Tamarack Resort Fires Up Snowmaking in Anticipation of Season Opening

DONNELLY, Idaho - Nov. 11, 2014 - PRLog -- Companies often hire “rain makers” to bring in new client business. At Tamarack Resort, they employ a “snow maker,” and while Brian Amundson’s duties don’t include sales or marketing, the successful start to a ski season comes down to his ability to run a complex system that provides the ammo for making magic with manmade snow.

Amundson started firing his guns today—snow guns—as Tamarack began making a layer of thicker base snow to create a foundation for the ski slopes and a mid-December opening. Once this layer is set, Amundson can then adjust his snowmaking to produce drier and lighter snow for better skiing.

“The sound and sight of the guns blowing snow triggers a lot of excitement—since we don’t have to entirely depend on Mother Nature, it pretty much guarantees we’ll be skiing soon,” said Amundson.

Tamarack, along with Schweitzer Mountain and Sun Valley, is one of only three Idaho ski resorts with snowmaking systems. Tamarack uses a TechnoAlpin (http://www.technoalpin.com/) system from Bolzano, Italy—installed in June 2004 as the Italian manufacturer’s first system in North America, and serviced last week by the manufacturer to improve efficiencies. Tamarack’s system utilizes fan guns, sometimes colloquially known as “snow cannons,” to turn water droplets into tiny snow crystals and blow the manmade snow onto the slopes.

Tamarack covers approximately 100 acres with manmade snow, from the Showtime run at mid-mountain to the terrain park and all trails at the base area. It uses water drawn from a deep well at the rate of 1,100 gallons per minute and stored in a 100,000-gallon tank located by the pump house. It will use 25 to 35 million gallons of water in a season, depending upon natural snowfall. Amundson noted that snowmaking is considered a non-consumptive use of water, as very little is lost to evaporation—most of it will melt and replenish rivers, lakes, and aquifers.

“It’s a tremendous asset because it gives us a high level of certainty about being able to open and deliver a great skiing experience throughout the season. We’ve never missed a scheduled opening date at Tamarack,” said Amundson, who came to Tamarack in 2004 after having worked for 18 years at Copper Mountain Resort in Colorado.

Tamarack, which will be open this winter on a seven-day basis for the first time since 2008, also said it will continue selling reduced-price, adult season passes for $369 until November 12. Starting November 13, adult season prices will cost $399, while season passes for families will go from $849 to $1,099. Season passes for seniors will increase from $10 to $129. To buy a pass online, go to the tickets and passes (http://tamarackidaho.com/winter_adventure/skiing_and_snow...) page of the Tamarack website. Tamarack is targeting a mid-December opening.

ABOUT TAMARACK RESORT

Just two hours from Boise and a stone’s throw from McCall, Idaho, Tamarack Resort (http://tamarackidaho.com/) offers four fun seasons of recreational activities and lodging. In addition to skiing and its nationally ranked, Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed Osprey Meadows golf course, Tamarack offers Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, mountain biking and hiking. Its location in the heart of central Idaho also provides convenient access to boating on Lake Cascade and recreation on nearby rivers and in national forests. The resort is located near the town of Donnelly in Idaho’s Valley County.