As long as the water is moving fast enough, it won't freeze. It's not actually flakes. Technology has allowed us to vary the quality of snow that comes out of a snow gun. Manufacturing snow is extremely expensive in terms of manpower, electricity and diesel fuel, says LaCombe, who must troubleshoot busted pipes, underground pipeline eruptions, power outages and failure of engines or pumps. He monitors the operation in a command room that resembles Mission Control.
Some gauges keep track of pump houses and compression stations.
Others measure the amount of water is pumped, how much feeds each gun, air and water pressure or fuel and electricity usage. We have this huge network of pipelines all over this entire mountain. We have air and water hydrants on all the different trails that we make snow on. Some are land guns that you pull up onto the trail with long hoses. In the last two years, we've installed a lot of tall tower mounts that enhance the skiing experience by lofting the snow from 20 to 30 feet above you as you're skiing down the trail.