Burke 17th

This past sat. I worked with Steve Mahone grooming park features in Dashney Mile. Steve and I went through and raked and salted each feature to make sure each lip was safe and ready to use and that each feature was still secured in the ground. Salting is only effective in warm weather. It causes the snow to melt and freeze again around whatever surface you are trying to secure in the ground. In our case, we use salt to throw around the legs and sides of rails and boxes. This process helps keep the features secured in the snow. We also use our feet and rakes to stomp in the sids and corners of features after salting. This keeps the features from coming loose in the ground. Methods like salting, raking and stomping are essential to running a good park because it keeps everything safe and re-uses existing snow, which is sustainable. Managers and employees benefit from good spring parks because the longer the mountain can stay open the more money it can make by attracting guests. This means more money and working hours. Guests benefit from late season openings because they can still get turns in late into the season and spring months.