This series explains various aspects of Japan's ski resorts from various perspectives in order to get to know them in more detail. The theme of the third installment is snow machines and snow machines that support the early start of the season and follow up on the problem of lack of snow. In the second part, I would like to introduce some interesting parts about snow machines and snow machines, such as ski resorts that make full use of these to achieve the beginning of the season earlier than anywhere else, and the background behind it.
Click here for the first part
10/30 (Friday) Open! Behind the scenes of Snow Town Yeti, which opens the fastest in Japan every year
"Snow Town Yeti" in Shizuoka Prefecture, which announced the opening on October 30, 2020 (Friday), will keep the prestigious title of "Japan's earliest ski resort to open" this year. Since '99, I haven't handed this title anywhere. Every year, the opening day is covered by various media and broadcasted on TV. Many people have seen such news.
It used to be called "Nippon Land HOW Ski Resort", but after renaming it to "Snow Town Yeti", it started to focus on early opening.
The foot of Mt. Fuji, where the ski resort is located, can get cold to -10°C in the middle of winter, but it doesn't snow much. Therefore, it is practically impossible to operate a ski resort without snow machines. The driving force behind the early opening was the snow machine. There are a total of 4 snow machines from the base to the middle of the slopes, and every year from about 10 days before the opening, the snow making machine starts 24 hours a day, with three shifts of operators. Right now, we are in the midst of work for the opening on October 30th, and the snow machine is in full operation 24 hours a day. About 500 to 600 tons of water is used per day. About 1 liter of water is 1 kg, so 500 tons is 500,000 liters. It uses an unimaginably large amount of water.
As part of the process of making a course using a snowmaker, snow cannot be made to cover the entire course at once, so the snow is piled up in the order that it is made.
When the weather gets sunny and the temperature rises, the old ones melt from the bottom. To prevent this, the trees are covered with a cover to keep them out of direct sunlight, but the mountains gradually become smaller. Rain, wind, and typhoons are also natural enemies. When it opens on 10/30 (Friday), slope A (approximately 1000m, height difference of approximately 150m) will be skiable. By the way, this is a drone video of the 2018 opening day, October 25th.
Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort, which will open second in Japan in the 2020-21 season,
Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort will open on November 3 (Tuesday/holiday), the fastest in Nagano Prefecture and the second earliest in Japan.
Alongside the Yeti, it is synonymous with season-in. From October 10th (Sunday), eight snow machines will start full operation, and when it opens, the Kurinoki Course, Prince Slope, which has a total length of about 400m, will be available for skiing. About 450 tons of snow will be produced per day, and about 6,000m3 of snow will be produced in 24 days from the start of work on October 10th until the opening. Until the opening, it's time to use a snowmaker that can be used regardless of the temperature. Even after the start of business, we will continue to make snow and aim to open all nine courses by the end of the year.
Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort owns 8 snow machines and 195 fan-type snow machines. From October to November, the snow machine will be used to make snow, and from mid-December, the snow machine will be used.
How much does a snow machine/snow machine that works great cost?
How much does it cost to create a place where you can ski from a snow-free state, and even a ski resort?
●Fan-type snow blower
The unit price of the fan-type snow machine is high, but it can make a large amount of snow fall at once and has good energy efficiency. There are two large types, one driven by electricity and the other hydraulic type. The estimated price for the type that uses electricity is 6 million yen (reference price) per unit, while the price for the hydraulic type is considerably higher at 13 million yen (reference price) because of the advantage of being able to move anywhere. It has a long service life, and models from several decades ago are still in operation.
- Gun type snow machine
Gun-type snow machines are about 1,500,000 yen per unit (reference price). It is overwhelmingly cheaper than the fan type. It can work stably even at high temperatures (about -1°C to 3°C), but it requires a large amount of air, which increases running costs. In addition, it is necessary to install a large number of units in terms of capacity per unit.
However, new models called "stick type" and "low air type" have realized energy saving, and the cost situation has changed along with the evolution of machines.
●Snow machine
The running cost of snow machines is much higher than that of snow machines. It is surprising that one 50-ton type plant costs about 90 million yen (reference price).
Artificial snow cannot be made without securing water
The material of artificial snow is water. It takes a lot of water to make a large amount of snow (several hundred liters per minute per aircraft).
The water in those artificial ponds that you overlook when you're on the lift thinking, ``Oh, that looks cold,'' or ``I don't want to fall there,'' is the source of artificial snow. Since it is an artificial pond, the water is mainly drawn from nearby streams. Sometimes it is well water.
But why doesn't the water in that reservoir freeze in cold ski resorts? Of course, that's because it keeps them from freezing. The inside is agitated with a pump to prevent freezing. When trying to introduce a new snow machine or snow making machine, it is difficult to secure this reservoir and water. Ski resorts are usually located on top of mountains. As a result, the nearby stream is narrow and the water is not plentiful. Also, it is not possible to draw water from the stream without permission. Artificial snow will become a reality only after these physical problems and social conditions are cleared.
It costs so much!
The "how much" shown above is only for the machine. There is also the problem of securing water and electricity to operate snow machines and snow blowers. As a result, the cost for each ski resort and course varies greatly. If you install a new one, you have to estimate the huge cost of those parts. There is also a maintenance fee required.
By the way, the cost of making snow with a snow machine is 7 to 8 yen/m3, and 40 yen/m3 with a snow making machine.
You can see how much the running cost of the snow making machine is. Therefore, it is cost-effective to use a snow-making machine when the temperature and humidity make it impossible to make snow, and a snow-making machine when it is possible to make snow. By the way, running eight snow machines (50t/7 + 100t/1 = 450t/8 in total) at Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort for a day costs about 400,000 yen.
A simple calculation of the 24 days required to prepare for the opening using eight snow machines gives a total of 8.8 million yen. At Karuizawa Prince Ski Resort, they switch to snow machines in mid-December every year.
Ski resorts highly dependent on artificial snow
Besides Yeti and Karuizawa Prince Ski Resort mentioned above, there are many other ski resorts in Japan that rely heavily on snow machines. Basically, the weather conditions are "cool temperature but not much snow".
Located in Sakudaira, the home of Kashiyama Kogyo, Saku Ski Garden "Parada" is a unique environment directly connected to the highway. Here too, there are many cases where only the slopes have snow.
Many of the ski resorts in the Yatsugatake area, which are accessed from the Chuo Expressway, also follow this system.
In addition, there are many cases where ski resorts in Chukyo and Kansai are operated by the power of snow machines and snow machines. On the other hand, some ski resorts use 100% natural snow. Nozawa Onsen in Nagano Prefecture is a prime example, as are Hakuba Cortina and Okushiga Kogen. On the other hand, some ski resorts, such as Kagura in Niigata Prefecture, which experience heavy snowfall, have installed snow machines in order to stabilize operations.
summary
Snow machines and snow machines are great behind-the-scenes powerhouses that help us get the season off to an early start, support stable ski resort operations, and take care of the problem of lack of snow.
The cost, energy, and effort of the people involved in starting the season early is unimaginable. Thanks to that, the long-awaited season finally begins! Let's go skiing!
Interviews and photos provided by: Kashiyama Industry Co., Ltd. , Karuizawa Prince Hotel Ski Resort , Snow Systems Co. , Snow Town Yeti (in alphabetical order)
Text/Mizorogi Daisuke
Editing/STEEP Editorial Department
Source: Re-edited from 2017 BRAVOSKI vol.2
[Writer Profile] Daisuke Mizorogi
Has been involved in skiing for over 20 years as a member of the BRAVOSKI editorial staff.
He has been covering moguls since the 1990s and has extensive experience in the field of ski resort guides. On the other hand, he has created many unconventional projects that are not found in existing ski magazines, combining subculture and skiing. Currently, while bearing the title of "Showa culture researcher", he writes and edits in various genres other than skiing. He stands in the most indoor position in the outdoor world and the most outdoor position in the indoor world. https://www.d-mizorogi.com/
* The "Road to Ski Resort Mania" series that you want to read together
