Snowmaking
Twice the snow. Half the energy.
More than anything else, snow is the most critical element of any ski experience. A top-of-the-line snowmaking system guarantees a high quality snow surface, allows for an earlier opening of terrain, creating longer seasons, and provides the ability to quickly refresh surfaces after an adverse weather event. Advancements in technology (including the Boyne proprietary Low-E Fan Gun) are now allowing us to make snow more efficiently and at a higher quality than ever before.
A major part of the Sugarloaf 2020 plan will be to continue with the great strides that have been taken over the past three seasons to advance the resort's snowmaking system. This will include bolstering Sugarloaf's arsenal of low-energy snowguns by adding as many as 500 new guns to the fleet, evaluating and addressing inefficiencies in the current system, and eventually increasing the resort's overall water supply by tapping into new sources. Theses steps will bring us closer to our stated snowmaking goal of doubling our overall snowmaking capacity while silmutaneously halving our associated energy consumption. (View timeline for snowmaking improvements since 2007.)
For Winter 2010-2011
For this season, we will add an additional 600 feet of new snowmaking pipe to key areas such as Lombard Crosscut and Tohaul, which will enable us to open the east side of the mountain earlier, and keep it open later into the spring. The system will also benefit from numerous projects which will boost its efficiency and output, including new isolation valves for the air system, and a new, upgraded air cooling system which reduces the temperature of the air as it leaves the compressors.
Next 10 Years
We are currently working with the US Army Corps of Engineers and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection to establish a new water source on Caribou Pond that would effectively double the capacity of our exisitng snowmaking system. This is a lengthy and involved process, but many wheels are already in motion and tapping into this new water source is a significant piece of the Sugarloaf 2020 plan. Bringing the new water into the mix will also require new pumping systems and additional air compressors. Progress updates on this new addition to the snowmaking system will be published in the Sugarloaf 2020 Blog.
