Efficient Snowmaking to Reduce Water and Energy Use

The ski area is at the forefront of efficient snowmaking and grooming. In upgrading its snowmaking, Steamboat installed 250 high-efficiency tower guns that reduce energy consumption by 30 percent and reduced water usage. The resort also purchased new grooming machines that decrease fuel consumption and on-snow time. And this year, SSRC is installing GPS and snow depth sensors on our snowcats. With these new technologies, we can groom even more efficiently, reducing snowmaking, and therefore water and energy use by another 10-15 percent.