PowderMonkey

These resorts seem to claim that man made is the same thing as natural snow, but it's clearly not!! There's no comparison to the soft feeling of natural snow vs the cruddy thick feeling of artificial. I notice if when they've blown a few inches of snow overnight over an entire trail even when you get first tracks it's no comparison to getting 3 inches of the real stuff.

Is it possible to make artificial snow that = to natural snow? Why is there a difference between the two?

zk0ot

misting water into the sky with compressed air. = artificial snow.

the only thing to make it any more "real" would be to distill it first. dont think theyll pay for that.

__________________
BUCK FURTON

PowderMonkey

It's clearly not the same thing as real snow. I mean just ride in an area where they've blown snow and haven't groomed it yet. It's clearly not the same thing as natural snow! Not even a comparison. Just wondering what makes it so different and why they claim it's the same thing!? I don't think distilling would do anything lol

zk0ot

The water is pumped from a river or pond or source, through pipes. Theres sediment and particles that otherwise would have been filtered via distillation. All those particles are slowing you down

__________________
BUCK FURTON

PowderMonkey

That's interesting. So that's the ONLY reason it's different?

I don't think the snow is necessarily slower. It's just clearly a different composition and not as soft and fluffy feeling as real snow. More crud like. Especially after they groom it. Much harder than real snow.

Tech420

Are you going to ask that resorts stop blowing snow to please you and your green powder runs?

gmore10

hahahaahahhaha

__________________
when your a man sometimes you wear stretchy pants in your room just for fun

PowderMonkey

Hey genius.... If they didn't pump snow, there'd be no snow. We'd be riding on grass. This isn't mt baker. I actually wish they'd run the guns more hours when it's not naturally snowing. Better than the ice and crud crap that builds up

I'm just curious and was wondering why there's a difference and if someone could make a snowgun that completely replicated real snow.

ThunderChunky

I'm not 100% here but it is different because:

When snow is made it falls from much higher up and goes through the process that transitions rain/water into snow a much slower. This creates the natural feeling snow. Man made snow is made in a matter of seconds.

Here is an article that explains it.
HowStuffWorks "How Snow Makers Work"

Also notice how when it's colder the "man made" snow is much more like actual snow?

__________________

zk0ot

well its only blown so high... genereally isnt completely dry... so it continues to freeze on the ground... in clumps... what have you. but i bet a distilled water would make some nicer snow.

__________________
BUCK FURTON