Grays On Trays

Wouldn’t you know it. Just after I criticize Welch Village for its surly attitude towards its (surly) Facebook fans, it comes out with an informative tidbit that gives us all a behind-the-scenes peek: “Snowmaking Science 101: Our fans might find this interesting. So far this winter, we have converted just over 35 million gallons of water into snow. That converts into just over 4 feet of snow coverig 160 acres of slopes. And…we are not done yet!”

Now that’s a positive interaction with your fans.

It really is remarkable what ski areas are able to do with the ever-advancing technologies involved in making snow. In the Midwest, we buy lift tickets not only so we can ride to the top of the hill, but so we can have snow when nature doesn’t cooperate.

Today’s the 63rd anniversary of the first example of man-mad snow outside the laboratory, an event which has provided many benefits to riders across the country.

Flying over Mount Greylock, the highest point in Massachusetts, GE research scientist Vincent Schaefer seeded a cloud to produce snow. Schaefer’s interest in snowmaking originated, in part, in efforts during World War II to create fog to hide ships at sea.

You can read more at the site Mass Moments, a project of the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities.

In many parts of the country, snowboarding and skiing depend on a healthy supply of snow-making equipment–and there was plenty of it on display when I hit the slopes on Saturday.

Snowmaking is one of those “evil necessities.” Some snowmaking equipment, especially nozzle guns, can be quite loud. One such gun was positioned less than 50 feet away from a lift that I was using for quite a while. The blast was so loud that it drowned out the music on my iPod, even when I had it sent at 70 percent of the maximum volume.

And of course snowmaking equipment can make for whiteout conditions if the snow blows onto open slopes. That wasn’t the case when I took these pictures–though the photo below suggests it.

But on other occasions I have been pelted with the products of a snowgun. They coat your goggles and coat with something similar to what goes on your windshield when you drive through freezing rain.

One way to make having all the equipment around interesting is to note its variety. You have, for example, behemoths on wheels:

There are also pole-mounted varieties:

Another thing you can do is look for demarcations that tell you where the snowmaking equipment has made its mark, and where it hasn’t. For example, blowback can cause a snowgun to turn some parts of a tree white while the rest of it stays brown:

Finally, you might also anticipate what it would be like to ride through the fresh snow being piled up:

But here’s one you shouldn’t do: Ride through an area that is closed for snowmaking. “Poaching,” as it’s called, may give you access to forbidden fruit, but doing so can get you thrown off the hill. It’s also potentially more dangerous than riding on an open run, since there may be hoses or other obscured or hidden pieces of equipment lurking. As the photo above indicates–and as I witnessed live–poaching takes place nonetheless, adding to the outlaw, irresponsible reputation of snowboarding.

Snowmaking is useful for several reasons. But it also has its downsides. First on the list: riding or skiing during snowmaking operations can be pretty tough. Obviously, the stuff is cold, but it also contributes in terms of wind chill, and if you’re especially unlucky, spray that gets stuck on the goggles. But in the early days of the season, such as we have now, it’s better to have it than not at all.