Maria Alm Has Put Its Trust In Demaclenko
The ski resort Maria Alm in Salzburg, which is part of the Hochkönig skiing region, promises “vacation at the peak of feelings”. To continue to keep this promise and guarantee certain snow on the slopes for the winter guests in particular, Demaclenko has been commissioned with implementing a tailor-made snow solution worth millions of euros. Among other things, more than one hundred new snow guns are being installed and a new pump station with a cooling system is being built.
Since the 1960s, both summer and mainly winter tourism have brought a tremendous boom to the previously rural life of the community around Maria Alm. Today, Maria Alm and neighbouring localities have an extensive network of ropeways for Alpine skiing and sports and are part of the popular Hochkönig skiing area. In 2018, further major investments have been planned to offer visitors an even better winter experience. An important step is connecting Natrun with Aberg, which will provide direct access to the skiing area from the centre of the village of Maria Alm. This means avoiding the two-kilometre drive to the valley station of Aberg.
Further important progress has been made in modernizing and extending the existing snow-making facility. Siegfried Egger, the technical director in Maria Alm explains why they chose DEMACLENKO: “Above all, we were convinced of the products’ great snow performance and remarkable efficiency. And we were offered a turn-key solution from one partner.” A total of 106 new snow guns are being installed strategically on the site as well as 61 new concrete pits. There was another advantage with the use of the resource-efficient snow lance EOS (0.195m3/min). “By strategically using the EOS, it was no longer necessary to build a new compressor station, as planned”, Egger reports. Twenty-two completely new lances are being installed, and the already existing 67 lance units are being replaced by new ones. In addition, 39 Titan 3.0 fan guns will support the snow coverage network of Maria Alm.
A complete optimisation of the pump stations has also been planned. Alongside the extension of the already existing station Aberg Tal and Urslau, (raising the conveying capacity from 60 l/s to 120 l/s), the new main pump station “Natrun” is being built directly next to the new reservoir with a maximum conveying capacity of 360 l/s. The system is being fit out with a cooling system with three triple cooling towers, which can provide 270 l/s of cool water at the ideal temperature for making snow. In addition, three high pressure valve shafts have been preassembled and prepared for transfer by Demaclenko. Demaclenko’s visualisation software Snowvisual 4.0 allows for the optimal operation and control of the new components and gives customers a user-friendly efficiency package which includes cost-saving resource management. The construction of a pedestrian pipeline bridge is also included in the package.
The construction site in the ski resort is already in full blast. The delivery of the new equipment has been scheduled for autumn so that it can produce white slopes and unforgettable skiing experiences in Maria Alm as early as next winter. Thanks to help from Demaclenko, “vacations at the peak of feelings” will continue to enthuse many visitors in the future.
