Fall has arrived and excitement is in the air. There are lots of images circulating of resorts testing their snowmaking systems in preparation for the winter. Indeed, we will be sliding on snow in no time.

It is no secret that making snow is expensive as resorts need to pump water from a water source, up a mountain, to the guns. The cost of operating a snowmaking system can vary greatly for each resort based on factors like proximity to water supply, cost of energy, topography, how many vertical feet they need to pump the water, snowmaking capacity.

An easier question to answer is “how much does a snow gun cost?” Indeed, they are not cheap. According to EMS Environmental, the stout high-capacity, fan-style snow guns cost approximately $28,000 – $35,000 each. The narrow and long, tower-style guns are a bit more wallet-friendly and cost approximately $5000 – $6000 each. None of this takes into account the materials and labor needed to install these snow guns.

If you were looking into buying a snow gun for your backyard rail set up, hopefully, these figures help paint a picture of the cost of a snow gun. If this a little outside your budget, maybe Santa Claus will hook it up this year.

Images from: Smugglers Notch Facebook Page, Stowe Mountain Resort Facebook Page

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