Interesting Facts about Snow Groomers and Operators

Fresh powder is the holy grail of snowboarding - but second to that is sweet, smooth corduroy. Carving turns on a well-groomed trail under deep blue skies is one of the best experiences on the mountain. Have you ever wondered what the real reason is for grooming trails on your favorite ski hill? Read on to learn something you may not have known about preparing to carve the butter-smooth snow surface with snow groomer.

The Pursuit of Perfection

The grooming team is committed to producing the best possible surface. Sometimes this can mean grooming the trails again if the weather changes and the snow "builds up" or freezes into a hard sample when the temperature drops.

If the temperature drops from above freezing to below freezing after grooming a trail, it becomes very difficult. In those cases, if we can wait until the temperature changes, we will do so. Otherwise, we will groom the trail again.

Using a tiller on a snowmobile helps break up hard snow and creates a softer surface for skiing and snowboarding.

Terrain Park

The next time you're grinding rails or throwing dinner rolls down the halfpipe, hand your helmet to the groomers and terrain park staff. A safe, clean and well-maintained terrain park is a time-consuming and difficult proposition.

Ongoing and continuous maintenance of the terrain park is extremely important to ensure quality conditions and safety for skiers and snowboarders, which is always a top priority.

Noon Grooming

Occasionally, the grooming crew will patch a trail at noon, although such an effort can be tricky. Situations that may require grooming at noon include reopening trails after a race, extended late-night training, during a busy holiday season, or weather factors such as heavy snow.

If the trails are to be groomed while the rest of the mountain is open to the public, ski patrol will close the trails so that cat drivers can safely groom the slopes.

Satisfying

What's the most fun part of grooming snow? The grooming machine itself.

Another enjoyable part of grooming is the pride the staff takes in preparing the snow surface for customers. It's satisfying to see a newly groomed trail first thing in the morning and to see the beautiful corduroy carpet.

Most skiers and snowboarders probably don't realize how expensive grooming can be - the snow cats themselves and the time and expense of running the grooming operation.

Smart Management

Modern snow removal machines are now equipped with excellent on-board computers that can, for example, give you precise information about snow depth. If you are driving in a green area, the snow is deep enough to skim off a certain amount. Once the red color on the screen lights up, it will tell you to be careful because there is not enough snow. This means you must return to the green area and from there distribute the snow to the red area. This is precision work. The more experienced the snow plow driver is, the faster he will be and the more accurate the results will be.

Please contact HBXG if you want to buy the machine, and we offer great service.