SNOWMAKING
Fall 2009 - MORE SNOWMAKING ENHANCEMENTS - Ski Butternut expands snowmaking again adding 120 more Top Gun - Pipe Dream model 18ft Tower Snowguns. These energy efficient snowmaking machines were added over the summer. Towers now run up the sides completely covering the Hob Nob and Lucifer's Leap trails. Additional guns have also been deployed across much of the base, along crosstown and throughout the beginner area. These are extremely energy efficient tower snowmaking machines (air-water) that work extremely well in our winter environment. The mountain also added over a mile of new snowmaking pipe with numerous hydrants, one for each of the new snowguns.What's it mean - Simply - MORE SNOW - FASTER!
Fall 2008- Yes the mountain operations crew has been busy adding 30 more Top Gun - Pipe Dream model Tower Snowguns and upgrading both air and water lines across a number of trails on the mountain including:
Lucifer's Leap where we replaced old 4" water lines with a higher capacity 8" water line. On Freewheeler we added 6" air lines & 8" water lines top to bottom. This replaced our dependence on older electric powered Headco fan guns to open this trail.
The Race Course received new air & water lines.
Scooter received new air and water lines. These additions combined with last years snowmaking enhancements have completely rewritten what you can expect from the Ski Butternut snowmaking team for this and future winters. Simply stated our team will deliver MORE SNOW FASTER this winter!
In addition the mountain acquired another Bombardier BR 350 groomer. So get your rip sticks ready there will be loads of fresh, sweet corduroy awaiting your signature this winter.
Fall 2007 - over 225% MORE SNOW - Ski Butternut installed a new
state-of-the-art pump house that more than doubles our snowmaking ability. The new
pumps increase the amount of water we can pump uphill to 3600 gpm (up from 1600
gpm in the past). Simply stated the more water we can push up the hill, the more snow
we can make. Now Ski Butternut, already noted for great conditions, can open twice as
many trails in the same amount of time as in the past.
 Snowmaking and grooming are the lifeblood of the
ski industry, but natural snow is its best marketing
tool. Making snow is more than just waiting for
cold weather - it's a SCIENCE! after reading the
following, you'll have a better understanding of the
expertise and effort required from Ski Butternut's
snowmakers and its snowmaking system to cover
the slopes with snow. There are 7 key elements
necessary for productive, energy efficient, quality snowmaking:
- Cold Temperatures - ideally 16 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. But give the team a few hour window with anything below 28 degrees and we can start making snow. It's just not as efficient at 28 as it is at 16.
- Low Humidity
- Electricity - Lots of electricity - the power company loves us,
- Compressed Air - again more electricity needed
- Water & Pumps Which are needed to push the water up the mountain - again more electricity needed - see an expensive equation developing here!
- Snow Guns - the equipment that combines the elements Water and compressed air to form snow crystals
- A Knowledgeable & Talented Snowmaking Staff
Again it's a He/She thing. Well one of them Old Man Winter of Mother Nature, chooses when to provide the cold temperatures and low humidity. Unfortunately,
we have no control over the weather. However, we do provide the compressed
air, water, electricity, and select the best snowgun(s) mix by trail to create optimal ski conditions. Seven Large Diesel
compressors compact our air to a pressure of 14,400/cfm (cubic feet per minute), pushing it through
miles of snowmaking air lines that run up every one of our slopes/trails. Another set of pipes is used to
pump 3,600 gpm (gallons per minute) of water up the mountain. (Ski Butternut
drastically increased its ability to pump water uphill in the fall of 2007 with the
construction of a new multi million dollar state-of-the-art pump house. This was a
significant upgrade, as the old system pumped 1600 gpm) The water is drawn from
one of two holding ponds located on Ski Butternut property. The pumps that push the
water and the compressors that compress and move the high-pressure air use a lot of
electricity. Snowmaking, therefore, is a very - very - very expensive enterprise.
The miles of snowmaking pipe used to transport the water and compressed air around
the mountain have a set of valves every 50 feet. Snowguns are connected to these
valves by high-pressure hoses. One high-pressure hose is connected to a water
valve, and the other hose is connected to a compressed air valve. Both hoses are
then connected to a single snowgun. at Ski Butternut we may have as many as 50
snowguns operating on a single trail. And we can make snow on 7 to 8 trails at a time. The snowgun serves as the mixing chamber
for the water and air. The mixture creates small water molecules which are under
intense pressure. These tiny molecules of water are then forced out of the gun into
the air. When the water molecule is released into the air, which is at a relatively lower
pressure, it expands. As the water molecule expands, it releases energy in the form of
heat and freezes. This process is called "super-cooling."
We all know that 32 degrees is the temperature at which water crystallizes, but in most cases, it's not
cold enough for efficient and productive snowmaking. Generally, temperatures must
drop below 28 degrees Fahrenheit before snowmaking can even begin. At Ski Butternut, we
will make snow at temperatures at or below 28 degrees "wet bulb" but we prefer 22 to
24 or lower, with 16 degrees or less being ideal. Wet Bulb is a temperature measurement that
takes into account both the ambient air temperature and the relative humidity, another
key snowmaking factor.
Humidity also plays a big role in determining when snowmaking can begin. At
higher humidity levels, the process is hampered, because the air is already
saturated with water molecules. The drier the air, the better the snowmaking
conditions and the higher the quality of snow that can be produced. Low
humidity, combined with cold air (16 to 22 degrees fahrenheit), allow our
snowguns to shoot out beautiful, white, powdery snow crystals! The degree of
humidity is so critical, in fact, that when the temperature approaches 28-30
degrees, it is the humidity level, not the temperature, that
dictates whether or not the ski area can cost-effectively continue to make
snow!
Snowmaking uses a lot of water. At Ski Butternut, water is treated as a
precious resource. It is the basic raw material needed for skiing and winter
sports recreation. The snowmaking process converts water into snow, which
our snowcats and other grooming machinery spread around the mountain. During
a thaw or lord forbid winter rain, some snow may melt. This water runs back down the
mountain into Ski Butternut's two holding ponds, where it is held until
reused to make snow. Ski Butternut's snowmaking system was upgraded in the
fall of 2007 and can now pump 3600 gallons of water per minute. In the
course of a regular winter, we will convert tens of millions of gallons of
water into snow.
The five primary types of snow guns we use are highlighted below. Each has a
specific set of advantages, which determines when and why they are used. These
characteristics are carefully weighed against environmental and operational
factors, such as temperature, humidity, wind speed/direction, times of operation and
grooming tactics. Often, Ski Butternut uses a combination of snow guns
from our battery to provide the best snow possible for our guests.
Over the last few seasons, we've added over 150 of the newest snowgun model
available, the HKD 30' tower snowguns. These HKD guns are mounted on poles
which reach up to 30 feet into the air. These are designed to make quality
snow more efficiently and less expensively as a result of using less of the extremely
expensive highly compressed air. However, these new snowguns are somewhat expensive
to purchase. Nevertheless, because these guns use less compressed air,
three-and-a-half guns can be run using the same amount of compressed air
that some older models of snowguns used. When temperatures allow, and we're
pushing the maximum amount of air possible, we employ the HKD Tower snowguns
to make more snow. As they allow us to pump more water because more snowguns
can be operating given a fixed amount of air. Remember our system tops out at 14,400 CFM. More snow is the result of
pushing more water out the nozzles of the snowguns. Ultimately, given a fixed amount of compressed air
available the more water we can pump and the more snowguns we can have
working, the more snow we can produce in a given period of time.
The position of the guns is another factor that makes the HKD design more
efficient. The new guns' 30 foot height gives the snow crystals they produce, shooting
from the top of the snowguns six nozzles, more time to freeze as they slowly fall to the ground. The biggest advantage of the HKD design is that these
guns use less air = less electricity (they're simply more efficient to operate) and when necessary
they allow us to make snow at temperatures a few degrees warmer (28 degrees)
than older snowgun technology permitted (22-24 degrees). This gives us a
longer period of time when snow can be made. Also, more ground is covered by
one gun because the crystals are spread out by wind or drift as they fall to the ground. So less
grooming time is needed to spread out the piles of snow the guns make. Again
a savings is realized in less diesel fuel being used in the groomers and
less wear and tear on the snow grooming machines. This also means that the HKD is more environmentally friendly. Go Green!
This past seasons, we added 30 of the TOP Gun Towers. These snowguns are also mounted on poles which reach 15 to18 feet into the air. These are designed to make quality snow more efficiently and less expensively as a result of using less of the extremely expensive compressed air. The Top Gun Towers are slightly less expensive than the HKD's and are not as tall. Advantage is on windy days less production is lost due to wind drift. These guns use less compressed air, three-and-a-half guns can be run using the same amount of compressed air that some older models of snowguns used. When temperatures allow, and we're already pushing the maximum amount of air possible, we employ the TOP Gun Tower snowguns to make more snow. As they too allow us to pump more water because more snowguns can be operating given a fixed amount of air. Remember our system tops out at 14,400 CFM. More snow is the result of pushing more water out the nozzles of the snowguns. Ultimately, given a fixed amount of compressed air available, the more water we pump therefore the more snowguns we can have working, the more snow can be produce in a given period of time. The position of the guns is another factor that makes the TOP Gun Tower design more efficient. This 15 foot height gives the snow crystals they produce, shooting from the top of the snowguns four, star shaped nozzles, time to freeze as they slowly fall to the ground. The biggest advantage of the TOP Gun Tower snowguns design is that these guns use less air = less electricity (they're simply more efficient to operate) and when necessary they allow us to make snow at temperatures a few degrees warmer (say 28 degrees) than our older snowgun technology which required colder temps in (22-24 degrees) range before you would fire up the system. This gives us a longer period of time when snow can be made. Also, more ground is covered by one gun because the crystals are spread out by wind or drift as they fall to the ground. So less grooming time is needed to spread out the piles of snow the guns make. Again a savings is realized in less diesel fuel being used in the groomers and less wear and tear on the snow grooming equipment. This also means that the Top Gun just like the HKD is more environmentally friendly. Go Green!
These guns create their own air pressure using a fan instead of having to hook into our expensive compressed air lines. A nozzle helps to spray a fine mist of water, which is pumped from one of the holding
ponds, and they hit the compressed air that is created by the guns fan. The impact of the fan creates tiny water molecules. The gun's fan helps to
blow these molecules up into the air. Fan snowguns work best in
temperatures below 24 degrees and, because they don't need to use the
expensive and often time limiting factor of compressed air. They provide another component in Ski Butternut's snowmaking artillery mix. If the snowmaking team is running all the compressed air to the max
14,400 CFM and there is still more water available to be pumped we can add these
fan operated snowmaking machines into the mix to maximize our snowmaking ability and use all our available water. All without the requirement of adding more compressed air - as the fan guns don't need the air.
Their internal fans take care of that. At times when all of our
compressed air is being used by our other snowguns, and there's still
available water, Ski Butternut can boost snowmaking even more, simply by
firing up its Fan snowgun arsenal.
These snowguns are welded to a sliding steel frame, rising 3 feet off the
ground. They function best at temperatures hovering closer to freezing
(24-28 degrees), because they require more air pressure to operate the gun to
create water molecules that freeze into snow very quickly. They are best
when it is windy because they are lower to the ground which means less loss
due to wind drift. That occurs when the wind blows the freshly made snow off
the trails and into the woods. They are nicknamed the whisper guns because
they are somewhat quieter than a lot of the other snowguns of their time.
Ratniks are very similar to Omicrons in design, using both air and water
lines. Their advantage is that they use a much higher volume of both air and water. These snowguns
produce a larger volume of snow quickly. But they use up a large amount of
available air and water which limits the number of snowguns an
area can use at any one point in time. These guns work best in very cold
temperatures (below 20 degrees) and are often operated in high use areas to
quickly cover sections of slopes that endure lots of traffic or areas of high wear, or sections of trails that just need more snow - quickly.
To cover our slopes with copious amounts of man-made snow, large quantities
of compressed air and water must be pushed through miles of snowmaking pipes to all
sections of our mountain. We have an inline system that totals 13 large
compressors that push air up the mountain at a rate of 14,400 CFM [cubic
feet per minute]. Also used are several high-capacity water pumps and a
number of free standing Fan Guns that all require large amounts of
electricity. Is it any wonder why snowmaking is such an expensive
proposition for eastern ski areas? Electricity cost alone may eat up as much
as 20 to 22% of a resorts total net revenue. This is just the cost for
electricity and does not include any costs for labor, equipment, fuel,
insurance, overhead, reinvestment, leasing, taxes and the numerous other
costs that need to come out of each individuals lift ticket.
Throughout the winter months, our snowmakers are on standby, waiting for
cold temperatures. When the weather looks right, they gear up and head out
onto the mountain to make snow. Snowmaking is often a 24-hour,
seven-day-a-week enterprise when it's cold. Many times they miss
Thanksgiving and Christmas and other holidays as they are needed out on the hill
making snow.
It's a cold, wet job, but our snowmakers love manipulating these dangerous high pressure hoses and playing with frozen snowgun nozzles, all to assure our important guests the finest packed powder conditions
available, anywhere in the northeast! (If you are interested in joining our
snowmaking team, contact Tony Bleau, Ski Butternut's Mountain Manager, for
an interview. Tony directs all our on-mountain snowmaking and grooming
operations).
Want to know what it feels like to make snow? Visualize yourself in a car
wash when it's pitch dark and the thermometer is pushing lets say 8 degrees Fahrenheit, your dressed in
soaking wet clothes, enduring a gale force wind blowing 30+ miles an hour.
So the wind chill is now at about 26 below zero. (You just can't stay dry
when playing with high-pressure water hoses - just ask any fireman!) When you're making snow on the
mountain, you're often soaked to the bone, battling frigid temperatures and
a wind chill factor hovering at or well below zero. You enjoy 12 hour shifts. It's hard - rugged work and that is why you stay warm. That's the life of a Ski
Butternut snowmaker. The ability to endure is what makes them stand apart
from less hardy souls. Our Snowmaking experts love just this type of
challenge. Interestingly many are right there in line looking to take 1st chair up to test the product when the slopes open
in the morning! Talk about dedication and commitment to a cause - these guys are our lifeline to a long winter of fun!
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