Snowmaking

In addition to water, the other factor, which determines overall system capacity, is air. Air is measured in volume, or cubic feet per minute or CFM and pressure. Pats Peak use to operate the world's largest reciprocating air compressor used for snowmaking and we have the most compressed air in the state per acre...what does that mean to you? It means we are pumping out a huge amount of snow when the temperatures are less than ideal. Compressed air also lets us control the process and insure consistent snow texture from the top to the bottom of each trail.

Like anything in life, the process of making snow is like trying to figure a Rubik's cube. There are so many variables to contend with that no one piece of equipment or style of snowmaking is the "only" way to make snow. We liken it to fighting a battle. The battle being to convert brown earth or substandard ski conditions into wonderful snow. We have our heavy armor (fan guns), special ops (small ground guns), and our standing armies (towers) and much more. The same trail and location throughout the season may see 4 different styles of snowmaking depending on weather, desired snow, etc.

Some ski areas have only enough guns to match their maximum water and air capacity. Upon completing the snow on one trail, crews must "strip" the trail and move all of the guns and hoses to the next trail - a rather long process. Pats Peak boasts over 300+ state-of -the-art snowguns. Most are mounted on towers for easier operation and to allow more "air time" for falling snow to freeze. This gives us the ability to bounce back after a warm spell or rain and resurface virtually every trail overnight. This equipment is spread out along 15 miles of snowmaking pipes that cover 100% of our terrain. Hydrant spacing is also a factor. Many resorts space hydrants up to 200 feet apart - meaning that each gun must cover a much larger area of the trail. Pats Peak utilizes an average hydrant spacing of 80 feet. Wide spacing also tends to produce large "whales" of snow that must then be pushed around by groomers. This packs the new snow down and doesn't allow water a chance to seep out - resulting in hard, even icy snow. By spreading snow evenly as it's made, Pats Peak can generally avoid grooming new snow for at least 24 hours, allowing the snow to "cure" or dry which means greater powder for you to rip it up on.

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