SNOWMAKING
Let it Snow with
SnöFlake
Offering superb performance
and trouble-free operation,
SnöFlake is an innovative,
all-weather solution for
snowmaking needs
By Paul Adair
In Quebec, Canada, the manufacturers of the
revolutionary SnöFlake snow machine know more than
a little something about snow.
The SnöFlake system uses a relatively simple
snowmaking process based on traditional refrigeration
equipment, producing snow through advanced cooling
technology and a specially designed flake ice evaporator for
all-weather temperatures. Two vertical 30-ton refrigerated
drums are fully enclosed inside a shipping container and a
spray bar slowly rotates around each drum, spraying a thin
layer of water that instantly freezes without the use of any
chemical additives. In front of the spray bar, a roller breaks
off the thin layer of ice into flakes, which are then blown out
through SnöFlake’s innovative two-exit propulsion system at
a distance of up to 260 feet (79.2 meters). This allows the unit
to lay powder down on two different places simultaneously
and reduces the need for additional snow grooming.
“The entire system is built inside the SnöFlake factory
in Quebec, trucked to your location...,” said Jason Sawin,
owner of CHS Snowmakers, the U.S. distributer for SnöFlake.
“The system is plug-and-play so all you have to do is hook
up power and water, flip the switch and away you go. With
SnöFlake, you are guaranteed to have good coverage and very
consistent fresh snow throughout the season.”
SnöFlake also gives customers the option to leave the
entire system on the trailer so it can be used where needed,
whether that is relocating across the resort or to a big air
event across the state.
“You can transport the SnöFlake unit directly wherever you
want, hook it up to a generator and water supply, and then be
up and running with all the snow you need within a matter
of days,” said Sawin. “Any other option out there to produce
snow – like trucking it down from the mountains – becomes
very labor intensive, expensive and unfeasible very quickly.”
Traditional snowmaking will typically require sub-zero
temperatures to be the most successful. That’s not the case
for SnöFlake. The ice-flake snow created by SnöFlake comes
out of the system at very low temperatures – between 14 to
17°F (-10 to -8°C) regardless of the ambient conditions – so
even during warm or unseasonable weather of up to 50°F
(10°C), snow can be made.
This means that because the snow SnöFlake produces
is so cold, the ground it is covering is likely to freeze faster
and last longer when compared to other kinds of ice-flake
or traditional snowmaking methods; it actually bonds and
PHOTO COURTESY OF JASON SAWIN, CHS SNOWMAKERS
SnöFlake unit at Scaly Mountain Outdoor Center
in Scaly Mountain, N.C.
Snow pile produced by the SnöFlake
snowopsmag.com | SnowOps 17
/snowopsmag.com
