Snowmakers — the unsung heroes of the Aspen mountains
Snowmakers work though frigid night temperatures to prepare the slopes for the season
Courtesy photo
Snowmakers scoured Aspen’s slopes after Halloween night to begin preparations for opening day.
In the early hours of Nov. 1, all four Aspen mountains started to make snow. Snowmakers roamed the mountains on ATV’s and snowmobiles to fix fan guns, uncover pipes, fix water lines, and do general equipment maintenance to ensure the machines will run smoothly.
Ajax Mountain Manager Travis Benson credits much of the success of each ski season to the hard work of the snowmakers.
“The snowmaking teams. We owe a ton to them because of their hard work and their love for doing what they do,” Benson said. “On the mountain, in the dark while we’re sleeping in cold temperatures.”
He said 10 F to 20 F is the ideal temperature range to make snow. The team has to cover a lot of difficult terrain in the dark to maintain the equipment, which can be challenging, he said.
“It truly is a team of a bunch of individuals working together to keep each other safe,” he said. “To make a great, great product.”
He estimated Ajax employs around 24 snowmakers and SkiCo employs 80 to 100 across all four mountains. Five to seven snowmakers take turns working 12 hour shifts, from midnight to noon and noon to midnight, he said.
Snowmass employs 32 snowmakers, Snowmass Mountain Manager Susan Cross said.
Positive culture and teamwork help snowmaking teams operate under fierce conditions, Benson added.
“It’s the camaraderie. It is very hard work, but it’s rewarding,” he said. “It’s one of those jobs that, when you get done at the end of the night, you can usually see your progress.”
It’s important the snowmakers like what they do given the difficulty of the job, Cross said.
“They kind of have to love it because it’s a tough job if you don’t,” she said. “It’s a short season, but it’s some crazy days.”
Manager of Snowmass Snowmaking Zach Saiz-Hawes, who has worked six years making snow for the mountain, said he loves the environment he works in.
“I absolutely love it because it’s challenging, incredibly rewarding, and it’s one of the most demanding jobs I’ve ever had,” Saiz-Hawes said, adding, “I’m going to do this job until I can’t walk anymore.”
He said one of the reasons he enjoys the job is because of his coworkers.
“Snowmakers are very special people,” he said.
Fan guns produce the best snow when low temperatures meet low humidity, Benson said. Snowmakers strive to produce snow that is cold and dry. To test the quality, they sometimes stand beneath the guns to see if the snow bounces off of their jackets, signifying a dry product, or sticks and melts to them.
“If you do that, you’re soaked,” Benson said.
The workers take turns within the shift to warm up inside and eat warm meals to manage the challenging conditions and keep eachother safe, Benson said. Despite the challenges of the job, he said most snowmakers love what they do.
“(They) look out for each other and work those Thanksgiving nights and have a Thanksgiving dinner in between a gun run and enjoy each other’s company,” he said.
Snowmaking operations typically start Nov. 1 year-to-year and end around Christmas or New Years. Benson said they strive to make enough snow to keep people skiing top to bottom for as long as possible, Benson said.
“And (it) provides a pretty fantastic bottom layer of snow,” Benson added.
Ajax partners with Holy Cross Energy to power the machines, and with the City of Aspen to source the water. Snowmass draws the water from Snowmass Creek, Ziegler Pond, and on-mountain ponds.
Last month, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted a La Niña weather pattern to deliver less precipitation and warmer temperatures to Southern Colorado from December through February. Despite this prediction, Benson said they will take advantage of the cold-temperature windows they find to make snow for as long and as efficiently as possible.
Cross said they can find micro-climates on the mountain where they can still operate the machines if temperatures trend warmer.
Saiz-Hawes said while they try not to work in too cold of weather, he’s seen temperatures down to negative 60 F with wind chill.
“It’s a crazy environment,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun.”
Skyler Stark-Ragsdale can be reached at 970-429-9152 or email him at sstark-ragsdale@aspentimes.com.
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