Recent Projects

Ohau Snow Fields - New Zealand

Planning, design, specification and completion certification for NZ$2.2m fully automatic snow making installation comprising:

• 11,000m3 water storage reservoir
• 2 pump stations
• 23 snow making machines

Ohau Snow Fields is a small ski area with a very big personality. Family owned and operated Ohau Snow Fields and the Lake Ohau Lodge provide a unique experience of warm "High Country" hospitality, comfortable relaxed accommodations and superb skiing terrain all set within the stunning landscape of the Southern Alps.

Ohau owners Mike and Louise Neilson approached AAL in September 2007 with a unique problem and a big vision for their ski area.

Until the mid 1990's New Zealand's main school holidays had been mid August, peak season and a time when Ohau was reliably blessed with abundant snow. The lodge was full of families and the ski area became a playgound where old friends met and new friendships forged. However when school holidays were moved to early July the often unreliable snow conditions at that time of year meant that not only was a core market lost but the consequent loss of all of those strong "word of mouth" promoters saw business levels steadily decline.

Mike and Louise needed reliable snow to:

• enable Ohau snow fields to open reliably by the July school holidays every year
• enable customers to confidently book a holiday at Ohau from late June (beginning of the holidays) every year
• provide sufficient skiing/open terrain with machine snow to provide a satisfactory experience to guests even if that is the only terrain open
• fill the lodge from July 1
• improve the overall reliability and reputation of Ohau Snow Fields

and a snow making system that was:

• efficient and required very few staff i.e. Automated
• reliable, easy to operate and with good service and support
• low operating cost

Ohau had received proposals from a number of snowmaking equipment suppliers however none of these proposals met all of Ohau's criteria for performance, capital cost, operating efficiency and power consumption - a new approach was required.

AAL first met with Mike and Louise and their operations manager to clarify all objectives and then completed a full analysis of ski slopes, weather conditions, snow depths required, water supplies and current infrastructure.

AAL then developed a snow making system design to meet all of the snow fields objectives.

Wand type snow guns used at Ohau

The proposed design delivered higher production rates and required 35% less electrical load than previous designs, was fully automatic to absolutely minimise staff costs and included flexible operating modes to reduce energy consumption even further.

Following financial analysis and further discussion a refined detailed plan and specification was produced to enable Ohau to seek competitive quotations for all system components.

AAL then assisted Ohau to source and select the right suppliers and contractors and provided a methodology for supplier selection.

The project installation was managed in-house by Mike and his operations manager Craig Ovenden with technical support from AAL who also provided commissioning supervision and conformance monitoring.

The result? Says Mike Neilsen

"The project has taken just under 4 months to complete, on time and within the $2.2 million budget. This is an incredibly pleasing achievement and all thanks to excellent contractors, great professionals, an innovative designer, a technically advanced and supportive supplier and a relentless drive from Craig our mountain manager and site project manager", and most importantly as Louise writes in the July 17 newsletter;

"We are almost at the end of the school holidays and it has been a huge amount of fun. The Lodge has been full of families. We ended up last night with 42 children all seated together at two long tables for the 6pm children's dinner. We are already missing the departing families and look forward to seeing them again next year. I'm sure new friendships have been forged with the parents who sat with each other on the various nights.

The snow making has definitely made a difference and the trails have been excellent. A lot of people have been hiking the ridge to get the powder runs and check out the view of Aoraki Mount Cook, and there has been a lot of good snow in other areas as well."