Our Snow is Different
We take our snowmaking and grooming seriously, and our conditions are superior. Behind every square foot of perfectly-manicured snow at Elk Mountain is leading edge snowmaking technology. We are proud to have invested in a complete makeover of our snowmaking equipment since the Winter of 1999.
Here’s what’s happening behind the scenes at Elk Mountain to bring you that perfect powder.
The History of Snowmaking at Elk Mountain
During the winter of 1999 Elk Mountain had a mid-winter rainstorm that caused an electrical wire tray to short out. This had been constructed and used for decades. In less than 30 minutes the fire that followed leveled the compressor building at Elk Mountain. The next three days were spent making short term provisions to make snow and thanks to the efforts of Barhite Excavating, Wallis Electric, Head Mechanic John Reeder, PP&L, K&W Oil, and a handful of key employees on day three following the fire Elk Mountain resumed making snow.
The summer that followed was equally as intense as the first three days following the fire. Elk Mountain management met with insurance representatives and mapped out a plan to recover and build a new compressor building. It was decided to relocate the building for additional space. Management went shopping and purchased +/- 30,000 cubic feet of air. In 2000 Elk Mountain made snow with their five new compressors. However, things were quite different.
During the summer of 1999 Elk Mountain had installed fountains in their main snowmaking ponds. This was done to increase efficiency. The water fountains aerated the pond to prevent the surface from freezing and allow the water to cool down. While we never had the opportunity to see the efficiency during the 1999 season it was obvious during the 2000 ski season.
Recent History – Making More Snow on the Mountain
The rental compressor units we brought in after the 1999 fire were set to run at 125 psi. Our old compressors were not as efficient. They were also set up to run at 100 psi. When we introduced 125 psi to the snow guns they made more snow. We operate our air at a higher PSI than most ski areas.
Under Mountain Manager Chris Weldon we added coolers to the air as well as coolers to the air compressors. We also added a vane separator to take the moisture out of the air and allow the air that we were producing to be cooled to 20 degrees over the ambient air temperature.
“Airless” Snow Guns
The key ingredients for any snowmaking system’s success include three things: water, cold temperatures, and air. While many systems utilize compressed air generated by electric or diesel motors, we use “airless” snow guns. While the guns are referred to as “airless” they use on-board compressors with a large fan to further propel the air and water in the atmosphere without the use of a diesel motor.
Air is compressed and water is pumped to various hydrants on the mountain. The snow gun acts as a “mixing chamber” for the air and water sprayed from the snow guns nozzle. Air leaves the nozzle of the snow gun, absorbs the heat from the water drops, and turns it into snow.
Since the summer of 2000 we have added a number 6 compressor. During the 2016/17 season we added Demec Lenko (blue) airless snow guns to our fleet of airless snow guns.
We are committed to maintaining the natural terrain of the Endless Mountains. Learn about our Tree Planting Program.