Burke's Snow Guns A-Blazin'

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Created on Friday, 09 November 2012 15:28
Written by Brian Stone

SnowmakingBURKE - Burke fired up their recently purchased snowmaking system for the first time this season Tuesday evening. The million dollar upgrade to the equipment includes new snow guns as well as a 800 horsepower electric compressor they have named "Marge."

 Marge replaced three diesel compressors, which Burke used to rent. The new equipment will not only be cost-effective - because Burke actually owns the gear - but Marge is more environmentally friendly as well.

"We're actually eliminating a significant amount, actually forty thousand gallons a year of diesel fuel that we will no longer burn," said Tim McGuire, Burke Mountain's general manager. "[Marge will] significantly reduce our emissions and carbon footprint. This is a significant step forward for us in terms of improving the overall efficiency of the system. It's much more energy efficient, but also improving the amount of snow we can make at any one time, and our ability to get the mountain open and resurface the trails as needed."

With below average snowfall last season, quality snow making was utilized not just for laying down base levels of snow, but also for touching up soft spots on the mountain. This year, the addition of Marge will give Mother Nature a helping hand.

"It gives us the opportunity, when we have periods where the natural snowfall is limited and we get substantial amount [of] skier traffic on a trail, is go back onto the trail in a manner that is energy efficient and economically feasible," said Allen Folsom's, the mountain's snowmaking manager. "You know, if you don't have enough snow at a ski area, you're not going to open anyway. So I would argue that snowmaking is probably one of the most important, if not the most important, infrastructure pieces at a ski area in New England."

Right now the snow guns are at the summit, but mountain management crews will bring them down the mountain in the coming weeks. Burke's current plan is to open on November 23 - the day after Thanksgiving - which would be the earliest opening date in the mountain's recent history. Burke is hoping to have plenty of the white stuff for Black Friday.