The Obereggen ski area is situated between 1,550 and 2,500 meters above sea-level, and thus offers excellent conditions for unbeatable winter sports fun. But in this, one of South Tyrol's most-beautiful ski areas, we haven't left things to chance: The latest artificial snow equipment guarantees unsurpassed snow conditions the whole season through. Let's take a look behind the scenes at the technology used to achieve this.
When it comes to creating compact snow, Mother Nature is the best teacher. Chemically, manufactured snow consists of the same components as natural snow, i.e., of frozen water (H2). In producing compact snow in Obereggen, we use none of the additives or chemical agents found in cooling systems employing ammonia or other coolants. Instead, the secret is to find the right balance of water quantity, water temperature / outside temperature, and relative air humidity.
But what are the prerequisites? In nature, condensed water collects in the clouds around tiny seed nuclei. At temperatures of between –30 and –50 °C, ice crystals are formed. When these ice crystals fall to Earth (which takes several minutes), crystals of snow are formed which link together to form snowflakes. In contrast, compact snow does not display any typical snow crystals. Rather, it has a much lower proportion of air and has a structure more-closely resembling old snow; hence its name: compact snow. It has a density of 360 – 450 kg/m3, as compared with 30 – 100 kg/m3 for natural snow.
Temperatures below the melting point of ice (i.e., 0 °C or +32 °F) are necessary for the manufacture of compact snow. To do this, water is mixed with compressed air in specially designed jets, so-called "nucleators." When this mixture exits the snow cannon, it expands explosively. This expansion results in a rapid cooling of the mixture and the formation of microscopic ice crystals, so-called seed nuclei. In order for these crystals to "grow," a fan ensures that they remain in the air long enough. Additional fine water spray freezes around these nuclei, and the crystals increase in size.
The physical process of water evaporation is exploited to cause the water droplets to freeze onto the seed crystals. Water evaporates (i.e., turns from a liquid into a gas) at any outside temperature, including below the freezing point of water. In doing this, the water must absorb energy. If no energy is supplied from an outside source, the necessary energy for evaporation must be extracted from the surrounding mixture of air and water. As a result, that portion of the water which does not evaporate is cooled down enough to freeze out onto the seed crystals. An understanding of these physical processes and their skilled control are essential for successful snow production.
A compact and thus protective layer of snow is likewise advantageous for the grass: A covering of artificial snow provides the slopes with a much better level of protection against the mechanical influence of winter sport equipment and slope-grooming vehicles than a thin layer of natural snow. Further, the resultant "funnel effect" encourages winter sports enthusiasts to keep to the center of the slope; the new growth on the sides of the slopes are thus less likely to be damaged. More snow also means more moisture in deeper layers of the soil: Observations in recent years have confirmed that the farmers of Obereggen have been able to boost the agricultural yield of those areas used for winter sports.
Obereggen's first snow generators were purchased in 1982. Today, 169 snow cannons are in use at the Latemar Ski Center, and are able to serve 97% of the slopes. A supply system with a length of 36.8 km extends from 1,550 to 2,200 meters above sea-level. It has 90,000 cubic meters of reserves. The winter sports enthusiasts in Obereggen are thus assured superlative snow conditions, with well-groomed slopes having a thick covering of high-quality snow.
Obereggen has the best ski slopes
