Artificial snow systems
Chief executive Kevin Kirk, who owns and runs the Funäsdalen alpine facility, concedes there are larger snow-making systems in existence, but they have been extended bit by bit.
“Here, we are doing it all at once,” KIrk says.
About 130 million Kronor (US$18.2 million) is being invested in lifts, slopes, artificial snow systems and service buildings.
The Östersund-based company Lenko Snow is contractor for the artificial snow equipment.
Two of its servicemen, Kim Löding and Håkan Johansson, are standing at the top of Funäsdalsberget (mountains). They are 984m (3230 feet) above sea level and they have a problem.
The view is great, white summits in all directions, but the Lenko servicemen have their eyes firmly fixed on the ground.
A dumper has run over a pipe and a section has to be replaced. An excavator helps remove rocks and gravel. All around them is ‘organized chaos’ as excavators thunder and earthmovers groan.
SUVs, pick-ups and four-wheelers are moving up and down the mountain. Ground work, lift installations and electrical work all goes on at the same time.
“It is a heavy job – the pipes can weigh up to a 100kg (220lb),” says Löding, while he and Johansson lift away the dented pipe.
A new pipe is installed and fastened with a big coupling. Löding treats the rubber bussing with silicone spray before he grabs a screwdriver and fastens the coupling. All couplings are taped to avoid return suction and dirt in the pipes.
“We had minus 10ºC (14ºF) the other day,” Löding says. “It was not fun working with the vulcanization tape. It gets rock hard and you have to use all your strength on it.”
Petter Nilsson is Lenko’s local manager. He lives in Funäsdalen and runs Nilsson & Jonsson with his business partner. This is something of a dream job for him.
“I have been involved in this mountain for many years, and seven years ago participated in an investigation of how the mountain could be developed,” Nilsson says.
Despite Funäsdalen being a principal town in a ski area, the downhill skiing had been neglected for many years, with only two lifts and a couple of slopes in use. Alpine visitors had been skiing at nearby Tänndalen, Ramundberget or Tännäs.
Discussions about developing the facility on Funäsdalsberget have been going on in the village for more than 40 years.
The mountain seems ideal, with the greatest drop height in the area. The well-positioned village offers shops, restaurants, hotels and other public services.
Ideas for a new ski area have usually failed at the financing stage, but now there is strong group of owners ¬– villagers and private investors – who are making things happen.
The current campaign is the first in an envisioned expansion of the ski facility, living zone and service areas. In the first stage there will be 14 slopes, several new lifts and a fully automatic snow facility.
Funäsdalen is one of the most snow-secure areas in the country, so why build an advanced snow-cannon facility?
Kirk says it is needed partly because the beginning of the season must be secure and also for extra snow during the season.
“It’s needed particularly in steep sections. The wear and tear is great and it is good to complement natural snow with artificial snow.”
A ski area without snow would be a commercial disaster.
“We are getting greater variations in temperature – cold periods are mixed with warmer ones,” Kirk says.
“We can handle these variations better with a fully automatic system and make snow when the temperature allows.”
The snow-cannon facility requires an investment of 20 million Kronor (US$2.8 million). The advanced system has weather stations that sense temperature and humidity and start up the pump station automatically when conditions are right.
Lenko project manager Mikael Albertsson says transport is always a problem when building systems – large quantities of bulky pipes mean high freight costs.
There is a total of 7km (4.4 miles) of pipe in four, six and eight-inch diameters.
The number of couplings is about 1,500. The pipe channels vary from 80cm to 150cm (2.6 to 5 feet) and are not at frost-free depth.
“That would require too much blasting and would be too expensive,” Nilsson says. “We have placed the pipe systems in loops so we get a constant flow.”
The slope is troublesome at certain points even when walking (74% at its steepest). Still, a few of the pipe channels are open.
Packed into the channels are electrical wires for the snow-cannon system, high and low-voltage supplies to the facility, the energy company’s cables, cables for broadband and the timing system, and so on. Some pipe channels have up to a dozen different cables.
Nilsson says timing is another tricky aspect to the project. All the slopes are being developed at the same time, so the team has to think on its feet.
“There is no complete blueprint for heating and sanitation – we build and design as we go.”
There are 90 outlets for 22 snow-cannons in the contract, which specifies:
• Huge concrete shafts with winch towers, making it possible to set snow-cannons at a height of 6m (19.6 feet).
The drop height produces higher-quality snow and improves the service range:
• PE pits with snow-cannon attachment
• Glass fiber pits consisting of two cones placed opposite each other that can be lowered to the required height.
The glass fiber pits have been mostly used. They are the most flexible and can be adjusted to the depth. Nilsson points out that they have the advantage of being able to be placed in the middle of the slope.
The pumphouse at the foot of the slope is the heart of the system. Water is taken via a feeder station beside Ljusnan River a few hundred yards away.
A 400mm (15.6 inch) PE pipe takes water to the pumphouse, where it is transferred to 300mm (11.8 inch) stainless pipe and via an automatic filter to two pressure pumps of 355kW each. The pressure is about 48 bar and the rate is 400L (105 US gallons) per minute.
With a 320m (1,050 feet) drop height, the facility gives 16 bars at the summit. One of the pumps is frequency steered and the other soft started. Preparations with piping have also been made for a third pump when the ski system is expanded.
No water cooling is needed, as water from Ljusnan River comes directly from surrounding mountains at a low temperature. The ideal is 2ºC (35ºF).
De-aeration is important in a system where the pipes are not at a frost-free depth. Automatic vents on the snow-cannon and de-aeration at high points are necessary to avoid frost damage.
To make artificial snow, 15 bar pressure (217psi) is required. The pumphouse at the foot of the slope delivers 48 bars. At the stated drop height, this gives 16 bars at the summit.
The automatic snow-cannons have four rows of nozzles regulating output. The lower the temperature, the more nozzles are activated.