The compressed air shatters the stream of water into minute particles and launches them into the atmosphere. The only difference is that the water doesn't have as much time to freeze before it hits the ground. It all happens in a matter of seconds. But, to consistently make good snow that is also consistent from the top of the mountain to the bottom, that's damn hard. American Skiing Company resorts make the hard work look easy.
Nobody does it better.
The difficulty lies in the fact that systems must be able to produce consistent, high quality snow in a wide range of weather conditions. They must do so in an environmentally responsible manner, in order to minimize impact on rivers and streams. And they must do so using the minimum amount of energy, for both environmental and financial reasons.