RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) – Last year was a miserable year for skiers and other snow lovers. Central Virginia had its least snow on record. That persistent warmth meant that snow-making at our ski resorts was futile.
James Deboe runs the snowmaking operation at the Homestead in Bath County. At 3,200 feet above sea level, it’s colder than it is closer to sea level. But last winter it wasn’t cold enough.
He says Mother Nature needs to provide at least some help.
“Pretty much every cold snap we had was followed by significant rain,” he said of last winter.
There’s nothing you can do to make snow in Virginia if it’s not cold enough. But when it is cold enough, snowmakers are ready with high-tech equipment. And not all of them are at ski resorts.
Jamie Carter, who owns an irrigation company, loves when that liquid water turns to white gold. It’s a fascination that started when he was a kid.
Now that he’s a grownup, he makes his own snow at his house in eastern Powhatan. He’s got an elaborate system set up – a mini version of what they have at a ski resort. And it’s more complicated than you think. You can’t just shoot water through a pressure washer and hope it’ll work.
“I’ve had so many people say I’m going to get a pressure washer and make snow tonight and I’m like you’re gonna make ice you’re gonna make ice,” Carter said.
You also have to through high velocity air across the fine mist that sprays from the nozzles on his machine. And it can’t be barely below freezing. It works best at 25 degrees or lower. And it’s got to be dry.
But there’s one secret – all that human-made snow at the resorts, and in Jamie’s backyard is actually sleet. Snow is a crystal that slowly grows under ideal conditions high up in the clouds. This stuff is a quick frozen tiny droplet of water. But sleet actually takes longer to melt and is easier to groom so it’s better on the slopes.
Ski resorts have reservoirs to use in the winter to cover the slopes. At the Homestead, they have plenty of water in a huge reservoir. Carter has a natural spring on his property.
They both are hoping that this winter, Mother Nature will bring the cold, dry air they need to turn Virginia into the winter wonderland we haven’t had in a few years.
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