Behind the Scenes - How Snowmaking at Ski Resorts Works

[@sharktooth2888]

Don't forget all the fun parts like using the Tiger Torch to thaw the ice that often forms on the rear fanguard screens. Digging out the hoses and power cords after the night shift guys slept most of there shift. Hanging, thawing, and rolling 100 ft water hoses etc. Unsung heroes.

[@mikeo3428]

6am, just got back from a gun run. Im the night shift guy. 🤣

[@johnpatterson4272]

Great video and well articulated as to the finite technology of snowmaking in the 21st century. The narrator has a vested interest in that local business, it's obvious, and he's a serious asset to Calabogie. Probably the best video on snowmaking in North America I have ever seen. Thank you.

[@SlopeEdge]

Thank you for your positive comments. Happy you enjoyed the video.

[@michaeldougfir9807]

In my family of six, we learned to ski as soon as we could walk. All six of us have worked in several ski areas. But the snow making equipment, when it finally came in, remained pretty much a mystery. So I was glad to see this video. I wish my parents could have seen this. So I thank you for this presentation. Now I'm going to see if Google will help me find you. I don't believe you said where you are. As a Californian, I have skied only in our mountains. So I don't know where the other ski areas are.

[@SlopeEdge]

Hi Michael. The mountain featured in the video is Calabogie Peaks, located just outside Ottawa, Ontario in Eastern Canada. www.calabogie.com

[@juliezaremskiy3635]

Nothing beats the feel of natural snow though

[@foxacresfarm7595]

Nathan Zaremskiy yeah like skiing on smooth butter

[@hardcorehunter9438]

@Ibrahim Andre you're pathetic

[@chrisglover7080]

Yea but natural snow dont last

[@olivergodbout7839]

Thanx capt. Obvious!

[@Red1676]

Myths on the east coast.

[@duncanmifsud6537]

Great System!!! Here in Montafon Austria, they use snowmakers on almost every resort!!! Unfortunately, even in the Alps the weather is not always ideal!!! Greetings from Austria!

[@theroadnottakentravel]

5:00 “Come Christmas, our trails will be fully open” Last Christmas, this hill had 2 of their 25 trails open🤣. The weather in December was pretty cold, with the exception of one week.

[@frazbfraser]

Most resorts in Japan have no snow making facilities.. Place to be!

[@ProFettMoHaMett]

It is great.

[@fulcrumthebrave5715]

The main reason resorts out in Utah and Colorado make their own snow so that they can open earlier and stay open later. As he said in the video, man-made snow makes a better base layer. We used to be able to ski from October to June on lift-serve

[@DestinationsChronicles]

I think the ski lodge I am an instructor at is one of a very few that doesn't have snow making... Wish we did!!

[@johnreyn19]

Great video! It's amazing how much infrastructure goes into snow making. Keep up the good work!

[@danielshanklin7397]

Fantastic narration, Paul Murphy

[@domcizek]

Beautiful presentation, well written, I always wanted to know how they make snow, very detailed, nice resort also,

[@death2man666]

being a snow maker at my local ski resort was my all time favorite job! i think i still have my SmoMaker swiss army knife, the rep gave me.

[@youandiryan]

Awesome video! I was always so curious about snow machines. I am very close to a world class resort (Whistler Blackcombe) in Canada. I always see these machines

[@erickbanks]

Got high and wondered how fake snow is made so now I’m here

[@johnkah0406]

same

[@jacobleereed]

@@johnkah0406 Same

[@JordanDeeb28]

OH SHIT ME TOO

[@JBly-qj2tu]

Wow. Me to

[@Anti-Stateradio]

Same

[@Sc0ttPrian]

passing through the snow machines is the best part.

[@balqisizham9601]

hahaha

[@jakejakejakejakejakejake]

That was immensely fascinating! Great video! X

[@Timotheus157]

Excellent example for other ski resorts to follow.

[@peppeddu]

Those snow making machines are not fail safe, in case of a power/motor failure they should automatically drain all the water out to prevent pipe breakups.

[@Smegma_pirate]

you must be an engineer, congrats on noticing something fairly small that wasn't worth mentioning in the video

[@pauloconnor3056]

@Peppe Ddu thank you so much, I've got a question though, are all other types of snowmaking machines like this, or is it a common problem you encounter with all snowmaking machines

[@BerHarSenSam]

Great and rather informative video. Thank you very much for putting it together. It would be great to see on how the snow is spread across the trails - ski runs where it gets made by carriage fans. Thank you.

[@sevenwind688]

the technique part starts from ~ 5:22

[@yomanwsup]

Nice

[@thegodofmusic2359]

Thx

[@awesomegaming8617]

9:45 Kinda like sprinklers during the summer when you're under very crappy droughts all summer long! It makes so much sense now! We do it when fricken weather doesn't! Now I want a snow machine! Probably wouldn't have a very welcoming water and electric bill though... 😂🤣

[@one2three4our]

Surprisingly good, interesting and informative video.

[@turtlezed]

Great production guys, i didn't realise all that hard work went on behind the scenes, I am now well informed, Thank you :¬)

[@Smegma_pirate]

by behind the scenes you must mean behind that blue curtain they used a s a blue screen for this shoddy ass production.

[@thurst0n]

This was very interesting. Thank you!

[@tcreate.s]

Such an awesome video on snow making!

[@DonegalOverlanding]

That was really interesting, thanks for making the video for us.

[@vmiximv]

Thank you for making these informative videos❤

[@ethankondor7181]

Very very interesting video. I thought that it was all natural snow because the workers told me its all fresh snow , but now I know it's a snow maker machine Great Vids!!!⛄️I subscribed to you. I love skiing too I love how you made like a interview in a vid

[@traditionalfood367]

Early snow this fall. Likely to be a long season.

[@tijsenmoses4819]

At Stratton vt, a trail had 25-30 feet piles in May.

[@olegvelichko1659]

Did I just watch over 10 minutes of an ad fro a ski resort that I will not likely EVER go to?!?!

[@travisk5589]

Of course the areas with artificial snow will last longer. It's got twice as much snow as the other areas.

[@travisk5589]

Yeah, I'm wondering where the hell Calabogie is.

[@ektorasbountioukos1251]

Oleg Velichko yos

[@goldenretriever6261]

Near Ottawa.

[@niel7250]

Just went there last weekend, poutines not bad and 40 bucks for a day pass

[@harrymartin1]

Thanks for a rather awesome window into the ski industry!

[@tonysmith5465]

outstanding video. thanks a lot. SC Navy vet

[@thomasbarlow4223]

Looks like a fun job

[@breker19er]

That was interesting!

[@sean8081a]

Super interesting.

[@jonirons1625]

Great video!

[@SlopeEdge]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Typistss]

This video felt like a school project

[@RyanBrown01]

Excellent info!

[@phishinfool]

Very good video it's a art to it and you guys know the way to do it !

[@SlopeEdge]

Thank you for the feedback. Happy that you enjoyed the video.

[@jakerossino4594]

Wow! That's actually really cool.

[@polyannamoonbeam]

Very interesting.. pity it’s raining so much more. When you need those dry cold days to make snow. How expensive is it, running this system..?

[@glnassa5589]

It's really educative and full of knowledge. Many thanks for sharing this update. All the very best!! Best regards, Nassa

[@KD-xo2fx]

Cool informative video..... :)

[@jeramijohnson529]

Very informative.. nice job !!!

[@tv.8066]

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[@campanerosdelaltoojaezcara6761]

great !!!

[@raysimeral4296]

Nice system. I work at a resort in pa that has a system that has 90 techno alpines and a portable fleet of pole cats that is an automated system with e-motors that run water hydrant.

[@shreyjaiswal1683]

7 springs? Pgh resident here 🙋🏽‍♂️

[@tommarello01]

Most informative, thank you.

[@trevortodd6060]

How do you keep your water pipes and hoses from freezing?

[@edv9019]

Where can I learn about equipment, operational costs, production efficiency, snow quality differentials of spraying steam vs liquid water???🤔

[@mike1022]

whats the avg cost of running one of these per hour ?

[@JimmysTractor]

5:50 the pressure is generated at the snow gun- that fire hose would burst well below 600psi.

[@irsever]

No

[@davejohnsen8540]

Just watched a new Marines recruit video before this and was waiting for this guy to start yelling at me!

[@papimoses7250]

😂😂😂😂

[@chriscook215]

Your saving money with your new system. Are you lowering the price of the tickets for your place?

[@stevedoe1630]

Lifting water was the main driving factor for the invention of the heat engine. Water is heavy. This is not lifting water out of a well. This is lifting 2,000 gallons of water up a mountain every minute for up to a week at a time, nonstop...that’s a lot of work/energy.

[@postal3212]

So how do you keep the water from freezing at those temps between the pump house to the machines?

[@timmyteabag69]

You keep it flowing, I was making snow last night at -32 and if you have a problem and water quits moving for over a minute you’re pretty well screwed, I run a mobile unit with a big generator and water tank in a sea can with a high pressure pump pushing water to the snow maker, tank is filled by a 3 inch water pump running at pretty well idle

[@postal3212]

@@timmyteabag69 interesting stuff.

[@jacobmurphy7333]

1:30 Colorado resorts stay open for more than half the year

[@MrSeahawks40]

Colorado is different, idiot.

[@mightymotoxkid]

So many Jerry's in the background

[@caine-chow]

for the water distribution, how do you keep it from freezing?

[@timmyteabag69]

You keep it flowing, water doesn’t freeze easy when it’s moving at a high rate of speed

[@jeremiahblocker8909]

Where can I buy this machine?

[@mrgigabyte754]

dollar tree

[@TexasBoys]

computer

[@LaurensHandels]

Technoalpin

[@MrEtherShot]

Jeremiah Blocker eBay look up fleshlite

[@carverdidit]

Amazon

[@leonst99]

With TechnoAlpin equipment you can start making snow even at temperatures above 0 degrees.

[@ewanachard4133]

With smi too if you speek in wet temperature

[@alfredwilliam1184]

Very impressive, thank you for a great insight into stopping the global warming scam.

[@JohnS916]

That was informative. It would be ideal if they could power those big electric motors with renewable energy, like wind power.

[@kimberly1567]

Some interesting content to a limited audience that just doesnt want to watch so many ad's from a greedy person with only 1.78K subs. Greed never wins

[@alexmurdoch3828]

How do they prevent the pipes from freezing?

[@Hexarth]

when the pumps aren't running the water drains back into the lake, leaving empty pipes

[@81794mn]

Might want to fix your seal leaking on your shaft from your electrical motor on that water pump....

[@jaggass]

It would make my life at university more comfortable if i had this instead of the other snowflakes there.

[@That1fail96]

Oh so edgy

[@breadtitt6566]

what hahahahah

[@wyattlarrick3246]

Are you at UCLA? lol

[@TheSelofWhat]

this was lit 👌

[@Michener215]

How do they stop the pipes or hoses from freezing?

[@mikeo3428]

The water at my hill is pumped out at 5 degrees celsius. The water is warm enough when traveling through the hose to keep it from freezing. If the pump fails and water sits idle in the hose, its a different story.

[@mikeo3428]

Pipes are underground and our system sucks the pipe dry when you shut the water off.

[@BuffaloBuffaloQuasar]

Cool.

[@LegendLength]

It would seem better to have a water tank at each pump. That way you wouldn't need any central high pressure system.

[@gregschulz4921]

Interesting

[@antingchang3258]

9:14 ya, one of the pump's packing is fucked lol

[@ellstackeradventures]

Cool

[@markdezuba]

Snow is time released water

[@JF2it]

You may be able to set up for Mtb bikes to help get through the other 265 days.🤷‍♂️

[@austintousant8595]

How does the water lines not freeze

[@SlopeEdge]

As long as the water is pumping through they will not freeze in most cases. The danger is when the power goes out and the pumps stop, the snowmaking crews have very little time to disconnect the hoses and drain the water before the snowguns get damaged. Because of that, it becomes dangerous and risky to do snowmaking as it gets extremely cold (-20'c and beyond).

[@raysimeral4296]

The water lines from the lake to pump house and from pump house to each gun station is buried in the ground over two feet deep. Than has a lateral from main water line connected to a hydrant that has drains on the bottom of them which are also buried .

[@raysimeral4296]

The ski resort I work at has 103 automated pole cats and techno alpine system. That have back up batteries that work a e- motor that sits on hydrant that shuts them off and drains

[@mike99ify]

I’m a snow maker and a piston bully operator. The lines do freeze sometimes. Gotta get out there and unfreeze them. 300psi water 90pst air and 480volts all in one little spot. I love my job.

[@RealtorSkool]

How much did this system cost???

[@BallerDan53]

Is no one concerned about the large water leak? 9:10

[@ILIK3HATERZ]

I'll buy 1 just for the 45 acres of land I purchased !

[@goldenretriever6261]

He keeps calling it a mountain. Calabogie is a speed bump.

[@theroadnottakentravel]

There’s much smaller in the area lol

[@amazingjourneyrider5151]

IS THIS POSSIBLE IN TERAI REGION?

[@ndutimenang4539]

I want that machine

[@tirkentube]

@7:48 "those motors use less electricity (horsepower), great for the environment. @9:12 "key to making snow is horsepower, we've increased our horsepower dramatically."

[@Eric-lf6yx]

Kilowatts is equal to horsepower, not "electricity". Electricity is a vague term and he could have easily meant that the efficiency has gone up, not that kilowatts went up. Efficiency=mechanical power output / electrical power input (power=kilowatts). Two electric motors could use different amounts of kilowatt hours and produce the same horsepower (kilowatts) if one is more efficient that the other. Had the guy said kilowatts instead of electricity, you'd be correct, but he didn't. Sincerely, A Mechanical Engineer.

[@stevenbryant4718]

smaller hp is less power usage. The duty of the motors are going to be similar. you know that.

[@BrewPub]

He would have meant the motors are more efficient than the previous system or systems used by some of the lodges.

[@blove142]

do you want to ski or not?

[@inothome]

By less electricity he means less kWh of energy needed than before.1 HP equals 746 Watts, it's set number and efficiency has nothing to do with it. Demand, measured in "Watts", over time is measured in "Watt hours" (Wh). Example, a 10 HP motor will draw 7.64kW. That motor in one hour, at a full constant load will use 7.46kW hours (consumption) of electricity. What Paul was saying is the new (well 4 years ago...) fan guns only use 15 HP (11.190 kW) each, which is 40% less kW than the old system of having huge compressors that would feed all the fan guns compressed air. The new guns compress the air themselves, and by doing that are 40% more electrically efficiently than using one central source of compressed air for all the guns. Which is unrelated to the pumps for the water, that both the old and new system still need.

[@brandonc3956]

I’m interviewing to do this job later and I figured I’d get a better hourly pay if I made it sound like I knew what I was doing 🤣

[@krisconneely5977]

How do we donate please

[@SlopeEdge]

What are you inquiring to donate to?

[@funkylosik]

That intro, lol)

[@blizzunt420e]

You’re using 40% less electricity but you’re using three times more water I’m not sure how that’s environmentally friendly

[@draggy6544]

Where do u think the water ends up? Snow locked into snow packs on mountains is the best type of water u obviously cant do that artificially for every mountain since it would cost way too much still that water gets to be recycled very efficiently

[@theroadnottakentravel]

The water comes from and ends up back in the lake next to the mountain

[@paydenrivera9041]

do ya not have cooling towers?

[@WhiteBuffalo032]

Well that does explain the extremely overpriced lift tickets

[@tylerwatt12]

Jeez that's still 11KW per snow maker.

[@LeossJ433]

yeah nothing environmentally green about this whole operation..

[@jamie91433]

Tyler Watthanaphand nope, not enough snow.

[@paulyarek]

A lot like farming

[@nicholastroy471]

Hahaha! My favourite ski can’t not go to Calabogie

[@dietrichcheney8258]

Powder Mountain UT does not even have snow makers and their yearly average is 500".

[@jondstewart]

Dietrich Cheney I haven’t been to that one, but know it’s a lot grittier and non-touristy that the main six as I call them (Alta, Snowbird, Park City, Deer Valley, Brighton, Solitude)

[@anthony9343]

Not enough footage of the snow blowers actually running

[@hardcorehunter9438]

Too bad

[@alexsurh1472]

He sounds nervous

[@OttoMatieque]

I only ski on certified organic slopes

[@harrycarrey1225]

I live in Hawaii and they dont make snow here ...so we dont get to go skiing.

[@vurdumduymaz5952]

I really want to make a snow operation of my own. I think I found the best place to produce snow and make a business out of it. so start the research.

[@timmyteabag69]

Go to Alberta and do it for oilfield

[@stevedoe1630]

Electric snow guns SO MUCH QUIETER than the old style compressed air snow guns.