Sunday, November 29, 2009

Since 1878

I heard on the news yesterday that it has not stayed above 30 degrees in the month of November since they started keeping records back in 1878.........well NO WONDER we can't make snow..........but.......good news......

.....according to what I see on the forecast it looks like we should be able to start with snowmaking on at least this coming Wednesday night......which is December 2..........and according to one of the forecasts maybe even start Tuesday night........but most exciting is that the two local stations both show low enough temps at night that we should be able to make snow for a minimum of five nights in a row.......and accuweather says we will make snow every night thru December 13 which is the furthest their prediction goes out.

Question on the blog was do we think we will still open December 4?........sadly I say NO......but do think there is a really really good shot at opening Friday night December 11.......stay tuned though..........that opening date is not a sure thing.........

We are ready........Saturday we got all the fence posts in place, about 90% of the signs put in place........all the snowguns are ready, chairlifts and surface lifts are ready, ski/board rentals are ready, staff is ready..........come on cold......

We will be having our first friday of the month Friday after Five this coming friday night. I think Joel said their will be a sacrafice of snowboards and skis to the snow gods at the bonfire......umpah, umpah.....

keep checking for updates.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Tried.........first time

Tried to make snow last night but it just did NOT want to get cold enough. Blew a little bit of white.......but not much. We'll wait and see if it is going to get cold at the middle or end of this week as some predict. Calling for some single digit lows........but not soon enough to satisfy our appetite.

hang in there......and we will too........

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving

I am thankful for all of our Seven Oaks friends.

Have a great Thanksgiving with your families and friends.

Be safe. See you soon.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

It's official

The new ski/snowboard trail on the west side of Valley View chairlift has been named.............drum roll.....................Elwoods Hideout


And the trail that leads from the unload of Valley View to Elwoods Hideout, Central Park and Kenzies Korner will have some of the smaller features.......boxes, rails, etc..............that riders can use on their ride to any three of the previously named trails.............and this trail with the features will be called..............drum roll...........Willet's Way.........

Thanks to everyone that gave us a suggested name..............

Now start your cold weather dance or your snow dance or both............let's go.....

Have a happy thanksgiving.........enjoy your families and friends..........be safe......

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Patience.......me too.......

I guess I just have to be patient.....and so do all of you.........for the weather to turn cold enough that we can get started with the season's snow making. The forecasters just keep pushing the date out as to when we will finally see cold temps at night.......cold enough to make some SNOW. Now looks like just after Thanksgiving........but all of you should know that when it begins we will put a comment on the blog and a comment on facebook.........

I saw where KCCI reports having 10,000 fans on thier facebook account......well they got started before Seven Oaks did but come on everyone.........recommend Seven Oaks to your contacts.......let's see how close we can come to the KCCI number........we have a good start.......

Got some of the new shirts in........more stuff is ordered and should arrive in a week to ten days........Joel said the new shirts that came in first are very cool........I haven't seen them but will take his word for it.

Had the six hour training marathon last Sunday afternoon for all the winter employees. What a great group we have lined up for this winter........we and they can hardly wait.

gotta go........

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Just checked

Here are three different sources for low temps starting next Monday and Tuesday night:

KCCI says 35 and 31

WHO says 33 and 29

Accuweather says 30 and 21

Do I dare get my hopes up? Man oh man just get cold and we'll blow the snow.......

Everybody......start your snow and cold weather dances.......WE ARE READY !

Monday, November 16, 2009

Who knows??

Well according to tonights forecast on WHO TV, the temps will not be low enough Sunday night nor Monday night for snowmaking. Who knows.........the forecast changes so much it is almost a full time job just trying to keep up with the changes. We are ready to go......so once the temps cooperate ........you know we will make snow.

Had a great turnout for candidates presenting themselves to work at Seven Oaks this winter.....probably about 120 people came for the overview and interviews. What a great group of people.........too bad we can't hire them all........but we can't.

let's keep an eye on the night time lows.....

Sunday, November 15, 2009

maybe a week from today

Just finished checking the forecast on Accuweather and we might get started making snow a week from today. Here is the night time lows predicted.......and a few snow comments.....

Sunday November 22 = 19 degrees for a low = our first night of making this season's snow
Monday November 23 = 18 degrees for a low
Tuesday = 15 degrees and some flurries
Wednesday = 14 degrees with some morning snow
Thursday = 14 degrees pm low
Friday = 15, Saturday 15 with snow at times and Sunday November 29 is a low of 14 degrees

All eight days show snowmaking temperatures at night but daytime temps would cause us to shut down.........but..........BUT.......if this forecast is accurate we should be open at least by the first weekend in December..........which has been the case the past two seasons..........open as in probably no tubing yet and not all lifts nor trails.......but OPEN........

I'll keep watching and letting you know our status...........

Friday, November 13, 2009

Time will tell........

Time will tell if the forecast for the last full week of November is accurate or not but as of now the forecast has Monday night the 23rd as the first night we could make some snow. The first four days of that week are predicted to have a couple 16 degree nights and a couple 22 or 23 degree nights.......hope so. We are anxious and we are ready.

As you might have seen we are getting quite a few suggestions for the new trail name......I'll give it a few more days then decide. Too late for the brochure trail map, but we can update the large map that we have posted on site each winter and we'll update the trail map on the web as well.

Had a meeting in the lodge Thursday night, an ISU house party in the lodge tonight, and employee interviews Sunday afternoon.

Got some of the Seven Oaks clothing articles ordered this week too. Some pretty cool stuff selected.......I am anxious to see it.

I say again, that if you have a Facebook account, you should consider becoming a friend of Seven Oaks. The number is growing daily and it will be a good place to stay current on what we are doing this winter. We'ld love to have you join the group.

enjoy the warm days.......they are numbered........

Monday, November 9, 2009

New Trail needs a NAME

Here are a couple of pics taken late Saturday as the equipment was getting to within just a couple of hours from finishing...........you will come off the Riblet......take a right and then you can take another right shortly thereafter to drop down to this trail..........before the Y in the trail that takes you to Kenzies Korner and Central Park.
The trail is in the gully that was west of the Riblet chairlift. I think you are going to like it...........but we need to name it..........ideas??


When you first drop in, some would consider it a black trail until you get just past the dozer in the picture and then it would probably qualify as a blue trail.


should be about three groomer widths wide until you get closer to the bottom when it will merge with Central Park and / or you can ride under the chairlift to the east side merging into the Freeway

Getting close isn't it.........

Sunday, November 8, 2009

What A Weekend

I am very tired tonight but it was a GREAT weekend. First the weather was fanatastic. Then the progess on the dam and the new trail was huge........pretty much completed. Plus the Friday after Five was super, Saturday was a wedding and reception in the lodge that we helped prepare for........but we took off for Indianola to attend a nephew's wedding reception, Sunday was up early to set up the lodge again, then to church to watch a grand daughter sing and finished with an afternoon of hundreds attending the Landon Russell fundraiser........then clean up the lodge one more time........and two big groups of paintball players.........geez makes me tired just reliving it as I type.

I did get a couple of pictures taken from the bottom looking up and the top looking down the new ski trail............but forgot to email them to myself so I'll have to get them sent tomorrow and add to the post then. Doubt the pics will do it justice but they will be posted. Oh yeah, all the trails were mowed today too.......

tired.......going to bed..........so til tomorrow........

Saturday, November 7, 2009

I guess it was like the Roman Empire

The family business continued to grow and expand for about two decades, but like the Roman Empire, as great as it once was......things changed....and unfortunately today the ski resort is closed. I think there was something like seventeen ski areas in the state at one time in the 80's.....and today there are four. Youth began being involved in so many different opportunities that were offered on weekends........computers and computer games changed the face of our young people too.......schools began dropping out of the winter ski trip program for budget and political reasons.......and all those changes combined with the most uncontrollable of them all......the weather........especially rainy weather and warm weather during the winter can take a heavy toll on a ski area........causing the areas to fade away.........one at a time until there are four......

Seven Oaks has had the objective from day one to diversify and offer year round outdoor recreation. Only time will tell I guess if the strategy and business plan we continue to embrace will allow us to be here for you for years and years to come. I think so.

It is 8 am on Saturday, the ski is blue, the winds are light, temps are warm, last nights Friday after Five was busy, a wedding party is setting up the lodge for an afternoon wedding and reception and the dozers are working on the finishing touches to the new ski trail and enlarging the dam so we have more snow making water capacity. And tomorrow we host a fund raiser for our little two year old buddy Landon Russell who has already endured more treatments and hospitals than most of us will experience in a lifetime. So glad that he is getting healthier each day.

I promise to get a picture or two of the new trail........of course you know it won't be like seeing it in person......or better yet riding or skiing it in a couple of weeks.......but we'll get them posted.

Don't forget to sign up as a friend to Seven Oaks on facebook.......another way to keep current with whats going on at the resort.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Rentals

During those first five years of operation, the rental building at Fun Valley was pretty small. As in real small......both the building and the quantities of rentals.........but like everything else......it too changed and got bigger and better. Initially there were four wooden platforms about three steps high that the patron would climb after putting the ski boots on. When on top of the platform, hanging on to a handrail, the rental shop employee who was still on the ground would adjust, try and probably adjust again, the bindings to fit the person and the boot. It worked but as the business grew........along came the spademen binding that made the rental process way faster. A steel plate was permanently attached to the bottom of the ski boot.........and the plate had a large V notch on both the right and left side. The binding would receive the notched plate which aligned the boot to the binding and gripped the boot to the binding. All we had to do was adjust the tension on the large springed latch at the back side of each binding. This was fast......way fast compared to the earlier process of unscrewing, moving, tightening, trying, etc that was "the way" a couple years earlier. At the time of the spademen bindings I want to say the rental inventory had grown to 700 pair of skis and boots.

For the first several years the majority .........maybe all..........of the labor was performed by family. I did most of the instructions the first few years and then worked in the rental department as it grew. Younger brothers bridged the instructors gap first and right behind that was a slew of nieces and nephews that got involved in every facet of the business..........including the food side. I believe Dad handled the majority of the retail end.........which at that time included full lines of clothing, skis, boots and bindings as well as the misc. items. It was a pretty large department at one time...........before the big box stores entered the picture.

enjoy your weekend. I will try to get some pics of the new trail and post here in a couple days.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

snowmaking in the 70's

I don't honestly remember which was tried first but very early on Dad purchased a machine that had been used to fog trees with insecticide..........with the purpose of making snow. Seems like it did put out a snowflake or two but with no compressed air to assist, very limited water pressure, the amount of snow made on a really cold night wouldn't have been enough to make a very large snowman........but it was snow and it was made. From there a couple of SMI snowguns..........we still run them today........same design as then..........was purchased and man oh man could they ever make the snow. Mission Accomplished! No more going to the ditches to scoop drifted snow! We could make snow. We could move the gun to different trails. It was a milestone! And of course the art of snowmaking hasn't stopped since the 70's for one minute. A lot of science and technology has been rolled into a single package called a snow gun.

....and thank goodness huh. Some winters we wouldn't have opened very early if it hadn't been for snowmaking.

If ever you want to see snow being made at Seven Oaks you can. We normally get started around Thanksgiving and normally can only make it at night with colder temperatures....but we have a LOT of visitors come to the parking lot for the express purpose of seeing some snow being made.

changing the topic again, sounds like all the earth work was accomplished yesterday at the unload portion of the Riblet chair.......think everyone will like it a lot.......and the work was started on the new trail and building the dam higher.............for more snowmaking water capacity.

see you at Seven Oaks

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Grooming?? What's that??

I can't say that I remember how many winter seasons Fun Valley was in operation with no grooming..........well, no grooming as we know it today. Generally there was more grooming done in front of the bathroom mirror each morning than there was on the ski trails..........but over time that changed.

First the ski conditions were what ever mother nature provided and the skiers created with their own skiing and falling. Then there was a snowmobile or the "cushman" with it's rubber tracks and hydrostatic drive........dragging either old bed springs, a section of rotary hoe (from the farm field) or even a section of hoe (again from the farm field)..........up and down the trails in an attempt to: a) relocate some of the snow to thin spots.......b) break up hard pack .......c) level some of the terrain ..........or maybe it just made us feel better. But then came the real McCoy.........a steel tracked machine , I believe it was a Thikol that we would pull a specifically designed snow grooming tool called a powder maker. This powder maker would break up, crush, smooth out, relocate snow ........all in a single pass. Until groomers as are used today were introduced to the industry and specifically to Fun Valley. Quite the transition.

So you can see that the industry went from 100% natural snow......or none at all.......with no grooming and then crude attempts to make the snow more skiable......to todays standard of making snow on a very regular basis to augment whatever mother nature gives us and grooming every day with equipment that has enough features, options, buttons and gauges to rival a jumbo jet.........

what a change........what an improvement......

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Years ago

I am sure years ago when the Bryans opened a ski resort on the family farm, there were many skeptics and naysayers.......critics and gossips.......but you know what....... it worked. Just like our friend that built Lake Ponderosa just one mile north of Fun Valley. But it was not an easy road.......far from it. Four or five of us kids had left home in pursuit of our own dreams and Dad was still farming about 500 acres.........til one day he announced that he could not continue farming, building Fun Valley bigger each year and then operating Fun Valley all winter........so he sold the farm.

Fun Valley was for many years the reason for so many of the family to come home.......to play......and most certainly to work. Few things in the way of improvements were ever hired done. We had the manpower....and little did our spouses realize they were part of it too.....til it was too late....and for many years we contributed to the winter operation as well for no or minimal compensation.........but don't let me mislead you into thinking we complained.......cause we didn't ........it was fun being with family.......introducing our kids to the ski industry.........watching them learn to ski at age 2.......it was fun.

But you know in those very early days of skiing..........there was NO snowmaking........there was NO grooming. Mother nature had to provide the snow and generally did.........although we would often have to go retrieve snow from snow drifts or from the ditches along the road ........piling the snow as high as possible on a homemade sled being pulled behind a snowmobile or other motorized vehicle of the day.......always hurrying because you were in a race with the sun.......finally delivering it on a dirt, mud or grass spot to provide continuity in the white base for the skiers to slide across. Whew........made me tired just writing about it........and it most definitely made me tired then actually doing it. Load after load........curse the hot sun and the warm winds that were melting our snow!

next time.........a couple comments on the early days of grooming

have you become a Friend of Seven Oaks on Facebook yet????........many have.........

The countdown has began for when we make snow at Seven Oaks for the first time.......

Monday, November 2, 2009

It was 1970.......

.....when a guy named Mike D. from one of the suburbs of Chicago came knocking on my parents house front door to start a conversation about buying some of Dad's farm land........for a ski resort. One thing led to another and a deal was struck. I quit my job in Oskaloosa - flew to Aspen Colorado to learn to ski and to learn to teach.........from one of the best instructors at the resort.......in fact I lived with him for the week. Then returned home to begin clearing land, etc. for the new resort. Unfortunately within a couple of months with promises instead of a paycheck, we all learned Mike D. had more ideas than money........so exit stage left for Mike D.

Dad was humiliated and angered allowing himself to be taken by a big town swindler.....and vowed to make it right with his friends that had invested in the new resort.

This idea of a ski area in close proximity to Iowas largest cities, in close proximity to Iowas largest highway - I80..........had received a significant amount of publicity in a host of newspapers and even radio...........so Dad and Mom........actually Dad talked Mom into it.......said let's do it ourselves. So with the assistance of the seven kids.......a small ski resort named Fun Valley was born.........opening to the predominantly non skiing public in the winter of 1970-71.

And yours truly was the "ski instructor" for the resort.........after having learned from and at the best in the USA..........Aspen.

more later on this........instructing, snowmaking, rentals, lodge, grooming, NSPS........at little ole Fun Valley.

I still think winter is fun.........

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Yesterday was a Fun Day

When I knew I would be travelling alone to Seven Oaks Saturday for routine business I decided to call my 88 year young aunt to see if she was available, wanted to, felt like riding along. She had been to Seven Oaks one other time.......ten years ago. She said yes........actually she said YES. I picked her up at 7:30 am in Montezuma and off we went to my little slice of heaven........Seven Oaks. There was never a moment we didn't have something to talk about.........it was fun. When we were almost there she asked how many miles it was and when I responded it was 110 miles she smiled and replied "it seems like 150" ! After showing her around and engaging in a couple hour meeting with staff, we loaded up, had lunch in Boone and headed home........again without a quiet moment of having nothing to talk about.

This little trip has given cause to reflect back to my first exposure of the ski industry.....and I think over the next couple of postings I am going to share with you how that came about, the differences in the ski industry in Iowa back then compared to now......all from my perspective of course..........so bear with me.

Seven Oaks looked great yesterday. Several recent improvements were made last week......many of which will not directly be seen by you nor necessarily benefit many of you......but another snow gun, more snowtubes and more lockers for the rental shop were picked up Tuesday........a new and much larger septic tank was installed on Wednesday.......a concrete floor was poured in the shop Thursday.........new flooring was laid in the largest women's restroom on Saturday...........all in the name of continuous improvement.

this week..........improve the Riblet chairlift unload area........create the new ski trail..........raise the dam for more water holding capacity which means more continuous hours of snowmaking.........

...and to all my friends engaged in the farming industry I hope this week brings you sunshine and a little breeze so you can all get your crops out. I can relate to the farming industry more than any other when it comes to having your business be at the mercy of the weather.

we are getting closer and closer to winter season 2009-2010............