Hurrah, it's snowing! The WeatherBlog has been skiing and the air has once again glistened so beautifully. We wonder why. Unfortunately, the glittering, original and organic snow produced in real clouds is not yet enough for skiing everywhere, so we also look at interesting aspects of artificial snow production.
Pillars of light
Last Monday was one of those precious winter days that are exactly how you like to imagine a winter day: Cold and sunny, fresh snow, the trees are white, everything sparkles, distant views virtually as far as Vesuvius and only a little haze still hangs in the shady valley. While it gets drier and drier higher up, the air in the valleys is cold and relatively more humid under the inversion. Snow crystals float everywhere. Most of them look like small flakes and as it is so windless and calm, they all hang horizontally in the air in almost the same orientation. We are a little taller and heavier, but with the help of the chairlift we still float towards the morning sunshine. Once we reach the top, we look down into the still dark valley and behold - a glittering pillar hangs in the air. The light from the low sun is reflected by the many crystal platelets and forms a kind of glowing, elongated sparkling spot. Such columns of light can form not only below the sun (the sun's rays are reflected by crystals below the observer), but also above the sun as seen by the observer, or even above street lighting at night. The latter sometimes creates quite curious effects.
Animated artificial snow
With such ethereal natural phenomena in mind, we now turn our attention to innovations from the world of artificial snowmaking. The WeatherBlog became aware of this through this article. Artificial snow and the associated questions regarding sustainability, aesthetics and the original design of snow ponds for summer use (for example with giant wool bouncy ball, quicksand and mud areas and rodeo sheep) are a recurring topic of discussion. Various Austrian companies have now optimized production in many respects. At Kulm, the new techniques have already been in use for some time. In the following excerpt from an ORF broadcast, the head of the FIS Ski Flying World Championships there explains very eloquently that snow could previously only be produced at temperatures below -8 degrees. Now it works better because a device for "air and water activation", as well as "electrosmog interference" has been installed. And a cooling tower.
On the attractive and modern website of the company ESRO, you can read that dextrorotatory artificial snowflakes offer numerous advantages over standard artificial snowflakes. In slope form, they are more durable and somehow quite simply and generally better. This is backed up by meaningful pictures:
In the words of ESRO:
"The energy content of the water can be compared to that of spring water. When the machine snow melts, water with the highest energy values is returned to nature." In addition to activating the water, ERSO -HESU technology also means removing electrosmog from the entire property installed in the ski resort. All transportation facilities as well as offices and catering establishments supplied with electricity from the suppressed system are absorbed by the electrosmog!" (sic)
The company Waterfit ("Waterfit makes water fit") pursues a similar concept according to its website, which is also very pretty. "By passing the water through the Waterfit device, the water is made to swirl, guided past special information carriers and thus revitalized. By guiding the water past special frequency technology powered by the internationally recognized and renowned vibration expert Nicola Wohlgemuth, the water molecules receive information = vibrations = energy, which results in the water quality flowing out of the Waterfit device approaching that of a spring. And the water crystals regain their natural 60-degree structure, full of power ... just like at the spring. Snow cannons can also be optimized accordingly powered by international oscillation expertise:"Waterfit Snow, the snow optimizer, the innovation from Austria. Waterfit Snow simply makes more fun. Do you want a better snow and more snow ? Do you want an increased snow safety ? Then Waterfit Snow Tuning with Waterfit" And, just as important: "Waterfit Snow does the environment much good"
Weather outlook
The WeatherBlog is enthusiastic and finds it hard to tear itself away from this topic. Nevertheless, a brief look at the upcoming weather: The Eastern Alps are still caught in a cold north/north-westerly current between a high over France and England and a low over the Baltic States. A weak disturbance is embedded in this, which may bring a few more flakes this evening and tomorrow (21.1.), especially in the congested areas. It will remain sunny and dry in the south. Friday will be very sunny everywhere with the influence of intermediate highs. The situation will become more uncertain at the weekend. A warm front will bring some precipitation with milder temperatures and a potentially quite high snow line.
