New “All Weather” snowmaking machine tested
in Israel ahead of installation in the Alps.The first IDE snowmaking machine has been assembled and tested in Israel prior to shipment to the Alps.

The Snowmaker is capable to produce 950 cubic meters of snow per day. Snowmaking took place east of Netanya, Israel, under summer conditions (ambient temperature above 30 C) during the second week of July. Israeli skiers enjoyed skiing on the ski slope at the test site.

The leading ski resorts of Pitztal (Austria) and Zermatt (Switzerland) are inaugurating a new era in snow making, by choosing the IDE All Weather Snowmaker to deliver large amounts of snow at all ambient temperatures, totally chemical free. Both projects are currently under construction, and due to be operational during October 2008.

The Matterhorn ski paradise above Zermatt is one of the largest ski resorts in the Alps and one of the few to remain open throughout the entire summer. There is however, one small problem. "As of late autumn the glacier slope comes to a halt approx. 500 meters before the mountain station, forcing skiers to cover the remaining stretch by foot“ says Christen Bauman, CEO of Zermatt Mountain Resort AG. "This is definitely not an ideal situation“. The IDE system will bridge that snow gap.

Daniel Luggen, Zermatt Tourism Director, added, "We definitely saw a decrease in bookings for the usually very popular ski tests that take place between October and December. We have to offer our guests an enjoyable ski experience and this innovative technology could not have come at a better time”.

"By opting for this snow making technology, we can secure the timely start of our ski season“, says Dr. Hans Rubatscher, Chairman, Pitztal Glacier Resort. "This 1.5 million Euro investment will complement existing snow making systems by covering slopes that so far had to rely exclusively on natural snowfall,“ says Rubatscher. This will enable us to offer European ski teams, who start their training season already in autumn, a wide racing area. Furthermore, regular skiers will enjoy a proper ski season right from the very beginning.

Willi Krueger, Marketing Manager of the Pitztal Glacier Resort, sees in the IDE snowmaker a true quality improvement for the start of 2008/9 season. He is convinced that this will translate itself in increased bookings for the Pitztal resort. "A reliable snow at all ambient temperature is becoming more and more of an issue for our area. Consequently the purchase of this snowmaker system has generated a lot of interest in the region“ says Kruger at the recent product launch press conference in Innsbruck, Austria. The idea for this project was conceived following the warm autumn months of 2006 and the subsequent lack of snow.

IDE's All Weather Snowmaker is based on a 15-year proven, proprietary Vacuum Ice Maker (VIM) technology which utilizes vacuum conditions to generate snow. It was first discovered when IDE installed a cooling system in to a South African gold mine and discovered a by-product of the cooling process was that it created snow. This economical and ecological technology uses water as refrigerant. Inside the VIM, a high vacuum induces the phenomenon of the triple point of water, where vapor, liquid and ice coexist. Some of the water evaporates, while the remaining water freezes. Ice-water slurry is formed and pumped out of the VIM into a snow concentrator which separates the water from the snow crystals, extracting high quality snow.

IDE Technologies Ltd, established in 1965, is internationally recognized as a pioneer and one of the world leaders in the delivery of sophisticated water solutions. IDE specializes in research and development of saline water desalination processes, concentration and purification of industrial streams, wastewater treatment, refrigeration and ice/snow machines. IDE develops, designs, manufactures and installs sophisticated equipment for industrial and domestic applications throughout the world.