The ex-U.S. Ski Team racer says his snow guns are deployed and ready, but, unlike past years, he's going to wait until he has a forecast of consistent snowmaking weather before firing them up. "I got my electric bill for last winter and almost fainted. It was a killer," Taylor said. "In marginal temps, you know, you're not making a lot of snow, but still using a lot of energy and manpower. We could have made snow the other night on the bottom of the hill, but because of a temperature inversion the top was a couple of degrees warmer, and that's the difference between making snow and rain." What about his opening-day streak of being among the first to open? "We're still going to go for it, but I'm going to be a little more careful. Besides, we're still finishing up work on the two new lifts and around the base area."