Mount Southington Ski Area finally opened for the season with a few trails on January 5, 2016.

Over the past few years, the ski area has invested heavily in Techno Alpin (yellow) fan guns to complement its fleet of Lenko (blue) fans, HKD air/water sticks and various other snowmakers.

Mount Southington has, by far, the largest fleet of fan guns in Connecticut. The number of fan guns now tallies 65, with at least a dozen mounted on towers.

A robust snowmaking system like that at Mount Southington is critical, especially for an east-facing slope in the Connecticut River Valley that peaks around 550 feet.

The ski area relied heavily on older Lenko guns for many years, but the yellow beasts have taken taken over as the workhorses of the fleet.

If you’re like me and interested in the technical details, read more about Techno Alpin by clicking here.