It seems to be true that when there is no snow on the ground in cities there are few skiers on the mountain. That’s a shame because in this age of high-tech snow making there always seems to be enough snow on the ground. Almost all of the major ski areas, and most of the smaller ones, have made the investment and the snow they produce is as good as the nature made thing.
Skiing when there is no snow
Most people are not quite aware of what is involved in producing these mountains of white stuff and recently Okemo Mountain, in Ludlow, Vermont, sent out a release documenting what it takes to coat their mountain in white. At this time, the beginning of the 2011-2012 season, the information in the release is helpful in letting us know how anyone can ski when there is no snow on the ground where they live and perhaps explain why those lift tickets cost as much as they do.
What it takes to cover one mountain with snow
Here is the pertinent part of the Okemo Mountain Resort release and, while reading it, keep in mind that while those the statistics vary from resort to resort, the same effort is made in each of the 61 ski areas in New England.
“Okemo covers more than 600 acres of terrain with snow-generating technology. HKD tower guns make up the majority of the 1,100 guns in Okemo’s cache. The Resort’s dedication to providing a quality snow surface is directly proportionate to the amount of water that can be stored and utilized for making snow. With the addition of Jackson Gore a decade ago, Okemo’s demand for water increased substantially. What was previously a 70 million gallon snowmaking pond is now a massive, 70-foot deep reservoir that holds 155 million gallons of water. In a typical year, Okemo pumps more than 450 million gallons of water through its snowmaking system. At maximum production, it takes two on-hill crews of 10-12 people working noon to midnight; three people at the base pump; two people at the mid-mountain pump and four people at the compressor pad. The system can pump 9,200 gallons of water and 37,000 cubic feet of compressed air per minute – requiring about 6,000 kilowatts of electricity per hour. 180,000 gallons of water yields an acre-foot of snow and, depending on the type of gun, the temperature and humidity, a trail can be covered with enough snow to make it skiable in 24 hours.”
Snowmaking is everywhere in New England
Every year these ski areas spend millions of dollars tweaking their systems. They add capacity by extending lines, expanding water reservoirs and changing their snow guns and pumps to make their systems more efficient and more productive. This year Okemo added 45 new guns to its arsenal. In New Hampshire Loon Mountain Resort added 170 low E snow guns and 600 new Tower guns. These examples are only two of the many who have improved their systems. Some ski areas are now adding wind and solar generating capacity to lower their environmental impact and to reduce costs. Beyond snow making there are the huge groomers that move the snow around and prep it for that perfect day of skiing.
Yes, there is little or no snow on the streets of Boston, Providence or Hartford but there is snow on the hills and mountains of Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, as well as in upstate New York. Get out there and enjoy it now, it’s there for the sheer pleasure of it.
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