[Vail, CO] -- The largest single-mountain ski resort in the U.S. has completed an extensive automated snowmaking upgrade that brought outstanding early-season coverage to the alpine race course, attracting major ski racing programs from youth, amateur and professional levels.  Vail Mountain teamed up with experts from Snow Machines, Inc. (SMI) and Torrent Engineering & Equipment to design and construct the system, which involved 27 fully automated, fan-driven snowmaking machines on tower and carriage mounts, all controlled via radio communication and powered by SMI’s proprietary SmartSnowTM software.  The results were so positive that the Golden Peak race training area was in use even before the general mountain opening in November, allowing Olympic racers such as Bode Miller and Lindsey Vonn to train early and often during their preparation for the Vancouver events. 

“We made a strategic decision to achieve early season coverage this year, to attract more race training programs from across the country,” commented Vail Mountain Operations Manager Dave Tucholke.  “The new system brought an early vitality to a part of the mountain that has not always enjoyed a robust early season,” he said. 

“Another benefit to the early snowmaking capability was the head start on building the terrain park and Golden Peak half-pipe,” observed Tucholke.  “We were one of just a handful of U.S. resorts that had a fully-open half-pipe before Christmas.”

The Equipment
The Golden Peak snowmaking project began with a new water source and piping to feed a
2000 gpm (7,560 lpm) fully-automated Torrent VFD pumping station.  Water cooling towers with 1000 gpm (3,780 lpm) capacity helped lower early season water temperatures from around 46F to 34F (7.8ºC to 1.1ºC).  The project included a prefabricated pump building, two electrical transformers and more than 3500 feet (1,067 meters) of water pipe to feed the new snowmaking network. 

All 27 of the new snowmakers are SMI® Super PoleCats, a “big throw” snow gun that is considered the company’s workhorse.  With its special nozzle design and large mesh filter, the Super PoleCat is known for reliable service, longevity and easy maintenance.  Available with a 25 HP (19 Kw) fan motor, the machine can be specified with a variety of onboard compressors from 5 HP (4 Kw) to 10 HP (7.5 Kw), and can also be outfitted to run on a central compressor feed.  Automatic valves control water flow to 30 spray nozzles in each unit, providing up to
142 gpm (537 lpm), with a central 6-jet nucleator.  Available options include a spray manifold heater, tower or carriage mounting and oscillation.

The entire Golden Peak snowmaking system is managed by the SmartSnow computer control software package, with interactive trail mapping, weather data monitoring and fully automated operation.  The network constantly monitors the environment for changes in air temperature, humidity, wind direction, water pressure and other critical elements.  As a result, operators can generate larger quantities of higher quality snow in shorter periods of time, using fewer man-hours than manual systems.  Optional modules can also be included for modeling and control of auxiliary systems, such as pump stations, compressors, security, trail lighting, even building lighting and HVAC. 

“We’ve been investing heavily in automation and software over the last several years,” explained SMI President Joe VanderKelen.  “Technology is taking snowmaking to a new level of performance and efficiency, and the ability to customize systems for specific applications helps our customers make more snow for less money.”

In addition to covering the entire Golden Peak race course, the new system also provided snow for the 18-foot walled half-pipe.  Skiers and snowboarders were treated to a half-pipe that opened with excellent conditions in mid-December, the earliest date on record.  The race course opened with some of the best early racing conditions in the world, after just four days of snowmaking. 

“The feedback from the racing community is that we’ve gotten it right,” Tucholke continued.  “Our collaboration with SMI has delivered the snowmaking performance we needed, and it also brought the benefits of energy efficiency, quiet operation and environmental stewardship.  SMI’s approach aligns closely with our corporate philosophy, helping us create a sustainable mountain environment and an ecologically responsible community.” 

Vail Mountain is the largest ski resort in the U.S., with 5,289 acres (2140 hectares) of skiing and riding terrain.  The area offers three distinct skiing experiences: front side, back bowls and Blue Sky Basin, with a peak elevation of 11,570 feet (3,526.5 meters).  Vail currently has a total of 31 lifts serving 193 named runs, the longest of which is 4 miles (6.4k).  The resort averages about 350 inches (889 cm) of annual snowfall.

SMI is a global supplier of cutting-edge snowmaking equipment, construction, and engineering services.  Headquartered in Midland, Michigan, SMI has flourished through over four decades of consistent growth in quality, production and reputation.  The company has served over
750 resorts around the world, from simple to very complex designs, and typically has more than 30 snowmaking and engineering projects in motion simultaneously.  SMI services customers ranging from marginal snow areas like Southern California, New Zealand and the lower Midwest United States to very cold climates such as Canada, Russia and Northern China.  For more information, go to www.snowmakers.com.