Automated Snowmaking

[Newpylong]

FYI, not sure what they put at the bottom of Locke but all of the vendors market "automatic" fan guns where the units themselves are automatic per se but they do not rely on the rest of the infrastructure in place for remote control. For example, we had Demac Lenko fans that were "automatic" in that you told it what quality snow you want, once you turned it on it did it's thing. If the thing shut off it shut the actuator off on the hydrant and drained the hose.

 

[machski]

FYI, not sure what they put at the bottom of Locke but all of the vendors market "automatic" fan guns where the units themselves are automatic per se but they do not rely on the rest of the infrastructure in place for remote control. For example, we had Demac Lenko fans that were "automatic" in that you told it what quality snow you want, once you turned it on it did it's thing. If the thing shut off it shut the actuator off on the hydrant and drained the hose.

They put a tower mounted SMI SuperPoleCat fan at Locke base, hard line connected to the buried water main underground. They did this in conjunction with pulling MM's lines to skier's right of the triple base to better cover what is now the main exit of MM (skier's left is mostly to load the T-Bar now). So in that sense, it is automated but not sure if it's remote or controlled exclusively at the panel at the base of the tower.

 

[andrec10]

Gore has many trails of the HKD Cliks. Very cool system!

 

[Bosco DaSkia]

 

[FBGM]

What was the temp? Was it making snow? I see no issue here…

 

[Smellytele]

That is fucking scary. Think I would jump before my chair got to it

 

[IceEidolon]

Snowboarder allegedly hit a manual hydrant that let go. I don't see what this has to do with automated snowmaking - probably could be its own thread. There have been a couple near misses like this (Canaan had an air line let go under B lift, couple of leaks during preseason I've seen hit liftlines, wasn't a gondola hit hard a couple years ago?) and it sucks it's finally hurt people.

 

[deadheadskier]

Yes at Stratton

 

[Smellytele]

My son when he was young hit an air valve at Bolton. Turned it on. I "ran" back up hill with my skis on and turned it off. Man was that loud.

 

[Newpylong]

I was gonna say, you can see the air valve next to it, I assumed a hydrant let go or got run into.

Some of the comments on that video on YouTube are cringeworthy.

Numerous times when we started charging the hill (air or water) and our pressure wouldn't come up we'd find valves that people had opened on the hill. Usually air because it's easier.

 

[IceEidolon]

We found a gun hooked up and running thanks to a guest one shift change. Hoses were all tangled and it was wet slop, too.

 

[FBGM]

We found a gun hooked up and running thanks to a guest one shift change. Hoses were all tangled and it was wet slop, too.

Hire them for night shift

 

[Newpylong]

So no different than the greenhorns? Lol

On two different occasions a couple years back our guys ran two different fans all night with dead compressors. "Ah yeah seemed wet". Thats some solid base right there.

 

[IceEidolon]

I was about to say at least the greenhorns start guns on the trail they're supposed to, but that isn't strictly true either. If whoever it was would have left their name and number I think we would have called them.

I think of any rookie like I think of automation. Once it's set up you can expect them to start and stop guns, but you have to stop by to make sure everything's doing what it's supposed to, check the snow quality, and that the wind hasn't shifted. (First night with their own trail pair of rookies took out an entire light pole one night thanks to a following wind.)

 

[Bosco DaSkia]

Old meets new, they gots klik on victaulic pipe …. yet orda still running rat triple air hog at 29° making piss.

 

[IceEidolon]

The .MOV isn't loading. I assume that's one of their new baby triples - those are a lot easier on the air than the old school ones at least! The new Ratnik gear is IMO the best big air gear currently available and better than most of the old stuff too.

 

[Newpylong]

Old meets new, they gots klik on victaulic pipe …. yet orda still running rat triple air hog at 29° making piss.

It looks like the Mr. Vick is the air line and the water (with the epoxy jacket) is under the snow and over a bit with the Klik's on it?

Triple rats are nuts, Killington busts one of them out in late February for the spring building. They also have a quad K3000 which is the mother of of all guns!

 

[IceEidolon]

There's a double baby double from Ratnik also. 200 GPM on a 10' tower.

 

[Newpylong]

 

[IceEidolon]

Somebody get Snowshoe or Bolton crew in here, I think they still run Jaws.

Big air is cool especially if it's on someone else's compressor.