In The Snow

New campaign to celebrate snowmobiling

The snowmobile manufacturers are collectively organizing and supporting a new, North American “International Snowmobile Celebration” dealer event, Oct. 25-27, 2019. The dealer-focused event will celebrate the snowmobiling community and prepare for the upcoming season.

All snowmobile dealers, local clubs and associations/federations across the U.S. and Canada are invited to participate in the event.

The Celebration is being modelled after the successful “Snöskoters Dag” (Snowmobile Day), which has been held in Sweden for 40 years. The Swedish event began in the 1970s and expanded rapidly through the 1980s as snowmobiling expanded in Sweden. The success of the event is traced to creating a fun, family weekend with involvement from dealers, clubs, associations, media and other industry stakeholders.

The International Snowmobile Celebration will be a fun, family festival-type event with a barbecue, refreshments, music and an “open house” mentality sure to get snowmobilers prepared for the upcoming season.

Snowmobile clubs are encouraged to participate with their local dealerships in activities and participate where possible, such as coordinating special events and conducting safety classes.

Snowmobile dealerships are encouraged to contact local Chambers of Commerce, Visitor and Convention Bureaus and regional media to help support the event.

Snowmobiling is a major part of the Winter Tourism economic engine across the North American snowbelt. The International Snowmobile Celebration is a perfect opportunity to bring together enthusiasts in kicking off the season and enjoying the snowmobile family lifestyle.

This October, let’s celebrate the International Snowmobile Celebration as one big family: manufacturers, dealers, associations and clubs embracing the opportunity to work together and celebrate snowmobiling in preparation for another great winter snowmobiling season.

More information is available at www.snowmobile.org and www.gosnowmobiling.org.

PistenBully automates track production

The production of PistenBully tracks is one of the most modern in the world. On June 5, PistenBully announced a new plant for preparing and producing the 7-belt Combi Plus track; a further step towards the future.

The new plant was designed and put into operation with PistenBully’s system partner Handlingtech. The planning was based on the development concept of the patented 7-belt Combi Plus track and is therefore tailor-made for the tracks of the latest generation of PistenBully.

The robot system ensures each component is placed in the correct position with maximum precision. Thanks to continuous monitoring, the system guarantees 100 percent quality during the pre-assembly of the individual track cleats.

The automation minimized the physical workload required during pre-assembly of the track cleats. For more information, visit www.pistenbully.com.

Synthetic winch cable from Prinoth

For a few years Prinoth has been working with Austrian rope manufacturer Teufelberger on the development of a synthetic winch rope for snow groomers that is in no way inferior to its steel counterparts.

This new winch cable has absolutely no metal. The core of the winch rope is made of highly resistant synthetic fibers with a synthetic protective sheath. It is able to ensure a traction force of up to 4.5 tons, the same as a conventional steel cable. The synthetic rope can be used without any restrictions for all winches that are designed with cables with an 11 millimeter diameter; it’s suitable for all new Leitwolf or Bison models.

The new synthetic rope offers a variety of advantages. One is that it is very light weight, improving handling and fuel efficiency on a snow groomer. There is also no wear on the components, no rust and no traces of grease.

Another potential advantage of the synthetic rope is its service life. According to tests done with Teufelberger, the cable has a significantly longer service life than a conventional steel cable.

For more information, visit www.prinoth.com.

Mattracks releases the 400 series tracks

Mattracks has expanded its track offerings for automotive/truck applications with the release of its 400M1A1 model. This expands the Mattracks automotive lineup by doubling the load capacity of the 200 series, which was the largest truck system prior to the 400 series release.

The 400 series is ideal for use on commercial vehicles weighing up to 40,000 lb. that require off-road mobility. The 400M1A1 track conversion system is designed for heavy loads and smooth rides, and features a 20-inch-wide front track and a 30-inch-wide rear track.

The 400 series is a hub mounted design to facilitate fast conversion from tires to tracks with little-to-no vehicle modification. This model also features Mattracks exclusive, patented rubber torsion anti-torque system, steering assist option, rocker suspension and rear external idler for optimum sprocket wrap and fender clearance.

For more information, visit www.mattracks.co.

New solutions for SNOWsat

SNOWsat enables clear communication between all vehicles in a fleet, planning of the ideal snow volume and slope management. With SNOWsat, Kässbohrer is now opening a new chapter in extensive digital solutions for unified control of all processes at a ski resort. Here are two of the newest SNOWsat solutions.

360° maintenance

Are all vehicles and equipment fully operational? What tasks are upcoming? What planned replacement work is still pending? All of these questions are answered by SNOWsat Maintain. The intuitively controlled software delivers all important information about vehicles, auxiliary equipment and systems in real time and is viewable from anywhere thanks to its own app.

GIS Data Manager

Adapting slope margins in geodata, updating the positions of snow cannons, marking anchor points for slope vehicles and registering new ski lifts can now be done in-house using the SNOWsat GIS Data Manager. In addition to importing and exporting data, existing information can also be adjusted. This information is simultaneously updated on all other SNOWsat components.

For more information, visit www.snowsat.com.

New TL4 lance from TechnoAlpin

TechnoAlpin will offer the new TL4 lance for the 2019-20 winter season. The TL4 has a higher start-up temperature and a lower operating pressure, the head is equipped with three nozzles per step and three nucleators, to be able to offer many different flow combinations and to adapt closely to the production conditions.

The TL4 is available in three mast lengths: four, six or 10 meters, as well as two combinations of nozzles, one for warm climates and one for standard conditions. TechnoAlpin also offers a centralized air version and another version with an onboard compressor.

For more information, visit www.technoalpin.com.