My wife went out yesterday with our 1 year old daughter to the park in La Gerade. The hot gossip down the park was that many of Serre Chevalier’s snow cannons had been vandalised by environmentalists.
The hot topic was that some additive was being added to the water to enable snow making at higher temperatures. I have been aware of the environmental impact of snow cannons just because of the sheer amount of electricity and water they use. So I did a little research…
In Bavaria they use a lot of snow cannons, because of low altitude resorts.
One method resort operators have turned to involves the bacterium “Pseudomonas syringae.” When killed and used as a crystallization core, the bacterium causes water to freeze into snow at temperatures as high as 5°C (41°F). Swiss villages in the Wallis and Berner Oberland regions have discovered that using the bacterium to make snow — even at temperature above freezing — gives them a true competitive edge.
Expert opinion is still divided on whether this biological wonder weapon will hurt the environment. Making snow with the bacterium is banned in Germany — for now.
I don’t know if this is what is happening in Serre Chevalier, so if anyone can shed some light on this I would be very interested.
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This just crossed my consciousness last night.
Vicious rumour suggests there may even be an isnurance job slant to this destruction – not that I’m saying that, it’s just what I heard.
There is an amazing amount of organisation needed to get I think 30 cannons up in flame, you have to walk up there and with all the stuff needed to set things ablaze.
There is definately more to this than meets the eye.
Good news is it won’t affect the skiing too much, although the piste targeted was a bit of a difficult one to cover in fake snow.
Who knows the truth?
There was I thinking it was just the yellow stuff that was inedible! Hope this is a one off otherwise it could not only be dull but ultimately dangerous too.
The actual number is 21 damaged cannons.
You think some hippy bunch lugged that much amterial up there and didn’t brick it after torching one or two?
This is too oragnised for some Earth-firsters who probably would be happy to make a statement.