Snowy excitement powered by Supersnow technology

The climate is warming, but the successors of Marcel Hirscher and Lindsey Vonn, as well as everyday winter sports enthusiasts, can look to the future with optimism—there will be no shortage of snow. Supersnow technology, supported by Siemens automation, helps snowmaking on slopes around the world.

Snowmaking has become a natural part of ski resort operations, and appropriate snowmaking strategies make it possible to take advantage of even a few cold days to build a durable snow cover. Since snow reflects sunlight without absorbing heat, it can provide enjoyment for skiers and snowboarders for many weeks, maintaining its structure even at above‑freezing temperatures.

Artificial snowmaking is carried out by spraying microdroplets which, as they fall in freezing air, turn into snow. A snow gun ejects atomized water under a pressure of 40 bar, while additional nozzles accelerate the crystallization process, transforming the water into fine snow.

“We use two types of nozzles for this purpose – water nozzles and nucleation nozzles. The latter produce finer droplets, and additionally, the water is blown out with compressed air, which initiates freezing. Of course, frost is essential for this process to occur,” explains Robert Moczarny, Member of the Management Board at Supersnow.

And this is only the beginning, as automation dominates modern ski slopes. Snowmaking equipment is equipped with weather stations and control systems, allowing it to operate partially or fully autonomously when integrated with the Snowmatic system provided by Supersnow.

“To start snowmaking, we need several things. First, water. The water should be cold, which means cooling towers are necessary. We also need to deliver the water to the snowmaking equipment at high pressure, and pumping stations with pump sets, as well as a pipeline system on the slope, are ideal for this purpose,” explains Robert Moczarny from Supersnow. “We also need control systems and advanced automation to manage such an installation. This is where Siemens components come into play, forming the basis of many of our solutions,” he adds.

The key elements of snowmaking are the devices that actually “produce snow,” such as snow guns, lances, and the entire system for controlling snow production. However, as Supersnow experts emphasize, the most important factor is people—highly qualified professionals responsible for the design, construction, and operation of the equipment and entire “snow production” systems.

“In the end, however, everything still depends on the weather. That’s partly a joke, partly true—because in reality, the forecast tells us whether snowmaking can begin. If conditions are expected to be favorable, we start the system, specifying where and how snowmaking will take place. In solutions where pumping stations and valves are controlled automatically, supervisory staff only define the parameters and operating range of the snowmaking equipment. In non‑automated systems, this work must be carried out by people and continuously coordinated,” says Mateusz Łukaszczyk, Area Manager at Supersnow.

Snowmaking efficiency depends on the amount of water supplied, as well as the number and configuration of nozzles. In the case of snow guns, the power and efficiency of the fan—which ensures proper atomization of snow particles—are also crucial. The final result is achieved by optimizing all parameters: water flow, pressure, air output, and fan operation.

Whether the snowmaking process is running correctly can be verified by analyzing snow quality, including its density, temperature, and volume. These parameters are checked both during production and directly on the slope. In most snowmaking devices, the regulation process is carried out automatically, although these parameters can also be controlled manually.

“Typically, we select the snow quality on a scale from 1 to 7, and the automation takes care of the rest. In manual systems, these settings must be adjusted by hand,” explains Mateusz Łukaszczyk from Supersnow.

Models that optimize snow production on slopes are helpful in determining the optimal snowmaking parameters. These models analyze temperature, air humidity, wind speed, water temperature, and other environmental factors. However, local conditions are the most critical factor in selecting the right settings. For this reason, although weather forecasts are taken into account in the snowmaking strategy, they are not the most decisive input for the model.

Snowmaking is carried out using lances and snow guns mounted on stable bases and connected to supply hydrants. This solution is based on automation provided by Snowmatic, a computer system developed by Supersnow for controlling and monitoring all equipment and supervising the snowmaking process. The automation used by Supersnow is partly based on Siemens solutions.

“The system controls snowmaking parameters such as temperature, water flow, and pressure. It also monitors air temperature, as well as the operating parameters of equipment and power supply. It ensures proper regulation of both pumping stations and snowmaking devices,” explains Robert Moczarny from Supersnow.

Devices from the Siemens ecosystem are used in key components of Supersnow systems, namely in pumping stations and snow guns.

“In the latter, controllers from the S7‑1200 series are the heart of the device. These controllers run algorithms that calculate, for example, the snow quality factor in relation to other parameters. Siemens controllers are also responsible for other important areas, such as pressure regulation, parameter monitoring, flow calculations, and PID control. In pumping stations, Siemens devices are responsible, among other things, for power regulation and handling pumping processes according to predefined scenarios and algorithms,” explains Marcin Koter, Sales Manager at Siemens.

The portfolio of Siemens products used by Supersnow also includes soft starters – SIRIUS 3RW, which ensure smooth motor startup and quiet stopping, as well as HMI panels. These provide simple and efficient interaction with Supersnow solutions, enabling easy operation of equipment as well as monitoring and control of processes.

Snowmaking is energy‑intensive. It requires the use of high‑power electrical equipment and consumes significant amounts of water. Therefore, in systems designed by Supersnow, energy optimization plays a key role.

“Depending on how extensive the ski area is, water and energy consumption can vary significantly. For example, at one of the larger resorts in Poland, where around 250 snowmaking devices are in operation, daily water consumption reaches 70,000 m³. The system uses as many as four pumping stations with a total capacity of 3,000 m³ per hour and a combined system power of 6.48 MW. In total, 18 high‑pressure pumps are used to produce snow,” explains Mateusz Łukaszczyk from Supersnow.

The energy efficiency optimization carried out by Supersnow applies to various system components. An important aspect of savings is minimizing energy consumption in the snow guns themselves. Other parts of the installation are also designed to reduce water and energy usage during the snowmaking process.

“The geometry of the impeller blades has been designed to achieve the highest possible airflow with the lowest possible electrical energy consumption. Optimizing snowmaking parameters is an ongoing process, because in such complex systems there are hundreds of optimization points,” explains Dariusz Kaczor, Head of Snowmaking Product Development at Supersnow.

Snowmaking equipment typically operates at night, when temperatures are lowest, although on some slopes snow is also produced during the day. From April to October, maintenance work is carried out, including system upgrades and improvements, installation expansions, or replacement of worn components.During maintenance, checks are performed on the condition and tightness of water sections, monitoring of pumping station operating parameters, cleaning of filtration systems, filters, and snow gun nozzles, as well as performance testing.

“As for the snowmaking strategy, the most intensive snowmaking takes place just before the season, in order to prepare the slopes as effectively as possible. Later, snowmaking is carried out as needed during subsequent weather windows. In Poland, the ski season lasts around four months. However, for it to be successful, we work intensively on it throughout the entire year,” reveals Mateusz Łukaszczyk from Supersnow.

Automation solutions based on Siemens devices and software ensure reliable operation of the snowmaking system throughout the entire season.

“Systems developed by Supersnow have been proving their reliability for 25 years. Undoubtedly, the biggest challenge in snowmaking is maximizing snow production. That is why it is so important for the equipment to operate based on reliable automation—and that is exactly what we provide,” says Marcin Koter from Siemens.

“Climate change means that the weather window allowing artificial snow production is often very short. Our engineers optimize the equipment to operate under all conditions, focusing particularly on extremely challenging temperatures around 0 degrees Celsius, which represent the limit for producing artificial snow using fan snow guns,” concludes Dariusz Kaczor from Supersnow.