Popular Stories
This time of year, most are wondering just how squeezing their bodies back into beachwear is gonna go. And while the verdict’s not great for pretty much anyone, the folks at Boreal don’t even have to worry; they’re still rocking snow pants, and will be until the summer’s end. How? It's all thanks to their new Snow Factory, a shipping container with an entire snowmaking apparatus built up inside.
Woodward Tahoe at Boreal has welcomed TechnoAlpin’s Snow Factory – a snow-making system for use at above-zero temperatures. With this mother of a machine, Boreal’s snowmakers can make snow at temperatures up to 80º fahrenheit, which means skiing and boarding summer camps–Woodward Tahoe runs a full snow terrain park for their summer freestyle programs–even while their neighbors tan along the shorelines of Donner Lake.
Join Our Newsletter
The Snow Factory freezes water super quickly, and puts it out as ice, which is then broken down to spit out… drum roll… snow. It makes about 2.3 tons per hour, which basically blankets the summer camp area with a foot of snow every two to three days. The machine uses just 12 gallons of water per minute, which is about the same a couple garden sprinklers use. The bonus: the water’s got no additives or chemicals, and it’s locally-sourced; Boreal uses water from its own wells. What melts returns right back to the resort’s reservoir. This is the farm-to-table of snowmaking.
Depending on wintertime temps, slope-side fan guns use between 40 to 100 gallons of water per minute, further proving the Snow Factory’s stellar efficiency. With the Snow Factory, little, if any, water is lost to evaporation or wind. What’s more, since its ice product is super dry, the snow takes longer to liquify. The result? Shredding until August. The only downside: besides one week for adults, you have to be between the ages of 7 and 19 to partake in Woodward’s summer camps. Womp womp.
