Snow Maker Job?

LoathesRaisins

LoathesRaisins

Active member
My resort is going to be hiring soon and I think being a snow maker looks like a pretty cool experience. Also, a good addition to staying in shape since I'm going to be a firefighter.

Anyone have any experience with this? Would love to have your opinions on this job!
 
snow making is awesome, you spend 12 hours a day riding snow mobiles around and messing with air water guns and if your fan guns arent connected to a system you get to learn them too. its a blast besides the blistering cold nights but shovel races are cool
 
I have 5 seasons gunrunning exp and 2 seasons as controller.. What are you're specific questions.. ?? Happy to lend some knowledge
 
My buddy was a groomer and he worked from like midnight to 8am...he liked it but it's a totally different lifestyle. snowmaking's definitely different, but kinda similar scheduling..lots of hard labor, but the guys at alpine weren't making snow late season and did more shuttling on snowmobiles for me in f&b so it changes based on time of year.

kind of related to firefighting as there's water in hoses?

as long as you don't mind cold, hard labor, with possibly odd hours there's no reason not to, really. try if out and if you don't like it, you can usually transfer in company pretty easily and try something else out.
 
you catch on pretty quick. as long as you have a few vets you should have it down enough to do a decent job in no time. I work snowmaking usually till january and groom for the rest.
 
Depends on which resort you work at. At ours it was 12 hour nights, and big pushes ( ie forget about days off for the month of November). One of the hardest jobs you will ever do. We had to haul all our gear up by hand many nights because the sleds were either broken, or just not enough snow. Snow guns can weigh anything from 30lbs, to 80lbs. Then hauling hose around, man it will keep you in really awesome shape. Then -40, getting wet...it's tough.

BUT..... one of the best jobs I ever had. Just a battle, and just how close ya get with the crew, and seeing everybody develop as a team just makes it worth it. Snow makers are the toughest dudes on the mountain, no doubt about it.... plus you can move directly into cats after that.

If you really want to get into it here are some tips.

Wear plastic mountaineering boots to work.....your gonna be post holing with gear, and its wet/cold. These boots are basicly made exactly for this.

Marino wool socks, and TONS of them. Always keep an extra pair in your locker..... keep those fucking feet dry.

Gold Bond powder on your feet before your shift..... keeps that bacteria down.

Wear those insulated rubber gloves, with little gore tex fleece gloves under. Leather/nylon woun't cut it, you will get wet hands all night.

Wool underwear, and a nice down under jacket to keep warm.

When your jacket freezes ( which it will...a lot), keep it outside. If it melts out, your just gonna get wet.... which means hypothermia.
 
^more specifically Sherpa snowmaking boots, joka polar gloves, and invest in a hammerknife and flathead screwdriver or wrench for banging the beards off ur guns and clearing the ice from the mouth of a frozen hydrant. P.s. even if ur air/water line is off and u suspect ur hoses and gun are frozen, when u uncouple the dog ears make sure ur standing to the side because that house can't have built up pressure and rocket off. Also.. if ur mountain has snowlogic sledtowers I feel sorry for you. They piss water and suck.
 
Listen to MLB's advice, its good. And never stop your sled going up hill. Go downhill on all gun runs otherwise you'll get bogged every time you fire up your sled and spend a long time digging, especially if its fresh snow out.
 
well it's a dangerous and tough job with a ton of freezing and long cold nights. However it is tons of fun and you should do it if you're tough.
 
not really. Old infrastructure means accidents can happen even while exercising extreme caution. A weak pipe + walking by said pipe = explosion = broken leg =/= profit
 
Yeah but with the miles of pipelines the chance of u being at that spot when it ruptures isn't high. I understand what you're getting at.. but really.. you're not darting around lines.. if you're graves your quality control overnight while u have temps.. swings turns on.. days is usually setup and relocate.. Granted every team does everything. I'm just saying you're usually at the hydrant and or in the plume. You have a higher chance of getting tossed like a ragdoll trying to move your gun than that. And extreme caution? Cmon man.. stop trying to scare the guy. Yes be cautious while you are working with the equipment but don't be such a puss ur scared to do anything. I'm more afraid of a moose coming at me in the dark than a line failure.
 
For grenades I use sturdy non- static climbing rope with a nice carabiner on the end. Hook it up to the loops on the end of the hose, and pull. Doesn't eliminate all the risk, but it does a shit ton. Also shovel rides, snowball fights, and lots of snack food are key. Books, cards, and movies are awesome too. There are so many nights your just gonna be hanging out waiting for temps. Dat wet bulb, she can be a fickle mistress in the early season.

STAY AWAY FROM ENERGY DRINKS. You need energy you can use....get cals from carbs, stay away from last min caffene and sugar.

Also got some little mini crampons for my boots, and wear my helmet while working. Sled helmets usually help when getting a camlock to the face, and your going to be walking on so much ice that crampons are always a great idea.

But for serious..... for what you want to go for, it's going to be perfect training. I'm a wilderness firefighter, and guys were impressed at how much hose I could haul for a rookie. Good luck!!
 
Good advice. Stay safe this summer. I'm just wondering if it is going to work with my college schedule. Hopefully I can get classes that won't interfere with this kind of work schedule.
 
I did my first season of snow making and grooming last winter and it was pretty awesome besides the 3 am start. Snow making is pretty simple, its basically just matching temperature with the relative humidity to find the wet bulb which pretty much tells you how much water you can use without making it rain. I worked with big fan guns so each gun had an on board computer that told you all of the information you needed to know. Make sure you have a legit headlamp, a solid pair of gloves, and a big waterproof jacket. Snow making is very cold and wet.
 
Im not sure if all resorts do this, but the snowmakers at mine wear these huge orange jackets that go down to about the lower shins. Is that just an extra layer, or what? Idk if any other resorts do this.
 
Most Colorado resorts here use HH brands. Usually a fleece and vest with a heavy duty waterproof jacket. I usually wear (not kidding). Pajama pants and the snowmaking pants over them. Tshirt with hoodie and the heavy jacket. I've never seen one that is longer than normal. Maybe because they don't provide pants or the guns piss water?? Have change of socks.. and if they don't provide you with pants buy some ankle waders and duct tape those bitches
 
Man you can use a rain jacket, when you get covered in ice wind does not get in. You think you goretex shell kicks ass in the wind until you have an ice jacket, and then you realize how much wind modern jackets actually let in.

We had an evening shift at our resort, from 6 till midnight. Perfect for all the college kids. So many of the guys just lugged their books to work and did homework while we played crib. It's perfect brah. Plus it will give you a great job while you try to get on with those structural guys. Plus all the usual resort perks, pretty good overall.
 
I'm a snowmaker for whistler blackcomb every winter. It's the best job ever! I advise you take it
 
I have a lot of relatives and friends who have made snow over here in Minnesota. And to me it doesn't seem like a very good job because you have to stay up all night (if you have the night shift) and you have to get wet alot when you're working. When it's below zero you don't really want to be wet.. So personally I'd say take the job if you don't mind suffering a little bit.
 
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