Snowmaking 101: Prepping for the 2018-19 Season

Earlier this month I got the chance to spend time on-mountain with some of the Breck Snowmaking team and learned about all the work that goes into the process.

Here at Breck, we utilize a few different types of snowguns – fan guns, sled guns, and tower guns.

 

 

 

Both fan and sled guns are mobile while the tower guns remain stationary for the duration of the season. New this year, Breck received 55 new tower guns that are nearly SIX times more energy efficient than older models of tower guns. The new models run on much less air, meaning the Snowmaking team is able to run more machines at once and create even more snow.

The winter Snowmaking team is comprised of roughly 40 employees who work around the clock to push snow when conditions are right (cold enough). The snowmaking begins on Peak 8 and continues throughout the season until our terrain is fully open.

Evan, Travis, Jimmy, and Rick estimated that each of these tower guns weighs between 250-300lbs. Teamwork and communication were crucial in getting these babies in place and installed on-mountain!

Long hours of hard work go into prepping for the season each fall and the team stays diligent about pumping out snow and opening terrain, Now that you’ve got your daily dose of behind the scenes knowledge, gear up for early season at Breck. Don’t miss Wake Up Breck, Opening Weekend 2018-19, and Mtn Dew Snow Dance!

See ya on the slopes!

– Alex