Snowmaking tech improvement

[altabrig]

Possibly of interest if not old news here.

Looks to improve production and efficiency. Could this keep marginal resorts viable a bit longer?

Feldspar Dusting

 

[raytseng]

The article to me is a bit disingenuous by making it seem that nucleation is the big discovery and look what clouds do.
But purposely omitting that snow making already uses nucleation agents for decades, I think usually diatoms, so this is not new at all.
So I don't really consider this such a new technology just a new (more effective) ingredient but using the same existing techniques

They recap all the snow problems, yet there is nothing about snowmaking improvements. I mean the low-e snowmakers that really are completely different devices from a few years back should have gotten a couple lines in there...

 

[altabrig]

Interesting. Perhaps the feldspar compound/crystal increases nucleation compared to the silicate?

Yes the article is low in data. Maybe a marginal gain in efficiency worth adopting.

 

[raytseng]

And they need 3 years to get results?! When current gen snowmaking is already setup for a nucleation agent?

 

[altabrig]

Every little bit may be futile in lower elevations and latitudes.

Snowmaking tech processes, materials and efficiencies will keep folks skiing a few more days a year in places for a bit.

High elevations and latitudes may be the only ticket for a dependable ski season whether skiing man-made or natural H2O.

Skiing will shrink in May after May.

carpe.

 

[pete]

interesting in that many places with deep enough pockets are picking up more efficient adding units.

interesting article on this years El Nino

Snow is declining in the US. This map shows how it's affecting the West.

Total snowfall has decreased in many parts of the U.S. since widespread observations became available in 1930,

www.usatoday.com

 

[cantunamunch]

The article to me is a bit disingenuous by making it seem that nucleation is the big discovery and look what clouds do.
But purposely omitting that snow making already uses nucleation agents for decades, I think usually diatoms, so this is not new at all.

Pseudomonas bacteria, but yeh.

Snomax® Snow Inducer - Telemet

Snowmaking / Snomax® Since 1987, Snomax® Snow Inducer has been helping ski resorts around the world by increasing productivity and efficiency of snowmaking through the use of its ice-nucleating proteins that induce the formation of ice crystals at all snowmaking temperatures. What...

telemet.com

This has all the hallmarks of a feelgood story like 12 year old makes polymer from banana peels omg green so much.

 

[crgildart]

Nuclear Winter FTW?

It seems that harvesting and storing snow would do more for extending seasons.. Finding ways to make a little more at slightly higher temps helps get things open a little sooner at the start.

 

[cantunamunch]

It seems that harvesting and storing snow would do more for extending seasons.. Finding ways to make a little more at slightly higher temps helps get things open a little soone

That's exactly what they are doing, except they are making A LOT more (by mass) at slightly higher temps. And using less compressed air per volume liquid to do it.

Before the VR takeover, Whitetail would make a 5 foot+ pseudo glacier during snow making windows just to keep one of the black runs open.