Snowmaking: Full Throttle, Maximum Send, and Holiday Week Hype!

Snowy ski resort with ski lifts and cabins under cloudy skies.

It’s truly bonkers how Mother Nature plays games. November was basically wearing a t-shirt (well, maybe a light fleece) compared to typical averages, yet we somehow managed to pull off a spectacular opening during Thanksgiving week! While we weren't 100%, the skiing was awesome under snowfall then a beautiful Sunday. I am eternally thankful to the entire team for pulling off an opening in what felt like one chaotic, amazing week with a holiday thrown in there, but when you work in the ski industry it is what you do!   Our snowmaking heroes worked straight through the holiday, and yes, I absolutely made them a "snowmaker" Thanksgiving dinner—turkey legs! Because what's more appropriate than feeding the the guys who fire the cannons with oversized poultry?

Snowmaking: We’re Blowing the Doors Off the Place! 🌬️❄️

Then, BAM! Mother Nature finally showed up like the VIP she is, dropping a beautiful 10" of natural powder and immediately slamming the temps into the PERFECT snowmaking sweet spot. While it would have been nice to immediately jump back into a daily grind, the snowmaking window was TOO GOOD TO IGNORE. We had to hit the turbo button! Why? Because we needed to deploy our heavy artillery where it mattered most, without the stress of dodging skiers when we reopened. Safety first, folks! 

Each of our Techno Alpin snowmaking machines are a giant, high-voltage water-spraying beast—seriously, they're the size of a jet engine, except they make white gold instead of loud noises! This past Wednesday night, I got to jump in on a major equipment move to capitalize on the coldest stretch, and it was AWESOME. In my previous lives at Granite Peak and Peak Resorts, we used SMI guns. But these Techno Alpins? They are basically the smartphone of snow guns. It was fantastic working with Doug, Nathan, Hunter, Kale, and our owner Rick to learn the startup sequence and how to set our "pit numbers" to monitor everything—all through a seriously cool app! 

(Yes, we make snow with an app. Welcome to the future, ski bums.)

Snowmaking Behind the Scenes

Snowy ski resort at dusk with glowing lights on a slope.
An early morning shot of the firepower.
Snowy landscape with trees and a snow-covered path.
A gun named Little Chicken firing on the Learning Center terrain through the woods from Slingshot.
Snowy ski slope at night with a chairlift and snow-covered trees.
Hunter working up on Big Deal.
Horizontal position dial with directional indicators and numbers.
A look at a TR8 Tower Gun that is running with the angle and positioning.
Map with colored pins marking locations in a park area.
A screen grab from our app showing gun placements and status during our moves.
Yellow snow machine covered in snow, set in a snowy forest.
A TR 8 waiting to fire.
Snow machine blowing snow under bright lights at night.
One of our TA 12 portable guns in action.
Snowgroomer and workers making snow on a slope at night, bright lights illuminating.
Hunter placing a gun on the backside with his groomer.
People studying a map on a garage wall.
Strategy on the move with the team.
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Skiers on a snowy mountain chairlift, with buildings in the background.

Get Ready to Rip: Friday’s Re-Opening!

Friday night, we are back on the mountain starting at 4 PM, and we are confidently looking at being at or extremely close to 100% OPEN! We'll keep the snow guns blazing until Friday morning, then our master Groomers will roll out and lay down the final corduroy carpet.

Our main goal is obviously launching new trails, but we also want to fine-tune the high-traffic zones—I'll admit, those lift load/unload spots were a little messy on opening day (we were grooming right up until the second we let you guys loose!). Congestion areas wear down fast, and the earlier we get our groomers on them, the better they "set up"—think of it as letting the concrete set before the party starts! We’ll hit those critical areas first before tilling the rest of the mountain into a glorious, carvable surface.

Snowboarder jumping off a snowbank against a clear blue sky.

Terrain Parks: The Jumps are Coming!

Terrain Parks are not just an afterthought here—they are a VERY BIG DEAL (yes Pun there) at Little Switzerland! We anticipate launching some seriously sweet new features on 41 Park, including our first few jumps of the season!

Meanwhile, on the backside, the snowmaking crew is absolutely crushing Happy Trail Park. The plan is to set up a smaller, beginner-friendly park there—perfect for those looking to enjoy features closer to the ground and dial in those box and rail tricks without needing an insurance waiver for air time. We might get to Expo Park later in the week, but honestly, the team here has been absolutely EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS (they clearly haven't discovered the 'sleep' setting yet), so anything is possible!

All Lifts Spinning + Fueling the Fun!

Starting Friday night and straight through the weekend, we intend to have EVERY. SINGLE. LIFT. SPINNING! This includes the up-and-over 3 | 4 and the beloved Happy Trails rope.

A major fix: Our conveyor lifts for the learning area will be spinning with much better loading and level. For those here on the first weekend, there was a slight uphill climb that felt less like learning and more like a pre-run workout—we know, not ideal! Day 1 is basically a live tech rehearsal, so thanks for rolling with us!

And for your mid-shred motivation, our Coffee Shop over in the learning area will be open! Stop by for a warm-up, a jolt of hot coffee, fresh pastries, and of course, the kids' essential fuel: hot chocolate (aka liquid happiness).

The Snow Sports team is ready to whip those winter legs back into shape! I highly encourage everyone—from first-timers to seasoned rippers—to book a lesson. Getting those tips in early is the cheat code for a smooth, injury-free, and fun season!

Ski slope under a blue sky, with a red and black promotional card overlay.

Last Call! The 4x Card Is Almost Gone Forever!

If you haven't secured your Little Switzerland 4x Cardy et, consider this your final, dramatic, air-horn-blasting reminder!

This card gives you four full-day lift tickets here with no blackouts, saving you over 50% off regular prices. Seriously, it's a steal. Our 4x Card with the rental add-on is nearly sold out (gone, baby, gone!), and the 4x Card itself will only be available for a few more weeks. DON'T MISS OUT! Grab one now before you regret it more than that time you wore jeans skiing.

GET YOUR 4X CARD NOW! 

Holiday Week Hours: Let's Get Festive!

Looking ahead to the Christmas & New Year’s season, Little Switzerland is going **DAILY!** We'll be operating daytime hours starting **Friday, December 19th, straight through January 4, 2026**.

Date Day Lift Operations Notes
December 19 - 23, 2025 Friday - Tuesday 9:00 AM - 9:30 PM Pre-Christmas Turns: Get 'em in!
December 24, 2025 Wednesday 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM Early Close - Go hang those stockings!
December 25, 2025 Thursday Closed Merry Christmas to All!
December 26 - 30, 2025 Friday - Tuesday 9:00 AM - 9:30 PM Holiday Week Rippers!
December 31, 2025 Wednesday 9:00 AM - 9:30 PM Fireworks at 10 PM! Live Music into 2026!
January 1 - 3, 2026 Thursday - Saturday 9:00 AM - 9:30 PM First Days of the New Year!
January 4, 2026 Sunday 9:00 AM - 8:30 PM Normal Sunday Hours

Thanks again for coming out the first weekend! It was truly **magical** and, by some measures, potentially the biggest opening weekend Little Switzerland has **EVER** had. I am incredibly thankful to be here and lead this wonderful, snowy piece of paradise.

I’ll see you on the slopes, probably getting schooled by my kids Logan (9) and Ronan (12) who will be out ripping the hill this weekend!  

Greg

Greg Fisher 
General Manager