IDE ALL WEATHER SNOWMAKER : The first Snowmaker was successfully operated.

The leading ski resorts of Zermatt (Switzerland) and Pitztal (Austria) have launched a new era in snowmaking by choosing the IDE All Weather Snowmaker from Israel to deliver large amounts of snow at all ambient temperatures.

he first Snowmaker was assembled and testing in Israel during July 2008

The Snowmakers were shipped from Israel to Slovenia, loaded on a truck convoy and transported to the base stations of the ski resorts. The crews worked hard to transport the heavy equipment up to the mountains.

The first unit was lifted to the installation site in Zermatt by cables. The installation was completed in mid November and the Snowmaker was successfully operated.
Since the installation site has already been covered by heavy snow, Zermatt ski resort will commence snowmaking with the new Snowmaker during spring 2009.
The installation of the snowmaker in Pitztal will be completed in December.

The Pitztal Glacier Resort and the Zermatt Mountain Resort were the first to realize that the All Weather Snowmaker holds great advantages for their operations.

The Zermatt Mountain Resort Project
The Matterhorn ski paradise is one of the largest ski resorts in the Alps and the only one that is open throughout the entire summer, where the national teams from all over the world are having their training. There is, however, one small problem. "As of late autumn the glacier slope comes to a halt approximately 500 meters before the mountain station, forcing skiers to cover the remaining stretch by foot“says Christen Baumann, CEO of Zermatt Mountain Resort AG. "This is definitely not an ideal situation“. And, as Daniel Luggen, Zermatt Tourism Director, adds:" We definitely saw a decrease in bookings for the usually very popular ski tests that take place in October. We have to offer our guests an enjoyable ski experience".

The Pitztal Glacier Resort Project
"By opting for this snow making technology, we can secure the timely start of our ski season“, says Dr. Hans Rubatscher, Chairman, Pitztal Glacier Resort. "This 1.5 million Euro investment will complement existing snow making systems by covering slopes that so far have had to rely exclusively on natural snowfall, “says Rubatscher. "This will enable us to offer European ski teams, who start their training season in autumn, a wide racing area. Furthermore, regular skiers will enjoy a proper ski season right from the very beginning".

IDE Technologies Ltd. is a world leader and pioneer in the development and construction of seawater desalination, water treatment and refrigeration plants. Active since 1965 IDE has more than 385 plants installed in over 40 countries world wide. For more information please visit www.ide-tech.com.
For further information please contact Mr. Moshe Tessel: moshet@ide-tech.com


All Weather Snowmaker machine room at Zermatt. (Photography by KEYSTONE)


Inside the Machine room at Zermatt (Photography by KEYSTONE)


Passing through Village of Zermatt


Installing the Compressor of the All Weather Snowmaker at Zermatt


Machine room at Pitztal


Snow Test in Israel at above 30°C (July 08)


Snow Test in Israel at above 30°C (July 08)