Vernon Township, New Jersey- This coming offseason, a New Jersey ski resort’s snowmaking system is getting a huge upgrade.

Today, Mountain Creek Resort announced that they will be installing automated snowmaking on Vernon Peak, which is their main terrain pod. The $5 million automated snowmaking system will be put on the Upper/Lower Horizon, Cab Ride, and Sugar Slope trails, along with in the Learning Area. In addition, they’ll be adding 40 new energy-efficient fan guns across the ski resort. This means that Mountain Creek will be able to open earlier in the season, have better snowpack on their trails, and reduce their energy consumption.

For more information, check out Mountain Creek’s press release below.

Mountain Creek Announces Investment in the Future of Snowmaking Top-to-Bottom Snowmaking Automation to Come to Vernon Peak for Winter 2024/25 

Vernon, New Jersey, [February 20, 2024] – Mountain Creek is excited to announce a substantial investment to bring automated snowmaking to the mountain for next winter. Mountain Creek, which already has 100% of its trails covered with snowmaking and has one of the largest and most powerful snowmaking systems in the country, is now poised to take their snow-producing abilities to the next level. This investment is set to revolutionize the skiing and snowboarding experiences at the resort, allowing the resort to get open earlier, to expand terrain faster than ever before, and to offer the highest quality of machine-made snow possible. 

The initial phase of this project will see a $5 million total investment to install an automated snowmaking system at Vernon Peak. This state-of-the-art system will service the resort’s primary peak from top-to-bottom, covering the following key trails; Upper and Lower Horizon, Cab Ride, Sugar Slope, and the Learning Area. This comprehensive upgrade will involve the replacement of the old snowmaking pipes, hydrants, and pump stations, alongside the implementation of automation controls and durable ductile iron pipes. Additionally, the resort will install 40 new energy-efficient fan guns, further enhancing their overall snow production capabilities, and allowing for the existing snowmaking machines on these trails to be moved to new strategic positions across the resort’s trail network. 

This move to automated snowmaking will allow the resort to keep its snow making at the ready allowing these automated guns to turn on and off automatically taking advantage of anytime temperatures allow for snowmaking. Additionally, the resort will be able to control the flow and output from these guns via an online app, maximizing the efficiency of snowmaking and quality of the snow produced by it. 

“Mountain Creek has a long and prestigious history of snowmaking going all the way back to the pioneering days of machine-made snow. This project will be our next step towards the future of snowmaking at Mountain Creek.” says Evan Kovach, Mountain Creek Resort Chief (General Manager). “Not only will it allow us to get the resort open faster, but it will also allow us to open up with higher quality snow and expedite our ability to get more terrain open faster. This significant capital investment is a true testament to our commitment of maximizing the on-snow experience for our guests here at Mountain Creek.” 

The adoption of automated snowmaking technology will give the resort a significant advantage in the future, especially in the early season, and times of marginal snowmaking weather conditions. This will allow the resort to produce more snow in shorter weather windows while also reducing their overall energy consumption associated with snowmaking operations. The resort’s plan is to work towards fully automating all snowmaking operations over the next several years. 

For the first phase of this project, Mountain Creek has partnered with TechnoAlpin, a renowned leader in snowmaking technology headquartered in Bolzano, Italy, with US offices in Englewood, Colorado. Technoalpin has a snowmaking legacy dating back to 1990, and has been at the forefront of the automation movement within the industry, delivering cutting-edge solutions worldwide. 

“TechnoAlpin is thrilled to be working with Mountain Creek to bring cutting-edge snowmaking to the mountain. The new fully-automated system including both snow guns and pump stations will enable Mountain Creek to make more snow than ever in a wider temperature range while increasing energy efficiency at the same time. This new system will be transformational to the guest experience with greater snow reliability on the mountain and the ability to make more snow faster than ever before,” said Taylor Ogilvie, CEO – TechnoAlpin USA Inc. 

The resort aims to have Phase 1 of this new automated snowmaking system fully operational by November 2024, strategically timed to coincide with the commencement of snowmaking for the winter season 2024/2025. 

Mountain Creek Snowmaking Statistics: 

● 100% of the resort’s trails are covered with snowmaking. 

● Snowmaking is fed by seven mountaintop lakes which minimizes energy consumption and allows for the resort to use gravity to feed the system. 

● Over 1,000 snowmaking machines on property. 

● In ideal weather conditions, Mountain Creek can produce 3.5 Million cubic feet of snow in 24 hours, enough to cover 80 acres of trail (or to fill 1,000 tractor-trailer containers). 

ABOUT MOUNTAIN CREEK 

Located in Vernon, NJ, Mountain Creek is the New York Metro area’s premier destination for four-season mountain adventure. Just 47 miles from the George Washington Bridge, Mountain Creek is easily accessible for New York, New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania residents looking for a world-class resort experience. Adventures at Mountain Creek Resort include skiing and snowboarding, snowtubing, Mountain Creek Bike Park, Mountain Creek Waterpark and Mountain Creek Zip Tours and lodging at the Appalachian Hotel. For more information, visit MountainCreek.com.

Image Credits: Mountain Creek Resort

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