Time to think about what the ski industry is up to

While many of us are still at the beach or dreaming about our holidays, the Associated Press writes in the Portland Press Herald that the ski industry in Vermont, for one, is making important improvements. An exchange program with Efficiency Vermont hopes to replace 3,000 older guns.

Vermont ski resorts moving to energy-efficient snow guns

Ski resorts in Vermont are upgrading their snowmaking equipment with help from a state-wide energy efficiency program.

Efficiency Vermont is offering rebates from $500 to up to $4,000 in a snow gun exchange program.

Jim Merriam, executive director of Efficiency Vermont, told Vermont Public Radio nearly every resort in the state is taking part in what he believes is a first-of-its-kind program. Resorts trade in four older snow guns for every five new energy efficient ones they buy.

The deal pushed Killington resort to boost its investment in snowmaking equipment, said Dave Lacombe, head of snowmaking.

“We’re purchasing about $2 million worth of snow guns this year, which is a huge, huge deal to us,” he said.

Merriam said the hope is to replace between 2,000 and 3,000 older snow guns with ones that are 85 percent to 90 percent more efficient and save utility costs. The old ones will be scrapped and proceeds would be donated to the Vermont Ski Areas Association’s Learn to Ski and Ride programs.

“Our total delivery is going to be 645 new low energy snow guns,” said Dave Meeker of Mount Snow. “But the great thing is our entire fleet of nearly 1,000 guns – after this exchange – is going to be entirely low energy.”