Snow groomer

Snow groomer

The grandfather of snow groomers, the Tucker SNO-CAT of the Transantarctic Expedition in 1955

The Kässbohrer PB 260 D

Piste groomers driving in convoy between skiers

A snow groomer (German: Pistenraupe or Swiss: Pistenmaschine, French: Dameuse), piste (grooming) machine or piste basher is a vehicle used specifically for the preparation of ski pistes and cross-country skiing trails (or loipen), as well as the transportation of people and materiel in ski areas. It belongs to the broader category of vehicles known as snowmobiles or snowcats.

Function

A snow groomer is a tracked vehicle equipped in front with a shovel (or dozer blade) and behind with a cutter (or roller). It is usually driven by diesel engines. When the machine drives over a snowfield, it pushes snow ahead of it and, at the same time, smoothes out any surface ¬unevenness. At the same time the snow compacted by the weight of the vehicle and then raked and levelled by the trailing cutting machine. The compaction is essential for the rapid sintering of the snow and for maintaining the life of the piste.

Winch assistance

Snow groomers can handle very steep gradients due to their low centre of gravity and large contact area, but they can also be assisted by winches. Such winching engines are not just used on extreme gradients, but also for shifting large quantities of snow to conserve the surface of the ground. Using cable lengths of up to 1,200 metres and a tractive force of up to 4.8 tonnes, winches can support the machines on steep slopes.^[1] In addition to winches there are many other special devices for snow groomers such as cranes and “shapers”, as well as equipment to create halfpipes.

Environmental requirements

The construction materials, engine and technologies of a snow groomer are designed to operate at extremely low temperatures and adverse weather conditions. The cab is specially insulated and protected against icing up by special coatings, wind shields and hot air blowers.

Safety

Snow groomers warn skiers and snowboarders with one or more blinking orange lights and acoustic signals in order to prevent serious or even fatal collisions. In most ski resorts the machines also operate only outside of the opening hours of the slopes, i.e. late in the afternoon and at night. Occasionally, accidents do occur, often with serious consequences, as skiers venture too close to the vehicles. Drivers of piste groomers only have a limited view of the environment, and can only take limited evasive action. The tracks themselves have projecting aluminium links.

Makes and leading manufacturers

Snow groomers are only produced by a few manufacturers and in various sizes and designs. One leading firm, with a market share of about 50 % in 2012, is the German firm of Kässbohrer, which bought the Finnish producer, Formatic, in 2008. The next biggest market shares were held by Prinoth AG from Sterzing in Italy, who in 2005 took over the Sparte machines from Canadian manufacturer, Bombardier (Camoplast).

Names

In everyday speech these machines are referred to by various names. In addition to snow groomer and piste basher, they are colloquially called snowcats and ratracs (generic terms derived from proprietary names) and pistie beasties.

Other uses

Due to their mobility and low ground pressure (typically 0.040 to 0.060 kg/cm² (about 4 to 6 kN/m²) snow groomers are sometimes used elsewhere, e.g. for agricultural purposes, moving bulk goods, working on peat bogs or at biogas sites.^[2]

See also

• Ski-doo
• Snowcat

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Snow groomer.