It’s cross country skiing time again and Mt. Van Hoe is making snow!
Courtesy of Sharon Middendorf
Thanks to a special machine called the TechnoAlpin Snowfactory, Mt. Van Hoevenberg can guarantee a full skiing season. After the 2015/2016 season in which Mt. Van Hoe was open for only 39 days, the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) invested in the Snowfactory. According to SkiTrax, the Snowfactory at Mt. Van Hoevenberg is the first and currently the only one of its kind in North America.
Courtesy of WhitefaceMountain.com
As Peter Minde reports via Reese Brown, executive director of the Cross Country Ski Areas Association, the Snowfactory doesn’t require any specific weather conditions to make snow — because it generates snow within a shipping container.
While the earth gets warmer, Mt. Van Hoe can make sure it still meets the demands of its many patrons. After all, Kris Seymour, Nordic program manager at Mt. Van Hoevenberg Cross Country & Biathlon Center, said that “between our sport partners (US Biathlon, NYSEF, USSA, US Para Nordic, etc.), performance skiers, season pass holders, programs and recreational guests to our complex we had 35,000 skier visits last season.”
Courtesy of Sharon Middendorf
In fact, Lake Placid and Mt. Van Hoe have helped shape several Olympians! Lowell Bailey, Bill Demong, Tim Burke, Annelies Cook, and Haley Johnson were all raised in the area and continue to contribute to its rich skiing tradition.
Courtesy of Sharon Middendorf
So come check it out for yourself! We have certainly been enjoying the fruits of the Snowfactory’s labor.
Courtesy of Sharon Middendorf
