• Keystone Ski Resort
  • Keystone Ski Resort
  • Keystone Ski Resort
  • Keystone Ski Resort
  • Keystone Ski Resort
  • Keystone Ski Resort
  • Keystone Ski Resort
  • Keystone Ski Resort

DA Smith drilled multiple geotechnical boreholes for Cesare, Inc. on the main ski run at Keystone Mountain at the end of the 2020-21 ski season.  The U.S. Forest Service required drilling to be conducted in winter atop snow to prevent soil/environmental damage.  Equipment was transported up-mountain using snowcats.  The rocky overburden was drilled with an ODEX system, followed by HQ coring up to depths of 82 feet in bedrock.  Drilling was made challenging by melting snow conditions.  Daily adjustments to the rig setup were required to compensate for changes in the snowpack supporting the rig.  Holes were completed successfully with inclinometers or piezometers.