Demaclenko snow systems brings the snow to South America.



Snow is what makes or breaks a ski resort. Before we used to ‘chance’ it and knew that usually you get snow starting at so many meters for sure, and if you have snow below this line, that was great. Over the years, what Brits would call a ‘snow sure’ resort due to altitude, maybe did not have snow at all. I am getting now 50 years old, and I do remember that in 7 years span, maybe you get one or two that you ask yourself –‘what happened with winter??’

I used to stage some events in South America, more specifically in Las Leñas, and the lack of snow made me cancel these events twice. I am talking of the South American Extreme Skiing and Snowboarding Championships. The last time was terrible because we had so much media onboard and so much buzz was building around the events, that when there was no snow and I had to cancel everything, the media people working with me told me I have sold them a bubble of air! It was not intended, obviously. We also got two Seat cars as prize for the competitors- anyways, that was the last event I’ve tried to stage!

Last year Las Leñas and Portillo had to close on early September due to a bad snow season. I have written already how Portillo has now invested in snow-making by TechnoAlpin. Cerro Bayo, another boutique resort more south in the Argentine Patagonia’s Lake Region, has also invested with TechnoAlpin.

The other big company we know about is Demaclenko, also located in the Sudtirol province of Italy. You know that the area of the Sella Ronda has very good snowmaking, having these two companies on site.

Demaclenko has added two accounts in South America.

1) El Colorado

Last year, DEMACLENKO was able to implement a turnkey snowmaking system in El Colorado, one of South America’s biggest ski resorts. The ski resort in Chile is only 36 kilometres from the capital Santiago and its activities can be traced as far back as 1935. At the time, the goal was to set up a winter sport resort in the immediate vicinity of the big city. In search for a solution for the uncertain snowfall at the beginning of the season, a comprehensive investment was made in technical snow in 2018. The big order included the installation of a new pumping station (with a total capacity of 48 l/s), including field pipelines and 14 surface hydrants and was carried out by DEMACLENKO. Eight powerful TITAN fan guns spread fresh snow on the slopes using water from the 20,000 m3 reservoir. The total package was rounded off with completely automatic operation of the system using the operation software Snowvisual 4.0.

2) Las Leñas

DEMACLENKO’s cooperation with Las Leñas, which is another of the biggest winter sport resorts on the South American continent, goes back to 2015. Since then, the snowmaking system has been continuously optimised. The pumping station was extended and automated, raising the total capacity to 110 l/s. Moreover, new pits were built in, the infrastructure was renewed and new automatic snow guns (TITAN, EOS) were bought. Lucio Toledo, who is in charge of snowmaking operations in Las Leñas is delighted. “The snow fans and lances have proved their worth and we were able to increase snow production substantially. Renewing the pipes also had a positive effect on the amount of snow produced, because we are now able to raise pressure in our snowmaking system”, he said. He and his team start snow production as early as the month of May. “We can also plan snowmaking far more efficiently. The completely automatic operation of the system has played a decisive role”, Toledo adds, expressing enthusiasm for the many advantages of DEMACLENKO’s operation software, Snowvisual 4.0. “Using Snowvisual 4.0 is very simple, but it delivers very detailed and valuable statistics and analyses on the system’s operation. Another very interesting point is the recording of meteorological data, because it enables us to determine precisely how much temperatures in various places in the ski resort actually vary. This provides us with a basis for making well-founded plans for future seasons and new projects.”

More information:

Demaclenko

Las Leñas

El Colorado

You can read the interview to Coco Torres, former Head of Las Leñas who told The-Ski-Guru how they take care of the resorts’ avalanche danger . This early in the season there were already cracks in the snow observed in the high Andes of Chile.

Does the snow in the Northern Hemisphere correlates with the one in the Southern Hemisphere? You can read a focus on South American ski resorts.

PistenBully, the snowmaking company, became 50 years old.

You can search for your own accommodation in the snow for your next ski holiday through our Accommodation Search tab.

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You can start thinking about your trip, by reading the articles on the Planning your Ski Trip tab. Or how to pack for your family ski trip. If taking your furry friend abroad to the continent, read about the new Pet Travel Scheme update from DEFRA. Self-drive skiers also need to plan for Brexit. Check out our tips for driving to the mountains. If flying and renting a car in Europe, beware of the extra charges they will pass to you if you want winter tyres, snow chains or ski racks. If driving, check the winter tyres news for Europe and North America. You can see how our last family ski holiday was not as expected, even though one plans it to be a success, but how we could do the most of it. If you want to get better before getting to your next ski holiday, here is a quick guide to indoor skiing and dry slopes in the UK.

Featured Image: Demaclenko snow systems brings the snow to South America. Photo: Demaclenko.

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