Cold snap means fresh snow at Yawgoo Valley
EXETER, R.I. — The only other time the Yawgoo Valley Ski Area has been able to make snow this season was during the arctic cold snap at Christmas.
"Just hasn't been cold enough to make snow," said Clay Hartman, Yawgoo Valley mountain manager. "We should be at 20 plus days of snow making. We're at 13."
With only a couple inches of Mother Nature-made snow this season, the investment in 17 snow "guns," was well worth it as the region gets hit with another arctic cold snap this weekend.
“We got 17 guns going on all the trails," Hartman said. " We’re reclaiming what we’ve lost, and we should be beefed up for the rest of the year. Hopefully we get a few more nights and keep going. We should have 3 or 4 feet on the trails, most of the trails that we have open."
- MORE COVERAGE: Extreme cold makes working outside all the more challenging
All that’s needed is the cold.
“So it gets colder and drier, you can put out more water which gives you more snow. So it just ends up being what it is,” added Hartman.
According to Yawgoo's website, the resort is closed Friday and Saturday for snowmaking, but will reopen on Sunday.
Over Christmas, Hartman said the resort was able to make enough snow to get two and a half trails open and five main trails, which lasted all the way through January.
This manmade snow will stack up in piles that are then distributed to other parts of the trails.
“We push it around with the machine to cover where we need it and get the right depth. We make more than Mother Nature,” said Hartman.
NBC 10 asked Hartman if it's better than what Mother Nature can do.
“Yes. It lasts longer, it’s thicker, it packs down better," he responded.