Poley Mountain Announces 2.5 Million Investment in Snowmaking Infrastructure

Skiers and snowboarders at Poley Mountain can expect to see a lot of construction activity this fall as the resort undertakes one of the most significant investments in its snowmaking infrastructure in recent history.

Poley Mountain Resorts is investing $2.5 million in a new snowmaking pumphouse, three new HKD snowmaking pumps and related infrastructure. The project is designed to significantly increase the resort’s ability to make snow quickly and efficiently—and, importantly, to take advantage of increasingly short and unpredictable winter weather windows.

“This investment is about being proactive,” said Poley Mountain General Manager Jamie Hare. “We know winter weather is changing. We can’t control the temperature, rain or humidity, but we can control how prepared we are to respond when the conditions are right.”

The need for that responsiveness has become increasingly evident in recent seasons. In the winter of 2024, Poley experienced a 63-day season and more than 1,000 millimeters of rain. The past season, with more balanced weather patterns, the resort enjoyed a 93-day season and welcomed approximately 65,000 skier visits.

“The necessity to recover from these rain events in hours, not days, is a key motivator for this investment,” Hare said.

Poley currently makes snow across more than 34 acres covering 30 ski trails. The new infrastructure will increase the resort’s snowmaking capacity from approximately 1,000 gallons per minute to 2,500 gallons per minute.

That represents a dramatic increase in snowmaking capacity and will allow Poley to produce substantially more snow in a much shorter period of time.

For a resort operating in a climate where temperatures and humidity can change rapidly, that speed matters.

“Today, snowmaking is not simply about making snow when it gets cold,” said Mike MacNeil, President of Poley Mountain Resorts. “It is about being ready to take advantage of every weather window we get. We are striving to consistently achieve a 90-day season, deliver a quality skiing and snowboarding experience, and equip our team with the state-of-the-art tools to make that happen.”

The new system will give Poley’s snowmaking team significantly greater flexibility to respond to changing conditions—sometimes within minutes rather than hours. The upgraded technology will also allow the team to monitor and adjust snowmaking operations remotely, including through mobile devices.

The investment comes at a time when ski areas across the region are facing greater variability in winter conditions. For Poley Mountain, the response is not to wait and see what future winters bring, but to invest now in the infrastructure needed to adapt.

“Climate change is creating more variability, and variability is the challenge,” MacNeil said. “Our goal is to make Poley more resilient. When we get a cold, dry window, we want to be in a position to maximize it. When we experience a significant rain event, we want the ability to rebuild our base quickly and get our guests back on the slopes.”

The project builds on Poley Mountain’s existing snowmaking infrastructure, which includes in-place compressors, approximately ten kilometers of snowmaking pipe and more than eighty snowguns.

Poley’s technology partner for the project is HKD Snowmakers, a North American leader in snowmaking technology. The resort’s snowmaking team was recently recognized as a Top Six finalist in the North American “I AM a Snowmaker” contest, highlighting the expertise and dedication of the crew responsible for creating and maintaining the resort’s winter base.

Making snow at Poley presents its own unique challenges. Located relatively close to the Bay of Fundy and the Atlantic Ocean, the resort can experience rapid changes in temperature and humidity. The new infrastructure will give the snowmaking team greater ability to react to those changes and make the most of every opportunity.

“This is an investment in the future of Poley Mountain,” said Hare. “We are investing in our people, our infrastructure and, ultimately, in the experience our guests expect when they come to ski and snowboard at Poley.”

Construction will continue throughout the fall with pumps already in transit from Europe. The team is setting its sights on being operational in the Winter Season of 2027/28 while remaining construction and refurbishment is completed for this expansive project.

Poley Mountain Resort is located in Waterford, New Brunswick, is an all-season recreation destination. The resort operates 30 ski trails, 16 kilometers of downhill mountain biking and hiking trails; all hosted in a large, modern lodge.