for the community's support and the cooperation of the weather.
"The groomer's old, the snowmobiles break, the lift is 60 years old - we do what we can," Fahey says.
Fahey checks the weather on his phone as he takes a moment's refuge in the warming hut, among T-bar hanger assemblies, snow gun filters, and the hill's collection of odd tools and equipment.
A camping cot is also assembled, though it looks like it gets little use.
"Some of us try to sneak in a quick cat nap in between rounds," Fahey notes.
One of the unspoken qualifications of a snowmaker is being a light sleeper.
He looks through the window.
"The wind's kicking up right now - going to need to keep an eye on that," Fahey says.
Stepping back out into the uncertain future of a changing climate, Fahey remains certain that he and the team won't give up.
Pumping their lifeblood into this "dying breed" - the independent, mission-driven ski slopes of New England - Brattleboro Ski Hill is 100% volunteer-run.
"We do it for the community and to be part of something special," Fahey says.
Brattleboro Ski Hill is seeking additional volunteers to help with snowmaking, loading, and general operations. If interested, email [email protected].
This News item by Devan Monette was written for The Commons.