Rime ice is formed when small supercooled water droplets freeze almost instantly on contact with a solid surface. Last night we had high humidity and falling temperatures which lead to the rime ice you see here. The rime ice also built up on the chairlifts and cables overnight. For a while this morning we had to load every other chair on Madonna and Sterling. If there is too much ice on the cable it does not let it grip with the bullwheel liner. To make sure the cable and bullwheel liner do not slip we lighten the load. This allows the cable to warm up and clear itself of ice. I would like to give a shout out to Boder Stephens, Brian Williamson, and the rest of our lift staff for all their effort to get the cable and bullwheels clean. I would like to thank Ski Patrol for lending a helping hand in clearing the chairs of snow and rime ice.
