[West Dover, VT] -- One of Vermont’s premier ski areas has announced the completion of a snowmaking upgrade that dramatically extends the resort’s season, while allowing the operations team to eliminate sixteen compressors and avoid burning approximately 200,000 gallons of diesel fuel during the course of the season.  Management at Mt. Snow reports a recurring savings of about $1,000,000 annually by not having to rent, fuel and maintain the compressors, yet operators are pumping more water and making more snow than ever before, using approximately 25% less energy so far.  Adding a total of 251 new fan snowmakers was part of Mt. Snow’s commitment to Sustainable Slopes, the NSAA charter to address climate change and improve environmental stewardship. 

In a project that actually began in the summer of 2007, resort managers spent $3.5 million to purchase and install 101 new Polecat SnowtowersTM from SMI, primarily to replace existing air and water guns that ran off the central compressors.  Results were immediate.  “We were the first resort in Vermont to open for the 2007-08 season,” commented Mt. Snow General Manager Kelly Pawlak.  “We had top-to-bottom skiing and a terrain park from that first day, and we were able to stockpile a huge base that kept our slopes open until April 27th.” 

In the second phase, the resort invested another $5 million for 150 more SMI fan guns in 2008, bringing the area’s total to 251, believed to be the most new-technology fan snowmakers of any ski resort in North America.  “Our goal was to make more snow per hour, yet cut down our total snowmaking hours from previous years,” Pawlak said. 

“We also wanted to reduce the size of our environmental footprint,” she continued.  “All of these units have on-board compressors, allowing us to completely eliminate the large diesel compressors we had been leasing each year.  The annual savings in fuel and labor help the system pay for itself over time, and it significantly reduces our emissions and reporting requirements.”

The two-year upgrade included carriage-mounted fan guns and tower units from SMI, with some of the machines on tower swing arms for greater versatility and aiming accuracy.  Pawlak observed that the machines can cover about 80% of the resort’s 102 trails with high-efficiency snowmaking, approximately 60% of which is handled by the SMI equipment. 

The additional snowmaking capacity and the outstanding reach of the fan snowmakers have both provided advantages for Mt. Snow.  “Even though our first natural snow storm didn’t arrive until December 19th of the 2008-09 season, we had the terrain park open by mid-October,” explained Pawlak.  “With the new equipment, we have far better projection of snow across the trails than we could achieve previously, and we can get the system up to maximum pumping capacity 2-3 times faster,” she added.

“We’re constantly on the lookout for ways to help us produce the largest volumes of the highest-quality snow possible, in as short a time frame as we can,” Pawlak continued.  “With this upgrade, we’ve improved on both quantity and quality, while reducing the environmental impact from our operations.  The fan guns are also quieter, which has proven to be an added bonus.”

SMI’s snowmaking equipment gives Mt. Snow the ability to ensure a lengthy season with an excellent snow base, despite wide variations in natural snowfall in recent years.  “It’s critical to be able to bounce back quickly from whatever Mother Nature throws at you,” said Pawlak.  “Now we feel that we’re better equipped to handle the challenges of fluctuating temperatures and precipitation.”

She also cited the technical support from SMI as an important factor in the success of the resort’s upgrade.  “The SMI technicians were on site to assist us every step of the way,” Pawlak observed.  “They spent several days with our snowmaking manager to calibrate and adjust all of the units, and they’ve been very responsive whenever we’ve had questions or needed information.” 

Mt. Snow’s management continues to pursue its long-range goals of making snow with the lowest amount of energy possible per acre-foot, while minimizing the resort’s use of fossil fuels and the subsequent emissions that result.  “The last two years have seen us take significant steps in providing greater volumes of superior snow, while reducing our environmental impact,” Pawlak concluded.  “SMI has been a great partner as we continue to pursue those goals.”

SMI is a global supplier of cutting-edge snowmaking equipment, construction, and engineering services.  Headquartered in Midland, Michigan, SMI has flourished through more than 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 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.