Mountain Life
  • Daily Content
    • Trips & Expeditions
    • Climbing
    • Mountain Biking
    • Mountain Lifer
    • Multiplicity
    • On The Trail
    • Paddling
    • Photography
    • Skiing
    • Snowboarding
    • Stay & Play
    • Surfing
    • The Great Outdoors
    • The ML Interview
    • Travel
  • GEAR
  • VIDEOS
  • STORE
  • Magazines
    • ML Coast Mountains
    • ML Rocky Mountains
    • Vie En Montagne
    • ML Blue Mountains
    • ML Annual
    • ML Subscriptions
  • ABOUT
    • What is ML?
    • Our Team
    • Newsletter
    • Adventure Grant
    • Distribution
  • Podcast
  • Contests
  • CONTACT
    • ML Agency
    • Advertising
    • Contribute
Subscription Form

Get notified of the best News

Social Links
Instagram 22K Followers
Facebook 25K Likes
Twitter 5K Followers
Pinterest 1K Followers
Vimeo 34 Followers
LinkedIn 0
22K Followers
25K Likes
5K Followers
1K Followers
Mountain Life
Mountain Life
  • Daily Content
    • Trips & Expeditions
    • Climbing
    • Mountain Biking
    • Mountain Lifer
    • Multiplicity
    • On The Trail
    • Paddling
    • Photography
    • Skiing
    • Snowboarding
    • Stay & Play
    • Surfing
    • The Great Outdoors
    • The ML Interview
    • Travel
  • GEAR
  • VIDEOS
  • STORE
  • Magazines
    • ML Coast Mountains
    • ML Rocky Mountains
    • Vie En Montagne
    • ML Blue Mountains
    • ML Annual
    • ML Subscriptions
  • ABOUT
    • What is ML?
    • Our Team
    • Newsletter
    • Adventure Grant
    • Distribution
  • Podcast
  • Contests
  • CONTACT
    • ML Agency
    • Advertising
    • Contribute
  • Skiing
  • Snowboarding

Cold Sweat: Behind the Scenes with a Snowmaker

  • November 4, 2016
  • Ben Osborne
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0
0
0
0
Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0
Share 0
Share 0

It’s autumn, the leaves are in full mighty-morphin’ mode, the air is wet, it’s still pretty warm, and while you’ve probably thought once or twice about giving your gear a good tune-up, actual riding couldn’t be further from your mind.

 

img_8464

 

Words & photos by Nelson Phillips

Meanwhile the Blue Mountain Resort snowmaking crew has already sparked up the snow guns for the first time, anticipating a meteorologically near-perfect winter for skiing and riding.

Four compressors producing 5,000 CFM apiece, each equipped with a 1,250 horsepower engine—plus ten 1,000 gallon pumps each rocking 450 horsepower motors, and 4 extra auxiliary pumps situated at the north end of the resort just for good measure, make Blue Mountain one of North America’s most technologically advanced snowmaking facilities.

Horsepower-wise, the system tops out at a combined 9,500HP—or the equivalent of 17 Ferrari 458’s with hammers down shredding asphalt—and at maximum operational capacity, Blue can pump 14,000 gallons of water per minute and 20,000 cubic feet of air per minute to make snow.

 

img_8432

 

“All summer long the hill is moving,” says Steve Speissman, Director of Slope and Ground Maintenance at Blue Mountain. “We end up with pipe stresses on the hill… Years ago we wouldn’t fire anything up until the end of November or just before we were planning on making snow…. We want to make snow at every opportunity. So if we have a leak we’ll make snow through the leak, if we can.”

Powering up the system now means being ready to go live as soon as the white stuff graces the slopes. In order to have the green light, the crew builds pressure to 600 pounds and holds the lines for a little over an hour, assessing performance and waiting for a burst pipe to show itself.

 

img_8463

 

I ask about Steve’s predictions for this season’s snowfall. He squints a little, and I can tell he’s careful with his words, like he doesn’t want to offend the snow gods.

“Weather forecasters can barely predict a few days ahead let alone three months, so typically in the industry we look at all the weather data. We look at things like the Farmers Almanac, El Nino, all that stuff—and then you make a gut decision. Personally, to me… [looks over his shoulder] it feels like it’s going to be an early season with lots of natural snow. That’s just my gut feeling,” says Steve.

Another snowmaker pipes up from the other side of the room, in front of a screen which monitors the pressure levels of every inch of pipe on the hill: “Since the bay warmed up so much this summer, we’re probably not going to see it freeze over this year—which means we’re more susceptible to getting lake effect snow… which is good.”

 

img_8444

 

During a tour of the facilities, we step into the compressor room where only one of the four motors is running while the crew test the lines on the hill for cracks and leaks. Even at 25 percent capacity, it’s savagely deafening.

The pumps are located in the same room arranged symmetrically; their single-file steampunk work-ethic reminds me of the set of Fritz Lang’s science-fiction epic Metropolis.

Every year, the snowmakers at Blue prepare for milder weather, given the effects of climate change and warmer, often record-breaking temperatures well into October. They’ve started to swap-out their old snow guns with high-temperature/low-energy replacements, that can make snow at -2.5 or -3ºC.

 

img_8385

 

Steve continues: “We’ve always walked that fine line of conserving our energy while making snow at high temperatures. Fifteen years ago, -7ºC was kind of our threshold—and we can make a lot of snow at -7ºC… Last couple of years into December and we’ve barely seen -7ºC. So we’ve had to go back and look at how we approach season start-ups.”

So, armed with updated equipment, increased efficiency, predictions for early winter and heavy lake-effect dumps, the guys and gals at Blue are ready for winter before the early-bird 6×7 Pass price expires. Dust off those tips: winter is coming.

Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0
Share 0
Share 0
Related Topics
  • Blue Mountain
  • Ontario
  • snow
Ben Osborne

Previous Article
  • The Great Outdoors
  • CLIMBING
  • In This Issue
  • Mountain Biking
  • On The Trail
  • Paddling
  • Photography
  • Skiing
  • Snowboarding

Celebrate 10 Years of Mountain Life Coast Mountains

  • November 3, 2016
  • Ben Osborne
View Post
Next Article
  • Mountain Biking
  • Skiing
  • Snowboarding

Mountain Town: Kimberley is Much More Than Just “A Good Place to Be”

  • November 4, 2016
  • Editor
View Post
You May Also Like
Powder-Highway-BC-ski
View Post
  • Rockies
  • Skiing
  • Snowboarding

Powder Highway Revisited

  • Mountain Life Media
  • March 21, 2023
natural-selection-Redbull
View Post
  • Snowboarding
  • Videos

Friday Flick: Natural Selection Tour Highlights

  • Mountain Life Media
  • March 17, 2023
rope-tow-Vancouver-Island
View Post
  • Skiing
  • Trips & Expeditions

Poached Winter

  • Mountain Life Media
  • March 7, 2023
Ryan-Osman-ontario-splitboarding
View Post
  • Ontario
  • Skiing
  • Snowboarding

Off-Piste ON

  • Mountain Life Media
  • March 6, 2023
Skiis-and-Biikes
View Post
  • Mountain Lifer
  • Ontario
  • Skiing
  • Snowboarding

Skiis & Biikes Looks to the Future

  • Mountain Life Media
  • March 6, 2023
Baker-Boyd-Rossignol-Discordance
View Post
  • Skiing
  • Videos

Friday Flick: Discordance with Baker Boyd

  • Ned Morgan
  • March 3, 2023
Jake-Burton-Carpenter-late-Seventies
View Post
  • Snowboarding

Remembering Jake Burton Carpenter with the Third Annual ‘Day for Jake’

  • Ned Morgan
  • February 27, 2023
Bruhns-Antarctica-splitboard
View Post
  • Snowboarding
  • Trips & Expeditions

Blowin’ in the Wind: Field Reports from Sea/Shred Adventure to Antarctica

  • Mountain Life Media
  • February 24, 2023
Featured Posts
  • natural-selection-Redbull 1
    Friday Flick: Natural Selection Tour Highlights
    • March 17, 2023
  • Powder-Highway-BC-ski 2
    Powder Highway Revisited
    • March 21, 2023
  • AleTrailsSouthernInterior_Vernon_MikeGamble_LookoutTrail_BenHaggarPhoto 3
    Ale Trails: Southern Interior Part 1, Vernon + Shuswap
    • March 20, 2023
  • Bora-Boreal-Quebec-winter-cabin-stars 4
    Bora Boréal: Frozen in Time and Ice
    • March 14, 2023
  • Uncertainty-mountains-Rockies 5
    Facing Uncertainty: The Role of Chance in Mountain Adventures
    • March 13, 2023
RECENT POSTS
  • Elements-Outfitters-Filson-cabin
    Elements Outfitters Partners with SALTS to Protect Alberta’s Incredible Landscapes
    • March 16, 2023
  • The-High-Route-Kaytlyn-Gerbin-Jenny-Abegg-North-Cascades-High-Route-glacier-hiking
    Friday Flick: Alpine Ultra-Run Sufferfest
    • March 10, 2023
  • Lynx-OGT-Flashlight-standing-up
    Gear Shed: Top Picks for Shredding, Snacking + Seeing in the Dark
    • March 9, 2023
Social Links
Instagram 22K Followers
Facebook 25K Likes
Twitter 5K Followers
Pinterest 1K Followers
Vimeo 34 Followers
LinkedIn 0
INSTAGRAM
mountainlifemedia
22K Followers
Live It Up EP 24 is out now!
The Southern Interior region of BC holds an ecological cross-section of the province with alpine meadows, arid Douglas fir grasslands, damp cedar and hemlock forests of the Columbia Mountains and the warm expanse of Shuswap Lake.
Do Not Disturb mode activated ✅ #mountainlifer
Conceived by superhuman snowboarder @travisrice, the @naturalselection Tour highlights earth’s premier riders, from big-mountain mavens to Olympians, all competing on the most stoketastic—and unpredictable—terrain known to humankind.
Built upon a shared desire to enjoy, respect, and advocate for Alberta’s incredible landscapes, it was a natural fit for @elementsoutfitters to work with a local conservation organization @saltslandtrust to highlight the province’s rugged beauty and outdoor apparel to match.
THE UNINVITED INVITATIONAL April 13-16 @woodwardtahoe 😱 $40,000 cash prize purse and a whole lotta spotlight on a group of riders whose time has finally come!! Presented by @jess.kimura and @thenorthface and supported by @yeti @capitasupercorp @slushthemagazine @unionbindingco @smithoptics @sunbum @coalheadwear @fattire 🫡 watch the finals in person Saturday April 15 and join the crew + @btbounds for a public ride day Sunday April 16 @borealmtn. Time to make some history!!! #linkinbio to learn more!
Close your eyes and, for a moment, imagine yourself deep in the polar regions aboard an expedition ship stuck in the ice. The white pack-ice is dazzling, and the immobile vessel seems frozen in time and space. That experience piques your curiosity, doesn't it? Without having to go all the way to Antarctica, you can experience these icy sensations 30 minutes from Quebec City in one of Bora Boréal 's two floating cottages.
@acmg.ca /IFMGA Mountain Guide and  @parks.canada Visitor Safety Specialist Steve Holeczi discusses the role of chance in mountain adventures and how to assess the unknown.
Slopes in the morning, peddles in the afternoon = balance. #mountainlifer
That’s one way to kick off the weekend 🤿❄️
Follow

Subscribe

Subscribe now to our newsletter

Live It Up EP 24 is out now!
The Southern Interior region of BC holds an ecological cross-section of the province with alpine meadows, arid Douglas fir grasslands, damp cedar and hemlock forests of the Columbia Mountains and the warm expanse of Shuswap Lake.
Do Not Disturb mode activated ✅ #mountainlifer
Conceived by superhuman snowboarder @travisrice, the @naturalselection Tour highlights earth’s premier riders, from big-mountain mavens to Olympians, all competing on the most stoketastic—and unpredictable—terrain known to humankind.
Built upon a shared desire to enjoy, respect, and advocate for Alberta’s incredible landscapes, it was a natural fit for @elementsoutfitters to work with a local conservation organization @saltslandtrust to highlight the province’s rugged beauty and outdoor apparel to match.
THE UNINVITED INVITATIONAL April 13-16 @woodwardtahoe 😱 $40,000 cash prize purse and a whole lotta spotlight on a group of riders whose time has finally come!! Presented by @jess.kimura and @thenorthface and supported by @yeti @capitasupercorp @slushthemagazine @unionbindingco @smithoptics @sunbum @coalheadwear @fattire 🫡 watch the finals in person Saturday April 15 and join the crew + @btbounds for a public ride day Sunday April 16 @borealmtn. Time to make some history!!! #linkinbio to learn more!
Mountain Life
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Advertising

Input your search keywords and press Enter.