Montana

Second Montana ski resort looks to turn wastewater into powder

Published

4 weeks ago

May 15, 2024

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Second Montana ski resort looks to turn wastewater into powder

The Spanish Peaks Mountain Club has requested a permit from the Montana DEQ.

By Justin Franz MONTANA FREE PRESS

The Spanish Peaks Mountain Club in Big Sky has asked for a permit from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality to let it turn wastewater into snow for skiing and snowboarding. The private club is the second Montana ski area to try and implement snowmaking technology that proponents say is good for the environment and skiers amid a warming climate.

More than a dozen ski areas in eight states, plus some in Canada, Switzerland and Australia, use wastewater to make powder. This past winter, the Yellowstone Club near Big Sky became the first in Montana to turn what was once sewage into snow. The Spanish Peaks Mountain Club and Yellowstone Club share a common parent company, CrossHarbor Capital Partners, but they operate as separate businesses. The Spanish Peaks terrain is operated by Big Sky Resort and accessible to the public.

If approved, Spanish Peaks Mountain Club would use the treated water to make snow on approximately 44.5 acres of groomed runs on Spirit Mountain and the Spanish Creek base area and about 40.7 acres in the Southern Comfort ski area. The ski area would mostly use the treated snow in November and December to build a base during the early season.

The project would be built out in two phases. During phase one, the ski area would use 23 million gallons of treated water per year to make about 18 to 24 inches of snow. During phase two, that would increase to 44 million gallons of water annually.

DEQ has prepared a draft environmental assessment and is accepting comments on the plan through June 6.

In an emailed statement to Montana Free Press, Spanish Peaks’ Vice President of Environmental Operations Richard Chandler wrote, “We are very excited about this effort and appreciate the Department of Environmental Quality’s careful review. The conservation community in Montana has embraced the concept of turning reclaimed water into base layer snow to reuse our precious resources, recharge the aquifer and extend cold water flow into our rivers in the late summer months. Projects like these will help add resiliency to the Gallatin River, especially during drought years.”

Chandler, who also oversees the Yellowstone Club’s environmental operations, has previously said that turning recycled water into snow is better for the environment than just releasing it into a river, which normally is what happens. By shooting it through the snowmaking equipment (it’s essentially misted onto the slopes as snow) the wastewater is treated again. Then, as it melts in the spring and enters the ground, it’s filtered a third time. Because of that, groups like the Gallatin River Task Force, Trout Unlimited, American Rivers, Great Yellowstone Coalition and the Association of Gallatin Agricultural Irrigators all supported the Yellowstone Club project.

The effort to turn wastewater into snow in Big Sky dates back more than a decade. In 2011, the Gallatin River Task Force, Yellowstone Club and DEQ teamed up to study the concept. The idea was that as climate change made the region’s snowpack more unpredictable, they could serve skiers and the watershed by making snow from treated water that is traditionally just put into rivers and other bodies of water. That winter they successfully turned a half-million gallons of wastewater into two acres of snow about 18 inches deep.

In 2020, the Yellowstone Club applied for a permit from DEQ to expand that pilot program into a permanent snowmaking operation on Eglise Mountain. The following year, the state issued a permit allowing the Yellowstone Club to turn 25 million gallons of wastewater into snow annually. Two years and $12 million later, the new system began making snow last November.

Under the current plan, 80% of the recycled water comes from the Big Sky community, and 20% comes from the Yellowstone Club. For the Spanish Peaks project, all of the water will come from the Big Sky County Water and Sewer District wastewater treatment facility.

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Montana

What is the Perfect Montana Inspired Potato Chip Flavor?

Published

3 hours ago

June 10, 2024

Press Room

What is the Perfect Montana Inspired Potato Chip Flavor?

What if we had a Montana-flavored potato chip?

I’m a salty snacker and potato chips are one of my top choices when reaching for a treat. The fat, the salt, the crunch – yum! Potato chips are one of my few borderline food addictions. I can easily consume a “Party Size” bag of Lay’s (now just 12.5 ounces, thanks to shrinkflation) in two to three sittings.

Credit: Lay’s

Lay’s has rolled out a fun new assortment of seasonal flavors for 2024.

The seasonal, limited-edition flavor combos always catch my eye on the endcaps of grocery stores. This year, the company has four new limited-edition chip flavors. Three of those are designed to represent regions of the United States; West Coast, East Coast, and Midwest.

The West Coast flavor is Crispy Taco, East Coast is BLT Sandwich, and Midwest is Fried Pickles with Ranch. The 4th limited-edition flavor is Lime and Cracked Pepper (kettle chips) at select retailers.

Canadians love ketchup chips. Credit Canva

Canadians supposedly love ketchup-flavoured chips. Credit Canva

Remember the ketchup-flavored chips?

Canadians have reportedly loved ketchup-flavored potato chips since the 80s, and are somewhat popular in pockets of the US. In 2018 Lay’s released their ketchup-flavored chips nationwide as part of its “Taste of America” series.

They’ve done all kinds of wacky food combo chip flavors over the years, including Deep Dish Pizza, Crab Spice, Chili Con Queso, Beer and Brats, and many more. I’ve tried most of them, loved some of them, and was less than impressed by others.

Rocky Mountain Oyster Flavor? Credit Canva

Credit Canva

If Montana had a chip flavor…

Food and Wine gushed that Lay’s 2024’s nostalgia-inspired chip flavors will “remind you of home.” Which made me wonder what flavor of potato chip would best represent Montana. Smoked Trout flavored potato chips don’t sound very appealing, no matter how clever the marketing.

Credit Popshoplife.com/Canva

Steakhouse Chips? Sweet and Zesty Huckleberry BBQ?

The company already makes a Ribeye Steak flavored chip, available in China and online at specialty import shops. Rebranded as a “Steakhouse” flavor, this chip might make me think of Big Sky Country. Many Montanans might enjoy a “BBQ Huckleberry” flavored chip, which would portray the Treasure State taste profile relatively accurately.

What other wacky Montana-inspired flavors could the food scientists at Lay’s whip up? We’d love to hear your thoughts, serious or silly. Drop a comment if you’re reading this on Facebook, or send a message on our App Chat.

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Montana

Wastewater to Snow — Exploring Sustainable Snowmaking at Montana Ski Resorts – SnowBrains

Published

10 hours ago

June 10, 2024

Press Room

Wastewater to Snow — Exploring Sustainable Snowmaking at Montana Ski Resorts – SnowBrains

The Clubhouse at Spanish Peaks Mountain Club | Photo Credit: Spanish Peaks Mountain Club

The Spanish Peaks Mountain Club, located in Big Sky, Montana, is looking to turn wastewater into snow for their mountain, making it the second ski area in Montana to do so. The resort follows in the footsteps of Montana’s private club, the Yellowstone Club, and more than a dozen ski areas across the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Switzerland that are turning to sustainable snowmaking to help build their snow base at the beginning of their seasons.

Golf course at Spanish Peaks Mountain Club | Photo Credit: Spanish Peaks Mountain Club

Spanish Peaks Mountain Club is a private residential club in Montana that offers year-round amenities from a ski-in, ski-out clubhouse to golf, snowcat adventures, river camping, and fishing. Members get access to all amenities and can choose to rent or own property throughout the property. The Club gives you access to Big Sky Mountain Resort and the Spanish Peaks terrain is operated by the resort and accessible to the public.

The Spanish Peaks Mountain Club asked for a permit from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality to use treated wastewater to make snow on the groomed runs on Spirit Mountain, the Spanish Creek base area, and the Southern Comfort ski area. This snow would primarily be used to build the base in the early season across the roughly 90 acres of terrain. It would be implemented in two phases: the first would use 23 million gallons of water to make 18-24 inches of snow and the second would increase the amount to 44 million gallons of water annually.

Ski area near the mountain club | Photo Credit: Spanish Peak Mountain Club

Spanish Peaks Mountain Club shares a common parent company with the Yellowstone Club. Spanish Peaks Vice President of Environmental Operations, Richard Chandler, who also oversees environmental operations at the Yellowstone Club is excited for this opportunity as turning the recycled water to snow is both safe and beneficial to the environment. It is sustainable since the overall process is using recycled water rather than spring water and the overall goal is to avoid water waste. The recycled water is safe because it is filtered two additional times — once when it is run through the snowmaking equipment and another time when it runs through the ground.

The Department of Environmental Quality has prepared a draft environmental assessment for this project and is accepting comments on the plan until June 6.

Boarding at Big Sky Mountain Resort | Photo Credit: Spanish Peaks Mountain Club

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Montana

Montana Man Gets Into Wrong Car, Stranger's Dog in Back Seat

Published

17 hours ago

June 10, 2024

Press Room

Montana Man Gets Into Wrong Car, Stranger's Dog in Back Seat

After discovering a stranger’s dog in the back seat, a man realized he got into the wrong car. The funny incident occurred in Montana when the man was driving home after picking up his pizza.

Montana man realizes he is in wrong car, discovers unknown dog in the back seat

A video of a man getting into a stranger’s vehicle has been going viral after he made the discovery upon realizing there was an unknown pup in the back seat. While getting pizza, he not only entered the wrong car but realized much later that he might have accidentally kidnapped someone’s beloved dog.

Vincent Zepeda went to pick up a pizza on April 25. However, when it was time to return home, he told USA Today that it was raining and freezing cold. Thus, he had to run to his car with low visibility with only a pizza box over his head to help keep him dry. This led to the 53-year-old mixing up the two cars that looked identical, except one of them had a cargo carrier.

In the viral clip, the Montana resident begins by pointing at his car, noting that the one he is sitting in isn’t his. He clarifies that the dog behind him also doesn’t belong to him. The video was meant to warn his children from leaving their key fobs in the car while they are out and about.

The dog’s calm demeanor caught the internet’s eye as the white canine sat there drooling over the pizza. Moreover, Zepeda’s friend knew the car owner and was able to arrange the 53-year-old’s meeting with them and their beloved dog, Fletcher. The duo shared a good laugh about the incident, and Zepeda got to enjoy the pup’s company, per People.

Moreover, when the Montana resident met the dog he came across when he got into the wrong car, he noticed the pup sitting in the same spot and asked Fletcher if it was his spot. The canine’s owner jokingly noted that he probably wanted a slice of Zepeda’s pizza.

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