According to SMI Snow Makers, it takes about 75,000 gallons (285,000 liters) of water to create a 6-inch blanket of snow covering a 200×200-foot area (61×61 meters). The system in a good-sized ski slope can convert 5,000 to 10,000 gallons (18,927 to 37,854 liters) of water to snow every minute!

At what temperature do snow machines work?

No equipment arsenal in the world can produce good machine-made snow without it! 32 degrees Fahrenheit is the freezing temperature for water to turn into snow crystals, but ideal snow making conditions call for temperatures to be 28 degrees or lower.

What happens to the snow from a snow machine?

Compressed air is shot up through the nozzle, where it meets water and splits it into tiny droplets. The sudden loss of pressure robs the system of heat, rapidly cooling the water to form a tiny ice pellet – a snow “seed”. The giant fan now propels these seeds into the air alongside the fine mist of water droplets.