Tuesday, October 09, 2018
In
snow depth management,
snow making
by http://mountainsportsclub.blogspot.com/
Over the past several years new technologies have come to market
that are clearly starting to benefit the snow business. The high efficiency
snow wands and control systems of HKD Snowmakers are a good example of this and
so is Vail Resorts’ EpicMix application. Various new technologies have proven their
value to us all by now.
The next technology to come on the scene for resort operators is
snow depth monitoring.
Why is this important? By knowing snow
depth you can avoid making more snow than is needed in the early and late season.
You can also move snow from areas that have excess snow to precise locations on
the slopes that need more snow. No more guess work. Once they implement the
right snow depth monitoring system ski resort operators can expect to save
10%-20% in overall snow making and grooming costs. A ski area with a $1,000,000
annual budget for snow making and grooming can expect to save $100,000-$200,000
year. That is a substantial savings whether you operate a small-to-medium-sized
ski area or a major operation with multiple resorts and an annual budget of 5
to 10 times that amount.
Are
they worth the cost? Let’s take a look:
First, some background information: All snow depth monitoring
systems require the use of satellite GPS to plot the location of each snow
groomer, but there are key differences between what is commonly referred to as
a “sat based” (comparative elevation) system versus a ground based (snow
penetrating) system.
Effectiveness: A
satellite based system compares the surveyed altitude of a given point/location
to the current altitude that a snow groomer is at once snow is covering the
slope. It is claimed that this technology will provide snow depth data to an
accuracy of 1-2 inches. A ground based system pings through the snow surface
and measures the distance to solid ground using wide band radar to an accuracy
of 2-4 inches.
Complexity: Sat
based systems require a detailed aerial survey map be made of every run on the
mountain. In many cases a system of signal repeaters must be installed and
maintained in several locations to boost the satellite signal in deep canyons
or certain slope aspects. This is costly, often $100,000 or more just to set up
the infrastructure for the system. For a ground based system such as SnowGage,
no such surveys or added infrastructure are needed. A relatively simple and
compact wide band radar unit (about the size of a shoe box mounted on the
bottom of each snow groomer) sends signals through the snow every few seconds
to get an accurate reading of snow depth in real time, without the need for costly
repeaters and satellite relays.
Cost: Satellite
based systems such as Leica (Prinoth) and SnowSat (Pisten Bully) can range from
$75,000-$100,000 or more for initial mapping and set up, plus a per unit hardware
cost of at least $50,000 per groomer. A ground based system such as SnowGage
has no up-front mapping or set up costs and is under $20,000 per groomer to
deploy.
More
about SnowGage: The units are designed to withstand the rigors of the cold and
harsh alpine environment. A rugged Juniper Systems Mesa2 tablet is installed
inside the cab and paired with the SnowGage sensors. A GPS receiver mounted on
top of the groomer provides real-time data accessible to resort operations
staff through a secure cloud based app. The visual data includes accurate snow
depth, illustrated in color on a high resolution Google Maps base layer. The
system can also display snow groomer fleet locations and performance data.
Using this information, resort operators can develop and implement better
coverage strategies, manage snow resource allocation and improve overall
snow making and slope grooming efficiency. The cost is affordable and the
savings are significant.
Contact
Information:
SnowGage Sales
Representative
John Siewierski
(303) 829-1699
We are proud to represent SnowGage and mountain related services to North American resorts as the need to manage snow making and related costs affect the bottom line and guest experience more and more each year.
