Fun Facts Archive

Snowmaking Principles

Snowmaking principles are fairly simple. By atomizing water droplets in cold air, they freeze before reaching the ground. Obviously, this can be achieved easily when temperatures are extremely cold, but more expertise is needed in marginal conditions.

In order to maximize snowmaking efficiency, theses conditions must be considered:

  • Water droplets must lose enough heat to start freezing.

  • Nucleation must be present to start snow crystal formation around the core of the droplets.

  • Freezing must be fast enough to be completed before the droplets touch the ground.

Snow made with snowmaking equipment is totally natural. The difference is essentially the suspension time in the air. Droplets from clouds are suspended for around 200 to 300 seconds, while drops from a snowmaking machine are much faster at 2 to 15 seconds in the air, depending on the winds. This suspension time is critical for the physical transformation of the crystals.

Fun Facts

Snowmaking Principles

Snowmaking principles are fairly simple. By atomizing water droplets in cold air, they freeze before reaching the ground. Obviously, this can be achieved easily when temperatures are extremely cold, but more expertise is needed in marginal conditions.

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