Bolton Valley Adds Snowmaking Efficiency

Bolton Valley receives more than 300 inches of natural snowfall each season, thanks to Vermont’s highest base elevation and its west facing proximity to Lake Champlain. But when Mother Nature needs a helping hand, Bolton's expanded snowmaking system is ready.

This season, Bolton Valley is focusing on making more snow on the popular Cobrass trail that connects the main mountain with the Timberline area and is retrofitting a number of its Ratnik snow guns to improve energy efficiency.

"We've upgraded and expanded our snowmaking capacity considerably over the past three seasons and this year is no exception," noted George B. Potter, Bolton Valley’s President. "We are continuously looking at ways to improve our energy efficiency on a resort-wide basis and have been working with Efficiency Vermont to identify areas for improvement."

Bolton's Ratnik brand snow guns and the accompanying snowmaking system were tested by Efficiency Vermont, which identified areas where greater efficiency can be obtained. Working with Efficiency Vermont and Ratnik, retrofits have been made to the guns, improving energy usage.

"We'll have a better idea of how much energy conservation results from the retrofits once the system is in operation,” continued Potter. "But whatever efficiencies we can gain are well worth the investment."