""I talked to the snowmakers and I was like, 'just start making snow up there,'" said Shake."
""We picked a spot, called it 'Project X.' We just made a giant pile of snow.""
""It comes in eight-foot panels that interlink together with velcro and straps," explained Rob Harms, Bogus Basin's slopes manager."
""And so you start on the uphill side of the pile and work your way down.""
Unusually warm winter conditions left Western peaks bare while snow appeared in atypical places. Snowmaking machines failed to operate during warm conditions, forcing many ski areas to open later, limit runs, and close lower-elevation operations. Bogus Basin near Boise created a plan to store snow by producing a massive pile called Project X, covering it with interlocking polystyrene panels from SnowSecure, and wrapping it in white plastic to keep warm air out. After a summer with temperatures in the 70s and 80s, staff uncovered the pile and found 80 percent of the snow remained, densely packed but usable, and crews spread it with tractors to reopen runs.
Read at www.npr.org
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