Killington Snowmaking Improvements

[steamboat1]

Killington Adds $2M In Low Energy Snow Guns

Killington Resort improves fleet, sustainability through Efficiency Vermont’s Great Snow Gun Roundup
KILLINGTON, Vt. (August 20, 2014) – Ahead of the Winter 2014-15 season, Killington Resort, the largest ski and snowboard destination in Eastern North America, is investing in nearly 400 new energy-efficient snow guns as a part of Efficiency Vermont’s Great Snow Gun Roundup. Home to the longest season in the East which often spans from October to May, Killington Resort relies on snowmaking to provide a consistently reliable snow surface. This latest investment of snow guns is valued at over $2 million, with additional $91,000 in installation costs.
Last summer, Killington invested nearly $250,000 in its snowmaking system, including new hydrants, new pipes, system maintenance and rebuilding of pumps.
Efficiency Vermont’s Great Snow Gun Roundup requires that for every five energy-efficient snow guns purchased, four less efficient snow guns be scrapped. Killington will retire 317 snow guns in a variety of styles and will add 396 new guns to its fleet in five models including 159 Snow Logic sled-mounted mobile guns, 144 Snow Logic tower guns, 50 Ratnik Baby Snow Giant 2 tripod guns, 36 TechnoAlpin Evo guns and 7 Ratnik Baby Snow Giant 2 fixed towers.
Killington currently has 600 fixed tower locations, and will add 150 new tower bases for these more efficient snow guns, most notably along the lower section of the popular trail Ovation. Mounting guns on towers allows for more “hang time” in snowmaking, adding to efficiency and output while reducing noise for skiers and providing a more authentic snowfall experience.
“We are building an arsenal with the ideal balance of portability and flexibility for all conditions,” says Dave Lacombe, snow surfaces manager for Killington Resort. “Modern, energy-efficient snow guns require up to 85% less energy to operate than older snow gun models, and the new snow guns being installed this year represent the most advanced, energy-efficient technology available,” adds Lacombe.
One standard diesel-powered air compressor used for snowmaking produces 1600 cubic feet of air per minute (CFM). Older snow guns use 600 CFM while new energy-efficient guns use 8-26 CFM, allowing for far more snow guns to be powered by a single compressor. To further improve sustainability this winter, all Killington diesel compressors will have Tier 4 engines, for which the resort will install a $60,000 injection system. The end result is cleaner burning fuel and increased energy efficiency overall.
Killington projects direct savings for the coming season from the new snow guns totaling 1,453,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity, 84,000 gallons of diesel fuel, 3,452,000 pounds of carbon emissions and roughly $470,000. If efficiency and systems function as projected, Killington could see a full return on this investment in about a year and a half.
Statewide, Efficiency Vermont’s Great Snow Gun Roundup supports the purchase of approximately 2,300 new low energy snow guns for the upcoming season. In return the participating resorts will donate 1,800 older model snow guns to scrap, with proceeds donated to Ski Vermont’s Learn to Turn program.

[RustyK]

Sounds like Low flow efficent shower heads...

[steamboat1]

After the problems they had with the tower mounted low-e guns on OL a couple of years ago I can't understand how they think they'll have better results on lower O.

[Highway Star]

After the problems they had with the tower mounted low-e guns on OL a couple of years ago I can't understand how they think they'll have better results on lower O.

Ug. The snowlogic lists about a 50ft+ throw, and doesn't seem that bad, but certainly not a K3000. The techno alpin guns are very similar to the HKD SV10 impulse guns that did not work out on OL. The ratnick baby giants have good throw and are what Killington already has on some tripods, I wonder why they are only getting 7 tower mounted, must be for very specific locations where extra throw is needed and the flow characteristics are optimal for where they fit in the system.

Depends partly on the wind direction, OL faces east, so they got a bunch of blow back from southern / southwestern winds, whereas lower ovation faces due north, and any western / southwestern winds will blow the snow across the hill and downhill, which will be particularly effective with a tall tower.

I'm curious what guns they will be retiring and where they will install the towers. Most of Killington's older tower guns are only used rarely, I have to assume that this is mainly because they are inefficient with air and require more water pressure, so there is an advantage in using ground guns or the HKD ranger sled mounted guns in many places. I would assume the new towers will replace some of the current tower locations where wind isn't an issue, and move existing towers around to replace broken units. Looks like they have to install new bases because the current bases are not compatible?

For example, the main line of tower guns by the canyon quad on lower Double Dipper has about 25 to 30 towers. So with 180 new towers, and about 20 going on lower Ovation, that leaves enough for about 4-6 other trails, unless they are spaced out on every other hydrant, or used only in certain locations. I would expect they would install them in areas they intend to build big bases on or refresh frequently, so superstar, middle skylark, skyeburst, snowshed, needles eye, and possibly snowdon, ramhead, and canyon area seem like candidates, in that order. Probably depending on wind. We'll see.

The snow logic sled guns seem very comparable to the HKD rangers, so maybe they are replacing some of those, or just want more of the portable mini-tower types. 159 is a huge number of sled mounted guns, so I would expect to see them used extensively throughout the snowmaking season for base building where towers are not available.

Should be interesting to see how this all works out, it should noticeably change their snowmaking strategies, hopefully we all benefit in the form of deeper bases, better snow, and more refreshes. I'm curious if it helps their opening date and trail roll out.

[MrsG]

Hey HS, thanks for your helpful description

[Big Bob]

My guess is they would be installing the permanent towers on the steepest terrain since it is so hard to position guns on a steep slope. Just hook up the hoses and you are good to go. They might be turning in those old 4' high guns mounted on a small pole that are at least 25 years old. I will see if I have a picture of one to post.

[Spyderman]

I think BB's thoughts correct.

[Highway Star]

These older guns?



They are early versions of the K3000 guns, as detailed in this patent, and archived web page:

https://www.google.com/patents/US474295 ... CB8Q6AEwAA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://web.archive.org/web/200603131443 ... ducts.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



I've seen some of the older towers like those around, coming off the back of bear, but its been years, and have never seen them used. Old and new version k3000's were still used extensively on tripods last year, I would be shocked if they gave them all up. I bet they had bin of them that were simply broken or worn out.

[Highway Star]

Found this very recent article about testing the snow logic guns for Killington; from this and other sources, it sounds like they have decent performance in marginal temps, so they might be intending to use them for early season base building.

http://www.erdc.usace.army.mil/Media/Ne ... crrel.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Highway Star]

Here is a blog post stating 25F sweet spot for the snow logic guns, and also showing pretty bad blowback.

http://greenenergyphotography.blogspot. ... ns-at.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



So, while they might be a nice incremental improvement over other low energy types, I wouldn't expect any miracles.

[Highway Star]

Here's article where many current products are discussed. It's interesting that there is still a "medium-e" niche for higher engery guns to make snow in moderate conditions, such as the ratnicks that Killington uses.

http://www.saminfo.com/article/snowmaking-2014" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Spyderman]

So now that you've essentially provided a thesis on the various types of snowmaking guns at Killington, one very important question...........

What is your predicted opening day with all this firepower?

[freeski]

Here's article where many current products are discussed. It's interesting that there is still a "medium-e" niche for higher engery guns to make snow in moderate conditions, such as the ratnicks that Killington uses.

http://www.saminfo.com/article/snowmaking-2014" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks Highway Star, amazing what they're coming out with these days.

[rogman]

2 million dollars, 400 guns? That's $5000 a snowgun. They got one helluva deal! I'm sure they have enough stuff sitting on the scrap heap that giving up 317 or so guns didn't involve anything they were currently using.

While I don't think those Snow Logic guns have any throw, I expect they'll be used to blow open trails when colder temps prevail, i.e. from Thanksgiving to Christmas (and beyond). You don't need throw, you're just building whales the cats will move later.

Towers on lower Ovation will help, gotta be a challenge getting those tripods to stand up on that pitch. However, that doesn't account for 144 Snow Logic Tower guns. I wonder if this is the year the towers on Superstar finally get upgraded? Seems overdue. They barely, if ever, use them anymore.

Then there's OL. The new towers on that pitch barely lasted a season, and were presumably sold off last spring. Will we be seeing something there? Hope so!

They are collecting quite the quiver of tools. 400 guns is more than they've ever used at one time. Kind of cool to look at the guns along the North Ridge triple early season: Low E towers, K3000's, and Ratniks. As the temps change, you see the snowmakers walking the line switching from one to another.

I have not heard mention of "Dave Lacombe, snow surfaces manager for Killington Resort" before. Is this a new position? Seems like a great idea. Sounds like when there are death cookies on Lower Bittersweet, he's the guy you email: "dlacombe@killington.com". That's a great level of accountability, but I pity his inbox after a r*in/freeze event!

[Highway Star]

I don't think we'll see any low-e tower guns on OL again, due to the wind issues. Maybe a few fan guns, but it doesn't seem likely either. It seems like on many of the wider trails, they like to use the ground guns on longer hoses so they can be pulled out onto the trail to spread out the snowmaking. Anywhere you would go to the effort and expense of installing new tower guns, you would expect they would be the only gun used on the trail - why would you want a situation where you needed to switch over to ground guns half the time? Exception I can see to this is if they installed towers by every other hydrant, and then staggered ground guns in between them. Or if the tower mounted ratnicks are intended to be installed intermittently on OL. The low-e towers will only be effective on wider trails if the wind is favorable and/or they intend to groom it extensively anyway.