Mother Nature and Snowmakers Hard at Work at TSV

Both Taos Ski Valley's snowmaking crew and Mother Nature are hard at work making snow for the 2002-2003 season. Snowmaking began on Monday, October 21st at Taos Ski Valley and 12 inches of natural snow fell the night of October 22nd, bringing smiles to every skier in the area.

Taos Ski Valley�s snowmaking supervisor Robert Quintana said that "it was a good start; we had temperatures and were able to make snow on both the front and backsides of the mountain." The key ingredients in snowmaking are air, water, and air temperatures below 28 degrees. In Taos Ski Valley, the high elevation (9207 feet) ensures cold temperatures through late fall and winter. With winter setting in and daytime temperatures dropping, snow guns will soon be operating 24 hours a day.

Taos Ski Valley has one of the Southwest's largest snowmaking systems. It is made up of compressors, large pumps and more than five miles of pipe. With this system, Taos Ski Valley's snowmaking crew can make high quality snow from the top of mountain to the bottom, covering 100% of beginner and intermediate terrain.

In regards to the importance of the recent snowfall, Mountain Manager Bill Etchemendy says "Natural snowfall makes the snowmakers� job easier because of refrigeration; it cools the air temperature and the ground which keeps the manufactured snow from melting." Both the man-made and natural snow are helping skiers everywhere get excited for the 2002-2003 season, ensuring they'll be raring to go for opening day on November 28th.



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