HAPPY THANKSGIVING
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at Solitude with a 5k Turkey Trot, an on-mountain scavenger hunt, and an amazing holiday dinner buffet at St. Bernard’s. As we head into December, our eyes are focused on getting more of the mountain open and Kids Ski Free Week. From December 7 through December 13, children ages 12 and under ski free at Solitude. Bring your little ones up for free lift tickets and enjoy great discounts on lessons, gear, food, and lodging.
SNOWMAKING CONTINUES AT SOLITUDE
One thing we always give thanks for this time of year is our talented snowmaking team. Thanks to their hard work, we were able to get the mountain open early and be the first resort in Utah open for the season.
Prepping the mountain is not done overnight. Our team starts rolling snowguns into place in early September. Once temperatures are sufficiently low, we draw water from Big Cottonwood Creek and start laying down snow on Link and Moonbeam terrain.
Drawing water from Big Cottonwood Creek presents challenges. Our water comes from Lake Mary, taking a three-mile journey before reaching us. Debris from the creek can easily interfere with the pumps and nozzles of our snowmaking system. Solitude is actively working to improve our existing system to better handle debris, as well as engaging in longer term projects to draw cleaner water.
Once we have sufficient coverage on our beginner terrain, our guns move to the Apex area, and then to Eagle (where they can be seen right now). Along the way, a limited amount of our snowmaking capacity goes to our terrain parks. The jumps you see taking shape in the early season become valuable resources in the spring when they can be deconstructed to provide snow for other parts of the mountain.
IT’S COLD SO WHY AREN’T YOU MAKING SNOW?
We sometimes get this question from guests. Proper temperature is critical for snowmaking at Solitude, but other factors are important as well, including the amount of humidity in the air and how much water we have available to use.
When our team is determining whether to make snow, they use something called wet bulb temperature. Imagine a standard thermometer wrapped in a wet cloth, and you’ll get a sense of how wet bulb temperature works. A wet bulb reading takes humidity into account and lets us know whether snow can be made and what the quality of the snow will be like. Just as natural snow can vary in quality, so can manmade snow, and our snowmaking team strives to make the most “natural feeling” snow possible.
Even when temperatures are cold, humidity levels may not be right for producing great quality snow. And because we have limited water at our disposal, we’re very careful about when we turn on the guns. The amount of water available for use is highly controlled and different for every Cottonwoods resort.
SOLITUDE’S SNOW GUNS
You may be curious about the type of snow guns we use. Perhaps you’ve skied other resorts and noticed permanent wand guns or ground guns. At Solitude we use special machines known as hand guns. Each gun contains an onboard compressor and a fan. When conditions are optimal, these are some of the best guns for snowmaking, providing the ability to shift between locations and producing an amazing output of high-quality snow. They are also a lot of work for our crew, requiring moving heavy equipment, often in the dark of night under adverse conditions.
Solitude is working to add additional guns to our fleet, increasing our snowmaking acreage. Future guns may include additional hand guns or permanent fixtures in key areas. We are also seeking to install a water pipeline to the resort from Twin Lakes Reservoir which would provide us with a much cleaner water source for snowmaking.
ONWARD INTO DECEMBER
Thanks for taking a moment to learn about snowmaking at Solitude. You can expect to see our guns running during optimal temperatures as we fill in more of the mountain and wait for Mother Nature to do her part as well. We hope to see you (and your kids!) enjoying the snow during Kids Ski Free Week. See you on the hill!