Already on Sunday, we expect weather suitable for starting snowmaking.
The weather forecast for the weekend promises a gradual onset of minus temperatures suitable for the start of technical snowmaking in our country. Of course, we at Snowparadise are looking forward to the prediction, but perhaps the biggest smile was put on the face of our snowmaster Karol, with whom we talked about the snowmaking process and brought you an interesting interview.
Kajči hi, to begin with, probably a common question, when are we going to start snowing?
If everything goes as it should and the weather forecast comes true, we will start this Sunday!
This is great news, now you could tell us what cannons we use in our resort for technical snowmaking of the slopes.
As for our works, we use 2 types. The first is turbine cannons, which we otherwise also call low-pressure cannons. We also use cannons that are rod-shaped and these are high-pressure cannons.
What about the control of the works? Is it necessary to go to the cannons in person?
Both yes and no. Some cannons need to be operated manually. However, we also have a pump and cannons that are controlled from a computer. This is a huge help for us, because we are able to react promptly to changes in the weather.
And now probably the most common question. When is it possible to snow?
The ideal frost is at least -5 °C. However, we should explain one concept, which is ball temperature. If it is -5°C and the humidity is 98%, the real temperature is -5°C. However, at the same temperature and humidity of 50%, the temperature is -6.5°. And it is this temperature that we call spherical. Thus, in snowmaking, it is not only the low temperature that plays a role, but also the humidity itself.
Have you ever snowed at a plus temperature?
This has happened to us a couple of times. I remember a temperature of 3°C above freezing, but the humidity was 27%, the ball temperature was -3°C and that's why we were able to snow. However, days with such humidity are few in our country... mostly when a "dry" wind blows from the south.
In order to produce technical snow, we supply our cannons with water. Do we have enough of it? How many liters of water do we pump into the works?
We now have enough water in our snowmaking tanks. We can pump 110 liters of water into the works every second at a time, so they are giant volumes of water.
My last question... What are you most looking forward to?
On the Hedgehog... (Laughter) But no, I am most looking forward to deploying a cannon from DEMACLENKO, which can consume up to 12 liters of water per second, while in an hour it can produce 120m³ of technical snow and its range is up to 80 meters.
Thank you Kajči for your time and we look forward to the start of this year's ski season.