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We are 100% open and have a 18"- 48" base on 100% of our runs.

Snowmaking - What is it and how does it work?

Seven Oaks uses three brands of snow guns to make snow; Areco, FanJet & SMI. It's a simple principle, temperatures below 26°, electric energy, water and a snow machine making snow. The snowmaking machine breaks the water into small particles, cools the water, removes the heat of fusion, nucleates and distributing the resulting snow on a surface.

Water - Most important is of course water. Most requirements for snowmaking require relative large quantities of water. For example to cover an area of 1650 feet by 200 feet with 8 inches of snow, we need 210,000 cubic feet of snow or 658,000 gallons of water. Then you need a network of pipes throughout the resort to distribute the water. On the pipes there are water valves where to connect the snow machines producing the snow. A high pressure water pump is needed to push the water through the pipes. Seven Oaks uses water pressurized to 185 psi.

Cold Temperature & Humidity - What you see on a thermometer is called dry bulb temperature. Ambient air temperature. In terms of physics, there's no such thing as "cold." There is only heat, more heat, and less heat. The lower the humidity, the more snow a snow machine can make at a given temperature. this is how humidity works: On a 90° day with 40% relative humidity, you feel much cooler than you do on an 85° day with 95% relative humidity. The reason for this is because your body gives off heat more easily through radiational cooling when the air isn't saturated with moisture. A droplet of water from a snow machine gives off heat more readily when it is low humidity out than it does when it is high humidity. Combination of dry bulb temperature and relative humidity is called the wet bulb temperature. When the air is saturated (100% relative humidity), the dry bulb and wet bulb temperatures are identical. But when the air is drier that 100%, the wet bulb temperature will be lower that the dry bulb.

Temperature & Machine Made Snow - Normally snowmaking in high temperatures above 27° F isn't economical. Compared to natural snow, machine made snow has great resistance to rain and warm weather. Because of the structure of very spherical ice crystals, rain drains through it without surface ice.

FAQ - How much does it cost? A small system with a mobile pump, one Areco Junior snowmaking machine and snowmaking hoses starts at $30,000.

Does Seven Oaks use any chemicals to make snow? We are not using any chemicals or additives to make snow. We only help mother nature to make snow with water and cold air.