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SNOWMAKING & LIGHTED TRAILS FOR
CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING
ELM CREEK WINTER RECREATION AREA
AND HYLAND LAKE PARK RESERVE
SNOWMAKING FOR CROSSCOUNTRY SKI TRAILS
Ten years ago Elm Creek made snow
for
x-c skiing – 2.5 K
In 2013-2014 Hyland made snow for
x-c skiing – 5 K
Skiing will never be the same!
IMPACT OF SNOWMAKING
Skiable Days
Average days ski trails were open at Elm Creek the 10 years prior to
snowmaking = 69 days
Average days xc ski trails were open at Elm Creek the 10 years
after to snowmaking = 103 days
On average, you give the public an additional 34 days to ski/year
Some years, such as the winter of 2011-12, you save the ski
season as other local ski trails were only open for 18 days
This past winter, 2013-2014 Elm Creek ski trails were open for 125
days
Hyland opened their snowmaking trails in mid-December 2013
IMPACT OF SNOWMAKING
Elm Creek Winter Recreation Area
When Elm Creek is the only place to ski:
Weekday daily average = 450 visits
Weekend daily average = 800 visits
When other Parks are open for skiing the average
number of ski visits decrease by 50%
IMPACT OF SNOWMAKING
Hyland Park Reserve opened 5K of snowmaking
ski trails in December 2013
Previous years without snowmaking
Weekdays daily average was 118
Weekends daily average was 332
With snowmaking
Weekdays daily average was 363
Weekends daily average was 633
Over 50% increase in skier visits
IMPACT OF SNOWMAKING
2011-2012 other Parks were open a total of 18
days for skiing - Elm Creek was open 103 days
with nearly 54,000 skiers
Depending upon snow conditions, Three Rivers
gets anywhere from 65,000-145,000 ski visits
each winter.
With the addition of snowmaking at Hyland we
believe this range will jump to 90,000-160,000
visits.
Elm Creek
Winter
Recreation Area
with
2.5 K
snowmaking
and lighted ski
trail
Building a 5K Ski Trail at Hyland with
Snowmaking and Lights
Where does this all begin?
An intake pipe was installed into Hyland Lake drawing water into a wet well.
A pump house was built near the boat rental building that
houses the distribution pumps and system controls.
Piping and electrical lines were buried along the 5K trail.
65 above ground water hydrants and power outlets and 169 light poles
How is
the
water
moved
around?
•Three pumps distribute the water throughout the
piping system.
•A high-tech operating system adjusts water pressure
and flow based on weather conditions and number of
snowmaking machines in use.
How does a
snowmaking
machine work?
 Cold water and highly compressed air splits
water into many tiny droplets.
 Droplets are blown out by a fan and turn
into ice crystals.
 Ice crystals travel through the air, collecting
more water particles to form larger
snowflakes creating piles of snow.
How is a trail created?
 Crews work around the clock to
strategically
move
snowmaking
machines between hydrants creating
the piles of snow.
 Then, they move the snow with
grooming equipment to prepare the
skiing surface.
New
snowmaking
trail at Hyland
Lake Park
Reserve
LIGHTED TRAILS FOR NIGHT
SKIING
Three Rivers Parks has lighted ski trails at 4 Parks
 French Regional Park (6.1 K) 1989
 Hyland Lake Park Reserve (3.4K) 1997
(added 5K in 2013-14 with snowmaking)
 Elm Creek Park Reserve (2.5K) 1997
 Cleary Lake Regional Park (4.6K) 2000
Totaling nearly 22 K of lighted ski trails
Trail lights from the past
How it began
The Illuminating Engineering Society (IES)
has Sports Lighting Standards. No standard
was found for XC Skiing.
Simple solution was to create a ribbon of light
with high wattage fixtures on 20 foot poles
All Parks used fixtures that have an internal
reflector that gives the most narrow beam
spread
Most fixtures are 100 Watt HPS, some are 75
watt HPS
The poles are direct bury
fiberglass poles which are
14 feet tall after
installation.
The poles are spaced are
spaced at approximately
100-125 feet.
The poles are located just
off the edge of the trail,
out of the way of the
groomer, usually on the
outside of the curves.
Electrical power is 480
volts
Control cabinets are
spaced around the trail
due to limits in how far
the power can travel –
voltage drop
Lights are controlled by
separate time clocks
and photocell
The direct bury cable is
armored and sheathed
in plastic
What’s different
about new lights at
Hyland?
169 LED light fixtures spaced 125 feet apart carry a higher initial cost than
conventional fixtures, but payoff by:
 Using significantly less energy,
 Having a much longer life, and
 Allowing a more precise and compact lighted footprint.
Two types of LED light fixtures are
used that focus light only where
needed.
Flood luminaires are used
for one-way trails, aimed
directionally along the
trail.
Shoebox-style luminaries
are used to illuminate a
broad area.
Skiing under the lights at Elm Creek Park Reserve
There’s magic in the air
Adaptive Ski
Lesson
Racers training at night
Snowmaking and lighted trails
can be very costly.
Is it cost effective for
private resorts?
Questions?