US3706414A

US3706414A - Apparatus for making snow

Info

Publication number: US3706414A
Application number: US78873A
Authority: US
Inventors: Herman K Dupre
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1970-10-07
Filing date: 1970-10-07
Publication date: 1972-12-19
Anticipated expiration: 1989-12-19

Abstract

A method and apparatus for making snow and more particularly a method and apparatus whereby pressurized air and water are introduced into a conduit at a lower portion thereof and thereafter flows upwardly through such conduit to be discharged therefrom on a selected area and at a height and/or location to eliminate interference with users of the area upon which the manufactured snow settles.

Description

United States Patent Dupre [4 1 Dec. 19, 1972 [s41 APPARATUS FOR MAKING SNOW [72] Inventor: Herman K. Dupre, Seven Springs,

Champion, Pa. 15622 [22] Filed: Oct. 7, 1970 [21] Appl. No.: 78,873

Related US. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 756,749, Sept. 3, 1968, abandoned, and a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 828,292, May 27, 1969, abandoned.

[52] US. Cl. ..239/l4, 239/2 S, 239/200, 239/279 [51] Int. Cl. ..A0lg 15/00 [58] Field ofSearch ..239/2 S, 2 R, 14, 200, 273, 239/279, 280, 280.5, 281

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,298,612 l/1967 Torrens ..239/2 S 5/1934 Wadsworth ..239/251 X 3,372,872 3/1968 LeBuss 111 et a1 ..239/2 S 1,846,395 2/1932 i'iiifraker "2397251 x' 3,010,660 11/1961 Barrett 3,301,485 1/1967 Tropeano et al. 3 ,464,625 9/1969 Carlsson 3,494,559 2/1970 Skinner ..239/2 S Primary Examiner-M. Henson Wood, Jr. Assistant Exam'inerThomas C. Culp, J r. Attorney-E. Wallace Breisch [57] ABSTRACT A method and apparatus for making snow and more particularly a method and apparatus whereby pressurized air and water are introduced into a conduit at a lower portion thereof and thereafter flows upwardly through such conduit to be discharged therefrom on a selected area and at a height and/or location to eliminate interference with users of the area upon which the manufactured snow settles.

17 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEU 3,706,414

IN 5 IV TOR HERMAN K. DUPRE APPARATUS FOR MAKING SNOW This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Application Ser. No. 756,749, filed Sept. 3, 1968, now abandoned and is also a continuation-in-part of U.S. Application Ser. No. 828,292, filed May 27, 1969, now abandoned.

The primary mode of making artificial snow is by introducing pressurized air and water into a mixing chamber in which the pressurized air co-mingles with the water such that fine particles of water, sometimes referred to as seed crystals, are discharged into theatmosphere having an ambient temperature less than 32 F. Various methods and apparatus have been previously utilized for such primary mode of snow making, however, the practical and economic usefulness of such previous methods and apparatus have numerous disadvantages such as:

l. The area for which artificial snow is being made cannot be utilized for recreational purposes, for example by skiers during the snowmaking process, or the utilization thereof is seriously impaired until the operation is complete:

2. High expense both in operating costs and the number of units required to manufacture snow for a given area;

3. The newly made snow crystals which settle on the ground were often smaller than natural snow crystals and hence created icy surface conditions and, depending upon ambient air temperature, meltedmore readily than natural snow crystals and hence resulted in a low rate of snow accumulation per unit of device operating time;

4. High maintenance costs both because of a large number of units required per area to be covered and because of a susceptibility of unit and/or feed line freeze up; and

5. The inability of particular units to provide a capability of a system of snow coverage for a large area of varying topography because of the inflexibility of such units to provide snow for the specific terrain conditions existing in a given area.

By means of the present invention whereby pressurized air and water are introduced into a generally vertically extending conduit at a lower portion thereof and thereafter flows upwardly through such conduit to be discharged therefrom on a selected area and at a height and/or-location to eliminate interference with users of the area upon which the manufactured snow settles, the hereinabovementioned problems of prior art devices are eliminated or substantially reduced.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention-will become readily apparent from a reading of the following description and drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a snow making system of thepresentinvention in operative position on a ski trail;

' FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of an embodiment of snow making tower assemblies of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view, partly broken'away, of a snow making tower assembly of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of another embodiment of a snow making tower assembly of the present invention; and

' FIG. 5 is an enlarged-perspective view of still another embodiment of a snow making tower assembly of the present invention. v

A snow making system of the present invention indicated generally at 10 and located on one side of a ski slope or trail 12 discharges a mixture of co-mingled pressurized air and water to form snow like particles 14 which settle on the trail 12. The system 10 can additionally be used for covering a ski jump, toboggan run or other similar areas with snow.

System 10 comprises: a water line 14 and a generally parallel air line 16 along one side of the trail 12; and a plurality of tower assemblies 18 spaced at suitable intervals along

lines

14 and 16. Water from'a source 21,

as a brook, is taken into a pump 22 and delivered to the water line 14 at a pressuresufficient to deliver it to the highest point in the system at a minimum desired pressure such as 100 lbs/sq. inch. A suitable air compressor 24 is operative to deliver air to line 16 such that the remotest outlet therealong will have air I delivered thereto at a preferred minimum pressure of 100 lbs/sq. inch.

Each tower assembly 18 in one preferred embodiment isshown as comprising: a generally vertically extending conduit 26; a-Tee shaped mixing chamber 28 having the stem end thereof secured to conduit 26 adjacent the lower end thereof; and a discharge nozzle member 30 secured to conduit 26 adjacent the upper end thereof. Individual air and

water standpipes

32 and 34 extend upwardly from respective air and

water lines

16 and 14 at each location of atower assembly 18. Suitable hoses 32' and 34' have one end thereof secured to

respective standpipes

32 and 34 and the other ends thereof secured to respective ends of the stem portion of mixing chamber 18. Each

standpipe

32 and 34 have suitable valves 36 for the individual adjustment and operation thereof.

With a system as described above, valves 36 are opened and pressurized air and water are introduced into initial co-mingling relationship in mixing chamber 28 and thereafter fiow upwardly through conduit 26 and are discharged from assembly 18 through nozzle member 30. Valves 36 are variable such that the individual proportions of air and water in the air-water mixture can be varied as conditions dictate. For example such considerations as; ambient air temperature, wind conditions, temperatureof the air and water in lines 10 and 11, type and size of snow particles to be produced, height of the discharge point and/or mixing chamber from the ground surface, and the like, all have profound effects on the quantity and quality of snow produced and most deviations of such considerations from the norm can be compensated for by varying the individual proportions of air and water introduced into a mixing chamber 28. Under usual conditions of wind velocity, an ambient air temperature of approximately 28 F., and a height of particle discharge of 20 feet from ground level, the system of the present invention can atomize 200 Gal./Min. of water with about 1,050 cfm of air at lbs./sq. inch.

It is to be noted that because the initial co-mingling of air and water takes place at the lower end of conduit 26 and-thereafter the mixture travels through conduit 26 to the point of discharge thereof, a minimum ratio of air to water is required because of the inherent efficienl060ll 0652 cy which results from the structure of tower assemblies 18. ln other'words, the air and water are both introduced into the mixing chamber at a temperature above freezing and because of the length of travel of such mixture prior to discharge, a further co-mingling of the air and water is accomplished and additionally the temperature of the mixture is reduced to substantially freezing, such that upon discharge from nozzle 18, seed crystals can be. immediately produced. As is known seed crystals are small particles of frozen water which form .the nucleus of manufactured snow. ln-

dividual seed crystals unitwith other seed crystals prior to settling on trail 12 due'to a number of factors such as; the large numberofcrystals discharged from nozzle assembly 30, turbulent air conditions adjacent the nozzle, the dwell time (i.e. the time it takes the seed crystals to settle on trail 12 from the point of discharge) wind conditions and the like. The manufactured snow crystals which finally settle on trail 12 are the result of a number of seed crystals uniting. In prior systems the length of travel between introduction and discharge of a mixture was relatively short and, as such the comingling of air and water often was not complete nor was the temperature of the mixture at freezing thereby necessitating a larger proportion of air to water in order to achieve a mixture which would discharge sufficient seed crystals. Inasmuch as the cost of compressed air represents approximately 90 per cent of the cost of consumables in the making of snow it obviously follows that any reduction in the proportion or air in I the snow making process will represent substantial operational savings.

.Thetower assemblies 18 of system 10 are shown to have the discharge nozzle-assemblies 30 at a height above trail 10 sufficient to eliminate interferencewith skiers using trail 10. Advantageous heights of discharge nozzles are found to be in the range of 8 to 40 feet above the level of an area such as trail 12. A height of discharge range of 8 to 40 feet or more will yield several beneficial results, for example; excellent quality mediately frozen upon discharge from the nozzle assemblyBO; however, the long dwell time. of the individual water particles in the freezing ambient atmosphere will insure the formation of seed crystals prior to settling on the trail-l2.

Each tower assembly 18, because of the height of discharge thereof above the surface oftrail 12, efficiently and quickly covers a greater area of trailthan previous modes of snow making. lnexample, a tower assembly of 39 feet can cover an area of approximately a 140 diameter circle under each assembly 18. Of course, the ability to cover anarea of a perfect circle is V dependent upon'such variables as nozzle placement snow crystals settling on trail 10, large area of trail I coverage per tower assembly 18, and lower air to water ratio. The quality of snow crystals settling on trail 10 is greatly improved over prior art devices because of the long dwell time of the discharged seed crystals from a height of discharge of 8 to 40 feet or more. The longer dwell time results in a greater frequency of the uniting of seed crystals and hence larger and more numerous snow crystals. Still further the respective seed crystals spend a relatively long length of time in the freezing ambient atmosphere prior tosettling on the trail 12 and hence are frozen solid prior to settling. It is most advantageous to have all seed crystals frozen solid prior to settling on a trail thereby alleviating the occurrences of icy trail conditions caused by wet or only partially frozen seed and/or snow crystals settling on the trail.

A relatively low air to water ratio is achieved because offtiie 8 to 40 feet or more height of discharge both for the reasons specified hereinbefore and additionally because such height allows for a discharging of atomized water which does not immediately freeze into individual seed crystals but freezes during the relatively long dwell time thereof. In other words the proportion of air to water volume can be cut such that each particulate of atomized water is larger than can be imand wind conditions, however, if desired, the direction of nozzle discharge can be made by manual, mechanical and/or electrical means to compensate for varying wind conditions to achieve optimum coverage of an area such as trail 12. In the system 10 illustrated in'FlG. 1 it is assumed that wind is blowing in a direction transverse to trail 12 and accordingly the towers 1.8 thereon are oriented such that the discharge therefrom is generally parallel to' trail 12 and the wind blows the discharge therefrom onto a relatively large area of trail 10.

. Conduit 26 has a relatively high slenderness ratio along the unsupported length thereof and inasmuch as the discharge from nozzle assembly 30 results in a reactive force, the unsupported length of conduit 26 would have a tendency to be whipped about in an arcuate path were it not for diametrically opposed nozzle outlets as hereinafter described in detail. Of course there may be instances where conditions dictate a relatively immovable conduit 26 without the use of diametrically opposed outlets, for example to cover a specific of a trail with an amount of snow deeper than surrounding areas such as in a banked turn, and in such instances the assembly 18 of this invention is easily adapted. Some means of adaptation might include bracing the conduit 26 throughout the entire length thereof by guy wires or securing the length of theconduit to a support such as a strategically located tree.

Discharge nozzle assembly 30 is of a generally T shaped configuration and comprises a stem portion 38 secured to conduit'18 adjacent the upper end thereof and a cross bar portion 40 which has spaced reducer outlets 42 secured at respective axial ends thereof. The reducer outlets provide for a fine atomization of the discharged air-water mixture. The particular configuration of discharge nozzle assembly 30 can be of any suitable construction-so long as the atomization of the air-water mixtureis accomplished and, accordingly,

letsgreater than two or only a single discharge outlet can be provided at a tower assembly 18". Additionally respective pairs of outlets need not necessarily be diametrically opposed.

l060ll 0653 In the illustrated preferred system of the present invention the water line 14 and air line 16.are shown as being installed underground and below the frost line of the installation area. The water is drawn from the brook 21 at above freezing and travels through the water line 14 at approximately 39. The pressurized air is discharged from the air compressor 24 into airline 16 at approximately l75l80. At 100 yards from the pump the temperature of the air in line 16 drops to approximately l00 and at the extreme end of line 16 the temperature thereof is at a more or less steady 39. The height of mixing chamber 38 above ground level is held to a pointsuch that pressurized air and water entering therein are of a temperature above 32 F. A recommended'height of mixing chamber 38 above ground level would be 2 to 4 feet or less with a preferred maximum of 6 feet. The conduit 26 acts as a heat exchange medium for the air-water mixture passing upwardly therethrough and the temperature of such mixture can decrease often times to below 32, such that upon the discharge of such mixture from nozzle assembly 30 into a freezing ambient atmosphere, seed crystals are quickly formed. The physical nature of the air-water mixture coupled with the relatively fast movement thereof through conduit 26 prevents the freezing of such mixture within conduit 26 even though the temperature thereof may drop slightly below 32.

The system 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 shows a preferred arrangement of parallel water and

air lines

14 and 16, respectively, however it is to be noted that if desired, non-parallel water and air lines can be used.

Inasmuch as the invention herein contemplates a height of discharge in a particular system varying from 8 to 40 feet or more (see FIG. 2 for varying height towers in a particular system) it is to be understood that depending on the distance of a particular tower assembly 18 from the source of air and water and, additionally taking into consideration the height of discharge, it can occur that the temperature of the atomized water discharged from a particular tower can be above freezing to such a degree that the individual particulate water is not immediately frozen into seed crystals, however, as mentioned hereinbefore even the minimum contemplated height of discharge will provide sufficient dwell time to insure formation of seed crystals.

The system 10 described hereinabove contemplates the

supply lines

14 and 16 being installed underground below the frost line of the installation area however if desired such lines can be installed above ground so long as freezing of the water and air does not occur prior to discharge from the nozzle assembly 30. An above ground installation can be utilized in several circumstances such as: a short feed line run coupled with a preheating of the water prior to entrance into a water supply line; and heated and/or insulated conduits which contain the air and water supply lines therewithin.

Standpipes 32 and 34 preferably have the lower ends thereof coupled to respective air and

water lines

16 and 14 at a location below the frostline of the area being covered. The upper ends of

standpipes

32 and 34 are shown as terminating intermediate the ground surface being covered and the mixing chamber 28, for example two feet above ground level. It is to be noted that the upper ends of

standpipes

32 and 34 can terminate at the same elevation or above the mixing chamber 28 if so desired. Valves 36 are affixed to

standpipes

32 and 34 adjacent the upper ends thereof. Valves 36 are illustrated as being manually operated. With a permanent installation of system 10 in position, an operator, assuming pressurized air and water is flowing in the supply lines, need only open and adjust valves 36 for snow making to proceed. lf particular areas along the system 10 are in no need for further snow accumulation, towers adjacent to such areas can be made unproductive simply by closing the valves 36. If certain areas are in need of snow accumulation greater than other areas, then the valves 36 can be selectively shut down or, if desired, the valves 36 can be adjusted such that selected tower assemblies 18 will produce more manufactured snow than other tower assembly 18.

When all or part of the snow towers in a given system are to be shut down the operator need only close respective valves 36 therealong. If desired the operator can initially shut the valve 36 in communication with the water line 14 and allow the pressurized air from air line 16 to blow through conduit 26 thereby effectively purging any residual water within conduit 26 to prevent the freezing thereof. Either or both of the valves 36 in a tower assembly 18 can be of known one way check valve types thereby substantially eliminating any occurrences of air entering the water line or water entering the air line through the valves 36.

Various modifications to the valves 36 and mixing chamber 28 structure and location are contemplated without departing from principles of the invention as described hereinabove, for example: the valves'36 can be adapted for actuation by electrical energization or radio impulse from aremote location; valves 36 and/or mixing chamber 28 can be located at ground surface or below; the valves 36 and/or mixing chamber 28 can be disposed in a ground well adjacent each tower assembly 18; and the like.

Each tower assembly 18 includes a vertically extending post or standard 44 firmly anchored in the ground to carry a respective conduit 26. A vertically extending sleeve 46, having an inner diameter thereof at least equal to the outer diameter of conduit 26, is transverly spaced from standard 44 and is fixedly secured thereto in any suitable manner, such as a transversely extending bolt member 48 which communicates between conduit 26 and standard 44. A generally J shaped supporting pin 50 has the end section of the long leg thereof threaded for securing to standard 44. The pin 50 is spaced downwardly of bolt member 48 and is secured to standard 44 such that the short leg thereof extends upwardly and is in coaxial alignment with the longitudinal axis of sleeve 46. The lower end of mixing chamber 28 has an upwardly extending radially inwardly tapering internal portion 52 which provides a seating surface for pin 50. Upon final erection of a tower assembly 18 as described hereinabove, sleeve 46 encompasses an intermediate peripheral portion of conduit 26 and the upper end of the short leg of pin 50 is seated on surface 52 and accordingly supports conduit 26 upwardly thereof. The pin and seating surface arrangement of tower assembly 18 described hereinabove provides for an adjustability of the direction of the discharge simply by turning conduit 26 with respect to the seat therefor. If desired suitable releasable latch means can be provided to retain a particular direction of discharge. The latch means can then be released to reposition the direction of discharge.

Inasmuch as the invention herein is not dependent upon any particular means for supporting an individual tower assembly, various alternative structures are contemplated which are structurally operative without the requirement of standard-44, for example: guy wire or tree supported conduits 26 as mentioned hereinbefore; free standing posts with a conduit 26 supported therewithin; a conduit 26 which is anchored into the ground and which has a stiffness coefficient yielding a conduit of sufficient rigidity to withstand the reactive force from the discharge nozzles to a degree wherein an unreasonable whip in the conduit is not present.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate further embodiments of tower assemblies constructed according to the principles of this invention. In FIG. 4 isshown a tower assembly 18' comprising a generally upwardly extending conduit 26 having a reducer orifice'53 secured thereto at the uppermost end thereof. An upper end portion 54 of conduit 26' extends outwardly at approximately a 45 angle from the vertical centerline of the lower portion 56 of conduit 26 As shown a 45 fitting 58 is disposed between

portions

54 and 56 for the abovementioned outward extension of portion 54, however, fitting 58 can be eliminated by providing an angled bend in conduit 26' at the juncture point of

portions

54 and 56. Furthermore the 45 angle between

portions

54 and 56 is for illustrative purposes only and other angles between such portions, for example: a range from 30 to 60, will serve to accomplish the advantages hereinafter. At each location of a tower assembly 18' a transversely extending conduit 60 communicates between the

supply lines

14 and 16.

Lines

14 and 16 are below the frost line of trail 12 andthe lowermost end of conduit 26' is connected to conduit 54; intermediate the axial ends thereof. A valve 62 is positioned in conduit 54 on either side of conduit 26'. Suitable vertically extending valve control members 64 have the lower ends thereof in operative communication with respective valves 62 and the upper ends of valve control members 64 are spaced upwardly of trail 12. In operation of tower assembly 18' an operator merely adjusts valve control members 64 to open respective valves 56 and thereby causes pressurized water and air co-mingle in conduit 26', flow upwardly therethrough and be discharged through orifice 53. The 45 bend in tower 18' reduces the arc through the the vertical conduit swings because a portion of the reactive force imparted thereto from the discharge tend to swing the tower assembly 18' is dissipated to overcome thedead weight of the leaning conduit 26.

When .orifice 53 is discharging and/or when the tower assembly 18' has a wind force reacting thereon a discussed resultant uplift force tends to pull assembly 18' upwardly out of the ground. Inasmuch as such an uplift force may have a deleterious effect on the connection and valving of the respective tower assembly 18', a transversely extending plate 56 is secured to conduit 26' intermediate the ground level and the connection of conduit 26' to conduit 54. Plate 56 serves as transmission means to dissipate any uplift force to the ground.

In FIG. 5 is shown a tower assembly 18" which uses a tree 66 as the supporting standard therefor. Assembly 18" has a conduit 26" similar to the conduit 26'- described hereinbefore, however, conduit 26" in the assembly 18" has the lower end thereof terminating upwardly of trail 12, for example 2.feet, and has a generally Pi shaped mixing chamber 68 secured to conduit 26" at the lower end thereof. Chamber 68 has the cross bar portion thereof extending generally coaxially with conduit 26" and has the upper end thereof secured to conduit 26" adjacent the lower end thereof. The opposite end of the cross bar portion of chamber 68 is sealed by means of a plug member 70 being secured thereto. The lower end of plug member 70 has an upwardly extending radially inwardly tapering internal portion which provides a seating surface for a supporting pin 50. Supporting pin 50 is secured to tree 66 such that the short leg thereof extends upwardly and is spaced outwardly from the periphery of tree 66. Upon erection of tower assembly 18" the upper end of the short leg of pin 50 is seated on the seating surface of plug member 70 and accordingly supports conduit 26" upwardly thereof. A plurality of eyebolts 72 have the eye ends thereof encompassing the vertical portion of conduit 26" at spaced areas therealong and the threaded ends of eye bolts 72 are secured to tree 66, thereby providing further support of conduit 26" by the tree 66.

The stem portions of mixing chamber 68 have the free ends thereof adapted to be connected to respective ones of pressurized air and

water lines

16 and 14 in any suitable manner, for example as described with reference to assembly 18 wherein

standpipes

32 and 34 and

respective hoses

32 and 34 were in communication with underground air and

water lines

16 and 14, respectively. 1

Inasmuch as towers l8 and 18" are simply additional embodiments of the basic precepts of the present invention as discussed hereinabove it is to be understood that alterations can be made thereto similar to the variations discussed hereinabove in the description of tower assembly 18.

Towers

18, 18' and 18" can be used independently or in combination with each other or in combination with other towers (for example a tower having a telescoping vertical conduit) constructed according to the principles of this invention in a variety of systems of snow making. In other words, the particular construction of the various snow making towers in a system of this invention can be varied throughout to provide optimum snow coverage for varying topographic conditions. Additionally inasmuch as a preferred installation of the system of this invention contemplates permanent underground supply lines conditions may dictate a desirability of using portable snow towers or even conventional snow making equipment to supplement the permanent installation.

l060ll 0655 Various alternatives to the system of this invention as described hereinabove are contemplated and the scope of this invention is defined by the scope of the claims set forth hereinafter.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for making snow comprising: a cold water line extending along a given area below the frost line, an air line extending along said area generally parallel to the cold water line, means supplying cold water under pressure to said cold water line, means supplying air under pressure to said air line, valved outlets above and adjacent the ground surface, one connected to each of said water and air lines, a fixed vertical standard, a slender elongated hollow conduit mounted vertically on said standard and extending vertically from a point adjacent the ground surface at the valved outlets to a point higher than the heads of all skiers of the area, connection means from each of said outlets for simultaneously introducing air and water under pressure only into a lower end portion of said hollow conduit whereby the air and water are intermingled in said conduit, a restricted orifice at the opposite end .of said conduit for discharging a mixture of air and water as a spray, and said conduit having a substantially unobstructed internal volume which is cooperable with said valved outlets so that only a fluid discharge of the mixture of air and water occurs at said restrictive orifice.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said conduit is a pipe slidably mounted in a sleeve on said standard.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein the sleeve is rotatable on said standard.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein a pair of restricted orifices 180 apart are provided on the said opposite end of said conduit.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the means for introducing air and water is connected to an underground source of air and water substantially directly below said conduit.

6. An apparatus for making snow comprising: a slender elongated hollow conduit having discharge nozzle means at one end thereof, said conduit being adapted to be supported with respect to a land area to receive snow and extending generally vertically upwardly from such a land area with said one end being located at least 8 feet above such an area; independent air and water lines communicating only with a lower portion of said conduit at a location no higher than upwardly adjacent such a land area; valve means cooperable" with said air and water linesto selectively control the ratio of the flow of air and water to said lower portion of said conduit; and said conduit having a substantially unobstructed internal volume which is cooperable with said valve means so that only a fluid discharge occurs at said nozzle means during snow making operations of said apparatus.

7. An apparatus for making snow as specified in claim 6 wherein said valve means includes manually operable control means upwardly adjacent such a land area.

8. An apparatus for making snow as specified in claim 6 with said conduit being a metallic heat conducting medium.

9. An apparatus for making snow as specified in claim 6 with said conduit being rotatable about a verticalla extending axis.

1 An apparatus for making snow as specified in claim 6 with said one end being not less than 8 but not greater than 50 and preferably from 36 to 39 feet above such a land area.

11. An apparatus for making snow as specified in claim 6 additionally including separate supporting means for supporting said conduit with respect to such a land area.

12. An apparatus for making snow as specified in claim 11 wherein said supporting means support said conduit such that said lower portion of said conduit is located above such a land area.

13. An apparatus for making snow as specified in claim 6 wherein said independent air and water lines are located below the frost line of such a land area.

14. An apparatus for making snow as specified in claim 13 wherein at least a portion of said valve means are located below the frost line of such a land area.

15. An apparatus for making snow as specified in claim 6 wherein the lower section of said conduit extends upwardly along a vertical axis and the upper section of said conduit extends upwardly from the upper end of said lower section and outwardly from said vertical axis at an angle not less than 30 nor more than 60.

16. A system for making snow comprising: a plurality of individual slender elongated hollow conduits having discharge nozzle means at respective one ends thereof, said conduits being spaced along a land area to receive snow, each of said conduits adapted to be supported with respect to such a land area with said one ends being located at least 8 feet above such an area; independent air and water lines communicating only with a lower portion of each of said conduits at respective locations no higher than upwardly adjacent such a land area; valve means cooperable with said air and water lines respectively to selectively control the ratio of the flow of air and water to said lower portion of said conduits; and said conduits having a substantially unobstructed internal volume which is cooperable with said valve means so that only a fluid discharge occurs at said nozzle means during snow making operations of said apparatus.

17. An apparatus for making snow comprising: a slender elongated hollow conduit having discharge nozzle means at one end thereof, said conduit being adapted to be supported with respect to a land area to receive snow and extending generally vertically upwardly from such a land area; independent air and water lines communicating only with a lower portion of 1 said conduit at a location no higher than upwardly adjacent such a land area; valve rn ea nscooperable with said air arid water lines to selectively control the ratio of the flow of air and water to said lower portion of said conduit; said conduit having a substantially unobstructed internal volume which is cooperable with said valve means so that only a fluid discharge occurs at said nozzle means during snow making operations of said apparatus; and said nozzle means being located at a height above such a land area to allow a dwell time to freeze the fluid discharged from said nozzle during snow making operations into artificial snow prior to such fluid settling on such a land area.

i i i i

Claims

1. An apparatus for making snow comprising: a cold water line extending along a given area below the frost line, an air line extending along said area generally parallel to the cold water line, means supplying cold water under pressure to said cold water line, means supplying air under pressure to said air line, valved outlets above and adjacent the ground surface, one connected to each of said water and air lines, a fixed vertical standard, a slender elongated hollow conduit mounted vertically on said standard and extending vertically from a point adjacent the ground surface at the valved outlets to a point higher than the heads of all skiers of the area, connection means from each of said outlets for simultaneously introducing air and water under pressure only into a lower end portion of said hollow conduit whereby the air and water are intermingled in said conduit, a restricted orifice at the opposite end of said conduit for discharging a mixture of air and water as a spray, and said conduit having a substantially unobstructed internal volume which is cooperable with said valved outlets so that only a fluid discharge of the mixture of air and water occurs at said restrictive orifice.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein a pair of restricted orifices 180* apart are provided on the said opposite end of said conduit.

6. An apparatus for making snow comprising: a slender elongated hollow conduit having discharge nozzle means at one end thereof, said conduit being adapted to be supported with respect to a land area to receive snow and extending generally vertically upwardly from such a land area with said one end being located at least 8 feet above such an area; independent air and water lines communicating only with a lower portion of said conduit at a location no higher than upwardly adjacent such a land area; valve means cooperable with said air and water lines to selectively control the respective flow of air and water to said lower portion of said conduit; and said conduit having a substantially unobstructed internal volume which is cooperable with said valve means so that only a fluid discharge occurs at said nozzle means during snow making operations of said apparatus.

9. An apparatus for making snow as specified in claim 6 with said conduit being rotatable about a vertically extending axis.

10. An apparatus for making snow as specified in claim 6 with said one end being not less than 8 but not greater than 50 and preferably from 36 to 39 feet above such a land area.

15. An apparatus for making snow as specified in claim 6 wherein the lower section of said conduit extends upwardly along a vertical axis and the upper section of said conduit extends upwardly from the upper end of said lower section and outwardly from said vertical axis at an angle not less than 30* nor more than 60*.

16. A system for making snow comprising: a plurality of individual slender elongated hollow conduits having discharge nozzle means at respective one ends thereof, said conduits being spaced along a hand area to receive snow, each of said conduits adapted to be supported with respect to such a land area with said one ends being located at least 8 feet above such an area; independent air and water lines communicating only with a lower portion of each of said conduits at respective locations no higher than upwardly adjacent such a land area; valve means cooperable with said air and water lines respectively to selectively control the respective flow of air and water to said lower portion of said conduits; and said conduits having a substantially unobstructed internal volume which is cooperable with said valve means so that only a fluid discharge occurs at said nozzle means during snow making operations of said apparatus.

17. An apparatus for making snow comprising: a slender elongated hollow conduit having discharge nozzle means at one end thereof, said conduit being adapted to be supported with respect to a land area to receive snow and extending generally vertically upwardly from such a land area; independent air and water lines communicating only with a lower portion of said conduit at a location no higher than upwardly adjacent such a land area; valve means cooperable with said air and water lines to selectively control the respective flow of air and water to said lower portion of said conduit; said conduit having a substantially unobstructed internal volume which is cooperable with said valve means so that only a fluid discharge occurs at said nozzle means during snow making operations of said apparatus; and said nozzle means being located at a height above such a land area to allow a dwell time to freeze the fluid discharged from said nozzle during snow making operations into artificial snow prior to such fluid settling on such a land area.