SAM Coverage
Slavko Stanchak
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Quid Pro Snow
Advances in snowmaking technology have boosted snowmaking efficiency by up to 75 percent and reshaped the industry. An industry veteran gives context to the…
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Get Ready
Modern snowmaking equipment is only as good as the maintenance it receives. Here’s how to improve early-season performance. The winter of 2011-12 was a…
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Steel Versus Iron
When it comes to snowmaking pipe, there are pros and cons to using steel or using ductile iron. The recent introduction of ductile iron…
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Are You Snow White or Faux Green?
A new system to test your productivity and energy use during snowmaking can lead to big savings. The snowmaking process has evolved from…
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Speak-Out :: How Much Has Snowmaking Technology Improved?
The President of Mountain View Technologies shares his view on changes in snowmaking… I enjoyed “Next-Gen Snowmaking” (SAM, May 2010), but some clarification and…
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Pipe Dreams
Ductile iron is a great way to combat pipe erosion. Over the past 40 years, most snowmaking systems have employed steel pipe to get…
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The Age of Convergence, Part 2
by Slavko Stanchak Should you opt for fan guns or air-water guns? More manufacturers give you both choices. As we noted last month, this…
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The Age of Convergence
by Slavko Stanchak The ongoing battle for supremacy between manufacturers of air-water snow guns and electric fan guns has entered a new era, as…
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The Future is Wireless
Wi-Fi (wireless) devices are poised to transform internal communications for winter resorts. This technology allows the “unwired” use of laptops and PDAs, untethered from…
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Gunning for Efficiency
The air/water snowgun market reflects the changes and concerns sweeping the ski industry. Ski area consolidation, labor issues, droughts, warm temperatures and a stagnant…
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Dare to Compare
There is an ever-increasing need to develop simple methods of analyzing the true cost of operating various types of snowmaking equipment. Many areas employ…
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Snowmaking Technology—2011 and Beyond
Jacaranda Snowdome, São Paolo, Brazil 10:00 p.m.—Luis LaPiste surveys the 90,000 square foot interior of the snow dome as the last of the gaily…
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Snowmaking Goes High-Tech
The use of automation in snowmaking has been a progression from the first days that this revolutionary technique was introduced. The evolution of machine-made…
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How Wired Are You?
Snow Peak Resort, Valhalla, Vt.; 3 a.m.—The snowmaking supervisor wipes the snow crystals off her visor and lets the snowmobile idle as she looks…
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The Scoop on Fans
The snowmaking fan gun market has changed dramatically over the past decade partly due to technology and an increasing emphasis on snow quality. The…
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Testing, Testing… It’s As Easy As 1, 2, 3
Although testing snowmaking equipment can be tricky, the reason for such testing is simple and straightforward: to obtain information. Specifically, reliable and repeatable information…