Injection for Everyone

Speaking of backyards, and awesome tractor stuff: There's no question that injected snow is a beloved and special treat for us, especially in North America.  Only a handful of places on this side of the Prime Meridian are willing to invest in the process, and only a few people really know how to do it well.  And you can ask anyone who raced the Nor-Ams in Colorado last November how important it is to really do it well.


Now, there's another option.  Hinterreit, Austria - one of the classic venues for training on injected snow - has switched to a different method that would appear to be a little more costly up front, but vastly more cost effective and efficient in the long run:  the Straninger Compactor.  No longer do you need to pump 60,000 gallons of water out onto the hill (as was done at Loveland last year), working at night, soaking wet in the freezing cold.

Now, according to Hinterreit's pistenchef Stefan Schild, you can make about 1 meter of snow and then run this compactor over it behind the cat.  Since doing that a few times, they now use a Mammoth-style snowblower on the front of the cat to remove excess snow.  Reports are that the cover is getting a tiny bit thin in places, but that even in 8-degree Celsius sunshine, the snow is beautifully firm and the skiing is perfect.  No injection required.

We examined the rig closely and, frankly, have no idea how it works.  Stefan told us that it vibrates and thusly packs the snow down.  There seemed to be a hydraulic pump running to either half of it, and there were some plastic tanks under the roped-over grey cover.  Beyond that, we couldn't find anyone for more information.

Here's the original website, auf Deutsch for the 'Krauts among us.