We get enough cold, the resorts just need to get the capacity right tae get volume down when they can..

We shouldn't be in this position, the ski 'resorts' should have invested in this years ago when they had the numbers and cash along with the rest of the world.. I really don't see the fascination with fan guns here either bar the auto ones being easy to work with.

How most alpine stations do it is that they have long automated lance-systems. with a water line running up and down the mountain with a pumpstation and a lance every 50/100m or so. You can make a run with a system like that in a week or so.

I don't know if lances work in Scotland, read once that they don't.

The conservatives here say nothing will work. I heard that trees wont even grow at Glencoe car park fae a guy in the fecking car park once!


[ratnik.com]

Cost the most tae run but the cheapest tae set up, yet probably the best for our weather and our skint resorts to get the ball properly rolling before waiting on a hand out that may never come.

First couple of resorts that go all in on making snow will get market share and secure their future if the investment keeps up, start at the bottom and work up to full auto or wait and see ?

One thing that’s driven fan guns is not needing the initial outlay on central plant and air lines, another was easier automation on a per gun basis. However the control systems for lances are there now.

Guns like the Ratnik Sky Giant VI can run numerous guns of the air required for 1 trad air water gun. Also can make snow to slightly more marginal wetbulb temps. A trad gun like the Ratnik snow giant can go even more marginal - with modern nossles to around 0°c wetbulb - interesting number crunching exercise on old school high energy air water vs snow factory?

I was thinking the same and gonna raise the question about Glencoe's snow factory via the old school stuff but I'm shite at maths so it would have been a waste me looking. I'll guess you'd get a better bang for yer cash going old school if making use of the staff on a salary...

If there's water/power lines getting put in then might as well run air at the same time. Have air on site permanent for tae fill one tae three runs depending where in 24h if its a normalish season, and hire in the rest of the air for times like these.. I'm not against fan guns for when its cold enough but ya must be able tae get a few Ratnik guns for the price of a cannon and pump out more snow in our climate on average...

A central plant or plants will be needed, do it in stages and run lines surface and go old school till the public know centre x is reliable and pretty consistent then spend more on going efficient..

There's money in growing salad crops indoor with fluorescents, a bit more to be made under led's. Led's are way more efficient but will cost a fortune in comparison tae flouros and most companies I see trying this fail cause they try and dance before they can even crawl by spending big before they have the market let alone the skills.







Edited 1 times. Last edit at 22.54hrs Thu 17 Jan 19 by growwild.

is that what you call it these days? ;-)

Great to see the cannons firing up at cairngorm. Is the plan to make a base on the entirety of the car park run. That would be impressive and show that snow cannons are the way forward, the only issue is getting a base on the t bar uptrack??

Will be interesting to see the progress over the next few days. By this time next week the centre could be buried in the natural stuff regardless..

looking at the dry high pressure situation we are in i think every resort needs to get all guns blazing to help base formation for the Feb snow....or it will be a late late season

Be Nice to Skiers, they have it hard enough already

The guns are blazing in Glenshee as well. The webcam shows nice snow mist at Claybokie/DinkDink and Baddoch.

Plus they have one of the older green guns near the second tower of claybokie. The new Technoalpin one is still at the drive station. I've not seen glenshee using the guns so often in a season.

With the guns they seem to have opened the DinkDink area as well.

Ha, I have been known tae say "Give up mate, that's just resinous lettuce"

Every resort should have all shooters blazing!

Nevis is getting left behind though I think they are best placed to get a next HIE handout if they want it.........

If somewhere like the Lecht had the power, water (and money!) available could they with a double snow factory positions say mid way up the steep slope plus 3-4 of the latest fan guns produce enough snow to say have a full length run running off the chair?

With enough money ya could build a resort up the campsies and keep it white through snow making..

That's what they thought at Mar Lodge

Is Mar Lodge the reason for the 'snow making wont work in Scotland' hypothesis?

Good idea, bad planning and gave up too quick.. Big ponds of natural unchlorinated water or enough of that pish oot the mains would have had em going and they would have fooked about with guns, probably upped the capacity for lean times and the other centres would have followed and brought in new ideas etc