To make snow, you need water, and the source begins in this lower snow-making pond.
This is one of two holding ponds at the Bercherese ski area.
A second pond at the top of the mountain holds additional water.
The power to pump this water and eventually transform it into snow is provided by the
wind.
Back in 2010, the folks at Bercherese installed a 900 kilowatt wind turbine that turns the
wind into electricity, which powers the motors to make the snow.
From the lower snow-making pond, the water moves to the main pump house control room.
This is serious and potentially dangerous equipment.
The mechanisms and complexity is constantly monitored by a team of employees and engineers.
Under enormous pressure of more than 500 pounds per square inch, the water will soon be pumped
off the mountain through a network of conduits.
While this is a story about how snow is made, it's more about a young man who embraces responsibility
and carries on his family's legacy.
It's late Friday afternoon, a week before the start of the Christmas holidays, and area
manager Jonathan Schaefer is preparing equipment for his snow-making crew.
John learned many skills from his father Roy, a legendary manager and snowmaker.
For decades, this family has been in a constant struggle with Mother Nature, and while they
continue to win the war, not every battle has resulted in victory.
Over the week of mild temperatures behind him, John is now under the time clock to get
three major trails open for the following day.
One by one, John connects the water hoses that will be used for the snow guns on the
Novice Trail.
After connecting dozens of water hoses, the cold front has now moved in and the temperature
is well below freezing.
John calls home to his wife and daughter to assure them that everything is okay.
Well, we're doing all the hoses now, so it's easier on the guys at night, so just working
through into the night crew and trying to help them out as much as possible.
This is one of dozens of snow guns on the competition trail that John will be operating
this evening.
Each snow gun has hundreds of these small nozzles that when under the extreme pressure
of water and air, they create a fine mist that atomizes the water and turns it into
snow crystals when forced into the freezing air.
We're tracking it out as the snow is starting to set up, so it breaks stuff a little bit,
then we'll come back through with the tillers a little bit later and break up the ice junks.
Just prepping the surface for tomorrow.
I'm trying to get on it as the temperature is dropping.
As John nears the area for the crew that is responsible for the novice trail, he spots
a surge of water and hears the news that a coupling has ruptured.
What happened?
Just the bick or the...
Just blew right off the bick.
Wow.
So, alright.
There's another Plexos right there, we'll swap them out so that we don't have that problem.
Okay, so you're bagging the yellow line.
Yeah, they said that ball valve wasn't open, so I think it had ice in it, no pressure
and it just blew that Plexos off.
Are you ready for Steve to send it, Jared?
You think that sunk good?
Think that's good?
You got that seated well?
You want Steve to send it?
Hey Steve, go ahead and send that pump.
Here you go.
Well, John and his crew were able to reconnect a new coupling.
The delay has cost the crew a valuable hour of snow making.
Oh, we have water!
The hose is frozen.
There's a gasket missing.
After John cleared the ice and replaced the gasket, the gun begins producing snow.
This is the first of dozens of snow guns that John will be starting this evening.
So we got four tools in here.
After about an hour, John has fired up all of the snow guns on the competition trail
and returns to the groomer.
Now that all the snow guns are operating, John checks in at the base lodge for a quick
bike to eat and then soon goes back to work well into the night with his crew.
By 3.30 a.m., all of the machines are working there perfectly and the area is being buried
under a man-made snowstorm.
With only a few hours of sleep, John returns to the area to help the crew shut down the
snow guns.
By 7 a.m., the water in the base pond has been lowered and will be recharged throughout
the day by the inflowing streams from the mountain.
Each groomer has thousands of teeth on the tillers that will pulverize the snow into
a fine corduroy surface.
By 8 a.m., the crew has finished grooming the three major trails in anticipation for
the day's guests.
As usual, John is one of the first to get on the area's new SkyTrack Quad chairlift.
Bert Sherriste is where John grew up and with a strong background in ski racing, he approaches
each day with the same enthusiasm as he has for every day of his life.
On this day, John greets his guests and lift operators, skis with his friends and employees
and checks out the surface conditions on every trail.
By noon, John had made three commercials to be shown that evening.
And then, there's the hour of skiing with his two-year-old daughter, Rhys, on the magic
carpet hill.
John and his crew of dedicated employees made snow for thousands of loyal customers who
are really the extended family at Bert Sherriste.
They made snow for the kids with aspirations to become the next Bodie Miller or Makayla
shifrin and they made snow for the many families that have grown up together at Bert Sherriste.
And as the sun set and the temperature dropped, John and his crew went back out to make more
snow.
What do you want?
The one that's coming out of Roundabout to get hooked on to the one that's headed towards
the old ski patrol?
The one that's coming out of the old ski patrol?
The one that's coming out of the old ski patrol?
The one that's coming out of the old ski patrol?
The one that's coming out of the old ski patrol?
