Snowmaking

Bristol Mountain has been testing and creating new snowmaking technology for over a decade. With a vertical rise of 1200’ and 34 slopes and trails, there are over 25 miles of underground snowmaking pipe and more than 300 hydrants. Snowmaking covers 97% of the total skiable terrain (all slopes and trails except for Quantum Leap). We build an average snow base depth that averages between two to four feet and manufacture 95% of our snow base each winter operating season. We have adopted a standard to produce the best type of snow conditions to assure the best quality and amount of snow with the given climate.

Our snowmaking process begins in the Pump and Compressor Building. We have four state-of-the-art computers which monitor and manage seven outdoor weather stations, air and water flows to the guns, temperatures of the incoming water, power meters, etc. Sensors monitor the snowmaking water sources, flows on air and water, and heat exchangers remove unwanted units of energy or BTU's (British Thermal Unit) from the compressed air. Our manmade snow is made from two types of guns: air-water guns and fan guns.

We have 174 tower-mounted and 36 sled-mounted air-water guns. The air-water guns are manufactured by Ratnik Industry located in Victor, New York. The guns are connected to hoses which are connected to hydrants that are attached to the underground air/water main piping that is routed to the Pump and Compressor Building. One pipeline carries the water and the other transports the air. Each air-water gun outputs 15-60 gallons of water a minute. The water is atomized in the barrel by the compressed air and when the tiny water droplets enter the atmosphere, they freeze into crystals before falling to the ground to form snow.

Fan guns are an alternative to the traditional air-water guns. Bristol Mountain has 96 tower-mounted fan guns and 17 carriage fan guns which are comprised of Areco and Hedco equipment. Fifty-four of the tower-mounted fan guns are radio frequency and/or fiber controlled and can be remotely operated from the Control Room or manually operated by snowmakers at the hydrant station. In automatic mode, the guns adapt to changing humidity, air temperature, and wind as required. Each tower-mounted fan gun can output 18-110 gallons of water per minute.

More relevant to our skiers and snowboarders is the amount of "quality" snow a ski area can make at one time, which is the only true measure of how fast an area can open new terrain or refresh surfaces during the course of the season.
Water is the raw material from which snow is made and water supply is a very critical element in how much snow a ski area is able to produce. Bristol Mountain draws water from three ponds.

Our goal is to open the winter operating season around Thanksgiving. With this in mind, Dan Fuller, General Manager, and Ken Keenan, Mountain Manager, monitor the forecasts and temperatures daily starting in mid-November. Generally, we start making snow when the forecast looks favorable for an extended length of time along with retaining the snow that has been made. Our snowmaking technology allows us to open from summit to base in a relatively short period of time with favorable weather conditions.

Grooming

Bristol Mountain’s fleet of grooming vehicles consists of five Bombardier snowcats and one Zaugg halfpipe groomer. Our groomers are on the mountain shortly after the mountain closes for the day or evening, and after ski patrol has inspected and cleared all terrain for grooming. When all of our 34 slopes and trails are open, five groomers will spend up to approximately eight hours or more each evening on the mountain. There are instances throughout the season when overnight grooming may produce poorer conditions and it is better not to groom.

Many skiers and snowboarders enjoy the ease of a corduroy-carpeted snow surface, however, many of our guests like the challenge of skiing or snowboarding through a more natural or mogul environment. To satisfy both, we provide a groomed surface on the majority of our trails but also allow bumps to build on a couple of designated trails – Upper Meteor and Lower Galaxy – as well as other trails throughout the season.

The daily operations for lifts, trails, and snow conditions are reported on our web site, on our snow phone 585-374-1100, and also on the Patrol Conditions Report posted twice daily in the Information Kiosk located in front of the Ticket Office.