WINDHAM, NY – The history of skiing is a relatively short one - and if you speak to someone who has been around for most of it, they might tell you about “the year there was no winter.” Before the advent of modern snowmaking, skiers were completely at the mercy of Mother Nature. These days, we still need a little help from her in the way of cold temperatures… but we have the snow part covered.
Snowmaking today has stretched the ski season and helped resorts survive the occasional warm spell. So it’s no surprise that resort managers are very focused on regular maintenance of the infrastructure that makes it all possible. Windham has taken it one step further, with annual improvements to an already very robust system.
“With snowmaking guns becoming more and more efficient by using less compressed air, we need to do two things,” says Ted Davis, director of mountain operations for Windham Mountain. “First, we have to maintain water pressure throughout our system that will allow us to realize the efficiencies that the newer model equipment make possible in a wide range of temperatures. Second, our crews need to be able to quickly ramp our systems up to maximize output when we have the right conditions - cold and dry air.”
Sounds simple when you put it that way, but the infrastructure of equipment is complex. Davis and his team are constantly working to make the system more efficient and productive. That means more snow and lower utility bills. This year Windham has made several updates to its system:
- Added three brand new airless fan guns for high traffic, lower mountain locations
- Added snow guns in areas that have been problematic in the past
- Rebuilt 35 fan guns and re-nuzzled 75 lance-style guns to improve quality and quantity of snow produced
- Added new electrical service on the mountain to provide power to the increasing number of fans with onboard compressors, enabling Windham to use less compressed air from the main snowmaking plant
- Added electric receptacles in areas to enable us to use portable fans in those locations
The improvements won’t stop there. This summer, Windham completed a two year engineering and storm water study that will allow the resort to start a major pond expansion in the spring of 2010. Throw in a little cold air and you have the makings of a winter wonderland!
Windham Mountain, located in the northern Catskills town of Windham, New York, is a family-friendly winter resort that offers skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing and many other winter activities. Just 2.5 hours from New York City, Windham Mountain offers beginners, intermediates and experts the chance to experience its two adjoining mountain peaks. With a summit elevation of 3,100 feet and vertical drop of 1,600 feet, Windham boasts a 98% snowmaking capacity. For more information, go to www.windhammountain.com.
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