What the snow of culture?
The snow of culture is a snow fabricated from droplets of water pulverized in lower cold air in 0°C. At first, the biggest party of water is pulverized in the atmosphere in little droplets.
The second time consists to produce by a mixture of air and water of micro-crystals of ice; these micro-crystals, blended in the main throw of water, are going to allow the produce of snow.
A little story...
The professionals chose to exile the language running the expression of "artificial snow" to the advantage of that "snow of culture" because produced of snow is nothing else than some crystal transformed water under the influence of the temperature low.
The term of "snow blowers" is replaced with that "to enneigeurs" owing to the high-tech of equipment, term is more appropriates in the context of tourism.
Which difference between natural snow and snow of culture?
Natural snow forms from the steam of water contained in clouds, while the snow of culture is produced with some water cast in air by a throwHow produces you one some snow of culture?
A computer allows to order engine rooms and networks of "enneigeurs" according to parameter miscellaneous such as: the temperature, the hydrometrie, the pressure of water and air, different type of "enneigeurs" .....
To guarantee the produce of the snow, numerous operations and control is necessaryWhy produces you one some snow?
Winter tourism established it self as an essential element of the economy of the zones of mountains. The main factor in the good sequence of the activity of ski is the snow coverage of skiable domain.
Follow snow of culture offer advantage in resort of ski, allowing so to meet fully in wait of the customers.
Restrict the vagaries of snow coverage during seasons showing a deficit.
Restrict the disability of snow coverage of the resort of medium mountains.
Support a good snow covered in the disadvantageous areas take the return ski with feet in the resort.
What are impact on environment?
Here is a series of questions that you can settle on the produce of the snow of culture and on its impact on environment.
Did the resort uses chimical products to make easier the produce of snow?
There are numerous debates in relation to certain additives used for the produce of snow, these additives allow to fabricate snow of him if it's not cold enough to use snow-blowers and to speed up the crystallization of water. It starts then from 2 in 3°C above the habitual temperature. In France, additive are not any more of the whole commercialized today, if the absence of noxiousness of these products to shown by a France-Italian study accomplished by CEMAGREF and university of Turin.
In Peyragudes, no additives is used, they produce the snow of culture from water and from air, simply!
Are the resorts which produce some snow of culture big consumers of water?
They can think that in France, about 15 million of m3 of water are transformed into snow crystals, that is the equivalent for 188 resorts of the annual consumption of a medium city of 170 000 inhabitants (for instance Saint-Etienne) one says of it that the capacity of tourist reception of common support of resort is 2 098 000 beds.
For information only, the filing of the private swimming pools is estimated in the best of cases at 25 millions of m3 of water, that is in a shape or only ones of changes in water of the existent swimming pools would be accomplish without filing suit.
By producing some snow of culture, they impoverish the natural environment in water?
Knowing that it is in winter when the debit of river and torrents of mountains is the weakest, the temporary sample of means in water for the feeding of networks of snow of culture is made in artificial deduction of altitude, to regulate sample and to have necessary volumes without unsettling natural equilibrium.
The water supply of these deduction comes from a stream downstream for the resort, with the intention of appointing to the minimum this means, a calibrated orifice allows to let through a debit said "reserved" in accordance with the reglementation in force, so the station of pumping works only when the debit side is superior to this reserved debit side. In effect, all the levy and jobs linked to the snow of culture respects regulation dispositions very strict, notably law has water. This production is not there for made of wild means.
Finally from the spring, borrowed water will be restored, either under liquid form during the cast iron of snows, or in form of steam of water in the mountain? Vaporizing is estimated between 10 and 30% of initial provision.
The production of snow of culture consummate you it a lot of energy?
About 108 millions of kwh are used to produce some snow in France that is 0,023% of the national consumption of electricity or else 0,15% of the production of the hydroelectrical power stations located mostly in mountainWhat impact in the snow of culture on vegetation?
They establish not enough effect at the level of the herbaceous coverage, if a light gap in growth can be noted, because snow melts later. More over, this last aspect is quickly erased, because the presence of snow on the ground allows a thermal protection of vegetal place setting.
Finally, a more thick snow-covered topcoat preserve the vegetal place setting of the mechanical attacks owed to the passage of the skiers and the engine of damage.
Want to know more?
Thursday at 10h AM, during school holiday periods, you can visit the factory snow and ask all your questions to the magicians of snow, namely "nivoculteurs"
- Peyragudes: dates of opening
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The dates of opening:
December 19 th to monday april 5th*
* depending snow conditions
