 Poster: A snowHead
|
|
I recall an article from last year sometime on some new US technology, a machine that could produce artificial snow when outside temperatures were as high as 30°C! Anyone seen a more recent reference to this? (There were photos mid-summer at a US resort of people skiing in t-shirts while the cannon was belching out snow - haven't been able to find it again via a Google search.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
I remember seeing something like this, power consumption must be pretty steep! Anyway, it's just wrong - snow belongs on mountains in alpine regions! 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
This would probably be a cryogenic system, based on a snowgun which mixes liquid nitrogen, compressed air and water. It's used at movie locations and for other special effects. Obviously it can be used for a bit of sliding, but it's highly wasteful because everything melts rapidly.
The technology was used at Ayers Rock in Australia about 15 years ago for a TV science show and was known as Permasnow. It's been used in the UK too, mainly for temporary indoor snow slopes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
Still, resorts are investing heavily in snow-making machinery to compensate for the projected lack of snow in years to come.... not much use though if temperatures are on the rise! I was wondering if any feasibility studies had been done on the application of this technology (consumption/cost/environmental etc)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Mmmmm...sounds like a problem to set for my "Problem Solving" class!
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
David Goldsmith, cultivated snow has higher resistance to melting, and when it does melt, it does so at a slower rate than the 'real thing'. Anyone know why this is? If it's to do with the ingredients, perhaps one day we'll see artificial snow that doesn't melt at all within a few degrees of freezing point. No doubt someone somewhere is working on this.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ian Hopkinson, you really are a 24 hour a day snowHead 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
This idea of fighting climate change with wasteful technologies which generate heat (after all, you can't pump water, air or make liquid nitrogen without huge energy consumption) is not the future.
The future is a radical reduction in our wasteful ways.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
An ideal world. If only..... I'd put money on humanity's chance of survival long-term not resulting from a sudden flash of common sense, but from science keeping its nose in front, a kind of controlled, continuous damage limitation exercise. After all, that pretty much sums up how we've got this far 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
When the next big lump of matter hits the planet, it won't make much difference whether its destroying a paradise or a toxic wasteland - it's back to square one for us all.
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
...
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Wed 13-05-20 10:15; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
|
Glad to see you've signed on with the 'snowHeads'! Hope you don't mind my referring readers to some of your PisteHors articles in posts I made this morning.....
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Now David's reminded me of the resort and technology involved, here are the links:
THE ARTICLE
and another detailing the actual power/water consumption specs. Wonder how this compares to the standard machines?
SNOWMAGIC
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
There have been recent attempts to produce an outdoor snow slope in Kent at a place called Diggerland (a kind of theme park involving mechanical diggers - don't ask). I don't know what snowmaking system they've been using.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
marc - i f a smaller lump of matter hit the earth, the dust it'd throw up would curtail global warming and improve the snowfall all at the same time !
When Mt. St. Helens went up, the dustcloud lowered global temps by around a degree for several months. As always, it's simply a matter of size 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
