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OldJeep

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^^^ I am not so sure about this. Several summers ago wild fires in B.C. threatened the Sun Peaks Village (fire got within a couple miles away) so they used the snow guns to hose down the hotels in the village core. Shortly afterwards they changed the plumbing so they could divert water from the snow making reservoir to the village fire hydrants.

The reservoir is located in the alpine, 2500' (est.) above the village so it is a gravity fed low pressure system with no pumps other than whats on the snow guns. This might make the fire hydrant switch over more viable with no toilets ever harmed.:D
I guess. Around here we have wells, not reservoirs.
 

tball

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That certainly makes you wonder about blowing snow on open runs or near lifts with passengers.

Am I correct that it seems snowmaking near customers is less common than it was years ago? I wouldn't be surprised if insurance companies forbid it, or will if they don't after seeing that video. Just too much that can go wrong.
 

dbostedo

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That certainly makes you wonder about blowing snow on open runs or near lifts with passengers.

Am I correct that it seems snowmaking near customers is less common than it was years ago? I wouldn't be surprised if insurance companies forbid it, or will if they don't after seeing that video. Just too much that can go wrong.
That spray was way less controlled than any snowmaking I've ever skied in. Does make me wonder what it would be like if a hose or part of a gun blew out. I suspect it would be a lot different than that video since I'm assuming that was some kind of main water line blowout to produce that kind of volume.
 
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KingGrump

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I'm assuming that was some kind of main water line blowout to produce that kind of volume.

For that kind of output, I am sure it was the main water line running up along side of Standard.
 

tball

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^^^ Yeah, even at the reduced pressure at a gun head it seems like a failure could potentially have shrapnel flying.

I hear a rumor at Copper the new compressor was $1M when they expanded snowmaking for the US Ski Team's Speed Center. As resorts blow snow on more runs simultaneously, the main lines must be under enormous pressure, as we see in that video. Stuff breaks, so probably best to not have guests near pressurized snowmaking equipment if it can be avoided.
 

trailtrimmer

Stuck in the Flatlands
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That spray was way less controlled than any snowmaking I've ever skied in. Does make me wonder what it would be like if a hose or part of a gun blew out. I suspect it would be a lot different than that video since I'm assuming that was some kind of main water line blowout to produce that kind of volume.

It was most certainly a main. Even our little 400 to 550' vertical bumps here may have up to 12" mains running 5000+ gallons per minute at over 300 psi. Places with significant vertical see a lot higher pressures.
 

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