Monday, June 11, 2007

Hey, Plan Man ...

All this talk of late, late, late spring skiing leaves me waxing nostalgic for a New Hampshire summer from not so long ago. It was July 2003 and a little ski area in the central part of the state was atwitter with a revolutionary plan that had all ski industry eyes squinted in skepticism.

I'll take "Unbelievable News Reports" for $1,000 please Alex.

THIS SUMMER'S SNOWMAKING GOT OFF TO A SLOW START.
A DOCKWORKER'S STRIKE IN NEW JERSEY DELAYED THE ARRIVAL OF THE NEW MACHINE BY A MONTH.
THIS PAST SATURDAY, SOME PEOPLE HOPING TO SKI OR SNOWBOARD WENT AWAY DISAPPOINTED

What is ... The Glacier - a snowmaking machine that would allow ski resorts to remain open year round.

I never actually saw the invention in action, but it was described to me as a giant, gurgling snowcone machine. A huge warehouse positioned at the top of a ski trail stored the substance described by a certain ski area GM as being "like corn snow," before it got spewed out through a clear, plastic tube. The real kicker, though, as I heard it, was it couldn't make snow in temperatures below freezing. A machine that can't make snow when it's cold - how funny is that?

It looks like we're in for some summertime sizzle over the next few days. Come to think of it, a giant snowcone would be pretty tasty right now. Cheers!

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