The History of Snow Making at Mohawk Mountain
Although Walt Schoenknecht is credited with developing the snow-making machine, he was actually the owner of the first place to use it, Mohawk Mountain in Connecticut. The Tey Manufacturing Company of Milford, Conn., actually holds the first patent on the machine. They tested their prototype for the first time at Mohawk Mountain more than 60 years ago. Mohawk Mountain was the first ski resort in the world to use the snow-making machine for ski mountains.
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Identification of Need
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In 1947, Skiing Hall of Fame member Walt Schoenknecht created Mohawk Mountain Ski Area in Connecticut. The lack of snow during the cold weather started him on a quest to find a way to produce it artificially.
Snow Machine Prototype Experiment
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In 1949, an experiment with one of the first snow-making prototypes was done at Mohawk Mountain Ski Resort under a cloud of secrecy. The machine was made by the Tey Manufacturing Company of Milford, Conn.
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First Skiing on Artificial Surface
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On Wednesday, January 18, 1950, and extending into that weekend, the first skiing was done on Mohawk Mountain using an artificial iced surface. Walt Schoenknecht made the ski-able surface by chipping hundreds of pounds of ice.
Testing the Snow-Making Machine
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From 1950 to1951 a temporary snow-making system was installed at Mohawk Mountain for that winter's ski season. This was the first time a ski resort made snow for skiing. It was done to test the effectiveness of the new device and its usefulness for the ski area.
Permanent Snow Making
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In 1951, right after the New Year, Walt Schoenknecht announced that the long testing period of artificial snow making was successful. The snow-maker from the Tey Manufacturing Company was able to add three inches of man-made snow to an eight-inch base. Schoenknecht also announced that the machines would produce snow every night over the weekend to guarantee improved skiing the next day.
Snow Making Today
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Today, Mohawk Mountain, which boasts 24 trails, continues to make artificial snow with machines that have been updated through the decades. It currently uses artificial snow on 95 percent of its entire terrain.
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