1/25/2024 0 Comments Let it snow book tie inIn the late 1960s, inventors developed a so-called airless snowmaking system that uses fans, instead of compressed air, to blow water droplets into the air. Since then, snowmaking gear has evolved and improved, says Masia. “Particularly at low-elevation ski areas in the East, they just didn’t get enough natural snow to do business at the levels that were necessary when skiing became so popular in the postwar years.” “The need for snowmaking became clear when skiing became a commercial enterprise during the big recreational boom after World War II,” says Seth Masia, president of the International Skiing History Association. Commercial snowmaking equipment for ski areas became widely available starting in the 1950s, when the Connecticut-based Tey Manufacturing Company developed a system that used compressed air to spray water through a series of nozzles. Ski clubs, ski resorts and even movie studios tried shaving, crushing, grinding and chipping blocks of ice to create a snow-like material, according to the New England Ski Museum. In the 1930s, inventors began tinkering with ways to give the weather a boost. “We’re using the resources that are naturally available and optimizing the conditions that are made by the weather.” Farming on the Continental Divide “It’s Mother Nature’s snowmaking that we’re capturing,” said Ian Curran, Banff Sunshine’s mountain operations manager. The practice also plays a big role in the ski area’s commitment to the environment, as it doesn’t require the use of any additional water or electricity as snowmaking does. Similarly, transportation departments in mountainous regions also use fencing to help keep highways and roads clear.īut because of its snowy conditions and large amounts of terrain above the tree line, Banff Sunshine likely has one of the largest snow-farming operations on the planet. Arapahoe Basin and Monarch Mountain in Colorado, Baldy Mountain Resort in British Columbia and even Banff Sunshine’s neighboring Lake Louise Ski Resort also use fences to capture natural snow. Once enough has accumulated, resort staffers spread the white stuff over the slopes for skiers and snowboarders to enjoy.īanff Sunshine isn’t the only ski resort to use this technique. As the wind pummels the towering Canadian Rockies above the tree line at approximately 7,500 feet above sea level, the fences stop the snow from blowing away and, instead, create massive snow reservoirs. For decades, the resort has pioneered this technique, which involves setting up miles of fencing across its highest terrain to capture large amounts of wind-blown, natural snow. However, there’s a lot of regional variability-snowmaking tends to be more common at ski resorts in the East than those in the West.īut Sunshine Village Ski Resort in Alberta, Canada, also known as Banff Sunshine, takes a different approach: snow farming. In the United States, 17 percent of skiable terrain benefits from machine-made snow, according to the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), an industry group that represents more than 300 ski areas in the U.S. It also lets them fill in patchy or high-traffic areas throughout the season. Snowmaking helps ski resorts open earlier in the fall by building up a base before much natural snow has had a chance to accumulate. Ski resorts around the world use special equipment to create their own snow in addition to nature’s bounty. The conditions may appear effortless, but the trails are actually the result of hours of hard work and planning behind the scenes. At ski areas each morning, skiers and snowboarders eager for first tracks head out early to find pristine runs covered in smooth, glittering snow.
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