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 skier growth rate add new emphasis to an old question: how can resorts guarantee customers’ high expectations for the quality of the ski experience given fickle and marginal weather?
The central point of the ski experience has always been the quality of the snow surface and subsequent rush of satisfaction from a downhill run. To maintain a quality surface in the face of warm temperatures and high skier traffic, though, requires frequent refreshing and renewal of the snow. Throw in the rush to open early and problems with snowmaking water storage/availability and resort operators have their work cut out for them in the foreseeable future.
These trends highlight the need for specialized snowmaking systems—systems that can provide a quality surface under marginal conditions, and systems that can cover maximum acreage under ideal snowmaking conditions.
Air/water snowmaking equipment encompasses a wide spectrum of capabilities. There has been a great deal of innovation in snowmaking equipment suited for particular tasks and applications, including marginal temperatures. This development has not been fully appreciated or understood by equipment buyers, whose thinking has been mired in the one-size-fits-all mold.
It’s time to refresh your vision of the future. With sound planning, you can assemble a snowmaking system that offers both productive snowmaking capability and cost-effective energy use. Compare features and specs, and then ask your suppliers for information on snowmaking performance at various temperatures. And, ask the right questions of your snowmaking partners.
Towers of Power
Fixed-place, low-airflow snowmaking towers have established themselves throughout the industry due to their frugal use of compressed air and ease of operation. Towers generally use the external mixing method, in which a fixed flow water spray nozzle is accompanied by a low flow compressed air jet or nozzle directed into the path of the water spray stream. This method requires sufficient tower height to allow adequate hang time for the complete or partial freezing of the water particles as they descend to the ground. It is particularly effective in temperatures from approximately 20 to 22 degrees F wet bulb and below, though it is possible to make good snow at lower water flow rates at higher temperatures.
A number of variations on this method have been developed. The fixed position and lofty heights of the original towers, however, precluded transport to other trails. This deficiency has spawned lighter, shorter, mobile 10- to 20-foot towers. Under favorable temperature and wind conditions, these units can work very well for many different applications.
Return to Tradition?
Traditional internal mixing air/water guns have lost popularity and a number of manufacturers have disappeared. But this past season proved their value, as marginal temperatures had operators scrambling to resurrect traditional air/water equipment from their bone yards. Ground-mounted guns are still used extensively under marginal snowmaking conditions within the 23- to 28-degree F wet bulb range (typical during the early season) and to fill in areas that are not suitable for tower guns.
Despite higher labor costs, ground guns can be a cost-effective option when integrated with towers or as stand-alone systems. Traditional air/water surface snowguns are well suited for times when wind or high temperature rule out tower operation. This equipment has also been mounted on tall towers to enhance performance and lower overall energy costs.
From a safety standpoint, we recommend that all snowmaking equipment intended for operation with high-pressure water (more than 200 psig) be equipped with couplings and water hoses rated for the maximum operating pressure. Consult your snowmaking supplier or system designer for recommended equipment.
The following air/water snowguns incorporate technology that meets the needs for snow quality, energy productivity and marginal snowmaking temperatures. Here’s a look at what’s new.
Larchmont Engineering
Larchmont has recently added tower and XC guns to its line of traditional equipment. Tower options include the high-volume O Jet Z1 tower and the cross-country oriented XC. Two new 36-foot low airflow Snotech models complete the tower line. Each aluminum tower model has an optional sled mount; high-pressure Red Head fittings are another useful option.
The company continues to supply its traditional line of single nozzle internal mix snowguns that can be mounted on tripods, sleds and towers. The equipment has a wide range of snowmaking output for various applications around the resort.
Info: (978) 250-1260, www.larchmontengineering.com
McKinney Industries
McKinney continues to crank out interesting designs and options. The company’s low airflow towers utilize its Snow Tower system, which permits use of a variety of different snowmaking heads (McKinney’s and others). The towers are easily customized: they can be ordered with a multiple selection of heads, nozzle numbers and aluminum tower lengths. A movable axis sled-mounted tower is another option. McKinney has recently added the light and highly portable Mini Lite short tower to the line.
Info: (877) 384-9600, www.mckinneyindustries.com
Mountain View Technologies
Mountain View’s K3000 line of air/water snowguns feature an adjustable cap for complete flow control. The longstanding K2000 line of snowguns is available on a limited basis.
Info: (802) 234-5558, www.the-snowman.com
Omichron
The Whispergun, an aluminum air/water ground gun, can be mounted on either a tripod or a 14-foot tower. This model has gone through numerous refinements and remains a popular unit for traditional snowmaking applications over a wide temperature range. The Turbo model provides high-volume punch for colder temperatures.
Info: (802) 824-3136, www.omichron.com
Ratnik Industries
The Ratnik line includes a selection of traditional air/water guns and low airflow towers with a boggling array of options. The traditional Snow Giant models can be mounted singly, in pairs, on sleds, on towers, automated and oscillated.
The Sky Giant low airflow series continues this tradition in a highly portable unit. This hybrid design is equipped with quick-change water nozzles for snowmaking temperature flexibility and performance. The nucleation nozzles are an interesting and effective design feature.
Info: (585) 924-9111, www.ratnik.com
Rogers
The cost-effective Royal Knight is a steel, multiple-nozzle air/water snowgun that comes with a sled mount and couplings. This unit continues to be popular with snowmakers because it can be used with a wide array of snowmaking systems and for a variety of applications.
Info: (802) 867-5949, Fax: (802) 867-0226
Snow Economics
Snow Economics continues to manufacture the HKD low airflow tower series that introduced the concept. Updated Millennium models add a removable head feature that accepts all of the company’s tower snowmaking heads.
The company has also entered the traditional air/water snowgun fray with the Renegade tower for marginal temperature use. All these models can be ordered with the sled-mounted Scout option. The new and highly portable Ranger model, with integral sled, is an interesting addition to Snow Economic’s overall line.
Info: (508) 655-3232, www.snowgun.com
Topgun
Topgun’s newly minted low airflow Topgun tower has a handle at the base of the tower to select water nozzles and thereby compensate for varying temperature and humidity conditions—a clever innovation. Topgun also offers the lightweight, fixed flow Pipe Dream short tower.
Info: (413) 441-3783, www.topgunsnowguns.com
York
York has aggressively entered this year’s fray with a wide variety of low airflow and traditional snowguns. The majority of York’s equipment in the past has been focused for use in automated systems, however the current offerings, the Borax and Rubis, can be integrated into existing manual snowmaking systems—a major step in versatility.
Info: (800) 724-0046, www.yorksnow.com
Air/Water Snowguns
Low-Airflow Guns
Glossary of Terms
- Water Flow (min-max): minimum and maximum operating water flows, in gpm.
- Water Pressure (min-max): minimum and maximum operating water pressure, in psig.
- Airflow (min-max): minimum and maximum compressed airflow through snowgun, in scfm.
- Air Pressure (min-max): recommended compressed air operating pressure, in psig.
- Operating Noise Level: manufacturer supplied sound level, in dB(A), of snowgun in full operation at specified location or distance.
- Unit Price with (T)ripod or (S)led: list price of snowgun, in U.S. dollars, with type of mount.
- Recommended Coupling Size: pipe size of air and water couplings on snowgun, in inches.
- Couplings Supplied: are water and air couplings supplied with purchase of snowgun (yes or no)?
- Tower Option: does the manufacturer provide a model that can be mounted on a tower (yes or no)?
- Tower Height: available standard height for tower model, in feet.
- Tower Cost with Unit: cost of snowgun with tower option, in U.S. dollars.
- Standard Tower Height: height of low airflow tower, in feet.
- Tower and Snowgun Weight: weight of complete low airflow tower and snowmaking nozzles in pounds.
- Tower Base Diameter: pipe diameter of mounting base, in inches.
- Number of Nucleation Nozzles: total number of nozzles that provide ice crystals through mixing of compressed air and water.
- Number of Water Nozzles: total number of individual water output nozzles on low air flow snowmaking head.
- Standard Tower Cost: list price of standard low airflow tower in U.S. dollars.
- Sled Option Available: availability of portable low airflow mount.
- Cost: total price of low airflow tower and portable mount in U.S. dollars.
—SS
