Was a teenage snowmaker back int he 80's, but what's a "Blue"? And i recall the arm test; we used that all the time. No bounce, cut back. Some bounce, perfect. All bounce, add water. Worked pretty well if our guy in the pumphouse didn't all asleep...
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The "Sugarbush Thread"
- Thread starter thetrailboss
- Start date
Hawk
Well-known member
The bottom line is that people that have not experienced good snowmaking are fine with this product. Those of us that have experienced good snowmaking know better. Clarification. "mud" is super wet snow that comes out the gun wet and stick to everything. it also sticks to the base of your ski and slows you down. My 5 degree statement is 100% accurate. I should have done a video and posted it but I think that would have been obnoxious.
Blue is a small Ratnick, Red was the next size up then you got into the triples and jumbos. Those could crank out the snow at low temps!
Thx. we used an odd coffee-can-shaped shaped gun, that had a round head and a horizontal slit that the snow came out of. Stood up on skinny tripod. Lightweight but also prone to tipping over IIRC. Never noted the brand.
Newpylong
Well-known member
I was not attempting you say you were not telling the truth, only to give a rationale explanation as to how that is even possible in that wet bulb. If the equipment is working as designed and the water and air pressure are up to spec (200 PSI water, 80 PSI air for most of the Impulse line), there is no physical way to make wet snow with that equipment. Like Fulgore said, if something was wrong with a gun or two (these are internal mix, there is a lot going on internally with the venturi valves, etc) that would only be a few, not the entire trail. Another explanation is that the snowmakers are opening the hydrants just enough to get water out of the head, giving them the air, and then stopped opening the water the rest of the way up. Some hydrants, most notably Rogers requiring actuating quite a way to get up to working pressure, and Low-E requires that they be close to or all the way open to get full working pressure. This will make spooge instead of dry snow, but again, even if one crew was so inexperienced to do this, they would likely be quickly corrected by one of the shift supervisors and this would not be a systemic issue. It's a headscratcher for sure.
Long story short, whatever is going on there is drastically skewing your opinion on Low E equipment, because that is not the norm. I frequently have Rat BSG 2s or SR7s right next to Low-E and because I have been making snow for roughly 30 years (and installing systems so I understand the mechanics behind where the air and water are coming from), you would not be able to tell from what gun the snow came from. Depending on what type of snow I am making we can make sludge or pixie dust with just about anything. The brownish sludge in the world can come out of a Rat if that's what you want to be putting down.
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Newpylong
Well-known member
Omicron, they were made right in Londonderry, VT once upon a time. They made a wide and narrow pattern, sled and tripod version. The tripods were obnoxious because the stance was adjusted with pins and they tip over easily. Here is one on a sled and an SR7 adapted with an Omicron tripod I setup last year for a low pressure location.
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fulgoreXC
Member
They work great on modified rat tripods.
oldfartrider
Active member
Skiing at Sunday River in the mid 90s was great snow making. Every morning was like riding a carpet, it was so fantastic. I rarely see that now in fact a rapid stop under a snow gun is how I hurt my knee last month, as my left knee hit the ground first as my downhill movement suddenly stopped. Luckily I've recovered.
machski
Well-known member
It isn't the same as when you were at the River Hawk. They still make good snow, when they make it. They don't make nearly the amount of recovery snow they once did. Was basically all FIS certified surfaces this past New Years holiday weekend at the River.
That's the head in the top pic, though we did not use sleds, just tripods. Tons of work setting up and tearing down...
Thanks!
I would say Bush was the same. No whales allowed, move every gun on every gun run and make dry snow. Used to hit trails from 4pm to 7am to give fresh gun powder.
100% agree, If anyone saw the whales on RC before they groomed would see that some of them were so wet they were wave shaped and the excess water leaked out of the edge and crated large icicles, that's wet.
Newpylong
Well-known member
That is a little different. The snow closest to the nozzles didn't get enough time to nucleate, this is an issue regardless of technology. I have seen air hogs create igloos around themselves because they weren't tended to for an entire shift.
The night shift left guns untended for hours once (many times) and when we came in we found a pile that looked like Moby Dick: White whale with a spout of water gushing skyward. Needless to say the night shift was let go that day...
fulgoreXC
Member
Yup. Happens. The guns needed to be moved to allow loft. Now the whales on Cruiser a few weeks back were perfect. So were the first run on Springfling. Looks there's some hits and misses out there. I remember a few years back when Steins had perfect styrofoam whales with pixie dust topping. Some of the best Steins runs I've had.
STREETSKIER
Active member
Some tasty stuff out there this morning
More tonight
Boom
More tonight
Boom
The quality of man made snow at SB has rarely been as good as other big name resorts in my time - circa 2000 on, though granted my SB sample size is far larger. Can't recall ever saying 'wtf is this crap they blew' somewhere else though.
The advent of the whale just marked the start of another steep decline in quality, IMHO.
The advent of the whale just marked the start of another steep decline in quality, IMHO.
KustyTheKlown
Well-known member
i've already made local plans and played up my skipping a january ski weekend to my significant other for brownie points. she doesnt know the rain is up there too.
Honestly still undecided myself...
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