PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — No snowfall? No problem for area ski resorts that rely on snow to keep them in business.
Getting human-made snow on the slopes is not that difficult, according to Brett Cook, general manager and vice president of Seven Springs, Hidden Valley and Laurel Highlands ski resorts in western Pennsylvania.
“All it really takes is compressed air and water,” said Cook. “We pump a lot of compressed air through pipelines that are under the mountains, and pump water, and essentially they mix in the air.”
What comes out is essentially snow.
As long as the resorts get some freezing and below-freezing days, Cook said they can get all of their trails covered with at least 3 feet of snow.
“The temperatures definitely have been up and down, but a little bit of windows at the beginning here and there throughout the season have been enough to keep us open,” he said. In fact, he said there has been growth in the number of visitors.
Anyone with water and an air compressor can actually make their own snow at home, Cook noted. You just might not be able to get the kind of slopes you would see on the mountains.