Forbush Corner Nordic Ski Center, MI
Reliant entirely on natural snow conditions, Forbush Corner Nordic ski center wanted to install snowmaking on a 2.5km loop to ensure reliable early-season operations and coverage during marginal conditions across their 18km trail system.
Objectives and Solutions
Forbush Corner is a Nordic cross-country ski center in Frederic, Michigan, USA, with over 18km of cross-country trails. Reliant only on natural snow conditions, the center decided to install state-of-the-art snowmaking to 2.5km of trails to create a loop for early and marginal conditions.
Located just 1.5 hours northwest of SMI’s headquarters in Midland, MI, SMI supplied a turnkey snowmaking installation. The system features a new 2 million gallon cooling pond with a bubbler fed by a well. A Torrent prefabricated pump station was supplied with a 150HP pump rated for 400 GPM.
In addition, a 300HP air compressor capable of producing 1280 CFM of compressed air to feed the 41 Axis Snowtowers was installed.
The Axis Snowtowers were installed on prefabricated SMI plastic vaults for a clean and tidy setup. The on/off Snowtowers are great for narrow trails and are simple to use.
Overall, Forbush Corner is very happy with the system and is very surprised at how the system can make over 18” of snow in 24 hours.
SMI & Torrent Infrastructure Installed
Water Management:
New 2 million gallon cooling pond with bubbler system fed by well
Torrent prefabricated pump station with 150HP pump rated for 400 GPM
Air & Compression:
300HP air compressor producing 1,280 CFM of compressed air
Snowmaking Equipment:
41 Axis Snowtowers installed on prefabricated SMI plastic vaults
On/off operation ideal for narrow cross-country trails
Simple, user-friendly controls
Performance & Results:
18+ inches of snow production in 24 hours
2.5km loop fully covered for early and marginal conditions
