Tell me all about the snow!

Artificial snow, just like natural snow, is made up of crystals which transform into small round granules due to the combined effect of the wind, the cold, passing skiers, piste grooming and the weight of new layers of snow. It is more difficult to work with than natural snow. However it packs down and changes more slowly and is more resistant to shearing and thawing. It also melts more slowly, which is all for the best!

A bit of water, a bit of air and there we are!

Artificial snow is made up of water and air. The proportions do the rest!

We start with air... To begin artificial snow production, there must be equilibrium between the level of cold and humidity. The more humid it is, the more cold you need. Dry air is therefore better (ex: -3° C and 90% humidity 1°C and 55% of humidity). When humidity nears 100% (fog, snow) it becomes very difficult to produce artificial snow.

Water... It needs to contain all the mineral and organic elements to insure the crystallization around an embryo. Large quantities of water are needed for artificial snow and the Les Arcs Lift Company builds water reservoirs for this purpose.

Abracadabra... and it’s frozen! The water needs to be projected into the air in extremely small droplets so that it freezes quickly before reaching the ground.

Equipment

The Lift Company has 11 turbine snow cannons and 60 fixed snow cannons at its disposal for snow making purposes.

Turbine snow cannons : autonomous, mobile and with a high capacity for snow production. These machines consist of a chassis, an air compressor, an enormous fan, a number of injector nozzles, a hydraulic control unit and robotic control. It requires an electrical supply and water under pressure. These machines cost approximately 38 000 €.

Fixed snow cannons : These are spread out along the pistes. The visible section is a large boom with 4 injector nozzles for water and two for air, the rest of the structure is hidden under the ground. A fixed snow cannon costs approximately 12 000 €.

So, how much does it cost ?

Snow cover for 1 hectare of piste i.e 10 000 square metres costs 152 500 €.