Jay Lloyd's Getaway: Snow Farming
By Jay Lloyd
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Pocono Mountains have finally caught a break this week as cold nights translated into a blizzard of man-made snow to cover bare ski trails. So how does it work?
Against the sound of snow blowing machinery an army of snow makers has been braving freezing temperatures under dark night skies. They set and monitor an arsenal of oscillating snow guns, triggered by sophisticated computers and fueled by water and high pressure pumps.
"That's what we are," says Mark Daubert, who operates Jack Frost Mountain. "We're snow farmers."
Mark Daubert's snow farmers have enjoyed a solid week of blizzard-making temperatures.
What we love is a nice clear night," he says, "with stars and low humidity."
But it doesn't stop there. Once the trails are covered in a blanket of snow, tillers and groomers go to work. They create a corduroy pattern of surface conditions for skiers and riders who show up with the sun for an exhilarating day on the slopes and the snow farmers head to bed. Their paths seldom cross.
Check your favorite Pocono Ski Resort for open trails and operating lifts:
- Alpine Mountain
- Blue Mountain
- Big Boulder Mountain
- Camelback Mountain
- Jack Frost Mountain
- Shawnee Mountain
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