A number of indoor snow parks are under operation around the world, but many of them experience difficulties with the technical problems and the high operational cost. Some of them have critical failures in basic design or engineering, but operate the parks without fundamental solution. Since there are a lot of different factors in running indoor snow park such as cooling, ventilating, snowmaking and even grooming knowhow, it looks quite dangerous to benchmark one specific indoor snow park unless it really proves to be without serious failures in design and engineering.

The best solution may be achieved by the collaboration of the specialists in each field including the persons who have experiences from the existent indoor snow parks. 'Space Engineering' organizes the consortium of different specialist companies around the world based on its experiences over 30 years and connections in the field, so that the troubles and failures with the existent indoor snow parks are collected without fail to put them on the table for the solutions which do not allow the same kinds of troubles or failures.

ENGINEERING FOR MAJOR FIELDS

INSULATION

Insufficient consideration of the building design or poor installation during the construction inevitably cause the dew condensation at the wall, ceiling and glass. Especially the dew condensation at the ceiling resulting in the drops from the above will be a kind of disaster but it is not scarcely found around the world. Also a loss of heat caused by the careless design or poor installation results in the unnecessary over-running of the refrigeration facilities and high running cost.

We minimize the heat loss and power consumption, and remove the possibility of dew condensation through the sophisticated calculation of the thermal transmittance at the walls, ceilings and glasses of the indoor snow hall.

AIR VENTILATION / REFRIGERATION SYSTEM

The cooling system for the indoor snow hall consists of the cooling of the air and the floor. The indoor temperature is controlled to range -3℃ ~ -1℃ for efficient snowmaking and keeping the best snow quality. The cooling system and drain system for the floor should not be neglected for best snow quality. The diameter of refrigeration pipe and the distance between pipes should be cleverly designed to prevent not only from the insufficient cooling but also the over-cooling.

SNOWMAKING SYSTEM

The most influential fact on the success or failure of indoor snow dome is the quality of snow.

Most of conventional ICMs (Ice Crushing Machines) installed for the indoor snow domes have been frustrating customers for their poor snow quality, but the recent ICM by virtue of its technical improvements offers quite high quality snow, which is absolutely acceptable for the normal operation of indoor snow dome.

CO-RELATED SNOWMAKING SYSTEM

Despite of the great advantages of the MPSS, we recommend the users operate the indoor snow hall with a couple of supporting systems rather than depending on MPSS alone, in consideration of the outdoor temperature of wintertime around the indoor snow park and the economical efficiency caused by the outdoor cold temperature without indoor cooling.

In most cases, the suppliers of different facilities mostly recommend their own systems only and they are focusing too much on the advantages of their own systems. All systems have their own advantages, but mostly disadvantages exist as well.

The operation of indoor snow park can be optimized when the different advantages from different systems are harmoniously combined to work efficiently. Therefore Space Engineering offers the complex snowmaking system by integrating the ice crushing system and Everslide floor matting system or even outdoor snowfans with the major snowmaking system of MPSS.

SNOWMAKING & COOLING SYSTEM FOR PEAK SEASON

The best snow quality should be offered to the patrons during the peak season. The cooling system is operated in full to keep the indoor temperature below -1℃ and the new snow must be replenished every day. When the outdoor temperature is cold enough to make snow by the traditional fan type snowmaking machine, it would be best to make snow outside and to transport it to inside the hall. A huge amount of snow is available in this case with extremely low cost. 

However, it must be considered cleverly in advance at the time of designing building to secure the snow transporting route without any problem.

SNOWMAKING & COOLING SYSTEM FOR OFF OR LOW SEASON

It is not surprising that the business with the indoor snow park drops dramatically other than winter time or vacations of students. We ask the operators of the indoor snow park to decide whether he will prefer the same quality of snow during this period of slow season just as the peak season, or to operate the indoor hall efficiently and economically though the snow quality drops.

In fact, most of the indoor snow parks pour money earned during the peak season to operate the hall at the slow season. Space Engineering offers the Everslide plastic mattings alternatively for the quality snow. The advantages are;

1. A little amount of snow will work good enough to operate the hall for the Everslide mattings work completely without snow.

2. Everslide mattings have good effect on the insulation, and they delay the snow melting greatly when the air cooling system is not turn on. (The floor cooling is still recommended to be continued unless the operator believes it not necessary.)

3. It can be selectively operated without any snow on the Everslide at all. When the patrons inside the hall are too little or none, let the snow melt and operate the hall without snow for the time being.

The patrons understand the quality of snow in summertime is inferior to that in wintertime, and they should accept the fact that the indoor snow park tries to operate the hall economically and offers reasonable discount during the days of comparatively poor snow quality. However, whenever the operator decides, the hall is to be immediately re-cooled and the snowmaking system will be operated again to revert to the normal quality of snow.