Ski Martock ready for Old Man Winter

BY FRED LAWRENCE

The Hants Journal

NovaNewsNow.com

Employees at Ski Martock have been busy in recent weeks getting ready for the cold weather necessary to start the snow guns and cover the trails.

Preparation for the busy winter season never really stops at the ski resort. Workers groom the many runs year-round in a continuous bid to be ready when the snow flies.

Martock is one of two ski resorts that are still in operation on the mainland, with Ben Eion, Cape Breton the only other ski facility in the province. Several ski resorts have closed their doors in recent years due to problems ranging from funding to promotion and accessibility.

Martock owners Heather and Jim Boylan said when the mercury dropped to below freezing and snow fell two weekends ago, “we laid out the snow guns and were ready to turn the pumps on, but then it warmed up,” Jim said.

The temperature must reach a minimum of –2 C for the snowmaking plant to produce the white stuff necessary to cover the hill with an average base of 18 inches of man-made snow.

General manager Andy MacLean has worked at Martock for over 20 years and is also a professional ski/snowboard instructor. MacLean has traveled to resorts all over the world, “but Martock’s artificial snow is as good as the best I have ever ridden on.”

A combination of a highly skilled workforce and state-of-the-art snow-making equipment sets Martock apart from many other ski resorts.

The season starts “as soon as it’s cold enough, for long enough, to make snow,” Heather adds. “We’re ready now; we just need the temperature to drop and when it’s cold enough we’re ready to go, full steam ahead,” she said.

New ‘guns’ reduce costs

Martock upgrades its equipment constantly and now has 52 high-efficiency snowguns that cover the mountain much faster than traditional snow-making machinery. “We’ve reduced our time to cover the mountain from 189 hours to 83 hours, but this year we hope to beat that record,” Jim said.

Another important part of the process is the variable frequency drive water pump that powers the guns. “The new pumps will bring the cost of snow-making down dramatically,” Jim said. “The pump ‘ramps up’ to accommodate the increased demand for water and once it reaches maximum capacity, another pump starts up to assist.” When enough snow is made and the demand for water decreases, the automated pumps adjust accordingly.

‘Most challenging place to operate’

Warm ocean currents largely influence the temperate climate in Nova Scotia. “This has always been the most challenging place in the country to make snow. Even in Vancouver they have mountains with serious altitude so through making snow we can compete even with a warmer climate,” MacLean said.

Martock is the southern-most location in Atlantic Canada for a ski resort. The northern-most ski facility is near Edmundston, N.B.

“These are the only two resorts that were operating in Atlantic Canada during a period last winter,” MacLean said. “It all comes down to snow-making planning. All ski resorts are opening new terrain. We try to open a trail with a season’s worth of snow on it so we don’t have to go back and cover it again,” he said.

“Last year some ski resorts ended up closing six or more trails due to lack of snow, but we were able to keep all of our terrain open all season, so again, it’s really down to planning.”

Area growth set to boost numbers

MacLean said with the current and predicted residential and commercial growth in Hants County, Martock stands to benefit from the population increase.

“One of the biggest things about Martock is our affordable season pass. This season’s discounted rate is $109.95 for skiing all of our terrain. You will not find that kind of price anywhere else, period,” he said.

MacLean said the low price for a ski pass has been a boon for the company, but he notes that all industries associated with skiing benefit as well. “Skiing has always been seen as expensive, but that’s just not the case here at all. We want people to be able to bring their families to have fun without having to spend a lot of money,” he said.

During peak season, 200 full and part-time employees work to keep the operation running smoothly for the more than 100,000 people that visit Martock every year.

For more information about Martock, check out the website at wwwmartock.com or call 798-9501.