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MANCELONA - As the snow fell lightly on the few skiers and snowboarders coming down the lit hills of Schuss Mountain at 8 p.m. last Monday night, a tractor with a strange attachment inched along one of the runs slowly sculpting.

The machine, moving up and down the hill is a special one, and is new to Schuss Mountain this winter. It is for cutting and maintaining the 465-foot half pipe on the Mellow Yellow run.

John Pofahl is the man who works to groom the feature, and has been fully involved with building it and cutting it since long before the season started. To build up the walls for the half pipe, Pofahl said they had to make snow for more than a month.

The previous equipment used to maintain the half pipe was an older device, one of the first of its kind and Pofahl said it was necessary to have new equipment to bring the resort up to speed.

"It (the old machine) did the job, but it was problematic," Pofahl added. Schuss has not had a half pipe the last few years and officials say they felt they needed one.

"The only way you can have a half pipe is to have that machine, and having a half pipe has become more and more important," said Steve Kershner, director of outdoor sports at Shanty Creek.

It was no small sacrifice either. Kershner estimates the machine costs a quarter of a million dollars.

The machine is known to most as a "Pipe Dragon" though the one at Schuss is actually Bombardier brand.

Mellow Yellow was chosen as a good spot for the half pipe because it was the right steepness, and is on the front of the hill so it's easily accessible from the parking lot.

Having the parking lot close is important because according to Kershner the half pipe gives Schuss the opportunity to host more competitions.

Pofahl, who has worked for Shanty Creek since 1999, was sent to "cutters camp" to train using the machine last summer in Oregon. Pofahl, originally from Minnesota, has a degree in ski area management.

He comes out to groom the pipe about once a week or more depending on the storms. He also sculpts and grooms the terrain park each night.

After last weekend's ice storm, he had to come out to take care of the pipe.

"After yesterday we have to get up in there and knock some ice off," Pofahl said.

Pofahl said the best time for grooming is when the temperature is right around freezing.

"It's ideal when the snow is just starting to get sticky, it packs right in there and it stays," he said.

Pofahl starts on one machine that flattens the decks of the pipe. Then he turned down the bottom of the pipe to level it off and teeth behind the machine churn up snow.

"This gives me something to work with," Pofahl explained. "The bottom has a dish to it and I want to level it off."

Once the half pipe is prepped, Pofahl jumps in the tractor with the pipe dragon to start sculpting the pipe. He maneuvers his heavy attachment against one of the walls, and the chain starts moving.

The machine spins and flattens and cuts snow off the wall all at the same time. Chunks of snow fly up and off the half pipe, and the tractor inches along.

Pofahl explained the goals in grooming the pipe.

"It's important to keep the walls straight and uniform," he said. "I want to keep the top lip straight all the way. It's harder than it looks."

He said he wants a smooth wall with a smooth transition at the bottom.

"A good half pipe is one that rides well and looks good," Pofahl said.

Pofahl drives the machine up and down the pipe about four times during a grooming, as the cutter will only take off a couple inches at a time. "It's a tedious, slow process," he said.

But Pofahl likes other parts of building the half pipe and maintaining it throughout the season.

"I like building it from start to finish, and seeing people use it and have fun," he said. "Seeing the end product is the best part."

Hadley Robinson can be reached at hrobinson@michigannewspapers.com or by calling 231-533-8523